I so wanted to like this book but I have to say that although it was well written it was in an old fashioned style and very slow to unfold. Sarah had obviously done lots of research into the topic and the historical references were fascinating but it just felt so disjointed
The story is centred around Ellen who as a child lost her hearing after a bout of Scarlet Fever. The book details the difficulty of having no technology to assist a deaf person to both understand what is being said by other people and also to be able to respond. The issue was mainly lip reading or sign language and which helped them to learn to live in society as an equal and not be treated as a person with a serious default or in some cases to simply think that they are stupid for not understanding. In places it is very poignant but to often very drawn out. I would have liked to have known what finally happened to Ellen as the ending seemed very abrupt and unfinished to my liking.
I was astounded how self centred Alexander Bell really was and he came across as a unlikeable man.

This novel looks at the differing opinions as to whether deaf people should learn sign language or learn to lipread and speak if they are able. I was aware of these diametrically opposed opinions in the modern deaf community and it was interesting to put debate into a historical context.
The novel tells the story of a young deaf woman as she is sent to get lessons from Alexander Graham Bell in lipreading and speech. The historical figure who is better known for the development of the telephone was this son of a strong proponent off the lip, reading and vocalisation speech school of deaf education and he developed a way of writing down. Spoken language so that it would be understood by deaf people .The fact that he subsequently went on to develop the telephone is an interesting comparison as clearly in order to use the telephone. you need to be hearing.
The book does tend to jump around between time periods, which made it quite difficult to follow the story for example it took me some time to realise that the heroine of the story had been involved without her consent in some industrial espionage which influenced by which inventor was subsequently given the patent for the telephone .
The story does tend to drag a little bit in the middle where I found there was too much scientific description and not enough emotion and character development.
I particularly liked the end of the novel which was symbolic, and provided a nice closure to the story
I read an early copy on NetGalley UK and my copy did not have any historical notes which were promised at the end of the novel. I think he’s would’ve been very interesting and would’ve helped understanding the novel a little bit better and would be very interesting to read. I suspect the story is historically accurate.
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK, and the book is published in the UK on the 1st of February 2024 by Headline tinder press.

This review will appear on NetGalley, UK, Goodreads, and my book blog, bionicsarahsbooks.wordpress.com. After publication, the review will also appear on Amazon, UK.

Following an illness, Ellen Lark loses her hearing. Her family are keen for her to re-enter the hearing world and arrange for her to work with Alexander Graham Bell to learn visual speech. Unfortunately, Bell is so driven that he puts his own needs and interests above those of his students. Feeling betrayed, Ellen seeks revenge.
The novel, published in Feb 24, is full of historical facts and provides an interesting insight into the world of the deaf. It also explores the collision between the deaf and hearing worlds of the 19th century.

Thank you to @netgalley and @headlinebooks for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

‘A Sign of Her Own’ is a historical fiction novel centred around a young woman who loses her hearing during childhood. She is immediately isolated from the world, and with no official sign language or technology to help her communicate, she can only rely on the make-shift sign language she and her sister have created to communicate with each other. When she meets Alexander Graham Bell, he is in the works of creating a machine that will help the deaf communicate. However, we soon learn that may not be his plan at all.

Reading the synopsis of this book I really wanted to like it. I was interested to read a book from the point of view of somebody who could not hear, especially in a time before technology or even an official sign language. After reading it though, this book did fall a little flat for me. It was too dry at times, and I felt like a lot of it could have been told differently or cut out entirely. However, the parts where Ellen was communicating, with the hearing and even within her own deaf community, really evoked such sadness. I often found myself sympathising with her because it must be so isolating and lonely to try to interact with others with such a huge barrier.

Overall, I think I am not the right audience for this book. It was very interesting at times but, it did not keep my attention. I can tell Marsh did extensive research and planning for this book and I know it would be an excellent read for the right audience.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Publish date: 01 February, 2024

The theme of this novel is interesting - education of the deaf in the 19th century, as narrated by the main character Ellen Lark. Ellen lost her hearing as a result of scarlet fever as a young child. Her sister and mother devised a signing language with 4 year old Ellen. However her overbearing paternal grandmother considered Ellen's condition to be shameful and found ways for her to be 'educated' in visible speech by Alexander Graham Bell. In this way she lost her 'home-sign' language, became very proficient at lip-reading and lost the opportunity to connect with the deaf community. Deaf education is still an issue for debate in the contemporary world and so it is heartening that a well-researched novel has been written which explores all the issues around this. Unfortunately I did not find that the structure or style of the novel made for particularly easy or gripping reading. There was a great deal of repetition of issues; the timeline jumped around between periods of Ellen's life in an unhelpful way; most of the characters were underdeveloped and it was not always straightforward to make the connections between different characters. I think the book would have benefited from more rigorous editing.

This was a well written book but I found it quite hard going at times,I'm sure it will be well received by some readers but unfortunately it did not really hold my attention as much as I thought it would. I'm sure it will appeal to lots of people and hope it does well

After a bout of scarlet fever, the loss of her hearing at the age of 4 changed Ellen Lark's life beyond anything she could have imagined. The saving grace for her was her sister Mary, who stood up for Ellen in every situation and quickly helped devise a form of sign language for the two of them that enabled them to communicate without difficulty.

But very soon Ellen learned that the key aim for deaf people at that time was that they should learn to function in a society where people used speech to communicate. Sign language was seen as something that was used by savages!

Needless to say, learning to speak clearly enough to meet the exacting standards of people who could hear was easier said than done. It was only after Ellen received sponsorship to study his "Visible Speech" technique with Mr Alexander Graham Bell that she would experience a breakthrough of sorts, including the opportunity to write an essay on the subject for a wider audience.

But in the meantime, there were other factors at play, including her blossoming friendship with Frank, a deaf-mute man, her sister Mary's marriage which took her away from Ellen, her mother's remarriage which took Ellen from the USA to Britain, and the somewhat painful realisation that Mr Bell - soon to be hailed as the brilliant inventor of the telephone - was not quite the man that Ellen had believed him to be...

This is an interesting story and a good read for those who are historical fiction buffs. It has added value if you are interested in how people with disabilities have had to suffer through various indignities in the past, and how things that we now take for granted should actually be seen as immensely valuable markers of progress.

I found Ellen's story moving, though the pace of the storytelling was slow at times. How she played the hand that was dealt to her is illuminating, as is the way this book provides a different perspective on Alexander Graham Bell's achievements. I give it 3.5 stars.

This is an oddity of a book. I am deaf myself , though not from birth, so I have normal speech, and my hearing aids bring me normality. But when they are turned off, I can appreciate what Ellen is telling of the isolation of the non-hearing. She brings to life the joy of being able to communicate and the frustration of not being understood and not understanding others, Sign language is a full language, not just a translation device, and the hearing communities need to learn it as a second language, just as we would learn French or German. I would push for it to be taught at schools, to be honest. Anyway, enough soap box.
The plot leaves me wanting more though. The writing style is quite Edwardian, almost HG Wells in style, which works for the story, but I had to push through to get to the end, which I found disappointing. I can't put my finger on what is missing, but there was no satisfaction for me at the end. What did she end up doing with her life? She seemed to regret so many things, but was she happy about any of it?
I do recommend this book, if only for the sensory aspects of it, but overall it isn't a five star like I wanted it to be.