L'angelo di Marchmont Hall

by Lucinda Riley, Sara Reggiani (Translator), Leonardo Taiuti (Translator)

I tascabili di Lucinda Riley

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction, Roman, Audiobook, Christmas, Historical

580 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2018

About the author

AKA: Lucinda Edmonds
Lucinda Riley was born in Northern Ireland, and after an early career as an actress in film, theatre and television, wrote her first book aged twenty-four. Her books have been translated into thirty-seven languages and sold thirty million copies worldwide. She is a No.1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller.

Lucinda’s The Seven Sisters series, which tells the story of adopted sisters and is inspired by the mythology of the famous star cluster, has become a global phenomenon. The series is a No.1 bestseller across the world with total sales of over fifteen million copies.

Lucinda and her family divided their time between the U.K. and a farmhouse in West Cork, Ireland, where she wrote her books.

Reviews

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while) · Rating 4 out of 5]

EXCERPT: Dressed in a pair of wellingtons that were far too big for her and an old Barbour, Greta strode out across the virgin snow, breathing in the wonderful clean, crisp air. She paused, wondering which way to go, hoping some inner instinct would guide her, and decided to take a stroll through the woods. As she walked, she looked upwards at the deep blue sky above and a sudden joy filled her veins at the sheer beauty of the scene. It was such an unusual and rare feeling that she almost skipped as she zigzagged her way through the trees.

Arriving in a clearing, she saw a majestic fir tree standing in the centre of it, the rich green of its bushy, snow-laden branches a contrast to the tall, bare beech trees that made up the rest of the wood. Walking towards it, she noticed there was a gravestone beneath it, the inscription covered by snow. Surmising that it was almost certainly the grave of a family pet - perhaps one she had known - Greta reached down and scraped away the hard, icy flakes with her gloved hand.

Slowly the inscription began to appear.

JONATHAN (JOHNNY) MARCHMONT
Beloved son of Owen &Greta
Brother of Francesca
BORN 2nd JUNE 1946
DIED 6th JUNE 1949
May God guide his little angel up to heaven

ABOUT 'THE ANGEL TREE': Thirty years have passed since Greta left Marchmont Hall, a grand and beautiful house nestled in the hills of rural Monmouthshire. But when she returns to the Hall for Christmas, at the invitation of her old friend David Marchmont, she has no recollection of her past association with it - the result of a tragic accident that has blanked out more than two decades of her life. Then, during a walk through the wintry landscape, she stumbles across a grave in the woods, and the weathered inscription on the headstone tells her that a little boy is buried here . . .

The poignant discovery strikes a chord in Greta's mind and soon ignites a quest to rediscover her lost memories. With David's help, she begins to piece together the fragments of not only her own story, but that of her daughter, Cheska, who was the tragic victim of circumstances beyond her control. And, most definitely, not the angel she appeared to be . . .

MY THOUGHTS: The Angel Tree is a multigenerational family saga, intricately plotted and compelling. Lucinda Riley excels at this type of story, interweaving the historical and cultural mores of the times in which the story is set with a richly emotional family drama.

The Angel Tree encompasses both love and tragedy. At the heart of the story is Marchmont, the family home lived in by several generations, and which ties all the characters and story threads together.

The story is told over several different timelines, definitely nonlinear, but it works well. The main narrators are David Marchmont, his mother Laura-Jane known as LJ, Greta who married David's uncle Owen Marchmont, and Greta's daughter Francesca, known as Cheska. Not only does The Angel Tree span several different timelines, but also different continents.

Not all the characters are likeable, and rifts appear between family members leading to estrangements and resentments. There is a story of unrequited love running through the novel, of missed chances, misunderstandings and bad timing. Also one of envy and greed and mental illness.

I found The Angel Tree to be a satisfying read and I have gone on to immediately read another of this author's books.

