No catches, no fine print just unadulterated book loving, with your favourite books saved to your own digital bookshelf.
New members get entered into our monthly draw to win £100 to spend in your local bookshop Plus lots lots more…
Find out more
Rachel Elliott is a writer and psychotherapist. She has worked in arts and technology journalism and her writing has featured in a variety of publications, from digital arts magazines to the French Literary Review. She has also been shortlisted for a number of short story and novel competitions in the UK and the US. Rachel was born in Suffolk, and now lives in Bath. Whispers Through a Megaphone is her first novel.
Author photo © Jacqueline Spanton
A gentle, yet astute, edgy and absolutely delightful debut novel. Miriam fears her own emotions, Ralph runs away from his family and while Sadie shouts about her life all over social media, internal whispers refuse to remain buried. A profound sting of awareness comes as you contemplate the meaning of normal after peeking at the inner most thoughts and feelings of the characters. The characters feel so very real, they may on occasion frustrate, evoke sympathy or a laugh, it’s easy to feel a connection to them, to care about them. Rachel Elliott has a lovely light touch, yet she subtly prods and provokes your perception and understanding. Whispers Through a Megaphone (such a beautifully perfect title) is a quirk-filled slice of wonderful and I highly recommend it. ~ Liz Robinson Longlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction 2016. A 'Piece of Passion' from the publisher... Debut novelist Rachel Elliott has created one of the most intriguing and loveable characters in contemporary British fiction in Miriam Delaney, a young woman who has been deeply damaged by her abusive dead mother. It would be understandable if a writer based a tormented, dark narrative around her very difficult life story. Instead, Elliott has written a whimsical, multi-layered tale that is as hilarious as it is moving and soulful.Whispers Through a Megaphone is a self-contained literary microcosm of the world we live in today, a world where we create amusing virtual personae on social media that have little connection with who we really are. Delightfully afloat on quirky humour and playful prose, Rachel Elliott portrays the inner confusion resulting from too much digital noise when all we crave and need is a bit of silence to protect our personal space. ~ Elena Lappin, Editor, ONE
Longlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction 2016. September 2015 Debut of the Month. A gentle, yet astute, edgy and absolutely delightful debut novel. Miriam fears her own emotions, Ralph runs away from his family and while Sadie shouts about her life all over social media, internal whispers refuse to remain buried. A profound sting of awareness comes as you contemplate the meaning of normal after peeking at the inner most thoughts and feelings of the characters. The characters feel so very real, they may on occasion frustrate, evoke sympathy or a laugh, it’s easy to feel a connection to them, to care about them. Rachel Elliott has a lovely light touch, yet she subtly prods and provokes your perception and understanding. Whispers Through a Megaphone (such a beautifully perfect title) is a quirk-filled slice of wonderful and I highly recommend it. ~ Liz Robinson A 'Piece of Passion' from the publisher... Debut novelist Rachel Elliott has created one of the most intriguing and loveable characters in contemporary British fiction in Miriam Delaney, a young woman who has been deeply damaged by her abusive dead mother. It would be understandable if a writer based a tormented, dark narrative around her very difficult life story. Instead, Elliott has written a whimsical, multi-layered tale that is as hilarious as it is moving and soulful.Whispers Through a Megaphone is a self-contained literary microcosm of the world we live in today, a world where we create amusing virtual personae on social media that have little connection with who we really are. Delightfully afloat on quirky humour and playful prose, Rachel Elliott portrays the inner confusion resulting from too much digital noise when all we crave and need is a bit of silence to protect our personal space. ~ Elena Lappin, Editor, ONE
'Beguiling and astute' Sarah Winman 'Astoundingly good' Deborah Moggach 'Wonderfully redemptive' Sarah Haywood 'I was delighted and surprised by this textured, fascinating and most moving book' Chris Ware A life-affirming novel about broken but loving families, people making mistakes but doing their best, grief and getting stuck - for readers of ELEANOR OLIPHANT and THE TROUBLE WITH GOATS AND SHEEP On her forty-seventh birthday, Sydney Smith stands on a rooftop and prepares to jump... Sydney is a cartoonist and freerunner. Feet constantly twitching, always teetering on the edge of life, she's never come to terms with the event that ripped her family apart when she was ten years old. And so, on a birthday that she doesn't want to celebrate, she returns alone to St Ives to face up to her guilt and grief. It's a trip that turns out to be life-changing - and not only for herself. DO NOT FEED THE BEAR is a book about lives not yet lived, about the kindness of others and about how, when our worlds stop, we find a way to keep on moving. Readers love Do Not Feed the Bear: 'I loved each and every moment of this book and feel bereft it has come to an end' 'Obsessed with how beautiful