Book Review: A Whisper to a Scream by Karen Wojcik Berner

A Whisper to a Scream by Karen Wojcik Berner

Publisher: CreateSpace

Publish Date: June 14, 2011

Paperback, 278 pages 
Fiction, Women's Fiction, General Fiction
 ISBN: 9781456593650

My Review:
Overall I really enjoyed A Whisper to a Scream.  I feel like Ms. Berner created two main characters that I could relate to even though I am in neither of their specific situations.  I am not a stay-at-home mom with a husband on the road and I am not a want-to-be mom with fertility problems.  I am a working mom with two children so that puts me somewhere between the two I guess, closer to the SAHM you would think, but then like Annie because I work. 

I think that's what made A Whisper to a Scream really stand out to me is the relatability of the characters.  I think as a woman (and for the most part this is a book that will appeal to women) no matter where you are at in life you will find something to relate to in both of these characters.  Annie and Sarah are very real.  They face hardships.  They have ups, they have downs, they learn to celebrate the good and deal with the bad most of the time.  I loved them.  At times I wanted to strangle them but then I understood them.  I always came back to understanding them, and then I always came back to loving them.  Ms. Berner creates and brings to life wonderful characters and this is her strong suit in writing.  Her characters were amazing to me.

Did I have some issues with the book, yes I did, but it didn't spoil my overall love of the book for it's characters. I will eagerly await the second in this series so I can see more of the characters and hopefully get to know more of The Bibliophiles (I'm guessing that is the intent of the series).  One of my issues was that some things were paced wonderfully and then things were hurried up and tied up too quickly (or what I thought was too quickly).  I wished that it was just a little more evenly paced plot-wise.  Another issue I had was jumping around a bit between some of the minor characters.  I liked learning about them, but sometimes it left me confused about who it was and why it would be important to the story.  I liked having the back story, but by the end,  I wished some of that space could have been used to pace the main stories out a little better.  That said, again the characterizations are Ms. Berner's strong suit so these back stories really stand out and are memorable even if I had to ask myself who that character was in the framework of the story (who he or she was related to).  I also wish I could have seen just a little more of the book club together, but that is a small wish and minor to things overall.  These are all personal preferences and really minor in the scheme of how the book was to me and things that only came up after reading the book.  While I read the book, I only had complete enjoyment and just kept thinking that I could relate to both women so well.

Overall this book was very much worth my time and yours if you enjoy novels that revolve around the characters.  This isn't a happy-go-lucky novel, Sarah and Annie have tough issues to deal with, but in the end I like how they do it.  I like that the book club brings them together.  I read this book on New Year's Day and it was a great way to spend my afternoon.  I went through some emotions but came out feeling happy not drained and eager to see what happens next for The Bibliophiles.  I think A Whisper to a Scream is a good start for Karen Wojcik Berner and I'm interested to see where her writing takes her next.

My Rating: 4.0/5.0


About the Book:
Ovulation detectors. Hormone surges. Anxiety-ridden dreams. This is the world in which Annie Jacobs is thrust when she and her husband John receive a diagnosis of unexplained infertility. A 37-year old PR executive, Annie has wanted to be a mother since she first cuddled her Baby Tenderlove at age five. She is dreading another Christmas of relatives asking when they will be hearing the pitter patter of little feet, and Uncle Joe slapping John on the back, telling him to relax and take a cruise. Lots of people get pregnant on vacation, you know.

Across town, stay-at-home mom of two, Sarah Anderson, attempts grocery shopping with a toddler intent on hurling items from the cart at passersby. She notices a box of rice heading straight for a gray-haired head. Leaping across the aisle, Sarah grabs it, saving the woman from certain doom, or at least a minor head injury. Little Alex screams at being thwarted. The unknowing octogenarian shakes her head and admonishes Sarah for not knowing how to keep her child quiet in public.

"A Whisper to a Scream" is the story of two women on opposite ends of the child-bearing spectrum who come to realize the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side of the fence. A vivid portrayal of contemporary marriage and its problems, the novel speaks to a longing in all of us, a yearning that might start as a vague notion, but eventually grows into an unbearable, vociferous cry.

