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    Say When
    Say When
    Say When
    Audiobook7 hours

    Say When

    Written by Elizabeth Berg

    Narrated by David Colacci

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    When is a marriage worth saving and when is it best to let go? When do half-truths turn into full-blown lies? When does betrayal end and passion begin?

    Say When is a compelling, complex novel that takes readers into the heart of a modern marriage where companionship and intimacy, and denial and pain, so often collide. “Of course he knew she was seeing someone,” begins the story of Frank Griffin, a man who’s willing to overlook his wife’s infidelity—he would let her have this, this thrilling little romance—for the sake of keeping his family intact. But when the forty-year-old Ellen requests a divorce on the basis that she has finally found true, romantic love, Griffin must decide whether to fight or flee…or search elsewhere for the kind of life he always dreamed of.

    With Elizabeth Berg’s trademark blend of rare insight, raw emotion, and hard-won wisdom, Say When is a work of startling revelation that no reader will soon forget.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateMay 16, 2017
    ISBN9781543612219
    Say When
    Author

    Elizabeth Berg

    Elizabeth Berg is the award-winning author of more than twenty-five books, including the New York Times bestsellers True to Form, Never Change, Open House, The Story of Arthur Truluv, Night of Miracles, and The Confession Club. She lives outside of Chicago. Find out more at Elizabeth-Berg.net.

