When Silence and Sound Collide, Senses ExplodeBarrett I’m deaf. What most people view as a disadvantage, I see as an advantage. I feel my way through life in my 1969 Ford Fairlane. The vibrations and speed sustain me, the race track is where I dominate. I thought racing was all I needed to survive, but I was wrong. PresleyMusic is my life. I inhale the melody and breathe in the lyrics. That was … the melody and breathe in the lyrics. That was until I met someone that opened my eyes to a new culture. Who knew silence was all it would take for me to really experience music?
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4.5 heartwarming stars!
Would I recommend this book?
Yes, absolutely because it was really a wonderful story. I learned so much about how deaf people experience the world, their fierce pride in their deafness, and of course, some of the challenges that can come their way as they interact with the more dominant hearing community through this fictional story. And now I hope I remember to not say or ask offensive questions that I would’ve otherwise.
I did a lot of highlighting, commenting on GoodReads with my status updates and bookmarking because this novel was full of meaningful moments. I also really enjoyed the additional posts the author shared on deaf culture and what inspired her in the read-along group she had July 8 – 15, 2018. There is something very special to me about interacting with other readers who are reading the same novel as you around the same time. And I admired the courage it took the author who is also deaf to write this novel and share very personal information about real events that inspired scenes in Silent Song.
One of my favorite scenes was in Presley’s point of view during a conversation she had with her college roommate / bestie Jodi:
“We have this connection that transcends words or communication at all. We can be completely silent, yet say so much, if that makes sense at all.”
“Wow. I didn’t realize it was that deep.”
“I don’t think he does either, which is the problem.”
What did I enjoy most about this story?
Original / Page-turner / Diverse characters / Deaf community friendly / Romantic / Realistic / Funny / HEA
I loved that Barrett and Presley got to know each other over an expanded amount of time. There was also plenty of levity to balance out some of the heavier beats. And the titular song scene was amazing. I hope the author considers writing more stories featuring a deaf hero and/or heroine because their fictional voices needs to be heard more often.
This is an amazing romance story that gives you a peek into the deaf community. It also allows to see many other family dynamics and how they can affect our lives and relationships.
Unique and Amazing
Silent Song is unlike anything I’ve read before. It is a beautiful romance, yes, but it’s way more than that. Make sure you read the author note in the beginning to find out why, but I’ll give you some highlights.
One of the main characters, Barrett, is deaf. Now, I’ve read books with deaf characters before, and they were well done, but this book was on another level. The reason is simple: the writer is also a part of the deaf community. The dialogue is unique in that it follows the grammar rules of ASL when Barrett speaks. She even goes so far as to italicize the words that he understands.
The dialogue lets you truly sink into the story. You don’t just know some of the characters are deaf, you feel it.
The other main character Presley is hearing, but going to school start a career in music therapy. Despite their two distinctly different backgrounds these two are electric. The romance is sweet and clean. You’ll fall in love with them as they fall in love with each other. Seriously, I can’t wait to get my hands on some more books from this writer because she blew me away.
Silent Song is a beautiful unique book that will make your heart sing with emotion. The love and understanding in this book will leave you with a smile. Presley is a girl who leaves a ivy league school to pursue her dream of a degree in music therapy. Barrett is a hardworking deaf boy who is doing his best to take care of his younger brother and himself. They meet each other when Presley jumps in his car after a race. Presley and Barrett’s story had me feeling all kinds of emotions that left me drained they really go well together even with their differences. Jaci has a hit on her hands with this book.. and the going away gift ending lol so epic
I was fortunate enough to win an advanced signed copy from the author and I am so glad I did! This was my first Jaci Wheeler book and after reading Silent Song I cannot wait to dive into another! I was apprehensive at first as to how I would like this book since the description put me in mind of one of my favorite books, Colleen Hoover’s “Maybe Someday”, and I was perhaps a bit worried maybe the storylines would cross and would not measure up. However I am happy to say that Silent Song stands on its own with a charming story about love and loss and taking the initiative to experience the world from a different perspective than your own. I completed this story in one day as the storyline kept me engaged and wanting more with fantastically developed characters. As far as storyline, character development and readability it gets 5 stars! I would love to see a sequel to this journey some day!
This is the first book I have read by Jaci Wheeler, it won’t be the last because this book and story captivated me, its taken me a while to write my review because I wanted to do this unique book justice, I needed to get my head around this beautiful love story. This author has not just given us a story she has taken us on a journey and it’s a journey that takes over your mind and steals a piece of heart along the way, it makes you understand just how loud our world is, how something’s we see as important are really trivial and how important it is to see someone’s face when you can’t hear their words. This book touched my soul and I’m so glad I was given the opportunity to read it and as I really don’t want to give the story away all I’m going to say is please one click this book because if you are looking for something different to any other story this is a MUST READ…….