About the Author (from Goodreads.com): 
Everyone has a story. When walking past the houses on your block during an after-dinner stroll or driving down a rural road dotted with singular farms, have you ever wondered what was going on inside? I have always been interested in people’s backstories. How did they get to where they are today? What ramifications does the past have on the present?

So I decided to bring a group of people together, bound only by their love of classic literature, and see what happened.

The result is The Bibliophiles Series, which begins with “A Whisper to a Scream,” the story of Sarah Anderson, a stay-at-home mother of two, and Annie Jacobs, a PR executive dealing with fertility issues, and continues with each novel devoted to one or two of the Classics Book Club members, including their fearless leader, Edwina Hipplewhite.

I have been a writer/editor for more than twenty-five years, ten of which were spent in editing trade publications. A two-time “Folio Magazine” Ozzie Award for Excellence in Magazine Editorial and Design winner, my work has appeared in countless magazines and newspapers. I have bachelor’s degrees in English with a writing concentration and communications.

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FTC Information: I received this book from the author through WoW Tours for an honest review.  I do make money from purchases made at The Book Depository and B&N.com, but all money is used to fund giveaways and shipping for giveaways from the blog.

Guest Blog: Jane Austen: A Writer for the Ages by Karen Wojcik Berner + Giveaway

Jane Austen: A Writer for the Ages
By Karen Wojcik Berner

It was Mrs. Berkeley’s English class, sophomore year in high school. Our first full-scale research paper lay ahead. We were to pick an author, read three of his or her books, and write a term paper on recurrent themes in the work.

The list was filled with the Classics, ninety percent of whom were men. I glanced further down the page and came upon a name I had never seen before —Jane Austen. One novel’s synopsis started out something like, “Elizabeth Bennet meets Fitzwilliam Darcy at a dance. Neither is too pleased with the other.” I was hooked. I quickly ran up to our teacher, securing this Jane Austen before anyone else, for fear of being stuck analyzing Homer.

Pride and Prejudice changed my life. Elizabeth Bennet was witty and sassy, and her cat-and-mouse game with Mr. Darcy captivated my teenage heart. This felt real, whether it took place in the eighteenth or twentieth century.

Jane sparked my love of British literature, and I went onto major in English in college. Since then, I have read and re-read her novels, biographies and copies of her letters to her sister, Cassandra. Watching adaptations of her stories relaxes me. They are “my happy place.”

She also showed me, along with the rest of the world, that women could be great writers, intelligent and interesting, not merely second-class citizens penning accounts of nothingness, while the men went about having the adventures.

Jane Austen made it possible for me to write what I do today.

Last year, I visited her home in Chawton, Hampshire, England. It is a lovely cottage with a small garden to the side; “a prettyish sort of wilderness,” as Lady Catherine de Bourgh would call it.

I felt as if I had walked right into one of her novels. A display case held some of her letters. The cross necklaces owned by Jane and Cassandra, were there, along with a lock of her hair.

The sitting room held the greatest treasure. There, by the window, was a small octagonal table. Her writing desk! I imagined her sitting there, dipping the quill in ink, writing and re-writing, smirking to herself as she adjusts Mrs. Bennet’s rant about her poor nerves.

The mere thought overwhelmed me. I gently stroked the table, quickly though, as to not arouse suspicion. This was hallowed literary ground, and I was privileged to be there.

My family and I drove to Winchester Cathedral, about a half an hour away, to see her grave upon which I placed a simple bouquet of yellow roses for my dear old friend.

Her legacy is alive and well today. Have you seen how many novels are based on her characters?

Thank you, Crystal, for allowing me to rhapsodize about my favorite author on your blog. Dear readers, what is your favorite Jane Austen novel or movie adaptation?

Answer Karen's question in the comments to be entered to win a Kindle or B&N copy (ebook) of Karen's first novel in her The Bibliophiles series which is currently touring and I will be reviewing later today.  I will gift one lucky commenter with a copy of it after Saturday, 1/7, open to wherever these can be gifted to.  I will purchase the copy and send it to your email address.

About A Whisper to a Scream by Karen Wojcik Berner

Ovulation detectors. Hormone surges. Anxiety-ridden dreams. This is the world in which Annie Jacobs is thrust when she and her husband John receive a diagnosis of unexplained infertility. A 37-year old PR executive, Annie has wanted to be a mother since she first cuddled her Baby Tenderlove at age five. She is dreading another Christmas of relatives asking when they will be hearing the pitter patter of little feet, and Uncle Joe slapping John on the back, telling him to relax and take a cruise. Lots of people get pregnant on vacation, you know.

