Talk Before Sleep is a novel that overwhelmed me. I became totally involved with the characters, and find myself unable to analyze this book or discuss it unemotionally. It is a novel that I actually “felt” – the emotion is real, strong, and beautiful, and if there are flaws with the book’s structure, I am unable to identify them. The experience of reading this novel was rich, personal and deeply moving.

Talk Before Sleep is a novel about women and about the bonds between them. It is a story abo More...

In this heartbreaking novel about love and letting go, Ann chronicles the powerful story of her best friend Ruth's struggle with breast cancer: from diagnosis, to denial, to fear, and finally to acceptance, as well as sharing her own experience in coping with the tragic truth and nurturing her friend as best as she can. The author superbly captures the female experience, both in the dialogue and actions of the characters. All of her characters are realistic and so easy to relate to, and she real More...

I have read this book about 10 times. I recommend it to my friends and have been known to buy this for friends. I have given this to friends and never gotten back and then bought it again because I have to have it in my "library".

It's a book about friends, three friends, who are drawn closer because of one friends illness, cancer. It's about the progress of her disease and what it does to her friends and their friendship.

I love this author. She was in KC once and I went and listened to her as sh More...

Quick read, but very deep very best. Your typical two best women friends - one is outgoing, free-spirited & artistic, the other is quiet, reserved & safe. The fun one gets a terminal illness, the safe one narrates. And that's where the "run-of-the-mill" feel ends. The does a beautiful job of telling a story without overdoing it, and painting a picture of what it's like to love someone who's dying without doing the experience the injustice of making everything neat and predictible. Having More...

Elizabeth Berg is one of my favorite authors. I dive right into her books with their compelling story lines and rich characters. Talk Before Sleep was the first book of hers I read. It made me realize at once that I was blessed with the kind of friend that many people never get to have and that I was a selfish, scared woman who nearly lost this rare gem of a friend. I immediately took action to repair this precious gift.

This story speaks of the bond, the love, that can only exist between two wom More...

This is one of my favorite books...and Berg is one of my favorite authors. I came across this book when my friend was in college--she was minoring in drama and had to do a "dramatic reading" from this text. I've read it and even listened to it on audio many times...and it never fails to bring me to a place of both overwhelming sadness and sincere thankfulness for my life and the people who have graced it. The pureness of the emotions in this book cleanses me. I feel emotionally drained, yet utte More...

This book is not for you if you are looking for adventure and great plot twists.Berg tells you before the book begins "Not long ago, I lost a very important friend to breast cancer. I wanted to write about my experience in a fictional way, to create characters and events that, although imagined, would testify to the emotional truth of all that happened."

I laughed and cried through this book. I called my best friends to tell them how very much I loved them.

I loved Berg's celebration of the sacre More...

A book about a woman living with cancer, and about her and her friends coming to terms with it. The author mixes love and sadness with humor, and had a knack for slipping in relatable little details. Some quotes:

"It's just that I worry about you all day," Sarah says. "People ask about you, and I think..."
"You wonder if I'm dead yet, right?" Ruth says.
"I don't know. Yes."
"Well, don't worry about it," Ruth says. "I'll call you right away when it happens. You'll be the first to know."

I sit at a boo More...

Whew! This short book was packed with emotional ups and downs that left me in tears by the end! Talk Before Sleep is told from the perspective of Ann, previously a nurse before deciding to be a stay-at-home mom. Ann's best friend, Ruth, is in the final weeks of her life, dying from a number of cancers that metastasized from her breast, and Ruth is taking care of her to make sure she is as comfortable as possible. These unlikely best friends are joined by L.D., Helen, and Sarah - women who are ex More...

I wish I could have liked this at all given the subject and inspiration for the novel. It's a story told by Ann in first person about her best friend Ruth who is dying of cancer. The story is mostly told in present tense, but there are frequent flashbacks telling us about their friendship in the past tense. I don't have complaints about the style. It's fine, even if not something that invokes writer's envy. My problem is that the story and characters left me cold.

A note from the author says the More...

"Falling in love with her was a liability that came with being a man around her."

"I feel sometimes as if I'm opening a too-full closet and shoving something else in, then leaning against the door so it won't burst open."

"And he says a good divorce is better than a bad marriage."

"That moment of simple truth. Seeing the situation as intolerable and for once really doing something about it."

"And I remember I felt so much lighter. I saw every leaf on every tree. The sun was setting, and I stood stil More...

This book was surprisingly good, and I say surprisingly because I've always thought Berg was light. Not that this is deep, but it is written with perspective and compassion and feeling without ever getting preachy. So what's it about?
It's about Ruth who is dying of breast cancer, and Ann - who has to watch her slow decline. And it's not black and white, or clear as to who has the roughest time or learns more from the other. And that was the part that I liked the most because it was a reflection More...

If you have ever lost a loved one who is also a dear friend to cancer, specifically breast cancer, pick up Talk Before Sleep next time you are at your local library or bookstore. With the turn of the pages I laughed and smiled, and I also cried. It helped me in a unique way to deal with the grief I still have over the death of my lovely and wonderful Aunt Diana last fall. Berg manages to put into eloquent words so many situations and feelings that just ring true. Highly recommended.

I'm not sure why I picked this book up from the library. I thought this was going to be about female bonding and the nature of close female friends... unfortunately, it was a dramatic (although probably accurate) look at one woman's friend dying of breast cancer. Neither women are particularly endearing, however; there's nothing inspiring about their plight pre-cancer, and Berg's writing doesn't help either. I'd be better off reading Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants again.

while the main character, ruth, is a bit crass at times, i found the frankness in which she dealt with her death to be thought provoking. it's a good story about female friendships and the strength that women can find in each other.

if you enjoy this book, i recommend "the year of magical thinking" by joan didion. it is a really well written look at the grief process.

