NCLA Review - Until a tragic accident took the life of her mother, Lissa Randall’s future was bright with academic promise. She had been offered scholarships at several colleges and could have excelled at any of them. After the accident, her plans came to a screeching halt. She canceled all thoughts of going to college and eighteen months later, she still could not make herself drive. An acquaintance recommended Ev McAllister’s Driving School to her and a cascade of events was set in motion. Ev and his wife, Annie, took Lissa into their hearts and wanted so much to help her overcome her fear of driving and her fear of the future. The author weaves together a cast of characters whose intertwining stories of courage, heartbreak, and hope will hold the reader captive until the final page. Rating: 4 —SGV ( )

When as a reader you approach a novel by Elizabeth Musser, one often knows not to expect a light read. Her books are full, filled to the brim with emotion and relatable experiences. As with another novel "The Swan House", that I also loved, this story deals with the difficult intricacies of depression. When speaking of her novel, she states it well, this book is about depression, but is not depressing. That is something very hard to come by. The topics are heavy, but necessary and relatable. As a reader who personally does not like to read contemporary fiction because of the realistic pain of stories involved I highly enjoy the "recent historical inspirational fiction" here. The negative aspects of reality are found within the pages of the novel, but the spiritual message peaks through and becomes a much stronger presence than all of the negativity with each continuous page and chapter. One can finish the pages of this novel with hope and going forward. As was stated in a press release, (While this hard-hitting approach can be interpreted by some as negative, Musser disagrees, saying "I write what I call 'entertainment with a soul'. I want the reader to find not only a good story but also real characters and themes that touch their hearts and force them to think, to laugh and cry and hope. To be entertained way down in their souls." )As an avid reader and reviewer, I can tell you that Musser made her goals with this novel. ( )

When as a reader you approach a novel by Elizabeth Musser, one often knows not to expect a light read. Her books are full, filled to the brim with emotion and relatable experiences. As with another novel "The Swan House", that I also loved, this story deals with the difficult intricacies of depression. When speaking of her novel, she states it well, this book is about depression, but is not depressing. That is something very hard to come by. The topics are heavy, but necessary and relatable. As a reader who personally does not like to read contemporary fiction because of the realistic pain of stories involved I highly enjoy the "recent historical inspirational fiction" here. The negative aspects of reality are found within the pages of the novel, but the spiritual message peaks through and becomes a much stronger presence than all of the negativity with each continuous page and chapter. One can finish the pages of this novel with hope and going forward. As was stated in a press release, (While this hard-hitting approach can be interpreted by some as negative, Musser disagrees, saying "I write what I call 'entertainment with a soul'. I want the reader to find not only a good story but also real characters and themes that touch their hearts and force them to think, to laugh and cry and hope. To be entertained way down in their souls." )As an avid reader and reviewer, I can tell you that Musser made her goals with this novel. ( )

This book is many stories woven into one. At the center is Lissa, a teenage girl who is traumatized after witnessing her mother's death in a freeway accident which Lissa feels responsible for. The catastrophe derails her life in every way possible, but now she is ready to take the first step to moving on with her life - learning how to drive again, without panic attacks, which will allow her to be independent, move out of her father's house, maybe go to college. To help her with this goal she is relying upon Ev McAllister, driving school instructor, who specializes in reaching troubled youths. This is just the primary interaction - Words Unspoken has several other stories of various interest levels which come back at the reader at various intervals.

I could just not get into this book for any extended amount of time. It is set in 1985, which just serves to make it seem old fashioned and out-of-date - it's not a yay, kick back to the 80s moment, it just adds to the yawn factor. There are a few two many stories, and the interweaving is not done as skillfully as with other authors. It's not a terrible book, but the characters and writing did not keep my interest well. ( )

I'm sure there's an audience for this, but it doesn't include me. It just is not my type of book.