Elegantly written and profoundly moving, Deafening sent an uncommon roar through the literary world when it made its way into the hands of its firs...
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Jan 15, 2009
Frances Itani said that she didn't intend to write a war novel, but that she realized she couldn't write a novel of young people living through the period without writing of the war and its effect on her characters.
Not a war buff, myself, I was nevertheless interested to learn what Itani feels about the war. Not one other GoodReads reviewer, almost all of whom are women, seems at all interested in this.
There are passages in which her characters express clearly what I be More...
Not a war buff, myself, I was nevertheless interested to learn what Itani feels about the war. Not one other GoodReads reviewer, almost all of whom are women, seems at all interested in this.
There are passages in which her characters express clearly what I be More...
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Jan 10, 2008
Donna
rated it: 
A very unusual World War I story, told through the eyes of a young deaf woman named Grania. Poignant, well-told, powerful. Very enjoyable.
FAVOURITE QUOTE: “If only he did not have to look at the hands. In death they told more than the face; he knew that now. It was the hands that revealed the final argument: clenched in anger, relaxed in acquiescence, seized in a posture of surprise or forgiveness, or taken unawares. Clawing at a chest, or raised unnaturally in a pleading att More...
FAVOURITE QUOTE: “If only he did not have to look at the hands. In death they told more than the face; he knew that now. It was the hands that revealed the final argument: clenched in anger, relaxed in acquiescence, seized in a posture of surprise or forgiveness, or taken unawares. Clawing at a chest, or raised unnaturally in a pleading att More...
Nov 25, 2008
Jane
rated it: 
This book was amazing. The writing style took a bit of time to relate to but it was a story told from the perspective of a deaf woman. It was a profoundly moving story that takes the reader through Grania's illness that results in deafness at age 5 through her growing into a woman, falling in love and waiting for her husband's return from WWI. Through the story you begin to feel that Grania is the strong one, the one most aware of her world and the hearing world. Her connection to both world
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Mar 07, 2011
Sarah
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Should really be 3.5 stars, but I rounded down. I adore the premise of this book: a deaf girl growing up in Canada in the early 1900s who falls in love with a hearing man who goes away to war. I love war stories, especially involving women, I love love stories, and Grania’s deafness adds a really fascinating dimension to the old war romance story. A+ for the general plot idea.
The problem is in the execution. The first third of the book is quite interesting and lovely – it’s all about More...
The problem is in the execution. The first third of the book is quite interesting and lovely – it’s all about More...
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Jun 04, 2011
Stacy
rated it:
I expected to be enlightened about the world of the deaf. I did not expect to be enlightened about WWI or about the medical aspects of the war or about the stretcher bearers' experience.
I was fascinated to learn about the school and its influence on the community and on deaf education since I pass this building several times a year. I am also familiar with the rest of the geography in the book which is comforting, although Grania's world is ever so much smaller than it would be if she lived More...
I was fascinated to learn about the school and its influence on the community and on deaf education since I pass this building several times a year. I am also familiar with the rest of the geography in the book which is comforting, although Grania's world is ever so much smaller than it would be if she lived More...
Oct 24, 2010
Tracey-Lee
rated it:
I absolutely loved this book. I didn't want it to end. Definitely one of my all time favorites and one I will read again, which I rarely ever do.
Frances has done such a beautiful job of creating a family you can't help but fall in love with. Rarely have I read a book where I loved so many of the characters so much that I wanted to know their own stories too, individually!
I found the perspective of a deaf woman and other deaf characters, fascinating. So much so I actual More...
Frances has done such a beautiful job of creating a family you can't help but fall in love with. Rarely have I read a book where I loved so many of the characters so much that I wanted to know their own stories too, individually!
I found the perspective of a deaf woman and other deaf characters, fascinating. So much so I actual More...
Jan 29, 2008
Capitu
rated it:
This is a tender and deeply moving book. Frances Itani tells the story of a deaf woman (loosely inspired on her own deaf grandmother), waiting for her young husband’s return from WWI with superb prose. The complexity of what is or isn’t communicate in every relationship, the loneliness of disconnect, and ultimately the healing power of love, family and friendship is weaved through the plot with mastery.
I am looking forward to Itani’s next book.
I am looking forward to Itani’s next book.
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Jan 20, 2011
Jay
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Apr 04, 2009
Louise
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Well written novel about the struggle of a young girl, Grania, living in Deseronto, Ontario in 1902 who is rendered deaf after a bout of scarlet fever. After being sent to Belleville, Ontario to attend the school for the Deaf, she falls in love with a hearing man named Jim. Grania, due to her deafness pronounces her husband's name Chim. Jim is sent into World War 1 to be a stretcher bearer and through letters home to Grania, tries to maintain their language of love, silence and 'fingers on lips.