The audiobook of The Angel Tree is ably narrated by Juliet Stevenson.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.1

#TheAngelTree #WaitomoDistrictLibrary

I: @lucindarileybooks @panmacmillan

T: @lucindariley @panmacmillan

THE AUTHOR: Lucinda Riley is an Irish author of popular historical fiction and a former actress. She spent the first few years of her life in the village of Drumbeg near Belfast before moving to England. At age 14 she moved to London to a specialist drama and ballet school. She wrote her first book aged twenty four. Lucinda died in June 2021.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Waitomo District Library for the loan of the audiobook of The Angel Tree by Lucinda Riley for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

[İntellecta · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Das war das, was das Leben für mich auf Lager hatte."
Seite 437

[Phoenix Perpetuale · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the beginning of the book, I was a bit sceptical. However, every page was more interesting. The Angel Tree by Lucinda Riley was very intriguing.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Multi-generational dual-timeline family saga which started out full of promise, but after nearly 700 pages left me thinking 'what was the point of all that?'

Lucinda Riley can be hit and miss with me; I've read seven, and have rated them anywhere from DNF to 5 stars. I'll always read her books as you never know when the next 5 star-er will turn up; disappointing this time though.

[Maria Olga Lectoraapasionada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pues como siempre me dejo muy satisfecha la lectura de un nuevo libro de Lucinda, tiene una especial manera de escribir y una gran capacidad de inventiva, y como es su costumbre la historia que nos cuenta está llena de historias, dividida en tres partes cada una con sus protagonistas: Greta, Cheska y Ava, historias distintas, pero vinculadas.

Novela larguita son casi 600 páginas, pero para nada casan, detalle a detalle consigue que quieras saber más de todo lo que te describe.

Me engancho mucho la historia de abuela, hija y nieta, podemos ver tres personas totalmente distintas, es la primera vez que me encuentro un personaje tan egoísta y tan malvado en una novela de Lucinda, el final me mantuvo con los nervios a flor de piel.

Mi persona favorita de esta lectura fue David, el tío que hace todo lo posible porque su sobrina este bien, siempre dispuesto ayudarla, queriéndola a pensar de todas sus maldades. Nada justifica el mal, ni siquiera una enfermedad.

¿Verdad que el nombre de David suena a buena persona? A mí siempre me lo pareció, a lo mejor es porque recuerda a David el Gnomo, si tenéis ocasión mirar el significado del nombre os sorprenderá.

Pues no puedo contar más detalles, ya sabéis si queréis más detalles os toca leer la novela. Disfrute mucho con su lectura, a pesar de la malvada. Maravillosa Lucinda.

Extractos del libro:

Tengo tantas cosas que hacer que no me queda tiempo para envejecer.

Si destruía los recuerdos, ya no podrían seguir persiguiéndola.

[J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like a late night soap opera...or the worst spanish telenovela.
Greed. Jealousy. Spite. Evil, deranged females.
Men who are bastards, men who are too good to be true.
And the plot... So shallow, so empty. Unemotional dialogue.
Very disappointed.


I simply DON'T WANT to read any other books by the author.

Kate Morton is invincible.

2 stars... barely.

[Justina Neliubšienė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Įdomi ir įtraukianti, nors ir šiek tiek erzino vietomis,bet susiskaitė gerai👍

[Aleksandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uzbudljiva porodična saga sa složenim zapletom koji drži pažnju, brzo se i sa nestrpljenjem čita kako bi se, iako dobro sakrivene i "zaboravljene", otkrile strašne tajne. Roman me je malo svojom radnjom i onom starinskom, gotičkom atmosferom podsjetio na omiljenu "Rebeku", a Lusinda je ovim romanom napravila jako dobar posao i potvrdila mi status jedne od omiljenih autorica.

[Isa (Pages Full of Stars) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars

