Ellen Lark represents the many deaf children in the age before hearing aids who struggled to communicate and were repressed from using sign language. While oralism works for many deaf children today, without hearing aids, communication through speech reading and visual,speech was an almighty struggle for those in the past. They were denied true communication access and without communication, learning, socializing and emotional development are truly hindered. This was a true disservice to deaf and hard of hearing people in the past.

Having worked with Deaf/hard of hearing students for over 35 years I could relate to this book. I did find it to be dry in parts, to lag in others and found the jump in timelines a bit unclear in places. Overall though, I enjoyed the story and feel it was a good representation of the struggles of Deaf people in the 1800s as well educational about the controversies surrounding Alexander Graham Bell.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for my honest review.

I am so happy we are having these women's stories from history being told.

My grandfather was deaf and when I saw this book, I was immediatey intrigued by the blurb. While it's a bit stilted in places with the pacing, I was very happy to have been allowed to read this one.

If you enjoy historical fiction, stories about women in history, stolen credit being brought to light, you will enjoy this book.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

In this fascinating historical fiction novel, Sarah Marsh brings the deaf community and Alexander Graham Bell’s deaf students to life. Readers follow Ellen Lark from childhood to adulthood as she learns Bell’s visible speech and how to navigate the hearing and deaf worlds of the nineteenth century. Bell has recently reached out to Ellen asking her to speak in favor of his new invention, the telephone, but Ellen has lost her loyalty to Bell and insteads sees him as someone who abandoned a community in favor of his own ambitions and inventive pursuits. Ellen’s world is lonely and complicated, with many groups wanting some insight into Bell’s life and inventions for different reasons. Marsh’s characters are flawed and complicated, and she has done an incredible job bringing Ellen, Bell, and the rest of the cast to life. All of these characters are dynamic and complex, and loyalties are particularly divided and uncertain throughout the novel. Flashing back and forth through Ellen’s life, readers gain an understanding of life as a deaf person in the nineteenth century and the differences in visible speech versus sign languages. Marsh’s debut novel is complex, fascinating, and incredibly engaging, introducing readers to a new part of the nineteenth century which they might not know of.

This book got my back into my historical fiction era and I am soooo pleased! The chapter pages were exciting and informative and I loved the FMC!!!

3.75⭐️

Special thanks to NetGalley and Park Row Books for the eARC and to Park Row Books for the physical ARC

I really wanted to love this historical fiction debut! The premise sounded super interesting and I love learning about new aspects of history, especially stories that focus on disability rep (Hard of hearing/deaf in this case). That said, I found the writing really clunky and wished it flowed better. I struggled to really get into this story. It ended up being a DNF for me for now but I do want to come back to it again at a later point since it seems so promising. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Did you know that Alexander Graham Bell, credited with the invention of the telephone, worked with deaf students? Neither did I! As soon as I heard about A Sign of Her Own by Sarah Marsh, I knew I wanted to read it. While I enjoy reading historical fiction in general, I LOVE learning about people and incidents I have never heard of before.

This is the first book I've read that was written about the deaf community. I had no idea that Bell ever worked with deaf pupils. I also didn't know about his widely held, albeit controversial, views on deaf people. This story is very well researched and brings to light the challenges faced by deaf people, especially at a time when sign language itself was not a widely accepted form of communication.

I empathize with Ellen and Frank as they struggle to find their place in a world that seems determined to view them as less than. My heart breaks for all the children who often felt lost and confused.

With this story, Marsh spreads awareness of important history concerning the deaf community and sheds some light on the murky origins of the telephone. If you love your history with a main course of engaging storytelling, add A Sign of Her Own to your tbr today!

Read this if you like:
• Historical fiction
• Dual timelines
• Deaf community representation

Available now! Many thanks to Park Row for the digital copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to this book.

As someone who lives with multiple disabilities, I thought this book was very well written. I was sort of surprised a story such as this one had yet to be told, but maybe now that is has been, more books like this will come along. I could also resonate with this book which made it more enjoyable to read. As someone who enjoys historical fiction, I found the story to be very interesting. I think every woman should read this book!

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An intriguing novel about Alexander Graham Bell and Ellen Lark, who lost her hearing at age 4 due to scarlet fever. Fans of historical fiction will find this to be a good introduction to both Bell and more importantly, the issues the deaf community has faced with regard to communication with others. Ellen is the real character here - the one you'll connect with- and Bell doesn't always come off so well. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good, informative read.

This book was okay for me, I think there is an audience for it but just at some point a bit dry for my liking. An interesting historical fiction and now I learned more about the Alexander Graham Bell. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin publishing for an opportunity to read and review this book.
3.5 stars

This was a completely fascinating premise about the experiences of Ellen Lark and Alexander Graham Bell. The history is fascinating and as is often my experience of historical fiction based on real people, I am left to question the authenticity of the story. I understand why a fictional account of situations can be helpful but I question what is real and what is fictionalized.

