The Silence of the Stars (Audible Audio Edition) Kate McMurray Michael Ferraiuolo Dreamspinner Press LLC Books
Download As PDF : The Silence of the Stars (Audible Audio Edition) Kate McMurray Michael Ferraiuolo Dreamspinner Press LLC Books
A spin-off of The Stars that Tremble
Sandy Sullivan has gotten so good at covering up his emotions, he's waiting for someone to hand him an Oscar. On the outside he's a cheerful, funny guy, but his good humor is the only thing keeping awful memories from his army tours in Afghanistan at bay. Worse, Sandy is now adrift after breaking up with the only man who ever understood him but who also wanted to fix him the way Sandy's been fixing up his new house in Brooklyn.
Everett Blake seems to have everything good looks, money, and talent to spare. He parlayed a successful career as a violinist into a teaching job at Manhattan's elite Olcott School, and until four months ago he even had the perfect boyfriend. Now he's on his own, trying to give his new apartment some personality, even if it is unkempt compared to the perfect home he had shared with his ex. When hiring a contractor to renovate his kitchen sends Sandy barreling into his life, Everett is only too happy to accept the chaos - until he realizes he's in over his head.
The Silence of the Stars (Audible Audio Edition) Kate McMurray Michael Ferraiuolo Dreamspinner Press LLC Books
I really liked the first book in this series "Silence in the stars". In fact I liked Sandy in the first book so much that I really wanted him to get his happy ending and was pleased to see this book. Moreover, usually I am not keen on couple from the first book showing up in the story just to be friends with the main character/couple, but I was perfectly fine with Mike and Gio and Emma making some guest appearances. Because it was already established that Mike and Sandy were as close as brothers, so even if Mike was mostly being a friendly support for Sandy in this one, I was fine with it, it felt organic.The book is once again features a romance of the two opposites - blue collar guy and "artsy" guy. Sandy does construction work, and Everett is a violinist. Their attraction is again fast, but because initially it is purely sexual one, I could deal with it, I liked to watch how in front of my eyes purely sexual attraction became something more.
The conflict in this book is however completely different from the first one. It concerns Sandy having PTSD and the effect it has/may have/will have on his building relationship with Everett.
The writer chose to show somebody with the milder case of PTSD, and I was okay with it, because the worse PTSD is, the less believable it is for me that the relationship may actually work out without the guy being in therapy for a long time. However I thought that with what was shown she dealt realistically. And Sandy having a "milder" case of it is of course only comparatively speaking - he has horrible nightmares after what he had to deal with in Afganistan and while they do not stop him from living his life, it sure stopped him from getting everything he wanted out of life. Sandy was so worried that Everett may see him having a nightmare when they just started dating that he did not want to spend a night at his apartment initially. Of course it came out pretty fast and I was very pleased how both of the guys dealt with it.
Everett does worry as to how Sandy's nightmares may affect them long term, but he knows that he is very attracted to the man and he wants to give the relationship his best shot. It is made very clear however that Everett cannot help him, and if Sandy wants to try to get better he should seek help from the therapist. And Sandy does start the therapy; he does it for himself, even if Everett may have been a push which Sandy needed. The push was Sandy wanting to give a relationship real try though, Everett himself did not insist on anything. It is made very clear that Sandy is not cured at the end of the story , after all he has a nightmare again in one of the last chapters and even therapist tells him that even though he improved he may never get completely cured. I really liked that. Sandy definitely feels better overall though and I was happy for him.
I do wish Everett was portrayed with more depth I have to admit. He is not a one dimensional character by all means, but I just did not know him that well when the story ended and I think I should have. I thought he and Sandy were really good together though.
Product details
|
Tags : Amazon.com: The Silence of the Stars (Audible Audio Edition): Kate McMurray, Michael Ferraiuolo, Dreamspinner Press LLC: Books, ,Kate McMurray, Michael Ferraiuolo, Dreamspinner Press LLC,The Silence of the Stars,Dreamspinner Press LLC,B00UCUH5SI
People also read other books :
- The Reired Person Book of Golf Jim Hardin 9780741460981 Books
- Reality is Virtual Bruce Maier Books
- WordPress Made Easy Ori Ben eBook
- Crescendo of Praises Mabel Elizabeth Henry 9781449764913 Books
- My Anecdotal Life A Memoir eBook Carl Reiner
The Silence of the Stars (Audible Audio Edition) Kate McMurray Michael Ferraiuolo Dreamspinner Press LLC Books Reviews
Rounded up from 3.5 stars. The Silence of the Stars is a 'spin-off' of The Stars That Tremble. I'm not sure of the differentiation between spin-off and sequel, but there you have it. We are introduced in more detail to Sandy Sullivan, Mike's childhood friend from the first book . Sandy works as a contractor for Mike's home remodeling business and is hired to remodel Everett Blake's horrible orange monstrosity of a kitchen. Everett just came out of a long-term relationship. He is a professor at the school where Gio (now engaged to Mike) teaches. He is a classically trained violinist, and comes from a cultured, wealthy family where education is paramount. Everett is Upper East Side Manhattan, Sandy is Brooklyn blue-collar.
The Silence of the Stars works as a standalone, but having the background provided by the first book is helpful. Mike and Gio are secondary characters in this story, which mostly revolves around Sandy's PTSD and its effects on his life as a civilian and those around him. Sandy is an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran. He served fourteen years under DADT and was medically discharged after a car bomb killed his closest friend over there and left him with a crippling case of PTSD. His symptoms have lessened considerably in the six years he has been home, but he still suffers from vivid nightmares and periodic flashbacks.