This was my second book by Lucinda Riley, but unfortunately my feelings during reading were similar to when I read The Orchid House. I love books set in two or more timelines and family mysteries, but this story just didn't work for me.
The beginning was good and engaging, but soon I began to feel very underwhelmed. The story was predictable to me, and I found it hard to connect to the characters, but instead found them annoying. Having read other books with similar formula, I feel like this one lacked more depth. I'm still willing to give Lucinda Riley's books a chance and I hope that the Seven Sisters series will appeal to me more.

~~~

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[Pili · Rating 5 out of 5]

No sé si fue la historia en sí, el talento evidente de la autora, el que hubieran sido días de lluvia, el que la edición fuera en castellano (hacía meses que no leía en mi lengua materna), el que lo leyera de madrugada cuando el resto del mundo dormía o simplemente que era un buen libro en sí (y punto), pero la experiencia de su lectura fue deliciosa. Me "pesó" haberlo terminado.
Lo que más me impresionó fue la capacidad de la autora de construir y desarrollar a cada personaje. La trama es amena e interesante pero son los personajes las que dan peso a la narración.

[Filo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like Greta at all. She seems to be always useless and let David resolve everything for her.
I don't understand what makes her attractive to David, especially during 30 years...
I find it hard to like her, and then she looses her memory, and the reader is supposed to feel compassionate for her? But she did nothing good, and a lot wrong...and now she doesn't do anything...

[Anja Karenjina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opet 3.5 ali mnogo volim Lusindu pa ću joj ovde dati ocenu 4🙈

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally enjoy Lucinda Riley's books and this one was no exception! It is a re-write of an earlier book she had written under the name of Lucinda Edmonds. In her author's note she explains she intended to just freshen it up a bit but ended up changing the story drastically, adding whole chapters, changing the fate of a character, etc. She did a great job at creating what I would call "a computing psychotic". Luckily, the story has a decent resolution for most characters. There are a couple of casualties along the way but that is to be expected.
My heart goes out to LJ. Even though she's a fictional character, I really felt for her and all she went through. I've even kept thinking about her after finishing the book....

It was particularly fun to read this book now as I happen to be in London and am busily touring through places mentioned in the story!

I look forward to my next Lucinda Riley book. I think I have a couple more of her standalone books I haven't read yet not to mention diving into her Seven Sisters series!

[Jess Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

How on earth has this book got a 4* rating ?! Absolute drivel. It's written like a story kids write in school for English Language . . . "Greta decided to go for a lovely walk in the woods in the crisp, winter snow. When she got back she lit the fire and made herself a cup of tea." Blah, blah, blah ! I only continued to read it because I hate not finishing a book. Definitely not one I'd recommend.

[Bettina_kPunkt · Rating 5 out of 5]

wieder mal ein klasse Buch von Lucinda Riley

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️
Paperback.
This was my monthly,physical book club choice and what a great little (well ,not so little) book it was too.
It started off in a brilliant fashion and never dipped throughout. Tears and joy followed the characters along throughout this family based drama, and whilst this was a hefty in size novel, time flew by as I was reading it. This is the second LR book that I’ve enjoyed .😁

[Ligelite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Koks gražus kalėdinis viršelis ir visai nekalėdiška istorija.

Istorija labai ilga, pasakojanti trijų kartų gyvenimus: Gretos, Českos ir Avos. Kiekvienos moters istorija apsupta skausmo, pykčio ir meilės.

Greta besąlygiškai myli savo dukrą Česką, kuri jau nuo ketverių pradėjo lipti karjeros laiptais. Greta norėjo visko kas geriausia savo dukrai, tačiau nekreipė dėmesio, kad jos dukra turi rimtų psichologiniu problemų. Visą savo meilė skyrė Českai, laikė ją uždarytą “narvelyje” ir nedavė laisvės, kurios troško Česka. Tačiau aplinkybės susiklostė taip, kad ne tik Greta nukentėjo dėl tokios savo begalinės meilės dukrai.

Skaičiau ir mėgavausi kiekvienu puslapiu, nes vienoje knygoje gavau tris istorijas apie tris, skirtingo charakterio ir mąstymo, moteris.

Dar kartą įsitikinau, kad Lucinda man yra numeris vienas romanų rašyme.
Rekomenduoju perskaityti ir “Angelų medį”, ir “Septynios seserys” istorijas. Visos knygos storos, bet laikas su jomis neprailgsta.

[Nadine_Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 Sterne

