Frances Itani

Advantages: beautifully written, thought provoking,
Disadvantages: scenes of war might be disturbing for some

...Could you imagine a world, without hearing music or a world where you were no longer able to chat on your mobile phone? How would it feel like to be deaf? Graina O Neil, the main character of Deafening by Frances Itani, certainly knows about deafness as she lost her hearing after contracting Scarlet Fever as a young child.. The book tells her story and how she copes or does not cope with her disability. The book is set in Canada before and during the First World War follows Graina throughout her t childhood and schooling in a special school for the deaf onto her marriage to Jim (or as she calls him ChM). Two weeks into their marriage Jim leaves for the trenches of France and Belgium and the book becomes both their stories. If I had to pick out two words that defined Deafening I would choose loss and fight. Most... Read review

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Advantages: Fascinating, Realistic
Disadvantages: A little long winded at times

...One thing that striked me about this book is how descriptive it is and how it enables you to contemplate life and the important aspects of it. It isn't about careers and money, but about the precious natural parts of life, things that we never appreciate until it's not there anymore. It's a story about hearing.....and it really makes you appreciate it. Unless you're deaf youself, you can't appreciate how important little sounds are, how the smallest of sounds brings the fondest of memories. Birds singing, the sound of thunder, wind, the ocean....just little things like that. How can you describe the sound to someone who couldn't hear it? Frances Itani does this brilliantly and movingly. It is also a story about love, Grania and Jim or Chim as she says his name, are married only for 2 weeks before he has to go to war. Their love... Read review

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Advantages: A great read
Disadvantages: Some chapters too long

...When browsing The Book People online a few months ago I came across this book. I was immediately intrigued because of the title so I read a bit more about it and placed my order! I payed £3.99 for this book, which I think is a couple of pound cheaper than the RRP. The Author Frances Itani was born in Belleville, Ontario and lives in Ottawa. She has previously published books of short stories and poetry. Deafening, her first novel, was published in 2003 and won the Commonwealth Writers prize. It has been published in 16 countries. The Story Deafening is set in Deseronto, Ontario pre-World War I. The story is based around Grania O'Neill, a young girl who lost her hearing after suffering from Scarlet Fever. Grania's mother feels guilty so finds it hard to accept this and takes her to see many doctors to try and bring back her... Read review

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