The Silence Project - sampler

What a start to a book! I’m so intrigued by this preview and can’t wait for the release!

I adored the way this was set out - with the prologue setting the scene, a fictional authors note and into an enticing first chapter.

Looking forward to reading the full book!.

Wow! This one had me hooked within the first page. I loved that it felt like Emilia was actually talking to you, telling you a bit about what her mum had been like before the 'event'. Then she proceeds to describe her 13th birthday party held in the family pub. How it didn't feel so special to her but her friends loved it.

I really enjoyed reading this sample and am most definitely interested in reading the full book when it is available. I can't believe it's not out until next year!!

The mother relationship in the book really reminded me of the mother/daughter scenario in Femlandia by Christina Dalcher.

Oooo I can't wait!!

So… who has a time machine so I can get to 2023 sooner?

I loved this preview, such a fantastic start to a book, I’m hooked already and need to see more of Rachel’s life whilst being silent.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a preview.

Absolutely hooked! devastated this is only a sampler as I CANNOT WAIT to read the full text. Definitely one to look out for!

This excerpt was so good! I am absolutely already captivated by this story and I can't wait for more! I'm so excited for this book's release!

What a great prologue and first chapter - I can’t wait to read the full book and to find out what drove Rachel of Chalkham to a life of silence on her daughters 13th birthday.
Just a shame it isn’t coming out until 2o23!!

I think the opening pages of this novel are some of the most compelling I've ever read - February 2023 can't come soon enough. Hailey writes with such a matter-of-fact tone, which I adore, which makes sense with the real-life style of this account. Emilia's memories are tinged with foreboding that gave me the shivers, and I have no idea what is going to happen next which is always an exciting way to feel when reading a sampler!
I am remarkably curious about The Silence Project now, and can't wait to read more.

Okay I sped through this, not just because it was short (it ís a sampler), but because it was SO good! The opening paragraph, are you kidding me?? I would LOVE to read the entire book as I'm sure it'll be just as good and I'm already hooked. I need to know how it ends.

This sampler was stunning - I raced through it so fast I almost forgot that it wasn't the full novel. The style of the prose is beautiful and the suspense was built within a few pages. I can't wait for the real thing!

it is only a short sample but my god the beginning of the book packs a punch. I am hooked and cannot wait to read the full book.

Wow, what a start to a book!

The sampler only covers a few chapters which include a brief overview of our main character's mother's cult and going back to where it all started on her daughter's 13th birthday. By the time I finished this sampler I was hooked!

I love the way the book (so far) has been set out; with the footnotes, the publishers notes, references to specific diaries entries from her mother's notebooks, and the foreword by our main character which made it all seem believable and an actual historical event she's recounting.

I'll be keeping an eye out for the finished novel as I NEED to know what happens next.

In this prologue and first chapter, Emilia recalls the day her mother set herself on fire in public (known as The Event). She also tells us about her 13th birthday party, eight years before, which was the last day she heard her mother's voice. Why did Rachel go silent? What is The Community? What led to The Event? Who was Rachel of Chalkham? ⁠
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So many questions! February 2023 suddenly feels so far away!

In short, this sampler was RED-HOT. I knew from the blurb alone that I would want to read it. Just listen to this:
'On Emilia Morris's thirteenth birthday, her mother Rachel moves into a tent at the bottom of their garden. From that day on, she never says another word. Inspired by her vow of silence, other women join her and together they build the Community. Eight years later, Rachel and thousands of her followers around the world burn themselves to death.'
Say no more, honestly I was sold by the first sentence. Having found out how long it is til this book's release I decided I just had to have the sampler because I simply could not wait til February to get a taste of this story. I also wanted to know if it was even worth the unbearable anticipation of waiting for its release.
Well, I am both happy, and not to report that it is in fact worth the wait. The reason I say I'm not happy, though, is quite simply because I do not know how I will wait til February to read the rest of it.
I love that this book is all set around the mother's diaries, I think it's so clever and I can say with full honesty that if someone were to tell me that this was based on true events I would believe you no questions asked.
I also loved that we're discovering things along with the main character; this really made me feel for her and put myself in her shoes. It also upped the tension because, and I realise this is a strange way of putting this, neither one of us knew any more than the other.
Finally, although I usually find reading about childhood, to put it quite frankly., boring, I read this sampler in one eager sitting and in fact thoroughly enjoyed reading about the main character's childhood. There was this bizarre disconnect between what was relatable and that which was so obviously distanced from anything I'd ever experienced that I'd say made me feel for the main character even more as it even more firmly placed me in her shoes.
I think needless to say at this point, I am rather desparate to read this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the early sampler of The Silence Project.

I have just read a sample of this book and cannot wait to read the full thing. The scene setting was amazing and I immediately had many questions. Such a strong opening and I wish the whole book was already available 🥲

As samples go, this one has definitely pulled me in. I have SO MANY questions and cannot wait to see the full text. Definitely looking forward to the release of this one!

Thank you Publisher and Netgalley for the sampler!

I was initially drawn in by the blurb of this book, the kind of story I would normally gravitate to!

This sampler had me hooked. I already adore Carole Hailey's writing style and even reading this first small section, I can tell it will be a strong read for me! Cannot wait until next year when this is out, will be picking this up on the release date!!

Loved this sampler, hope to read soon the rest of the book as it's very promising and I'm curious
Highly recommended

I received a short sample of this work, and I am very excited to read the rest. The Silence Project looks like a cult or religious phenomena book, but one that's very rooted in British culture and British wonder culture. The showmanship and evangelism of much American revival religious groups is stripped away, and instead, we get a very real, almost mundane narrative that is nevertheless beautiful in its mundanity.

The Silence Project is also an example of ficto-biography and maybe found document, as it grounds itself in the residual notebooks of a mother and perhaps prophet who started a religious movement by refusing to speak. Again, the mundane of notes made by Rachel asking her family to bring her things are mixed with the extraordinary, as she starts to reveal her philosophy. The juxtaposition is very enjoyable, especially when related in Emilia, Rachel's daughter's, rather cynical narrative.

I think this book will be of interest to those who enjoyed The Power by Naomi Alderman, although it feels like Hailey's novel will be more intimate in scope, and definitely enjoyed by those who loved The Rapture by Claire McGlasson.

With thanks to the publishers and Netgalley.co.uk for sending an advance sample.