Listening Still by Anne Griffin feautues the most interesting topic I've come
across in books/audiobooks this year!

Jeanie Masterson is a mortician working in a family owned funeral home. Jeanie has inherited the unique ability to communicate with those who have recently passed on. She tries to use her gift to console bereaved loved ones, but sometimes this plan backfires. The dead may or may not have very nice things to say about their living relatives, so Jeanie is put in a precarious moral position. Should she always tell the truth?

I was privileged to read the e-book by Anne Griffin while listening to the audiobook narrated by Nicole Couglan. I fully enjoyed the voices of each character while reading this extraordinary story! It's the best of both worlds!

Thank you to NetGally, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio.
Listening Still book and audiobook will both be published March 1, 2022.

I made it through the beginning of this book before I had to stop because I just felt so uncomfortable with the autistic representation & I began to immediately resent the main character.

Early on when discussing her brother (Mikey) the MC says, “ Mikey was ‘high functioning’, ‘highly capable’, only not in the ways we would have liked” (4). And only a few pages later when talking about her brother’s relationship with her husband (Niall) - I just can’t read this in anyway that doesn’t infuriate me (especially as someone with an autistic sibling) - the narrator says, “and [he (Niall)] laughed at whatever it is Mikey had said. I couldn’t quite fathom what it might be. He wasn’t known for his wit” (10).

How did an editor let this get so far? My problem is her talking about her OLDER brother as though he is some incapable & annoying child that doesn’t fit their expectations for how a human should be.

I honestly don’t even care that she sees ghosts or works in a morgue because this is ridiculous & makes it appear that autistic people are lucky to be treated well - like when the MC says, “I smiled and fought my instinct to find out what it was Mikey had said, instead letting it be, the moment of pure delight when my bother had made someone laugh” (10). Are you embarrassed because he’s your brother or are you embarrassed because he’s your autistic brother?

I’m upset with this book and upset that this representation continues to be perpetuated.

Yes, Jeanie talks to dead people, but this is NOT at all a Sixth Sense kind of story. Her family of undertakers has been a successful business in a small Irish village. One of the reasons is that she, and her father, have the genetic ability to speak to the departed for a short while after that person has died. Often, the dead have messages to give to the living. This "gift" can also help them locate disappeared individuals who are still able to "transmit" location messages to Jeanie.

Then there's the love story aspect. Jeanie and Niall have been friends since toddlerhood and are now married. But while they were in high school, Jeanie fell in mad passionate love with a new student from London. He is a talented photographer named Fionn.

Jeanie loves working in the mortuary with her dad and her aunt Harry, the embalmer. But when her parents announce their retirement to the seashore, leaving the business to Jeanie, Niall and Harry to run, things begin to fall apart.

Anne Griffin does a masterful job of introducing you to the people of the village and her internal struggles to live with Niall when she is still so tethered to her feelings for Fionn. I admit I'm a sucker for British and Irish books. This one affected me particularly and I was hooked from the first sentence.

This novel is not about witchcraft (not that there's anything wrong with that.) or science fiction, and certainly not horror. Rather it is a thought-provoking look at love and death that will leave you thinking about it for a long time after it's done.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Yes, Jeanie talks to dead people, but this is NOT at all a Sixth Sense kind of story. Her family of undertakers has been a successful business in a small Irish village. One of the reasons is that she, and her father, have the genetic ability to speak to the departed for a short while after that person has died. Often, the dead have messages to give to the living. This "gift" can also help them locate disappeared individuals who are still able to "transmit" location messages to Jeanie.

Then there's the love story aspect. Jeanie and Niall have been friends since toddlerhood and are now married. But while they were in high school, Jeanie fell in mad passionate love with a new student from London. He is a talented photographer named Fionn.

Jeanie loves working in the mortuary with her dad and her aunt Harry, the embalmer. But when her parents announce their retirement to the seashore, leaving the business to Jeanie, Niall and Harry to run, things begin to fall apart.

