Entertaining Angels

by Joanna Bell

A magical story of family, forgiveness and confounding expectations from the author of Pillars of Salt.

Joshua Gilfoyle wants two things before he dies: to find his lost son and to commission an artist to produce his lasting legacy -- a new angel for Foxbarton church.

Complications arise with the artist he employs; Julia doesn’t believe in angels -- unlike her daughter Hebe. Although she is desperate for the commission, she wonders whether making the angel is beyond her abilities. But as Hebe’s extraordinary gift begins to affect everyone around her, there seems to be a touch of magic in the air.

Genres: Fiction

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a fairly predictable feel-good book, this tale was enjoyable for the journey. Artistic inspiration, what it means to be family, having faith, and seeing beyond the stereotypes are all themes woven into this book.

[Ana Atanasković · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ne sećam se kada sam kupila ovu knjigu, ali datum kupovine stoji na prvom listu, tada sam još to zapisivala. 30.1.2006.! Uopšte se ne sećam ni povoda ni trenutka, ničega...Samo znam da je stajala na polici, eto, do sada. Čudan je sudbinski put knjiga...neke se, tako, kupe pa čame...Nemam mnogo takvih, ali, ova je prošla tu storiju.
I ne bih je ni pročitala da me ne zanimaju anđeli kao tema, te sam je se setila. Razmišljala sam šta me je odbijalo...a kada sam videla naslov u originalu, na drugom listu, shvatila da mi je možda intuicija odbijala prevedeni, zato što je original mnogo bolji i sigurno bi me ranije privukao da čitam. ENTERTAINING ANGELS, glasi, i, prvo, zanimljiviji je i intrigantniji, može stajati samostalno, a može se sagledati (kao što verujem da autorka jeste) i kao stih iz Biblije: "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Kako je moćno...
Dodatno, Foksbarton je, koliko sam uspela da istražim, izmišljeno englesko selo, tako da sam i tu osetila intuicijom da nešto nije u redu.
Dobro, sad, da ne idem dalje u tu analizu, nije više ni potrebno, ipak je važno da sam knjigu pročitala. Da se razumemo, ovo je klasičan chick-lit, sa mnogo dijaloga i bez stilske dubine, dobar predložak, recimo, za božićni Hallmark film. Konstantno sam zamišljala filmske scene dok sam čitala. Naravno, meni je pomogao, jer se u svemu može naći inspiracija tj. znak, te tako i ovde.
Ako ništa drugo, ovaj roman nas može navesti da više razmišljamo o anđelima. Nije poseban u književnom smislu, ali, ako odlučimo, u našem ličnom duhovnom može biti.
Anđele ne vidimo, njihove ruke ne podižu kamenje sa našeg puta, ali nas uče kako da hodamo bez straha i kako da nam bitno bude samo ono što je stvarno bitno, rekla bih u zaključku ove storije. A onda neka ona putuje, putuje, do drugih.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I was expecting a fairly standard chick-lit type tale, easy reading & fun perhaps in the Jill Mansell vein - but it was so much more!

The cover blurb says "A magical story of family & forgiveness..." & it certainly is. The characters - everyone of them- are well written & believeable...William & Matilda, Hebe's cousins were a particular favourites of mine - their constant bickering & William's insect experiments made me smile! There's all the usual components of this sort of romantic tale, the beautiful single mother, the gold-digging young second wife married to an irascible old man & the missing son but then theres the added extra of the witch in the woods & that, along with Hebe's "special" gifts stops the tale being bog-standard chick-lit/romance fare & turns it into a wonderful memorable read - I thoroughly enjoyed it - can you tell?

[Caroline Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly exceptional...

I loved this book so much. Joanna Bell brings her characters forward, fully formed and the reader gets to know them and care for them. The story has many layers, some funny, some sad and some a combination of the two. I will read this novel again, it is far too good to be read just once and then left to gather virtual dust on the virtual bookshelf. Memorable and moving ✨️

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it I worked out what was happening early but I still wanted to read it till
The end xxm

[Jan Farndale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. characters and plot held my interest from beginning to end. humour, sex and a happy ending. what more do you want?

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was going to be a standard chick-lit story, but it wasn’t really. It’s a family saga with a touch of magic about it, and yet it’s convincing. The characters are well-written and the autistic girl at the centre of it feels as though she’s believable. I don’t have much experience of autism to draw on, but from my understanding of it (and my experiences of a friend’s son who has Asperger’s), I’d say Hebe is fairly characteristic of a child with the condition. The author is a GP so I guess she knows her stuff!



Joshua is very set in his ways and believes that Hebe should live in a home because she’s ‘retarded’. He feels very uncomfortable around her. However, something happens that leads to Hebe spending more and more time with the bigoted old man that she calls ‘Grandpa’ and gradually he begins to mellow…



Perhaps my only slight criticism is that the loose ends all tie together rather conveniently at the end, but then I read this purely to be entertained - and it did that rather well!

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first fictional novel that I read back when I was still in high school. I used this book for my book review in my English class and this was also the time when I started to love reading novels.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, it was predictable, but it was a beautiful story nonetheless.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magical, lyrical, poetical ... we need more books like this!

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this quirky novel

[Sue Jordan]

Beautifully story of families and people being different, how they get caught in each others lives and ultimately how they come to acceptance of one another. I loved how the character of Hebe was just accepted and her 'ways' where just seen as part of her being Hebe. Lovely read with wonderful colourful characters.