[Nixi92 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non so quali sensazioni mi abbia fatto provare questo libro… Penso mi piaccia il modo in cui l'autrice descrive i luoghi e i costumi del passato; oltre al modo in cui sviluppa la storia di ogni singolo personaggio (3 generazioni). Purtroppo presenta anche numerosi punti deboli, tra cui alcune svolte narrative un po' troppo sopra le righe, dialoghi inconsistenti, personaggi odiosi (soprattutto la protagonista e gli "uomini" della storia: l'unico che si salva non è purtroppo approfondito da un punto di vista psicologico). Il finale è scontato, ma tutto sommato è una lettura piacevole.

[Ashley Daviau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did, it was quite a nice surprise! The story had so many different layers and it was like unwrapping presents as I was reading. I was really invested in these characters by the end, I cared about them and what happened to them. My only minor complaint is that it was a bit long and would have been much easier to read if it was just trimmed down a bit.

[Janeta Pondalova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Интересна и увличаща история, но далеч не ме грабна толкова, колкото другите романи на Лусинда Райли - "Орхидеената къща" и "Среднощна роза".

[Jeane · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was thinking about reading this book while I wasn't during the day, I didn't really feel excitement just thinking about going back to the story.
But every time I was reading it, I completely enjoyed it and was really into the story.

So much happenes in this book and there are so many characters in some way all related to each other.
Just too many to explain what happens. But while it feels very predictable, it never does.
The story is set in the eighties in England but with the story going back te the late fourties and fifties.

I just flew through this story and really enjoyed it.

[Milica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Izvrsna porodična saga o tri generacije jakih žena koje ne prezaju ni od čega. Bore se do kraja i grade svoj jedinstveni put, iako suviše težak i „trnovit“.
Još jednom sam sebi potvrdila zbog čega volim romane Lusinde Rajli — ne dopuštaju mi da ih ispustim iz ruku.

[Marloes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Voor een kerstviering met haar familie keert Greta na een jarenlange afwezigheid terug naar Marchmont Hall, een prachtig landhuis dat een belangrijke rol in haar leven heeft gespeeld. Ze herinnert zich alleen niets meer van die periode, omdat ze door een ernstig ongeluk last heeft van geheugenverlies. Wanneer ze een wandeling maakt over het landgoed en stuit op een grafsteen, wordt ze ineens overvallen door herinneringen en komt het verleden tot leven.

Het verhaal springt terug naar 1945, wanneer je Greta als jonge vrouw leert kennen. Zij werkt als ‘Windmill Girl’ in een avondclub en wordt halsoverkop verliefd op een Amerikaanse officier. Ze raakt zwanger, maar wordt door hem in de steek gelaten als hij ontdekt welk beroep zij uitoefent. Haar goede vriend David laat haar verblijven in zijn cottage op het landgoed Marchmont, waar ook zijn moeder woont. Op een gegeven moment ontmoet ze de oudere Owen, die in het landhuis woont, met wie ze haar leven zal gaan delen.

Je volgt voornamelijk Greta, terwijl er ook stukken van het verhaal verteld worden vanuit David en zijn moeder LJ, en deze vertelperspectieven wisselen elkaar af. Later komen daar nog perspectieven van volgende generaties bij. ‘De zilverboom’ is een vlot, lijvig verhaal over een bijzondere familiegeschiedenis. Geluk, liefde en vriendschap worden afgewisseld met verdriet, moeilijke momenten, geheimen en drama, vooral veel drama. Bij vlagen was het verhaal me iets té dramatisch, al zorgde het er wel voor dat er telkens weer wat nieuws gebeurde.

De personages zijn goed uitgewerkt, hebben allemaal hun gebreken maar zijn ook menselijk. Hoewel ik lang niet al hun keuzes begrijp en sommige personages af en toe ronduit vervelend vond, zorgt Lucinda Riley er wel voor dat je met iedereen mee gaat leven. De schrijfstijl is vlot en meeslepend, waardoor je door het verhaal heen vliegt en hoewel ik af en toe wat diepgang miste, heb ik dit boek zeker wel met plezier gelezen. Een mooi verhaal over een bijzondere familie, vol romantiek, drama, verkeerde keuzes, mentale problemen, jezelf wegcijferen en onbeantwoorde liefde, allemaal in een prachtige, sprookjesachtige setting.

3-3.5⭐️

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting book to review because some readers may have already read this when it was first published in 1995 under the authors' previous pen name of Lucinda Edmonds. Since it would appear that the time is right for a reissue, the story has been redone, keeping some elements of the original but with some sections reworked, thus breathing new life into a story which is as fresh and characterful now, as it was in its original format.