Anne Griffin does a masterful job of introducing you to the people of the village and her internal struggles to live with Niall when she is still so tethered to her feelings for Fionn. I admit I'm a sucker for British and Irish books. This one affected me particularly and I was hooked from the first sentence.

This novel is not about witchcraft (not that there's anything wrong with that.) or science fiction, and certainly not horror. Rather it is a thought-provoking look at love and death that will leave you thinking about it for a long time after it's done.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jeanie Masterson can hear dead people just like her father and working together at a funeral home gives families of the dead some peace. When her father decides to retire and give up the business to her and her husband, Jeanie isn't really sure what she wants anymore.
If you like sentimental stories this book is for you. I guess I was looking for something more but that's just me.

Listening Still was an engaging read. I hadn't read any of Griffin's previous works but this was a great introduction. The prose is thoughtful and engaging, mirroring the quiet, tenderness of the novel. After reading, I'm inclined to pick up When All Is Said. The duality of the plot - speaking to the dead in tandem with Jeanie's inner life was an interesting combination. It fizzled for me at the end. All in all, a charming read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Listening Still” ~ A gentle and tender title for what really is a gentle and tender story. Despite the indecisive nature we have in our hearts, as to whether we traveled along the correct road in life or if we simply settled for the certainty of what stood in front of us showing its promise of lifetime commitment. The safe zone………

Jeannie struggled with this throughout the story and to a degree I understood her struggle. It’s painful to look back at what our hearts most wanted and wondering, but we chose the road of certainty and stability and we cling to that, sometimes even when certainty and stability, to onlookers is very different than behind closed doors, where strife and harm happen. Some have the behind closed doors brutality while others exist with simple unhappiness and it’s in this story where we hear from the living and the dead, the lessons we can learn from the words in these pages. In all types of relationships, the regrets of roads not chosen, arguments not forgiven, love not expressed, and the truths in our hearts silent. Unspeaking of what we deeply know is where we truly belong or belonged. But, then what do we do when we can never find the “right” time to speak what needs to be, or should have been spoken.

~*”I remember thinking then, why weren’t we braver, we humans? Why hadn’t we the courage to tell it like it was when alive? Why did we let fear haunt us, silence us? And why was I now the one to tell the man his son was glad he was dead”*~

I have to share, that for the first 25% of this book, I was becoming irritated because, in the blurb I read she talks to dead people and me rubbing my hands together, with a fiendish grin, waiting for the dead to speak and me to be spooked and it wasn’t coming. I mean, one or two maybe, but I kept thinking what the?? Okay, something is wrong. Should I dnf this? Get through it? Ah! Reread the blurb before you decide. Aha! So glad I did because my mistake almost cost me the joy and pains of this wonderful story. The blurb does speak of the relationships more so over the dead speaking. It ‘is’ about the dead speaking and that does happen, however it is relationships and life which this book is truly about and it’s beautiful, complicated and hard. So, instead of that nasty dnf thought, my interest in this story was renewed and I went back to the beginning and skimmed to refresh and renew how I should have interpreted. Yes, it is about love, relationships and decisions and yes! it is about the dead speaking to say their final words and I have to be honest here and share that *I feel I’m saying this in a way of whispering a secret to a person sitting next to me* I have to share that ~often, in this story, the dead had far more character and life than the living did~. Had to put it out there.

Niall, man he was tossed and battered and a sucker and used throughout so it’s understandable that his character was written to be an “arse” most of the time. I try to keep that in mind because I really just wanted to smack him and then I thought of his patience and love and ya kinda gotta love the guy.

Jeannie, whew, I liked her, but sweet, mostly sour lemonade she was a whiny one when it came to……most everything, but when she was with the dead…….she lit up the room and the heart.