Sandy, while refusing to apply the label "PTSD" to himself, doubts anyone can deal with his messed-up head for long. He has kept most of his symptoms to himself, not sharing them with his family or even his best friend Mike, who is also a veteran. He doesn't even want to spend the night with Everett because he fears Everett's reaction if he sees him caught in the clutches of a nightmare. When he accidentally falls asleep and wakes up having thrown Ev to the floor, the truth about the depth of his struggles comes out.
Everett is supportive and comforting, but worries he's getting into a situation he doesn't know how to handle. He fears that Sandy might get violent and unpredictable, like a man his friend was involved with who had PTSD. Ms. McMurray dealt very well with PTSD and the struggle so many of our veterans live with when they return from war. There is still a huge stigma in admitting that you are damaged on the inside. Wounds on your flesh are easily explained, the physical limits they cause understood. But acknowledging that your mind and your heart may not heal is something that remains difficult to this day. I felt that Ms. McMurray's research was very solid on this front.
I found nothing really wrong with this book. The main characters were both nice, fairly ordinary guys who meet, go out, and actually talk about their relationship. They kiss and hold hands, not shy in the least about public displays of affection. Their relationship progresses without angst, breakups or major misunderstandings. Things were far from perfect between them, but they wanted it to work, because loved each other and truly felt futures would be better together than apart. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop; to introduce the angst and separation they need to come back together as a stronger unit. It never came.
I found the book to be bland. The heat was missing from the sex, which was often alluded to but rarely seen on the page. There was very promising talk of kink, but we never got to see if it happened or not. Much of Sandy and Everett's conversation felt awkward. There were too many internal monologues on the part of both MCs, many of them were repetitive and didn't synch with what was happening on page.
Everett's parents were stereotypical. Their every word and move predictable. Even though they had readily accepted their son's homosexuality, they were unable to accept his choice in men because of Sandy's background, both economically and educationally. They were snobby and judgmental to the extent that they almost became caricatures. I loved New York City and the outer boroughs as a backdrop for the story. They are almost characters on their own. I got a good feel for the varied cultures and character of the city.
I love Kate McMurray’s writing, it’s thoughtful and thought provoking. Her characters usually have so much depth. Her main characters are real flesh and blood, and they have a vulnerability that rings true. The blue collar guy with the classical musician, such an unlikely pairing, yet so right for each other. I feel like The Silence of the Stars was a missed opportunity. I liked it okay, but I love Ms. McMurray's work in general and this one didn't live up to the standards she has set in her previous books.
This was an enjoyable story with good character development. The second in the series but not dependent on the first book for understanding this story and characters.
I usually like Ms. McMurray's books but really loved this one. The fact that these characters weren't young set this book apart from many other m/m romances that I've read. Really felt for and related to both MCs and enjoyed the courtship. Hope there is another book or two similar to this and the Stars That Tremble.
I really liked the first book in this series "Silence in the stars". In fact I liked Sandy in the first book so much that I really wanted him to get his happy ending and was pleased to see this book. Moreover, usually I am not keen on couple from the first book showing up in the story just to be friends with the main character/couple, but I was perfectly fine with Mike and Gio and Emma making some guest appearances. Because it was already established that Mike and Sandy were as close as brothers, so even if Mike was mostly being a friendly support for Sandy in this one, I was fine with it, it felt organic.
The book is once again features a romance of the two opposites - blue collar guy and "artsy" guy. Sandy does construction work, and Everett is a violinist. Their attraction is again fast, but because initially it is purely sexual one, I could deal with it, I liked to watch how in front of my eyes purely sexual attraction became something more.
The conflict in this book is however completely different from the first one. It concerns Sandy having PTSD and the effect it has/may have/will have on his building relationship with Everett.
The writer chose to show somebody with the milder case of PTSD, and I was okay with it, because the worse PTSD is, the less believable it is for me that the relationship may actually work out without the guy being in therapy for a long time. However I thought that with what was shown she dealt realistically. And Sandy having a "milder" case of it is of course only comparatively speaking - he has horrible nightmares after what he had to deal with in Afganistan and while they do not stop him from living his life, it sure stopped him from getting everything he wanted out of life. Sandy was so worried that Everett may see him having a nightmare when they just started dating that he did not want to spend a night at his apartment initially. Of course it came out pretty fast and I was very pleased how both of the guys dealt with it.
Everett does worry as to how Sandy's nightmares may affect them long term, but he knows that he is very attracted to the man and he wants to give the relationship his best shot. It is made very clear however that Everett cannot help him, and if Sandy wants to try to get better he should seek help from the therapist. And Sandy does start the therapy; he does it for himself, even if Everett may have been a push which Sandy needed. The push was Sandy wanting to give a relationship real try though, Everett himself did not insist on anything. It is made very clear that Sandy is not cured at the end of the story , after all he has a nightmare again in one of the last chapters and even therapist tells him that even though he improved he may never get completely cured. I really liked that. Sandy definitely feels better overall though and I was happy for him.
I do wish Everett was portrayed with more depth I have to admit. He is not a one dimensional character by all means, but I just did not know him that well when the story ended and I think I should have. I thought he and Sandy were really good together though.
0 Response to "[LYL]≡ Read The Silence of the Stars (Audible Audio Edition) Kate McMurray Michael Ferraiuolo Dreamspinner Press LLC Books"
Post a Comment