Review Wrap Up - Hannah's Voice by Robb Grindstaff

Contemporary/Literary

Date Published: 1/15/13

When six-year-old Hannah's brutal honesty is mistaken for lying, she stops speaking. Her family, her community, and eventually, the entire nation struggle to find meaning in her silence.

School officials suspect abuse. Church members are divided—either she has a message from God or is possessed by a demon. Social workers interrupt an exorcism to wrest Hannah away from her momma, who has a tenuous grip on sanity. Hidden in protective foster care for twelve years, she loses all contact with her mother and remains mute by choice.

When Hannah leaves foster care at age eighteen to search for Momma, a national debate rages over her silence. A religious movement awaits her prophecy and celebrates her return. An anarchist group, Voices for the Voiceless, cites Hannah as its inspiration. The nation comes unhinged and the conflict spills into the streets when presidential candidates chime in with their opinions on Hannah—patriotic visionary or dangerous radical. A remnant still believes she is evil and seeks to dispatch her from this world. 

Hannah stands at the intersection of anarchists and fundamentalists, between power politics and an FBI investigation. All she wants is to find her momma, a little peace and quiet, and maybe some pancakes. 

One word would put an end to the chaos if Hannah can only find her voice.

RABT REVIEW WRAP UP

Almost all of the readers on this tour found this story to be a stand out and complete literary surprise. With themes and circumstances that will keep you interested and the authors ability to create a connection by the reader and hannah, it is a rousing success! 

This Book has averaged a 4.8* Rating from reviewers during this tour.

It is currently at 4.9*'s on Amazon.

The book is only $3.99! 

From  Marked By Books- 

This book was absolutely incredible. Probably the best part about it was how perfectly the author captured Hannah's thoughts at each point in her life: six, sixteen, and eighteen years old. Each age felt so authentic, but still distinctly Hannah the whole way through. 

While I liked the later parts of the book the best, I have the say that the thoughts of an inquisitive six year old girl were much more entertaining. Just the things that Hannah noticed and came up with on her own were amazing, but everything still always sounded like it was coming from a young child. It was really interesting to try to see the world through her eyes. Everything made absolute sense, but I kept thinking to myself, "Huh, I'd never thought of it that way before."

When I first starting reading, I was a little nervous considering how it began. Usually, when books start with the "big reveal" in a prologue on the very first page, it doesn't leave the reader much to look forward to. This book, however, is the very epitome of the journey being more important than the destination. After getting all the way through the book, I can completely understand why the author chose to do it that way. Had he not given the readers a little sneak peak, it might have seemed anticlimactic and ridiculous instead of very fitting.

But he doesn't just end it there, in what would seem like a nice place to tie things up. Had this novel been just about the fact that Hannah wasn't talking anymore, it just might have been. It wasn't; that was what the entire world was focused on, everyone excerpt for Hannah, that is. To her, it wasn't about some life changing message she had to pass on to everyone around her; it was about getting back to her life, and opening her mouth wasn't going to change that.

So the story continued, at least for a little while. Those final few chapters were my favorite because things were finally starting to look up for Hannah. I really liked how the issue with her mother was handled because it explained her behavior so well, without making me dislike her for how she had acted when Hannah was a child.

The final page was the best, though. Some part of me keeps saying that it may have been a little cheesy, and that part is probably right. It doesn't really matter, however, because cheesy or not, it was exactly what the novel needed. Hannah's entire journey had been epic, and as I saw that the book was coming to a close, I was wondering how on Earth something like that could be wrapped up well. Somehow, the author managed to pull it off, and I can't possibly imagine a better way for him to have done it.

Out of all of this, the thing that amazed me the most was how willingly people are able to distort the simplest of things into some crazy idea that they just couldn't let go. It's like they see something that may in some way support what they're saying, and then suddenly they're making excuses for it and twisting it into their own image to make it fit. They want to believe something so badly that they'll take the most easily explained of circumstances and make it the most complicated thing out there just to prove a point that doesn't really exist. Suddenly a little girl's silence speaks volumes louder than any words ever could, yet it never seem to be saying the same thing to anyone.

Rating: 5 stars

From  My Cozie Corner- 

Robb pens "Hannah's Voice" in a uniquely well written plot that is entertaining and endearing. The main character Hannah I found strong, touching and believable and her voice will follow you after the book is done. A highly recommended must read for all readers.

I give "Hannah's Voice" a 5 star rating.

Other Review From This Tour:

February 21 - Author Ever Leigh - Review

February 22 - Andi's Book Reviews - Review/Interview

February 25 - My Reading Addiction - Review

February 27 - Keenly Kristin - Review

February 28 - The Self-Taught Cook - Review

March 1 - Genuine Jenn - Review

March 1 - Gimme The Scoop - Review

March 4 - The World As I See It - Review

March 7 - My Devotional Thoughts - Review

March 8 - J. Heather Leigh - Review

March 9 - Book Wookie - Review

March 10 - Reviewing Shelf- Review

March 11 - Book Referees - Review/Interview

March 13- Bean Counting Mommy - Review

March 15 - RABT Reviews - Review

In addition to a career as a newspaper editor, publisher, and manager, I’ve written fiction most of my life. The newspaper biz has taken my family and me from Phoenix, Arizona, to small towns in North Carolina and Texas, and from seven years in Washington, D.C., to five years in Asia. Born and raised a small-town kid, I’m as comfortable in Tokyo or Tuna, Texas. I now reside in a small community in Wisconsin where I manage the business operations of a daily newspaper. The variety of places I’ve lived and visited serve as settings for the characters who invade my head.

I’ve had a dozen short stories published in several print anthologies and e-zines, and several articles on the craft of writing fiction. My first novel, Hannah’s Voice, debuted January 15, 2013, and two more novels are in the works for 2013-14.

I also edit fiction and non-fiction books for authors from around the world. It helps that I’m fluent in five languages: U.S. English, U.K. English, Canadian English, and Australian English, plus my native language, Texan.

AUTHOR CONTACT INFO

Website: http://robbgrindstaff.com/writing

Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/robbgrindstaffauthor

Twitter: @RobbWriter

On Evolved Publishing: http://www.evolvedpub.com/press/litfic/hannahs-voice/

Buy Links 

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