Her dad was what I’d consider the perfect dad and a great character

Her mother, underneath the gruff snooty feel, you realize she’s a loving and fun person who’s has enough of her life being surrounded by death. I guess I’d be also considering she couldn’t really relate.

Characters, flawed and redeemed or not and characters, the dead flawed and the most touching, this story was a gem. 4.5.

I highlighted so much of this book and barely containing myself from sharing all the quotes, the good, the bad, the hilarious. Since I cannot do that, I highly suggest/recommend this book for you to discover all the wonderful things there are to uncover inside these pages.

Thank you, as always with the best books always, to St. Martin’s Press, to NetGalley for enabling us a home to find these gems early and to the author, Anne Griffin, who satiated my never ending reading needs.

This story is a unique tale of one women’s journey through life running a funeral parlor and where she has the ability to to hear the the secrets of the dead, I love how each secret forms her life choices and path. The are raw emotions and heartfelt moments throughout the story.

I enjoyed this story. I loved every one of the Masterson family members, and all of their friends.. I look forward to reading more from Anne Griffin.

Jeanie works with her family in a funeral home. A funeral home that she will be taking over as her parents retire.
Jeanie has a gift, and her gift is the ability to hear and talk to the dead. Through this, she is able to relay messages to people. In some cases, its words of love, others regret, confessions, where things are etc.
For Jeanie its a blessing and a curse.

I enjoyed this book. Its not just about Jeanie's gift (although that is a big part of it) but also her life and how she got to where she is.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

This was pretty bad: an autistic character who is infantilized and pitied, inconsistent character behaviors, unexplained actions and decisions among the characters, a One True Love. It felt like it needed a heavy edit. The ideas is good: a woman who can hear the dead and works in her family mortuary is lied to by her parents and other family members, and has to decide how she wants to use her gift. But none of the characters are very deep or interesting, and the whole One True Love trope is simply awful, especially as it gets combined with Talented/Beautiful Person Dies Young. I can't recommend this, despite the interesting premise.

Really well written story of family, friends and lovers trying to balance their needs and lives together.

Taking place, mostly, in an Irish town, Jeanie has an unconventional childhood. She and her dad hear the last communication of the dead before burial.

This is not a light hearted read - Jeanie loves long and unsuccessfully, she has an unresolved aspirations and a long hel family secret to resolve. At times, I felt hopeless, frustrated and sad for Jeanie.

But, an interesting read all things considered.

Jeanie can hear the dead. You had me right there....
This is well written and is easily a quick read. Jeanie's story was unique and kept me interested throughout.

The ending was good, but nothing to write home about.

Am I sobbing? Maybe.
I absolutely LOVED Anne Griffin's Novel, When All is Said, so when I saw this book- I just knew. I knew it would take me for a ride on the emotional rollercoaster and that I wouldn't want to get off. That is exactly what happened.

Jeanie Masterson is a 32 year old with an unusual gift of talking to the dead. Able to do this since she was a small child, Jeanie shares her talent with her father, and is constantly surrounded by the dead since her family operates (and lives in) a funeral home. Upon her parents announcement of retirement and wanting to leave the family business to Jeanie and her husband, Niall, Jeanie panics. She has never known anything different than this day in and day out cycle of her life. What will become of her now? We follow a dual timeline of Jeanie's past and present watching how each decision she makes shapes how she lives her life. I felt a connection to all of the characters in this book. So much so that I wanted to sit down in the yellow kitchen, have a cup of tea with all of them.
This was an absolutely stunning novel about fear, love, and self discovery. Do not hesitate to pick up this book. Be advised- tissues are required.

2021
A thought provoking novel about the intersectionality between obligation and happiness. A portrait of one woman’s journey through such obligation and what it means to have “familial responsibility” self imposed or inherited. Can what we see as happiness be found in/through those obligations? How much do we owe our family? (Business legacy or inherited “spiritual gifts”?). Is what we think will make us happy true if we deny such a large part of our past?