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Aug 31, 2011
This is quite an extraordinary book. It's about a young woman, deaf as a result of scarlet fever when she was five. Her family runs a hotel in Deseronto, Ontario in Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario so this is a story of small town life before and during the first world war when most of their men volunteered to fight for old Blighty. This is a huge story - of love and loss, beauty and despair and always, people: their inner lives, their struggles, joys and fears. It's absolutely beautiful, for
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Feb 21, 2009
Polly
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I have read many more books about WWII than WWI, so this book was interesting to me historically. The depictions of the waste and suffering of war are not new themes, but they are well handled here. I very much liked the quotes from a school newspaper that precede many chapters, and show the war through children's comments. As with WWII, people felt patriotic in supporting the war (and were even cruel to those who did not enlist), and this is such a contrast to the views on war of my generati
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Jan 22, 2011
CynthiaA
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What a lovely lovely book. Which I suppose is an odd thing to say about a book with almost one half of its scenes set in the trenches of World War One. But it truly was lovely -- because of the characters, mostly.One thing that will stay with me after reading this -- is the visual image of different sounds -- something I hadn't really ever considered before. Itani does a masterful job of this and it gives the reader insights into Grania's deaf world. Simply wonderful. The war scenes were compel
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Apr 20, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
Wonderful! This book is about Grania, who becomes deaf at the age of 5 due to scarlet fever at the turn of the century in rural Canada. Grania is curious and quick to learn language from her sister and grandmother as a girl. These parts are interesting as she struggles with language and meaning. Grania eventually gets sent to a school for the deaf and grows up to be a capable and intelligent young woman who marries a hearing man. Unfortunately her husband is sent to Belgium during World War
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Apr 04, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
I read this book for a book club that I just joined. I've always wanted to join a book club!
It was interesting and refreshing to read about a deaf girl and her perspective. I found myself more aware of other senses and my own ability to hear while reading the book. As her husband was fighting in the war, what others around her were doing - I was very aware of how she would perceive her surroundings.
I loved the first third of the book and the last couple of chapters. However More...
It was interesting and refreshing to read about a deaf girl and her perspective. I found myself more aware of other senses and my own ability to hear while reading the book. As her husband was fighting in the war, what others around her were doing - I was very aware of how she would perceive her surroundings.
I loved the first third of the book and the last couple of chapters. However More...
Aug 03, 2009
Stella
rated it:
One of the reviews on the inside cover of my copy of this book claims that Itani's novel is "gorgeously moving" and "old-fashioned." Indeed it is. This novel captivated me from beginning to end, and I found myself completely and totally engrossed in the story in a way that I don't often experience with contemporary fiction. There's nothing tricky or cynical about this novel; it is simply and perfectly a story. This is not to say that the quality of the prose or the narrati
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Nov 21, 2011
Cindi
rated it:
I would have given this book 3.5 stars had it been possible, but I rounded up. I enjoyed most of this book - the beginning and the ending especially. The middle third slows down considerably, but I was still interested in what was happening with Chim in the Great War and with Grania in Ontario.
I have never read a book from the perspective of a deaf person before and found the descriptions and observations made by Grania (in the words of Frances Itani) to be thoughtful. Though not More...
I have never read a book from the perspective of a deaf person before and found the descriptions and observations made by Grania (in the words of Frances Itani) to be thoughtful. Though not More...
Jun 08, 2011
Donna Jo
rated it:
At the beginning of the book we meet Grania who has lost her hearing as a five-year old during a bout of scarlet fever. She is particularly close to her older sister Tress and her grandmother Mamo. Sent away to school, she feels isolation and fear.
Years later World War I brings changes to Canada. The men, including her husband, go off to war and also experience the isolation and fear.
Reading this book was like looking at the old sepia pictures in my grandmother's album. It s More...
Years later World War I brings changes to Canada. The men, including her husband, go off to war and also experience the isolation and fear.
Reading this book was like looking at the old sepia pictures in my grandmother's album. It s More...
Mar 23, 2009
Cherie
rated it:
A- Wow. This really fantastic literary novel is the story of Grania, shortly after she becomes deaf after having scarlet fever. The story of her life as she learns from her family and as she attends a school for the deaf is told; she eventually falls in love with a hearing man, Jim, who goes off to WWII, and much of the latter part of the book is told through Jim's POV, often through letters he never sends Grania. The writing is excellent, the plot moves along at a wonderful pace, and it's hard
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Jul 19, 2010
Marlene
rated it:
Those who might want lots of action would not be interested in this book. There is very little plot, but that is compensated by a beautiful portrayal of love, and some fine comprehension of deafness, lack of sound in one's life and what sound means to a person in communication, etc. It is set in Canada during the WWII. The author views the life of the young husband in the horrible setting of war in Europe. The descriptions are very moving, and serve to remind us of what those soldiers went throu
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Nov 24, 2009
Thalia
rated it:
This book is almost like two stories together althought they are meant to overlap and intersect, to me the only thing that binds them is a marriage. Grania, a deaf child grows to be a fully functioning woman, and we follow her life and learn much about being deaf. Jim, her husband, goes off as a stretcher bearer to WWI. It annoyed me, the disjointedness of the story. We missed the love story completely. Grania grows up, she meets Jim and skip ahaead they are suddenly already married. Wonde
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Aug 30, 2009
Tara
rated it:
The first part of this novel was a superb 99 pages. My enjoyment of these 99 pages is what makes this a three star book despite the fact I grew too bored to finish somewhere in the middle of part three. Here is why:
Part one is about a child named Grania growing up in Canada in the late 1800's. A bout with scarlet fever at the age of 5 has rendered her permanently deaf. Thankfully, Grania has an understanding family, especially her grandmother, and with their patience, she learns to More...
