Whisper Network

4.5 stars.

Amazing story, made even more compelling by listening to the audio. I felt completely wrapped in to these women's lives and the mystery as to what happened - both for the witness statements and the history storyline. I loved how the women recounted the many ways they had to be more but also detailed the small slights we're just supposed to keep ignoring. The simmering rage in the story was so well done. This idea of the excel spreadsheet - passed around and anonymously updated- I loved the moral dilemma and the differing POV. What a great story! It made me mad, made me rage with and against characters in the book - but most of all, it held me completely wrapped up in it. I had to know how it ended. I'm so glad I gave this one show more a try - I loved it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. show less

Whisper Network is a novel that would not exist without the #MeToo movement as it is inspired by the Shitty Media Men spreadsheet, a controversial effort by women in media to have each other’s back by informing each other who the harassers and abusers are. As often happens, the woman who created the list was vilified with more outrage and passion than the men on the list.

The main characters in Whisper Network are four in-house lawyers at a sportswear company in Dallas all of whom work under Ames, a man who is likely to be the next CEO, something that makes them uneasy.

The four women are Sloane, Ardie, Grace, and Katherine. Katherine is a new hire whose left a bad experience behind her. Sloane has had an affair with Ames and resents show more how he uses their past to diminish her work. Grace is a new mother with a clear case of post-partum depression struggling to juggle work and the new baby. Ardie is an old hand, unhappily divorced, and a good friend with a good heart. Through her we also meet Rosalinda, one of the cleaning staff she befriends. When tragedy happens at work, these women are at the center of it and the spreadsheet of BAD lawyers is a criticial plot point.

I enjoyed Whisper Network quite a bit. The chapters begin with an introductory paragraph or two that capture the lived experience of many women. The introductions are often biting and humorous. There is a snappy style to Chandler Baker’s writing that keeps the story moving. There are interstitial documents of interviews and depositions that foreshadow the crisis, but seriously, nothing prepared me for the end. It was a complete surprise and I loved it.

I received a copy of Whisper Network from the publisher through NetGalley

Whisper Network at Flatiron Books | Macmillan
Chandler Baker author site

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2019/07/12/9781250319470/ show less

The Whisper Network by Chandler Baker is a 2019 Flatiron Books publication.

A scathing, darkly humorous novel of suspense-

When the CEO of Truviv, Inc. dies suddenly, his probable replacement, Ames, is a man who has been the subject of whispers amongst female employees about his dubious treatment of women. His possible promotion has placed four women, in particular, on edge.

Sloane, Ardie, Grace, and Rosalita have each had a relationship of sorts with Ames over the years. Knowing his proclivities, they decide to prevent him from adding another notch on his belt by protecting the newest female hired at the company from his advances. However, their plans seem to have gone awry...

I've had this book on my TBR list for over a year. I'm still show more trying to find books that will take my mind off the headlines, which means I'm not always grabbing the newest releases anymore. This book had an interesting premise, so I plucked it out of the middle of the pile, and thankfully it was a good choice. This book challenged me enough to hold my attention from start to finish.

One reason why the story was able to distract me so thoroughly, was the author's unusual presentation, which, apart from using traditional dialogue- depositions, interviews, and other devices are employed to further the story along. This approach kept me guessing and on my toes.

One small downside is that while the book is a mystery and can be suspenseful at times, it's not a thriller in the traditional sense. The pacing in not overly brisk, and there is very little action. It's more of a story that delves into various issues women cope with, in and out of the workplace- both in the past and the present.

While acknowledging some progress, the challenges women face is a constant battle, with lots of room for improvement. It is also a lesson on how to recognize the signs of harassment and bullying to prevent future generations from experiencing the same treatment.

An added bonus for me was the setting- Dallas, Texas- which is within driving distance from my location and so I am pretty familiar with some of the landmarks mentioned.

The book is spot-on in many ways, and definitely depicts the need for a #MeToo movement. It is certainly thought-provoking and I think many women can relate to these characters in one way or another, understanding the pressure to look and behave in a certain way, as well as the subtle and not so subtle forms of harassment that cause so many conflicted emotions and even guilt.

The dialogue is witty, sharp, snarky, and occasionally laugh out loud funny. The characters develop nicely, and the format is fresh and unique.

Overall, this is a timely and relevant story that tackles heavier issues in a stylish and entertaining format.

4 stars show less

This is a book that every woman should read. For too long we have all been part of the Whisper Network, and it's time we stood up and made ourselves heard about this topic that has been swept under the carpet for far too long. Ms. Baker provides us with a very insightful look at sexual harassment in the workplace. But the book is so much more than that. It's about friendship, power and family all wrapped up in a murder mystery that rips apart a company. The characters of Sloan, Ardie and Grace are so real that you will think you know them and they could even be you. Each of these women is a highly successful lawyer in the business, and each of them has their own story about the hideousness of the ongoing sexual harassment that has been show more occurring at their company for many years. now. Only by banding together can these three women uncover the secrets and try to heal each other, so, at great risk to their jobs and to their families, they decide that it is time to speak up and expose this particular whisper network to the rest of the world. This is a fantastic read, and I highly recommend it to all. As Ardie says, "Let's be loud and proud, and tell the world what is going on here." . show less

Ripped from the headlines! I believe #METOO novels are trending for this fall and this novel is the advance guard. The four women protagonists and the perp are all wealthy lawyers at a Dallas corporation, so my initial reaction was "who cares"?, and it didn’t change much through the novel. To complicate matters, the lead character had a past consensual affair with the CEO heir apparent whose pending promotion sets the whole plot in motion, as a spreadsheet of area sexual harassers circulates via email through the city and she adds his name to it.