I am appreciative that this topic has been brought to my attention, I will learn more.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing an advanced readers copy of this book published February 6, 2024

A Sign of Her Own illuminates the life of Alexander Graham Bell, particularly his development of Visible Speech for deaf-mute community. The narrative revolves around the fictional character of Ellen Lark, who, after losing her hearing to scarlet fever, becomes Bell’s star pupil.

Her journey, interwoven with Bell’s quest for his invention’s patent, is skillfully depicted through a dual timeline, highlighting her life and perceived betrayal by Bell.

The tale commences with Bell, now an inventor, arriving in England. He seeks Ellen’s assistance in promoting Visible Speech. This request unsettles Ellen, as her husband is unaware of their full history. This complexity deepens when Ellen is asked to mediate a dispute over the rightful ownership of the Telephone patents, a testament to her close work with Bell’s work.

Ellen’s auditory challenges began at age four. In an era when sign language was undervalued, her mother was adamant about her learning an alternative communication method. Consequently, Ellen attended an Oral School, and later continued her education under Professor Bell of Boston University, a prominent figure in deaf-mute education.

Within the constraints of society, Ellen had limited exposure to sign language. In a world tailored for the hearing, such forms of communication were deemed inferior. Ellen excelled in lip-reading, a skill that earned her considerable recognition.

At Bell’s school, sign language was strictly prohibited; his focus was on developing vocal skills and speech reading, confidences he shared with Ellen. He also advocated the use of notebooks as an effective communication tool.

Ellen’s reunion with Bell stirs internal conflict. She feels betrayed by his contribution to the telephone, believing it undermined the deaf community. Revealing the truth jeopardizes not only her engagement and future security but also conflicts with her mother’s dying wishes.

The narrative vividly portrays the era’s patent frenzy and societal attitudes towards deaf individuals. Ellen’s experiences underscore the isolation caused by communication barriers. The story questions the disregard for the preferences of the deaf community, highlighting the tiring nature of lip-reading and the effectiveness yet societal rejection of sign language.

Narrated with eloquence, A Sign of Her Own explores the protagonist’s dilemma and decision-making, presenting a compelling story that sheds light on the era’s conflicting circumstances.

It is very interesting and personal book to me. I am deaf from the birth. I was very excited to asked to read the book to share my thoughts as deaf person. Of course I couldn’t denied it! It is historical fiction novel with a lot of complication situations to think about.

Ellen Lark became deaf at age of 4 from fever. She learned sign language so she can communicate with her older sister. As Ellen gets older, her grandma forced her to go to get education of Visible Speech (oral speech) with Alexander Graham Bell who was professor at college during this time in Boston. Bell did a lot of works for deaf community but he was against the belief in the sign language. He is strongly believe oral speech. Ellen had been struggled at Visible Speech due she had to learn written marks to teach her how to say it. She will never learn this way without can hear the sounds. She is profoundly deaf and can’t hear the sound at all.

As Ellen work hard with Mr. Bell, she became very loyalty to deaf community and she’s struggling to please both worlds of Mr. Bell and the community. She met one deaf guy from deaf community and the love between them two led to love in the air.

The book have two separate timelines that go forward and back which is ok but easier if we can keep it from beginning to end through without jump around in book. I can understand deaf community and culture. I personally am not support Mr. Bell’s theory of no sign language and must learn how to speak fluent without have “deaf accents”.

Mr. Bell is real person that happen in past and he was invented telephone by accidentally. Today we have phones thanks to him. But I do not support his thoughts on deaf community and use of sign language. But other than this, everything is fiction and historical. I do highly recommend this books to deaf community to read and share their thoughts about this and Mr. Bell since we the deaf community have always been big taboo discussion for years and years. I am definitely am curious about their thoughts.

Thank you for great book!!

I have always been intrigued by sign language, and I am definitely trying to read more historical fiction this year. I used to read a lot of it, but then kind of got a little burned out on it, and am slowly rediscovering reasons why I loved the genre. Most people know Alexander Graham Bell as the inventor of the telephone, and it is always interesting to see stories like these play out. It makes me wonder how history would be different or how our lives would be different if things would have ended up differently. In addition to causing the reader to be reflective, I thought this was a powerful story about finding your voice and standing up for yourself. Thank you to the publisher for giving me a chance to read an early digital copy of this book!

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. I always enjoy finding new time periods to read about. In this book, the reader gets some of the history around Alexander Graham Bell’s patent on inventing the telephone. What brings in an interesting spin is that it doesn’t follow AGB, but rather a one of his prized deaf students. It took great writing skill to capture Ellen as the student, Alexander Graham Bell as the teacher and the historical fiction facts. It was a little bit of a slow read for me. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it took effort for me to read. There also seemed to be parts where the author used Ellen as her catalyst to drive home the point of what showing hearing people what deaf people can do. While this is a key takeaway from the book, I just wish it was a little smoother. All in all, this was a great historical fiction read! Bravo!