Across town, stay-at-home mom of two, Sarah Anderson, attempts grocery shopping with a toddler intent on hurling items from the cart at passersby. She notices a box of rice heading straight for a gray-haired head. Leaping across the aisle, Sarah grabs it, saving the woman from certain doom, or at least a minor head injury. Little Alex screams at being thwarted. The unknowing octogenarian shakes her head and admonishes Sarah for not knowing how to keep her child quiet in public.

"A Whisper to a Scream" is the story of two women on opposite ends of the child-bearing spectrum who come to realize the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side of the fence. A vivid portrayal of contemporary marriage and its problems, the novel speaks to a longing in all of us, a yearning that might start as a vague notion, but eventually grows into an unbearable, vociferous cry.

Book Review: Hospice Tails by Debra Stang #HospiceTails

Hospice Tails by Debra Stang

Publisher: Booklocker.com, Inc.

Publish Date: May 31, 2011

Paperback, 108 pages 
Non-Fiction, Anthology
 ISBN: 978-1614342618

My Review:
Hospice Tails is a quick read and much lighter than one might think given the subject matter.  I jumped at the chance to do this tour since I have a love of pets (especially cats) and a profound love and respect for Hospice after my Grandmother was cared for by Hospice after she broke her hip and never really recovered and then passed away almost 2 years ago.  So I wanted to read these stories as told by a Hospice worker of how pets were important at the end of life to the patients and families.

I enjoyed the stories, they were quick reads and I found none of them depressing at all.  Ms. Stang has a quick wit and a gift to tell the stories of how the animals were special (or not special, yet still important in one case) to each patient or family.  Each story is told completely and I got to know the pet and the patient and how Ms. Stang interacted with each patient.

Two things stood out to me in this book.  Pets were important in each case to the well-being of the patient and the family was the first one.  And second, Ms. Stang really cares about what she does and about each patient.  Not all the patients were eager for Hospice care, but through her thoroughness and drive to give them the best care possible I see that she gets to know them and does her best and this is what I see as the shining star of Hospice care.  It's the fact that they really do care.  I think Ms. Stang really brings this to light in this book whether she means to or not.  The pets provided the humor a lot of the time and Ms. Stang provided the heart.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0


About the Book:

Hospice Tails shares the stories of those without voices. This books tells the stories of fourteen pets and the role they played when their loved one was ill or dying. The stories range from sad to touching to downright hysterical. There was King, who had the hospice nurses very nervous. Until they realized he was a lap dog in a pit bull’s body. Jasper and Jackie, Amazon parrots who put on a daily concert for their owner, even on the last day of his life. As an Alzheimer’s patient’s world shrunk Washington, a golden retriever, became the only “person” he recognized. This book is ideal for animal lovers as well as those who are caretakers—either as a profession or for a loved one.

About the Author: 

In addition to her parents and two sisters, Debra’s family includes four cats. The current crew includes a grouchy nine-year-old named Achilles; an orange tabby and alpha male named, appropriately enough, Alexander, and a black and white long-haired cat with attitude named Leroux. Then there’s the foster cat named Pumpkin. Of course it all started with a three-month-old brown-and-gray tabby named Calypso who had strong feeling about most people. And not warm fuzzy feelings. Calypso even had the dubious honor of being banned by not one, but two vets.

When not caring for cats or writing, Debra spent many years as a social worker. She worked with AIDS patients, emergency room patients, and those with Alzheimer’s. Her final years as a social worker were spent with hospice patients. Although some would view that as a depressing job Debra chose to view herself as a catalyst helping people make their final hopes and dreams come true. Sometimes it was making up with a family member after a decades long feud or leaving behind the stress of the office to reconnect with another aspect of their personality.

Debra took a clue from her patients and recently decided her writing – for years a part-time career – couldn’t wait any longer. Worried she would become one of those people who would one day say, “I wish I had…” she handed in her resignation and is now living her dream as a full time writer.

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FTC Information: I received through WOW (Women on Writing) tours for an honest review. 


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