In 1915, jealous, bitter Rebecca Roth cuts all ties with her life-long friends, the Pearls. Eight years later, Rebecca’s son and young Lena Pearl begin keeping company in secret. Rebecca agrees to a truce when the couple marries. But the truce is fragile. Rebecca’s resentments run deep.In 2010, Carolyn Lee, fitness instructor and amateur photographer, must come to grips with the fact that her … that her mother’s imminent death will leave her alone in the world. While preparing her childhood home for sale, she realizes for the first time that her mother’s antique brooch is identical to the one pinned to the lady’s dress in the painting hanging above the fireplace. Coincidence or connection? Carolyn is determined to find out. What she discovers has the potential to tear lives apart or to bring her the closeness and comfort she longs for. It all depends on how she handles her newfound knowledge.
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This book captured my interest from page one. I love history so a book centered on an antique brooch and a painting, paired with ancestry and family secrets is a must-read. I especially adored the Jewish culture integration in the novel, which brought the richness of the story to a higher level. Now I’ve read two books by this author and I can’t wait for more.
Isn’t this the most beautiful book cover? I think that’s what attracted me first to debut author Linda Rosen’s The Disharmony of Silence. And then there was the title, which fills me with questions.
I very much enjoyed this book. I loved the way it seamlessly flowed from past to present. The family connections. The secrets. The lies. I loved the search, the need for family. I loved how misunderstanding gave way to daylight.
I found so many connections between this family and my own, even though Ms. Rosen’s characters are Jewish, and I come from a family of fast-speaking Italians. In particular, one scene reminded me so much of my mother – I’ll let you all find your connection because I’m betting you will.
What a delightful, deep, and loving look at family, grief, and loss, and how even the best family can have dark secrets. This story is well written and the characters are so very vivid and likeable. I particularly enjoyed the scenes which took place in the past and set the stage for the present. I would definitely recommend this book.
I did enjoy reading this book. Altho, I did get aggravated from time to time. Everyone was telling the main character “no, don’t do it” but she was determined for her own reason-she wanted to be part of a family. I gave it 5 stars because, “All’s well, that ends well”.
Really enjoyed it. The two era structure worked well, I loved the theme of family and what really matters. The baseball element added to both periods, as did the Yiddish expressions. The protagonist had a very authentic voice and the omniscient narrator of the earlier time period was effective.
It was a mystery unfolding as you read the book. Always guessing what was coming next.
This was a very interesting, moving story. It dragged a little, in places, but overall it was a solid read. The characters were wonderful and while they could be a little difficult, at times, you really felt for them. The secrets of the generations was interesting as I’ve uncovered a few of those over the years. Some scandalous, some just entertaining. Overall, I would recommend this book to any one who enjoys women fiction or historical fiction.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.
Family secrets and their consequences form the backbone of DISHARMONY OF SILENCE, a dual timeline multi-generational story that alternates between present day and the early 1900’s. What defines a family? What defines honesty—does it mandate the full truth, or is silence a viable option? Starting with a cameo that may prove to be a link between complete strangers, Carolyn follows a twisting path to learn secrets that have been hidden for generations. Well-written, with intriguing period detail, this is poignant and satisfying story about the desire to connect to those we regard as family.
It would be a good “short” story. Too much repeating the same theme.
A bit slow going at first. Not a favorite.
Very interesting story that captured my attention right away. I found it very intriguing and easy to read although there were times especially near the end where it became less interesting. I love genealogy and understanding the mysteries of past generations which is why this story appealed to me.
Initially a little disjointed going back and forth in time
Wonderful Book! Like reading a puzzle! The story captivated me quickly. It was so easy to get caught up in the plot, which made the characters all the more fascinating. I had to really focus to keep everyone straight so I wouldn’t miss a clue while the genealogy was falling into place. I could appreciate the protagonist’s determination to connect the dots and her excitement to make her discovery known. I thought the ending worked out perfectly, complementing the contrasting perspectives of the main characters.
It sounded like an interesting concept. I read about half of this book and had to just stop. Odd person out that I am, just could not take all the melodrama, wining and way too much nonessential fluff filling up the pages. Lots of people will like this book, it was just not for me.
The Disharmony of Silence
Linda Rosen
Black Rose Writing, Mar 5, 2020
296 pages
Cultural Family Story, Jewish, Genealogy
Provided by publisher via NetGalley
The cover doesn’t really look like much initially. The bow doesn’t look like much of a bow and you really can’t see too much of the cameo. And the title doesn’t really stand out on the white lace background. So, I wasn’t too impressed with the cover.
The story inside wasn’t disappointing, though. I really had no idea what to expect. I didn’t read the blurb before starting to read it and I had forgotten what it was supposed to be about. So, I went into it with no expectations of any kind. I read it in one day, mostly while waiting for my car to be done at the dealership.
Carolyn’s mother is getting older and has dementia. Then she dies. There is no other family, so Carolyn is alone except for one cousin who doesn’t live near her. She is Jewish and this is important as so much of her growing up had focused around the Jewish traditions, the foods and holy days, the family gatherings and such. Carolyn has to clean out her mother’s house to sell it and there is a painting of a woman wearing a cameo which is the same as her mother’s cameo. This painting has always been special to Carolyn, but she really doesn’t have room for it in her own home and it doesn’t fit in with her style. So she goes looking for the artist thinking she might return it to her and ask why the cameo is the same as her mother’s cameo. Perhaps there is a connection.
Carolyn connects with Kate, the painter and they actually become friends after some phone calls and then Carolyn visits Kate to return the painting. Carolyn brings up the idea of genealogy, but Kate wants nothing to do with her ancestors. It makes her a bit grumpy, in fact. So they don’t go into the idea of a connection between the painting and the cameo.
Except Carolyn is really lonely and curious. She looks into her family and Kate’s family and finds more than she expects. But she can’t find a way to bring it up to Kate, whose health is shaky.
Family and friends get involved and have opinions about this whole issue. All of it negative and some of it angry. Carolyn comes so close so many times to telling Kate about what secrets she’s uncovered in her genealogy. Then Carolyn has the opportunity to save a life that’s someone very important to Kate and who’s become special to Carolyn as well. Finally, Kate explains her own take on family and then everyone understands why Kate doesn’t want to dig into her genealogy.
This book is beautifully written and so deeply affecting. I highly recommend it. It is being released Thursday, March 5, 2020.