Within a Whisper - Softcover

Upcher, Caroline; Lagarenne, James And Nanci

3.31

51 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0061032158 ISBN 13: 9780061032158

Publisher: HarperTorch, 2002

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From the moment she saw Jimmy LaGarenne riding his bike down her neighborhood street, eighth-grader Nanci DeSerio was smitten. But it wasn't until three years later -- the first time she saw Jimmy cry -- that they fell truly in love. By nineteen they know they'd be together forever. But fairy tales fade. Disappointment and distance gradually chipped away at their passion and their hearts. And many years later, on a bitter cold Christmas Day, they realized their "forever" romance was within a whisper of ending.

But what happened next is the kind of miracle that makes Nanci and Jimmy's everyday story an extraordinary one ...

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About the Author:

Caroline Upcher has worked in film, publishing, and journalism. She is the author of Falling for Mr. Wrong, The Visitor's Book, and Grace and Favor. She wrote two novels pseudonymously as Carly McIntyre (Next of Kin and Saskia) as well as Naomi Campbell's novel, Swan. Formerly of London, she now lives in Amagansett, New York.

From Publishers Weekly:

Every now and then, the story behind a book's publication is more interesting than the novel itself. This one was the grand prize winner of a contest held by Morrow, Redbook magazine and women.com for "The Greatest Love Story Never Told," in which contestants were urged to write about their own heartwarming experiences. The La Garennes' prize-winning story was turned into this novel written by Upcher (Falling for Mr. Wrong). It opens in the 22nd year of Nanci and Jimmy's marriage, with the couple sleeping in separate bedrooms and on the brink of breaking up. It is the Christmas season, and as the couple contemplates filing divorce papers, they begin to review their shared history: their early attraction in Brooklyn, shotgun wedding, two children, love and dreams, and the trials that led to the decline in their relationship. In fact, most of the book involves past history, clich‚s clinking all over the place ("He played her like she was a musical instrument, tuning her body until she was rising and falling in rhythm to his every touch"). Short sentences demand nothing from the reader and an overall treacly sweetness makes this an ideal candidate for the '50s magazine column "Can This Marriage Be Saved?" However, the presence of a few contemporary problems including drug abuse may make this tale more timely for readers looking for happy-ever-after endings. (Sept. 18)Forecast: Savvy marketing should bring this uplifting weeper to the attention of romance readers. The combined audience on HarperCollins', Redbook's and women.com Web sites will get sales rolling. That James La Garenne and his wife both entered the contest unbeknownst to each other, and the husband's version won, adds an O. Henry twist to a story made for media exploitation.

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