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    Reviews for Say When

    3.5/5

    233 ratings11 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This was a very enjoyable, emotional, easy read. I loved the characters, they were well developed, and felt like friends. I know a lot about them, and can predict my own ending of the story. I really love Griffin's character, and find Ellen is a stupid messed-up woman who needs a therapist, they kind of both need one. Again, I really enjoyed this nice heartfelt story.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Elizabeth Berg is one of those guilty pleasures of reading for me. First read her book, TALK BEFORE SLEEP, more than 20 yrs ago. Then my wife read it. We both loved it, so went to the library and found a few of her earlier books, which we equally enjoyed. So now you know. I'm an Elizabeth Berg fan. I half-think of her as the queen of "chick-lit," but she's really better than that. Witness this book, SAY WHEN, a really moving little novel about a ten-year marriage gone astray - two forty-ish people - a husband who has grown too complacent in the simple pleasures of marriage, and a wife who feels unfulfilled, unappreciated. It's not a new theme, certainly, but Berg gives it her own special tweaks & touches - the financial consultant husband, Griffin, taking a part-time job as Santa; the wife, Ellen, having a fling with a much younger man, moving out when Griffin refuses to, and taking a job as a waitress; a precocious and wise 8 yr-old daughter, Zoe, caught in the middle. Okay, there's probably nothing really new in a story like this, but Berg somehow catches you up in these people's lives, makes you wince and chuckle, makes you care, makes you keep reading. Call me a wuss, reading women's books, but dammit, I loved this story. Oh, and by the way, she tells the story from the guy's POV, and most convincingly. Bravo, Ms Berg!- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER
    • 3/5
      It fulfilled its purpose as a light, pool-side companion.
    • 4/5
      I've read and enjoyed other Elizabeth Berg books and this one did not disappoint. Ellen tells her husband she wants a divorce, that she is having an affair. Griffin who is totally blindsided by this news refuses to move out and leave their 8 year old daughter. The story follows their separation, how Griffin deals with it and his attempt to bring Ellen back home. Ellen's character leaves me a little cold but I appreciate how a couple can stop listening to each other how they can take their marriage for granted. I find it amazing that Griffin can be so forgiving.
    • 5/5
      Elizabeth Berg captures the heart and soul of jilted husband Frank Griffin perfectly. Wait. Can a husband be jilted? Sure enough except most people prefer to write about the woman's side of the story. When his wife Ellen announces she is in love with someone else (the mechanic from her automotive class) and wants a divorce Griffin (as he likes to be called) goes through all the typical myriad of emotions. His disbelief, anger, jealousy, sarcasm and sadness permeate his every waking moment. Refusing to give his wife a divorce or even move out of their house Griffin forces Ellen into a roommate relationship. He fluctuates between wanting to win her back and disbelieving he has to do anything of the sort. He has floated through the years of their marriage without a single thought to the sameness of their daily lives, the routine-ness of their relationship. He has been comfortable with the predictability of their days and never considered that Ellen might not share that opinion. Adding insult to injury she admits she doubts she ever loved him, even going so far as to say she knew they never should have gotten married in the first place. Ouch. I won't spoil the end but I can say this, not everyone has agreed with these characters. I guess that's what makes them real to me. We can't like everything or everyone.
    • 2/5
      Griffin is a man who is hopelessly in love with his wife... he just has an odd way of showing this love mostly in how he controls their family life. However, now Ellen is wanting to find something to do with herself besides just keep house and take care of their daughter, Zoe, who is actually smarter than her age belies and definitely picks up on the rift between her parents. It was very hard to like either Griffin or Ellen and try to feel for their separate situations, Ellen's in wanting to "find herself" and Griffin's in wanting to maintain the life and love he thought he had. On the one hand, I can understand Ellen's desire to be more than a housewife, but I cannot condone the route she took in trying to become more. There were any number of other means she could have done to expand her horizons: 1) get a job, 2) take a class she would enjoy, perhaps an art class since she seemed to favor paintings, 3) take up a hobby. Perhaps it was because she didn't feel strong enough to truly express her thoughts to Griffin that she felt the need to just do something, and that might be the main reason I didn't like her. On the other hand, Griffin did not really help the situation in trying to control their life even with a gentle hand. No one likes to give up complete control of their lives to any person, and even if he is the breadwinner of the family, that does not mean his wife cannot have an opinion of her own. It's frustrating enough when one has to do the same old thing day after day, week after week, year after year, etc. but when they express a desire to make a small change, like say with a painting, why should the idea be shot down because the breadwinner doesn't like the painting? Both of them were frustrating as characters, and even by the end I didn't see much growth on either of their parts, which was disappointing to say the least. I did like being able to read from the male's perspective as a nice change. Amazingly enough, Berg has a writing style that flows very easily from cover to cover. She created very real, though frustrating, characters in a story that could happen in any city. I do not fault Berg's writing skills; the content of the story within this particular novel of hers was just disappointing and not my cup of tea. I don't think I would actively seek out another title by Berg, though I would recommend her to those who enjoy women's literature, the heavier side of chick-lit.
    • 3/5
      Every once in a while I need to read a novel that speaks to my soul. Sometimes one comes about happenstance (personally, I love those books); other times I know exactly where to find them. Elizabeth Berg is that kind of storyteller. A surprise visit to the library last Saturday brought me face to face with a section of Elizabeth Berg novels. After perusing the titles I picked one, open it and read the inner sleeve. I didn’t even get through the first paragraph before promptly closing the book and headed to the check out.I know I’m not alone when I say that I crave conflict in a story. I crave hurt, I crave grief and turmoil. As a reader, I think we all do. Elizabeth Berg’s strength is her ability to describe human emotions in such a way that I can’t help but feel them too. Say When is the first time I read a novel that dealt with adultery but from a man’s point of view. Griffin was a regular guy, in love with his complicated wife, living the dream until the day the rug was pulled out from under him. I enjoyed reading this story. I liked Frank, I liked getting to know Ellen from his point of view, I liked his relationship with his daughter. Most importantly, I liked the way Ms. Berg developed Frank’s character by taking away the most important thing to him. I enjoyed how Ms. Berg kept Ellen’s motives a secret, that the novel was really about Griffith. I started the novel feeling sympathy towards him. By then end, I felt like a close companion and that whatever happened, he was a much stronger man, a more loving father because of it. This isn’t one of Ms. Berg’s strongest novels, the ending predictable. As always, the writing and emotional delivery was spot on but I think it lacked the soul of Open House or Dream When You Are Feeling Blue. It’s not a must read, but I did enjoy taking this emotional ride with Griffith. I don’t regret reading it, but it’s not one I’ll read again. My favorite part of the novel came during a conversation Griffin had with his coworker Donna. About compatibility, Donna says, “God above could come down and tell some people they were wildly incompatible with their spouses, and they’d still want to be with them. It’s like artist sacrificing so much for their art. For some people, their relationship is their art, they’ll give up everything for it.”I love that and that alone was worth reading the novel.
    • 4/5
      Elizabeth Berg is the master of capturing the nuances of relationships and in this failing marriage she's merciless: you love/hate/root for/yell at both parts of the couple--maybe, especially, if you see a bit of yourself in each of them.
    • 4/5
      Say When is about Griffin and Ellen who hit a rough patch in their marriage. Ellen has an affair and wants a divorce. It really brought back memories of my parents divorce but the ending is way different. I can identify with how Ellen is feeling in her marriage. A very Good story.
    • 2/5
      I usually like Elizabeth Berg's books very much. This one - not so much. Couldn't get into the characters or the plot. Glad that I'm done with it.
    • 5/5
      I truly enjoyed reading another of Berg's wonderful stories about relationships. I highly recommend this one.