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Talk Before Sleep
Talk Before Sleep
Author: Elizabeth Berg
What do women talk about when they know they don't have forever? They talk about what they have always talked about, only they go deeper and more honest: with outrageous humor they try to mitigate pain. Intimate and uncensored sharing, the kind of connection women prize, is at the heart of this deeply moving novel about the grit and power of fem...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780385318785
ISBN-10: 0385318782
Publication Date: 10/6/1997
Pages: 224
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 202

3.9 stars, based on 202 ratings
Publisher: Delta
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

pj avatar reviewed Talk Before Sleep on + 208 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
This is one of the best books I have ever read. There is so much description and detail on every page, you cannot help but transport your mind to be with them and care about what is actually happening to Ruth. If this doens't make you appreciate the friends that you do have, nothing will.

This one will make you cry..........
wordyone avatar reviewed Talk Before Sleep on + 112 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
The funny, sad, bittersweet story of a woman dying of cancer and the friends who care for and support her.
reviewed Talk Before Sleep on + 39 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Elizabeth Berg does a good job of relating how women deal with the illness, in this case cancer, of a dear friend.
ginann avatar reviewed Talk Before Sleep on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
One of the best books I have ever read. Very touching, will stick with you for a long time.
reviewed Talk Before Sleep on + 31 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Great, loved it. I don't think I've ever laughed and cried so much throughout a book. I will be getting more of Elizabeth Bergs books!
Read All 66 Book Reviews of "Talk Before Sleep"

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reviewed Talk Before Sleep on + 10 more book reviews
Made me think about how important friends are to us.
reviewed Talk Before Sleep on
Great quick read about the power of friendship, love, and family through loss.
reviewed Talk Before Sleep on + 13 more book reviews
The subject matter of this book is heartwrenching. It's the story of a woman who is dying from cancer. I usually am a big cry baby but this book is so lovingly written that I only cried at the very end. These women seemed so real and likable. I would recommend this book to anyone who might be going through a difficult time with a cancer patient. What a way to go!
reviewed Talk Before Sleep on + 13 more book reviews
They met at a party. It was hate at first site. Ruth was far too beautiful, too flamboyant. Not at all Ann's kind of person. Until a chance encounter in the bathroom led to an alliance of souls. Soon they are sharing hankies during the late showing of Sophie's Choice, wolfing down sundaes sodden with whipped cream, telling truths of marriage, mortality, and love..secure in a kind of intimacy no man could ever know. Only best friends understand devil's food cake for breakfast when nothing else will do. After years of shared secrets, guilty pleasurese, family life and divorce, they face a crisis that redefines the meaning of friendship and unconditional love. This is the story of Ruth. Of Ann. And all of us who wonder what we'd say if words were not enough.
PrairieBlue avatar reviewed Talk Before Sleep on + 76 more book reviews
A painful, gripping story about two best friends, Ann and Ruth, and Ruth's ultimate death of cancer. The women met when they both were in their late 30s, and for the 4 or 5 years of their friendship, Ann has been the follower and pupil to Ruth's exhilarating and thought-provoking leadership and teaching. Ruth has forced Ann to examine her comfortable life with her husband and child by her example of freedom and independence. She seems to be everything Ann is afraid or unable to be-beautiful, artistic, appealing to both sexes, and self-confident. Her love life thrives and her times with Ann provide excitement and challenges. When Ruth is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Ann, once a nurse, becomes the mainstay of the small group of women who surround their friend, but feels little in common with them. Readers realize, along with Ann, how important relationships can be, and how important it is to communicate feelings and be honest. Ruth is the catalyst for self-discovery on the part of each of the figures, and her own discoveries are satisfying.
Giggy avatar reviewed Talk Before Sleep on + 42 more book reviews
Great read...sad, but very touching.
reviewed Talk Before Sleep on + 19 more book reviews
from the back of the book:

"I didn't think a book about a dying friend could make me laugh out loud. But Talk Before Sleep did. It also made me cry and think about life and death and how much I treasure my friends and family. Tal Before Sleep was a miraculous combination: a book that was good to read that was also good for me"
Elizabeth Crow,
Editor in Chief, Mademoiselle


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