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Whispers
by
Belva Plain
Robert and Lynn Ferguson are a picture-perfect couple with two beautiful daughters and a lovely home in an exclusive Connecticut community. Robert is on the fast track of a major corporation. Lynn is devoted to her family and good works. But in the Ferguson's closed doors hide a painful secret Lynn must keep from the world-and her children-at any cost... Not even th...more
Paperback, 480 pages
Published
June 27th 2000
by Dell
(first published 1993)
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Robert & Lynn Ferguson are a perfect couple with 2 beautiful daugheres & a lovely home in an exclusive Conn. Community. Robert is on the fast track of a major corporation. Lynn is devoted to her family & good works. But the Ferguson's closed doors hide a painful secret Lynn must keep from the world and her children...at any cost. Nor even the Ferguson's best friends, Josie and Bruce Lehman know of Lynn's shame. Social worker Josie sees her bruises & distrusts the too ambitious, too perfect Robe...more
I always like the way Belva Plain writes her novels. She always makes the characters very real, like they could be someone you know. This story is no different: the life of a physically abused woman. We see how this woman grew up, how she got involved, and what happens in the relationship. We see how it affects her family & friends. A great look-see into a life people don't want to see.
Will Lynn and Robert's seemingly perfect marriage withstand the cracks and the whispers? I started out vaguely annoyed with the stereotypical abused, martyr-like wife and the husband with anger issues. But, I have to admit the author managed to keep me reading , and her gentle, insightful prose turned out to be a decent read.
Again I found this book in our church library and the other women were telling me what a great author she is, so I took it home to read and was done by the next day. It was really a riveting book and I loved this book. I just went to the library and took out two more books by this author I hope I am not disappointed.
Any book about domestic abuse is sobering and frustrating. This story is told with clarity, reminding us of all the reasons why we should pay special attention to one another, and pursue our intuitions if we suspect abuse. I'm of the mind that everyone knows a battered wife. You just don't know that you know.
this was also my first time reading a Belva Plain book and first i was not sure of it, being that it was not the kind of book that i would normally read, but as it turned out that the more i read the more it was harder to put the book down. I will look for others to read.
Book club - domestic violence awareness month
Lynn and Robert have the perfect marriage. Except that someimes he gets so angry he hits her. 20 years and 400 pages, and I was afraid she would never leave. But she does - happy ending!
Lynn and Robert have the perfect marriage. Except that someimes he gets so angry he hits her. 20 years and 400 pages, and I was afraid she would never leave. But she does - happy ending!
This book is really interesting- again a fabulous easy read by Plain w really engaging characters and relationship dynamics....You get an intimate glimpse into the private life of a seemingly perfect family- a family who seem to have it all and be envied by others for their good fortune, and success...but inside the family things are not what they seem on the exterior...this seemingly perfect family is far far from perfect....lots family secrets and denial....in conclusion this book has a realis...more
I like the flow to it whcih makes its so interesting to read and so much in so little time happens with init, that i never knew when the last page came.
It is my favorite book of all time.I'm a little upset because I gave it to a friend and she lost it.
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This is a good book covering a difficult subject.
Back Cover Blurb:
A dream house, a successful husband, two beautiful children, glamorous country club parties: Lynn Ferguson seems to have it all. Only her closest friend Josie can see below the surface.
Robert Ferguson - somehow too ambitious and correct. The children - beocming increasingly difficult.
And, most worrying of all, the tell-tale marks that have begun to mar Lynn's lovely face....
Belva Plain's nov...more
Back Cover Blurb:
A dream house, a successful husband, two beautiful children, glamorous country club parties: Lynn Ferguson seems to have it all. Only her closest friend Josie can see below the surface.
Robert Ferguson - somehow too ambitious and correct. The children - beocming increasingly difficult.
And, most worrying of all, the tell-tale marks that have begun to mar Lynn's lovely face....
Belva Plain's nov...more
Excellent novel revealing spousal abuse and why some women can't leave. Very well written.
The Fergusons appear to be the ideal family but are trying to deal with abuse issues.
Good story about a battered wife and the results to her and the children.
A less lighthearted read that delves into the dark world of spousal abuse.
475 paperback pages - but couldn't wait to continue on to the next page -
Rather disturbing wife abuse. Belva Plain writes a good story.
Enlightening novel concerning spousal abuse.
scary what happens behind closed doors.
On page 35 and so far, so good.
You're like a fly on the wall.
You get to secretly see what really goes on behind closed doors.
And you're amazed the lengths people go to cover up the abuse.
Friends and colleagues think they're such a charmed couple living the perfect life.
At first I felt sorry for her. . . then angry that she put up it.
But I then began to understand how she was stuck/trapped in the marriage.
She had to wait for the right time to make her move. . . she had to build up her ...more
You get to secretly see what really goes on behind closed doors.
And you're amazed the lengths people go to cover up the abuse.
Friends and colleagues think they're such a charmed couple living the perfect life.
At first I felt sorry for her. . . then angry that she put up it.
But I then began to understand how she was stuck/trapped in the marriage.
She had to wait for the right time to make her move. . . she had to build up her ...more
Sometimes you never really know what happens behind closed doors.
TBR Potluck Challenge
Spousal abuse
Pretty good book.
good book
not bad
loved it
Though I cannot really vouch for how much of real life is reflected in this novel, it has made me more aware of both the vulnerabilities and the strengths of a woman--especially one who wanted nothing more than to keep peace within the family, even at the expense of risking her own inner and physical stability. This book has given me a better understanding of how it is like to a battered wife, and that one should never judge them by the weakness one assumes to see on the surface.
This was an all right book. I remembered Belva Plain from reading Evergreen many years ago, so I tried this one. It's not one I'd pick up to read again, but it was OK. It was about a privileged couple, including a high powered, well respected business man who just happened to hit his wife every now and again. It explored family dynamics and community reactions as people "whispered" about the truth.
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Belva Plain was a best-selling American author of mainstream women's fiction.
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