Putting the basic premise of "Talk Before Sleep" in a nutshell--two friends in their early forties, one dying of breast cancer, the other helping her through it--makes it sound like a bad Lifetime movie melodrama, but it isn't like that at all. Elizabeth Berg has a keen ear (and heart) for the way women are with each other; the way we talk, the things we feel, and the way we know each other in a way that men can't understand.

The two main characters, passionate artist Ruth and dependable, carefu More...

Much has been written about this book and this author, so I'll attempt to add something new.

A deep focus, realistic and intense view of a group of friends encircling their friend who is dying of cancer. Some quotes that resonated for me:

"There is value and comfort in being here and understanding what matters most is only who you were to someone else."

"One thing I have always been is too short. It's adorable when you're in junior high. After that, it's a pain in the ass for the rest of your life. More...

I picked this up at a school book sale and was delighted to finally be reading something under 200 pages for a change. Talk Before Sleep took about three nights to finish and I must say that as soon as I picked it up, I found the topic compelling.

This story, of a small group of women who band together to keep watch as their friend succumbs to breast cancer, can speak to many. Who among us doesn't have a female friend battling against breast cancer for her life? Most of us over 50 do and would be More...

Very touching, but the friendship feels uneven and a little co-dependent (on Ann's part). Is it mean to say I didn't like a dying lady?? 'cause I wasn't crazy about Ruth. But I did cry, and I loved the portrayal of a community of women. The book was also a little too hard on men, I thought (Ann's husband seemed like a lovely man, and she was pretty hard on him!)

This is a book about friendship first and foremost. So, keep that in mind! Ruth and Ann become friends in their 40s, and are pretty different, Ruth is wild and Ann is more conservative. Ruth is diagnosed with breast cancer, and Ann along with her other friends, gather around her to care for her as the diseases progresses. It's a lot of exploring thoughts between the friends about dying and different levels of acceptance. But there are many flashbacks describing Ruth and Ann's friendship. I found More...

I have read Elizabeth Berg before and my thoughts on her have been varied. Some books I really liked, others not as much. I quickly became very involved in this story of two women who become best friends later in life and how they both deal with the terminal illness of one of the women. Berg creates a collection of women who gather around the sick woman, they help her, they nit pick over who is the better, closer friend and they keep her alive as long as possible. I felt myself identifying with More...

This was the second Elizabeth Berg book I have read. A co-worker was moved by this book and recommended it. I just don't seem to connect with this particular author. Especially with this topic, I didn't feel as much as I think I should.

This is a very sad, but profound, tale of sincere friendship. Ruth is Ann's best friend and Ruth is dying of cancer. Told by Ann, we meet a loving circle of very good friends who assist Ruth in every way they can as she undergoes treatment, as her cancer spreads, and as she prepares for her death.

Ruth is a dynamic woman who keeps her circle of friends busy and entertained before her diagnosis. She challenges their assumptions and leads them to look beyond the every day humdrum. During her illnes More...

A very honest portrayal. It follows a woman who's friend is dying of cancer. The story takes up after the diagnosis has been made and things are coming to the end. Anne, and a few other close friends of the dying woman rally around her to make her last days as pleasant and pain-free as possible. My only comment would be that I believe Anne may have identified a little too strongly with the dying woman, even sacrificing time with her family to drop everything and stay the night repeatedly. Overal More...

A quick read with short chapters about women pulling together after one receives tough medical news, shows the strength of women well. There were a few portions where I thought she especially hit on how women interact in times of crisis. Also I felt the primary caregiver was 1) an extremely good friend, 2) had an extremely understanding husband and/or was 3) looking for an excuse to get away from her marriage for a while, likely all of the above. It's funny how one odd thing bothers you as a rea More...

A very quick read. A sad and lovely story of an amazing friendship. I loved the way these two women relate to each other, but for me, this was clearly fiction. There were aspects of these people that just did not so much ring true. The character of Ann maybe, but Ruth, wonderful and interesting as she was, not so much. Another thing I had a harder time with was the diversity of Ruth's best and closest friends. It seemed she had such primary relationship with each but they did not know that much More...

Talk Before Sleep, by Elizabeth Berg, was such a hard book to get through. It’s one of those books that is completely predictable, but not in a bad way. In fact, knowing what’s going to happen made it that much harder to get through the book.

Ann and Ruth have been friends for years and have gone through thick and thin together. But now something happens that makes them question all of the things they took for granted in life — Ruth is diagnosed with cancer. Going back and forth between their ear More...

This book enabled me to survive and HONOR my lovely sister Leslie's journey through ovarian cancer. She also read the book long before her diagnosis. When she got the message she was terminal I told her I would be her "talk before sleep". She knew exactly what that meant and that I would honor her talking about death. HARD as it may have been, I don't think I would have been as prepared with out this story. READ this WAY BEFORE you need this and please be sure to honor the ability to share someo More...

This book has an interesting storyline. It's about a group of women who rally around a friend who is dying of breast cancer. Some parts of the book were very well written. I felt Ruth's pain. Other times it seemed that she was an idiot who had extra-marital affairs under the assumption that she would never get caught. After she becomes ill, Ann, one of Ruth's devoted friends, spends all of her time caring for her, sometimes to the neglect of her family. Ann is "taken" with Ruth. She's in awe of More...

Another well-written novel by an amazingly gifted storyteller!!!

"They met at a party. It was hate at first sight. Ruth was far too beautiful, too flamboyant. Not at all Ann's kind of person. Until a chance encounter in the bathroom led to an alliance of souls. Soon they were sharing hankies during the late showing of Sophie's Choice, wolfing down sundaes sodden with whipped cream, telling truths of marriage, mortality, and love, secure in a kind of intimacy no man could ever know. Only best frie More...