Part one is about a child named Grania growing up in Canada in the late 1800's. A bout with scarlet fever at the age of 5 has rendered her permanently deaf. Thankfully, Grania has an understanding family, especially her grandmother, and with their patience, she learns to More...
Oct 12, 2011
Note: I haven't finished this book and so this is not an actual book review, merely my opinion and why I didn't continue with it.
I was supposed to read this for my in-person reading group. But I'm not going to waste my time skimming when I could actually enjoy reading something. It's a shame as it is a group read but I'll just have to hang my head in shame.
It's partly my mood - I just want something fast, something with plot. Deafening has a great premise being about a d More...
I was supposed to read this for my in-person reading group. But I'm not going to waste my time skimming when I could actually enjoy reading something. It's a shame as it is a group read but I'll just have to hang my head in shame.
It's partly my mood - I just want something fast, something with plot. Deafening has a great premise being about a d More...
May 21, 2011
Linda
rated it:
This is one of the most profoundly moving books I have ever read. It is about a family living in Canada with several children. The story centers around the one daughter who was born deaf, the sister who helped and protected her, the mother who gave up on her and the grandmother who believed like her sister that she should not be given up on. The two sisters were able to communicate from an early age by making up their own sign language. The family owned a large hotel and the older sister was
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Nov 21, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
From Amazon: "In Deafening, Canadian writer Frances Itani tells two parallel stories: a man's story of war and a woman's story of waiting for him and of what it is to be deaf. Grania O'Neill is left with no hearing after having scarlet fever when she is five. She is taught at home until she is nine and then sent to the Ontario Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, where lifelong friendships are forged, her career as a nurse is chosen, and she meets Jim Lloyd, a hearing man, with whom she falls
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Aug 11, 2008
Lundy
rated it:
The main character in the book, Grania, loses her hearing as a child after she has Scarlet Fever. The first part of the book focuses on her grandmother Mamo’s devotion to teaching her to read lips and speak. She’s eventually sent to a school for deaf children. Grania later falls in love with Jim, who goes off to fight in World War I. The novel alternates between Jim’s experiences as a medic and Grania back at home.
I can’t remember enjoying a novel as much as I did Deafening. There wa More...
I can’t remember enjoying a novel as much as I did Deafening. There wa More...
Jun 08, 2009
Lorraine
rated it:
Three stars is a little stingy; 3.5 might be more accurate. I really like reading about a person who grows up deaf, about how she adapts to a different form of communication. Learning a bit of ASL myself, I appreciated the inclusion of some signs within the text. And having lived in Belleville for four years, it was neat and interesting to read about the region in the historical context of World War I.
However, because I was mostly interested in the deaf culture aspect of the book, More...
However, because I was mostly interested in the deaf culture aspect of the book, More...
Jun 29, 2011
Julie
rated it:
It took me a while to get into this book (i.e. most of Grania's childhood), but once I did, I found it to be an extremely beautiful book (despite the war, separation, sadness). This may sound strange, but I actually found myself longing to be deaf, though not because of some romanticized notion of the experience. (I also remember that, as a kid, I had wanted to be deaf. Hmmmm...) It resonates with something in me. Anyway, this book made me really pay attention to sound--sounds that I never
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Aug 06, 2009
Marvin
rated it: 
I found it difficult to keep reading this book. It wasn't bad, just not particularly engaging. It seems like it could have been. It was the story of a Canadian girl who goes deaf after an illness at the age of 5 in the early 20th century. She eventually marries a hearing young man who goes to Europe as a stretcher bearer in WWI. I think there may be things going in this book regarding the relationship between the man's experiences in the war & hers as a deaf woman, but I didn't get it.
Sep 16, 2011
Maureen
rated it:
The first half of the book is 4 stars. The story of Grania - a girl who becomes deaf at the age of five - is moving, compelling, and has a distinct narrative voice. Itani's writing style is one of the things that makes the early parts of the novel a great success. However, the love story is weak and unconvincing. The novel picks up again when dealing with the war and it's aftermath, but I still think that Grania's life before the love story would have made a better novel on its own.
Mar 23, 2008
Renata
rated it:
Having spent the last decade living in a small, rural community I didn't find myself bored with all the minute details of these characters' lives, especially about all the work. Some days that's all there is. I can still recall so much about this book months later when I can barely remember the titles of others I have read.
Itani has a unique writing style that I can't compare to any other writer. I felt she did a decent job of depicting community and the lives of the residents ther More...
Itani has a unique writing style that I can't compare to any other writer. I felt she did a decent job of depicting community and the lives of the residents ther More...