I requested to read this book to see how Alexander Graham Bell (AGB) was portrayed. Many in the D/deaf community do not like him (that might be too mild a statement) because of his pushing oralism and speech reading, trying to stop signing, and wanting the deaf to not marry/reproduce, and for using his influence and notoriety to push this agenda. Verdict on this issue is that the book portrays AGB as his students saw him at the time: somewhat sympathetic to begin with, but over time, as someone to distance themselves from. I do not see the revulsion I read in contemporary D/deaf discourse. Note that I am not D/deaf or Hard of Hearing, but have been studying in this area for a few years. I look forward to this book's release to see the reception and more pointed criticism of AGB. That said, I'm guessing the portrayal is correct for the time, as this was based on journals of AGB's students.

So the story: Ellen Lark becomes deaf at age 4. She learns some signing at home, but is discouraged on many fronts. She ends up at a school that forbids signing and focuses on oralism (speaking and lip reading) before she starts working with AGB on Visual Speech. She become a model student and eventually becomes disillusioned with him. The book is slow moving at times, but the history of the treatment of the D/deaf is enlightening.

Overall, this was a pretty good read for me. There were parts that were very dry and not enjoyable for me to read, but as a whole I think that the premise and the storyline were intriguing. I had no idea that Alexander Graham Bell had deaf students, so I really enjoyed learning about that portion of their history. Naturally, the way that they were exploited was horrendous.

This is the best of historical fiction! A SIGN OF HER OWN immerses us into the story world right away. Ellen is a wonderful heroine, and we care about what will happen to her. She has been deaf since early childhood. Her sister is a vigorous advocate for her, and they develop a form of sign language to communicate. When Ellen begins to work with Alexander Graham Bell, the tension rises. At first it seems like a good development. But does he truly care about her best interests? Does he actually care about the needs of deaf people? Or is he only concerned about advancing his own career/technology? Once Ellen begins to discover the truth, she will have a difficult decision to make. The author beautifully conveys Ellen's struggles and what it must have been like for her as a non-hearing person trying to thrive in a hearing world..

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance e-galley; all opinions expressed herein are my own.

Ellen Lark is the central character in this compelling work of historical fiction. As a young child, Ellen loses her hearing after contracting a severe case of scarlet fever. The story deftly navigates the prejudice and difficulties she encounters as a deaf child and woman, torn between communicating by sign language coupled with writing and being taught to only use her voice, a voice she cannot herself hear. Alexander Graham Bell is woven into the story as he creates the telephone, using his deaf students as inspiration while also betraying them. The writing is beautiful as well as satisfying as Ellen Lark ultimately embraces her strength and independence.

I didn’t know Alexander Graham Bell had deaf students so this was a interesting historical fiction novel. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and thought they worked well overall in this time-period. I enjoyed getting to know Ellen through this book, she felt like a real person and I enjoyed the story that was told.

A Sign of her Own is a beautiful twist on the real-life story of Ellen Lark, a prodigy of Alexander Graham Bell, who ended up – along with Bell’s deaf wife – influencing the invention of the telephone.

Ellen has been deaf since the age of four, when a bout of scarlet fever changed her life. Her sister, Mary, becomes her defender and advocate, and even helps her devise a form of sign language with which to communicate. Unfortunately, the ablelist thinking of the time forced nonhearing individuals to speak clearly, no matter the level of their hearing loss or inability to read lips. In time, Ellen becomes a student under Alexander Graham Bell, who teaches the Visible Speech technique to his students – guaranteed (as per his own publicity) to make a deaf person speak like a hearing one. Ellen comes to trust Bell, and becomes involved in his work on an experiment which will help the deaf to hear. She subsequently becomes involved in her teacher’s dream of creating the technology that he tells her will improve the lives of deaf people everywhere.

As Ellen’s life changes – to include a possible romance with a man named Frank who also happens to be deaf, Mary’s growing relationship with a man who might offer marriage looks likely to separate the sisters. At the same time, her involvement with the Bell experiment grows. But when she comes to learn that his true intent isn’t to help the deaf community at all, but to invent a telephone system for the hearing, her outrage leads to a plan to expose Graham Bell on the witness stand when he calls her in to help him defend a patent dispute in court. Will Ellen take a chance on revenge?

The writing here is so rich, and Sarah Marsh seems to wholeheartedly nail what it’s like being a deaf person who has to cope with hearing individuals. What she accomplishes with her prose is a truly startling, astonishing thing. She replicates the frustratingly mixed lack of information Ellen must cope with on a daily basis just to survive. The attitudes of others she brushes up against feel accurate to the period, and the research is excellent. Each new chapter opens up with a sign used to communicate during the period by those with hearing loss.

The character relationships are uniformly excellent. Bell and Ellen’s relationship is realistically fraught, and her romance with Frank is sweet but realistic. Especially good is the sisterly relationship between Ellen and Mary, which is handled with verve and sensitivity. Marsh’s style is beautiful as well, her prose beautifully gripping.

A Sign of her Own is easy to invest in, and Ellen is a wonderful heroine. What a fantastic book!