this book is! Keep flicking back to reread some passages as love them so much! What a treat of a book' 'Wow, what a joyous and hope-inducing read' 'I can't put it down - it's funny and tender and clever and I love it' 'It might break your heart a little bit first, but eventually it will put it back together and wrap it in a comforting snuggly blanket' 'Rich in poignant emotion and a truly mesmerising and addictive read' 'Swept me up into its pages; a book that I wanted to hug and cherish all the time I was reading' 'It's not just a book I read and reviewed. It's a book that read and reviewed me' 'If you're looking for a story that will make you smile by turns, be heart-lifting and heart-wrenching in a variety of ways but remain entirely beautiful for its honest look at life, then this is the book for you' 'Surprising, authentic and powerful, this book defies categorisation' 'Rachel Elliott has achieved something remarkable in this story of loss, regret and disappointment: she has created a tender, hopeful and uplifting novel, which I feel certain many readers will fall in love with'
'Beguiling and astute' Sarah Winman 'Astoundingly good' Deborah Moggach 'Wonderfully redemptive' Sarah Haywood A life-affirming novel about broken but loving families, people making mistakes but doing their best, grief and getting stuck - for readers of ELEANOR OLIPHANT and THE TROUBLE WITH GOATS AND SHEEP On her forty-seventh birthday, Sydney Smith stands on a rooftop and prepares to jump... Sydney is a cartoonist and freerunner. Feet constantly twitching, always teetering on the edge of life, she's never come to terms with the event that ripped her family apart when she was ten years old. And so, on a birthday that she doesn't want to celebrate, she returns alone to St Ives to face up to her guilt and grief. It's a trip that turns out to be life-changing - and not only for herself. DO NOT FEED THE BEAR is a book about lives not yet lived, about the kindness of others and about how, when our worlds stop, we find a way to keep on moving. Readers love Do Not Feed the Bear: 'I loved each and every moment of this book and feel bereft it has come to an end' 'Obsessed with how beautiful this book is! Keep flicking back to reread some passages as love them so much! What a treat of a book' 'Wow, what a joyous and hope-inducing read' 'I can't put it down - it's funny and tender and clever and I love it' 'It might break your heart a little bit first, but eventually it will put it back together and wrap it in a comforting snuggly blanket' 'Rich in poignant emotion and a truly mesmerising and addictive read' 'Swept me up into its pages; a book that I wanted to hug and cherish all the time I was reading' 'It's not just a book I read and reviewed. It's a book that read and reviewed me' 'If you're looking for a story that will make you smile by turns, be heart-lifting and heart-wrenching in a variety of ways but remain entirely beautiful for its honest look at life, then this is the book for you' 'Surprising, authentic and powerful, this book defies categorisation' 'Rachel Elliott has achieved something remarkable in this story of loss, regret and disappointment: she has created a tender, hopeful and uplifting novel, which I feel certain many readers will fall in love with'
A life-affirming novel of love, loss and letting go - for readers of ELEANOR OLIPHANT, THE TROUBLE WITH GOATS AND SHEEP and WHEN GOD WAS A RABBIT On her forty-seventh birthday, Sydney Smith stands on a rooftop and prepares to jump... Sydney is a cartoonist and freerunner. Feet constantly twitching, always teetering on the edge of life, she's never come to terms with the event that ripped her family apart when she was ten years old. And so, on a birthday that she doesn't want to celebrate, she returns alone to St Ives to face up to her guilt and grief. It's a trip that turns out to be life-changing - and not only for herself. DO NOT FEED THE BEAR is a book about lives not yet lived, about the kindness of others and about how, when our worlds stop, we find a way to keep on moving.
Miriam hasn't left her house in three years, and cannot raise her voice above a whisper. But today she has had enough, and is finally ready to rejoin the outside world. Meanwhile, Ralph has made the mistake of opening a closet door, only to discover with a shock that his wife Sadie doesn't love him, and never has. And so he decides to run away. Miriam and Ralph's chance meeting in a wood during stormy weather marks the beginning of an amusing, restorative friendship, while Sadie takes a break from Twitter to embark on an intriguing adventure of her own.As their collective story unfolds, each of them seeks to better understand the objects of their affection, and their own hearts, timidly refusing to stand still and accept the chaos life throws at them. Filled with wit and sparkling prose, Whispers Through a Megaphone explores our attempts to meaningfully connect with ourselves and others, in an often deafening world - when sometimes all we need is a bit of silence.'In an over-connected world, a crisp, beguiling voice observes chaos - and conjures miracles. Elliott is an inspired observer - fresh, wry and true.' Liz Jensen, author of The Ninth Life of Louis Drax
If this is your author page then you can share your Twitter updates with your readers right here on LoveReading
Find out moreIf this is your author page then you can share your Facebook updates with your readers right here on LoveReading
Find out more