Is being able to speak to the deceased a gift or a burden? (Also interesting what many of the deceased people carry with them to the afterlife…what messages do they deem the most important? Can those messages reach us to calibrate our life accordingly?)

A slow, deliberate novel that answers those questions through fantastic character work, funny and intuitive dialogue, and snippets of realization that unfolds over time.

Best not to dive in to this work expecting it to “feel” like her last novel. Go in to this one with no notions, no comparisons and I think readers will find it a special novel in its own right. Failing to do the above, I think the work will suffer.

Also, this is not a fantasy novel. The ability to speak to ghosts is a clever plot device to allow the MC to evaluate what she wants from life and what she values.

3.75 stars rounded up.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693425-listening-still" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Listening Still" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636980671l/57693425._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693425-listening-still">Listening Still</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18098856.Anne_Griffin">Anne Griffin</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4349958044">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
As with her first book, Listening Still captured my interest and imagination from the opening paragraph.<br />Anne Griffin weaves a tale of love and loss with great sensitivity, emotion and humour.<br />The story line was never predictable never revealing the secrets of the living.<br />I’m looking forward to interviewing the author close to release date.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/126037518-austin-comerton">View all my reviews</a>

It’s hard to tell how I feel about this book because at first the main character was starting to grow on me. It felt like I could relate to the way she was in her head about everything and didn’t quite feel like she belonged, but I genuinely felt like there was so much left unsaid. There was a lot brought up and I personally felt like a lot of it was Lyft untied, which maybe only frustrates me, but I just wanted to know that she was content and peaceful. It was a decent book, I just felt like it would be more after the climax and jr just fizzed out.

Listening Still by Anne Griffin

9781250200617

352 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: March 01, 2022

Fiction, Irish, Talking to the Dead, Relationships

Jeannie Masterson can talk to the dead. This is a skill she has had since she was a small child growing up in her family’s funeral home. While her Aunt Harry was washing the bodies, Jeannie was talking to the dead. This is one reason her family’s busines is doing well. The dead can pass on messages to their families.

Jeannie never planned on staying in the family business and when her parents announce their retirement, she is devastated. The plans she had as a teenager were put on hold and now seem beyond her grasp. With the death of someone close to Jeannie, her world collapses around her and her future is now uncertain. She has decisions to make – should she stay or should she go?

This book is beautifully written. The characters are fully developed, the story flows nicely and it is written in the first-person point of view. There are flashbacks of Jeannie’s childhood and first love. I have not read any other books by this author, but I plan to look for them in the future. If you like fiction with family drama, you would enjoy this book.

This novel is so interesting. Based in an Irish funeral home where the owner and his daughter can listen to the dead. Some of the people of the small town of Kilross believe them and some make fun of them - and poor Jeanie Masterson finds herself bullied as a child. But she is drawn to the work and considers it a blessing, not a curse. The purpose of listening is to give the dead a chance to express a last wish or bring comfort to their loved ones, and that leaves Jeannie and her father with decisions about the truth. Should the dead have a biting or destructive sentiment, do they share things that would wound the living or do they smooth the edges?

As she did in When All is Said, Griffin brings Ireland alive with beautiful surroundings and vibrant characters. Told from Jeanne’s point of view, the book shifts from current time - where she is married to Niall, but concerned about their future - to the past as she grows up with a good friend named Peanut and falls in love with a boy named Fionn. All the while she has a beautiful relationship with her autistic brother, Mikey, who loves military history.

Jeanne was a frustrating character for me. I was surprised by her indecision that continued to the very end. The book is also slightly heavy, as it deals with death over and over. That said, the Irish setting, uniqueness of the characters, and the author’s beautiful style of writing kept me going. I will continue to read what Anne Griffin writes.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC.

The focal point of the plot seemed to be her gift, but was really about self-awareness and relationships.

I loved this story from an author who is quickly gaining international acclaim. Well written and absorbing it is so different than any book I've read before. Loved it