About the Book
Two sisters fulfilling their grandfather’s dying wish uncover decades of secrets in a powerful novel about family, truth, and forgiveness.
Dallas, Dealey Plaza, 1963. Nineteen-year-old Mariah Byrne is following her dream of a career in photography. One moment she’s filled with hope and joy, watching President and Mrs. Kennedy drive past. In the next, the world—and Mariah’s life—is split into before and after. What follows, and the unconventional decisions Mariah makes, will affect her and her family forever.
Sixty years later, sisters Raine and Jessica grieve the death of their grandfather. For both his beloved grand girls, Papa leaves behind a last wish and an unexpected keepsake: the key to their grandmother Mariah’s hope chest. Explore its contents, he writes, and follow where they lead. But what secrets can their family history possibly hold?
Raine and Jessica unite to piece together the mystery of a past they never knew existed. But facts can’t reveal the whole story. With Mariah’s memories fading, the sisters struggle to understand her choices before the truth disappears forever.
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Narrator: Austenne Grey
Format: Unabridged
Runtime: 12h 54m
Reviews
“The Measure of Silence is a touching, compelling novel of the family secrets that bind generations and can also tear them apart. Elizabeth Langston deftly weaves the trauma of President Kennedy’s assassination through the pain and difficulties of her character’s lives. The family dynamics are very relatable and the characters’ struggles with both their present experiences and the past kept me reading until the end.”
– Georgie Blalock, author of An Indiscreet Princess and The Last Debutantes
“A moving multigenerational story of motherhood, love, and powerful family secrets.”
– Chanel Cleeton, NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author
“A riveting and emotional read! Langston takes us on a generational journey of discovery, uncovering secrets that threaten to tear a family apart. Fast paced and heartwarming, The Measure of Silence illustrates the struggles of motherhood, and power of love and forgiveness with endearing characters.”
– Eliza Knight, USA Today bestselling author of Starring Adele Astaire
“The Measure of Silence delves into the explosive results of a last wish that rips up deep family secrets. Elizabeth Langston powerfully illustrates the struggle of mental health issues in a world where they weren’t understood and will leave you rooting for the heroine to succeed. This is a moving historical fiction with a past that will keep you riveted as all is revealed.”
– Madeline Martin, NYT and international bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London
“The Measure of Silence is a bittersweet story of how one young woman’s choice in 1963 dominoes through two generations to intertwine with her grandaughters’ search for the truth. A captivating read.”
– Shelley Noble, NYT Bestselling author of The Tiffany Girls
“Elizabeth Langston’s The Measure of Silence is a gripping story of family, hidden truths, and the after effects of a tragedy that changed not only the course of Mariah Byrne’s life, but that of an entire nation. Tautly paced and brilliantly crafted, this is a must-read for fans of family drama and JFK-centric fiction. Simply riveting from start to finish.”
– Aimie K. Runyan, bestselling author of The School for German Brides and A Bakery in Paris
“This poignant novel tells of trauma, abuse, young love, secrets, lies and estranged family… A lovely story of family dynamics told with warmth and understanding.”
—Historical Novels Review
The Details
Published: July 18, 2023
Publisher: Lake Union
Formats: EbookPaperbackAudiobook
ISBN-10: 1662510632ISBN-13: 978-1662510632ASIN: B0BHJN7KFZ
Genres & Tropes
Historical Fiction, Sibling Fiction, Sisters Fiction, New Adult, Coming of Age, Kennedy Assassination, Women's Fiction, Adult Historical