The story begins as Greta returns to Marchmont Hall, in Monmouthshire, Wales after an absence of thirty years. Greta's memory of her life at Marchmont was irretrievably damaged when she was involved in a dreadful accident which altered her memory thus making her recollection of her previous life hazy and filled with shadows.Much has happened to Greta during this time, her life and that of her family has been very eventful, not without tragedy, and always with an element of misfortune.

What then follows is a cleverly and intricately constructed family saga which spans several years and which flips forwards and backwards in time, mainly following the fortunes of Greta and her daughter Cheska. The peripheral characters who flit into and out of the story are strong and meaningful and add a real sense of continuity. The story is long, coming it at over 600 pages but as always the story draws you in from the beginning. The characters become as familiar as friends, some you learn to like whilst others become deeply unlikable but as always the strength of the story lies with the telling. The fine attention to detail, the authenticity of the setting, and the gloriously good story telling all combine to make this into another commendable novel from this talented author.

I hadn't read the book when it was first published, so was I was perfectly happy to read The Angel Tree with no preconceptions of what had gone before. I'm sure, however, that those readers who read the novel when it was entitled 'Not Quite An Angel' will find much to enjoy in this reissued version.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's so sad when I try to go outside my comfort zone, only to have my dislike for the genre reinforced instead.

My poor rating of this rests on my inability to like Greta. The only time I feel something for her is when she talks about her childhood. And in a way I understand some of the choices she makes in the beginning of this book because of that. But After..... Zero sympathy. I find her selfish and later on also a bit manipulative (mostly towards Cheska and her career, but also David).
And during the time when she could have made amends, made some different choices, maybe actually been helpful in anyway, she suffers from amnesia that seems to have no cause, and is stagnant for 24 years. I'm sorry, but that doesn't endear her to me, at all.

I have full understanding of Cheska's issues, because of her mental health, but also because of her upbringing. Doesn't mean I like her, just that I kinda get it.
I get it, because Greta hasn't been there for her, David hasn't really been there for her either, despite claiming to mainting a relationship with her. Instead he's been enabling her delusions and just blindly trusting her despite seeing how she's not ok. Two people almost lost their lives because of this neglect.

And to add to the "thrilling plot", everyone is always late for a meeting so they cut their conversations short, saying to pick it up later and people don't get vital information they need and things escalate. After 500 pages, it gets old.

The only characters I like of the mains are Ava and LJ. And Tor, although she's technically not one of the mains, but she is the reason why I'm so f-ing pissed at the ending. I won't spoil it, but Tor, I'm so sorry.

[OldSoul23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

En solo una palabra ;Extraordinario!!!

Es la segunda ocasión en la que Lucinda Ryle me transporta a un viaje a través del tiempo , apartir de los recuerdo de una mujer, que comienza desde finales de la segunda guerra mundial ,y la cual se ve marcada por diversos accionamientos que determinaran no solo su futuro , sino el futuro de dos generaciones más.

Greta ,la protagonista principal,arriba a Marchmont Hall en 1985, y es ahí donde tendrá que reconstruir su pasado, con piezas del presente,pero se dará cuenta,que a veces es mejor dejar al pasado, porque lo que descubrirá será perturbador.
Ha sido una lectura maravillosa, la manera es que se encuentra tejida cada pieza,los personajes tan humanos y errantes, y es evidente la investigación de la autora en los diversos temas que se ven expuestos y tan ciertos.


Sin lugar a dudas , fue un viaje fascinante.

[Daivuseee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tai pirma šios autorės skaityta knyga. Neabejoju, jog su šia rašytoja pažinti tęsiu ir toliau. Knyga, iš pradžių, gązdinusi savo apimtimi, padarė labai didelį įspūdį. Skaitant knygą storio visiškai nesijautė, knyga įtraukė nuo pat pirmų puslapių ir norėjosi, kad knyga nesibaigtų. Kiek visko aprašyta, kiek veikėjams visko teko patirti ir išgyventi... Tai tikrai nuostabi ir įkvėpianti knyga. Rekomenduoju!

[Kirjoihin kadonnut || Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riley on valovoimainen tarinankertoja. Kuinka koukuttava tarina. Loppuhuipennuksen lähestyessä tuntui, että täytyy pidättää hengitystä silkasta jännityksestä. Enkelipuu on kertomus Marchmontin naisista kolmessa sukupolvessa, mutta mikä tarina se onkaan. Lukuromaani parhaimmillaan.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a compelling storyline! I couldn't put it down at times. Even though we, as the reader, knew a few things ahead of time, there were a bunch of twists that surprised me.