Alternating chapters begin with funny/sad testimony by these corporate drones who try to have it all and fail (ex: "We paraded to the restroom with tampons secretly stuffed into our cardigan show more sleeves as though we were spies delivering encrypted information.") The addition of a Latina to the group of white, privileged victims feels contrived and like it was gratuitously tacked on (maybe her editor said, “Hey, how come everyone in here is white?”) There are some great one liners here, but the double-twist ending comes as no big surprise, seeing as time gets short at twenty pages left. What I’m really looking forward to is some non-fiction on this charged subject.

Quotes: "No two people of the opposite sex argue about subjects as mundane as condiments unless they want to sleep together."

"Her role was to listen to everyone around her sprout off ideas and only she could foresee the millions of things that could go wrong."

"She believed that if a friend told you a secret, you could tell your spouse."

"If you purchased a Rolex, it was like buying a boat - you were required to log the number of times you used it to justify the cost."

"The restaurant was where Pinterest came to vomit." show less

This is a book that certainly holds its secrets until the bitter end...but then again, don't most of us?

It's a story that could have been ripped from the headlines, a story that we've seen played out in various fields in the #metoo movement, a story that should never have to be contemplated as to whether or not it is fact or fiction...and yet, we do. The women presented here are smart, strong, beautiful, capable, and still fall victim in many ways to the outrageously odious "charms" of one Ames. The simple truth is that he was someone with issues that chose to wield his power in the workplace in VERY unethical ways. He could have chosen the high road. He could have stopped what he was doing and been happy with the achievements in life show more he had. He could have...but he wouldn't. Sometimes the only way to stop someone like that is to expose them for the degenerate they are.

Here, we have strong female characters that may have fallen prey to unwanted advances, but when things looked like they would become darker still, they were unwilling to be just victims. They were willing to take on "the man", go against the grain, band together and seek justice, even when things looked to be their worst. They may fail, true...but they wouldn't do so quietly...and so the ending to their story would be set to a victory song come what may. Oh, and readers...that song is played loud and clear for many reasons, not least of all the surprising twist near book's end.


**ebook received via NetGalley for review; opinions are my own show less

We knew we shouldn’t be ashamed. We weren’t ashamed. We were grown-ass women—which is obviously why we paraded to the restrooms with tampons secretly stuffed into our cardigan sleeves as though we were spies delivering encrypted information.
....We pretended that all of this was a myth. That we had neither fallopian tubes, nor menstrual cycles, nor breasts, nor moods, nor children. And then we took it as a compliment when one of the men in the office told us we had balls. So, tell us again how this wasn’t a man’s world.”
― Chandler Baker, Whisper Network

My review:

This book sinks its teeth into you and does not take them out until your finished.

Whisper Network was a sensational read. It had been on my radar but not strongly. show more Now I do wish I'd read it sooner.

I agree with everything GR fans have said about how timely this book is in the age of the Me Too movement. But I also have to give props for how WELL she nails EVERYTHING. Everything about being a woman.

I am currently not working but I used to work in the corporate world. I do not mind admitting I LOATHED it. Everything about it. The "corporate culture", the office politics, the brown nosing. I am not made for that world and it never came easily to me.

I however was not sexually harassed at work. I actually had wonderful bosses for much of my career. I know people that have been though.

The atmosphere of SAMENESS and the repetitive aspect of office work are nailed down perfectly even without the harassment element. I love the quotes, the social commentary. I can relate to hating Sundays and the upcoming dread of the work week. And the misery.

But the power imbalance...and how effectively men utilize it...is just done flawlessly were. Ames could be the carbon copy of the Rich and spoiled Boss, the wealthy man who does not give a shit about anybody and is to world weary to even attempt to hide it.

Of the women, they all had good and bad aspects. I liked Ardie very much and related to her greatly. I was a bit touched by Grace and her obvious innocence. I could not stand Cathryn.

This is not for everybody. It is long and wordy and rather gloomy...but it is also so visceral in that any woman who has suffered the corporate world and looked around and thought "is this all there is"? will no doubt love this. It is a long read. I read it in one night.

I do not really give five's all that much but this is a well deserved five. Yet I get why some would not like i t.

I also like that the book showed the good and bad in most of its characters. All men are not portrayed as evil . Which is good. Although I love the movement I do sometimes wonder if it has gone to far. I remember many years ago when the North Carolina Duke University students were accused of gang rape and I was outraged and calling for their immediate arrest. Then we learned it was not true. It shook me up and I don't mind saying I have been a bit more cautious since. I know the majority of accusations are true but not all. I do hold the belief that not all men are evil and some are wrongly accused. We cannot forget that aspect.

But women are discriminated against in so many ways. I remember in one of my jobs I would make up excuses not to go tho the holiday parties because I was the only single person in that office....I have seen competent women who are also spectacular workers not get promotions....and I have seen women are ARE harassed and I have seen it destroy their lives. Whisper Network shows readers the good, the bad and the VERY ugly about the ins and outs of corporations.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It is so compelling and shows more than almost any book I have read, what it is to be a woman....and sometimes it isn't pretty. Whisper Network may anger you, or sadden you or empower you but it will also make you feel KNOWN and any book that can do that is an easy five stars. show less