This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
I was born in England but came to live in Italy when I was 20, and have been here ever since. I wrote Walls of Silence during a very stressing period of my life, when I finally found the courage to separate from my psychologically abusive husband. I am now happily married to my second husband.
Reviewed by Patricia Day for Readers' Favorite
Walls of Silence by Helen Pryke is the story of young Maria. She lives in a beautiful mountainous region of Sicily, and could be envied by many. She has a good life with her family and is blessed with many friends. Then tragedy strikes and her idyllic childhood comes to an abrupt end, bringing Maria a cruel father, a demanding stepmother, then a husband, followed by yet another nightmare occurrence. As her young life endures yet another bad turn, one might wonder if she will be strong enough to overcome another cruel hurdle.
Reading this book caused some anguish. My heart went out to Maria. She has a caring heart, a zest for life, and a loving nature, yet good rarely visits her. The rejection and betrayal she is meted out are hard to imagine, and these circumstances would certainly not be wished upon even the worst of characters. As she struggles to maintain her sanity and integrity, she vainly reaches out to befriend someone, anyone whom she can trust. Of course, life has a way of slapping innocents down, even in the hardest of environments, and she finds herself bereft of the strength to live another day. How she overcomes the dreadful adversity in her day-to-day living makes profoundly difficult, but enigmatic reading. As a reader I wanted to continue sharing her burdens, hoping to see richly deserved success come to her: I was longing to read that her luck had changed and that she found happiness. A sad but powerful story, one that will cause you to be thankful for your own life, and certainly not be envious of Maria. Recommended adult reading.
