Dangerous Angels

Weetzie Bat #1-5

by Francesca Lia Block

Love is a dangerous angel...Francesca Lia Block's luminous saga of interwoven lives will send the senses into wild overdrive. These post-modern fairy tales chronicle the thin line between fear and desire, pain and pleasure, cutting loose and holding on in a world where everyone is vulnerable to the most beautiful and dangerous angel of all: love.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, Magical Realism, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Queer

478 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Francesca Lia Block is the author of more than twenty-five books of fiction, non-fiction, short stories and poetry. She received the Spectrum Award, the Phoenix Award, the ALA Rainbow Award and the 2005 Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as other citations from the American Library Association and from the New York Times Book Review, School Library Journal and Publisher’s Weekly. She was named Writer-in-Residence at Pasadena City College in 2014. Her work has been translated into Italian, French, German Japanese, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and Portuguese. Francesca has also published stories, poems, essays and interviews in The Los Angeles Times, The L.A. Review of Books, Spin, Nylon, Black Clock and Rattle among others. In addition to writing, she teaches creative writing at University of Redlands, UCLA Extension, Antioch University, and privately in Los Angeles where she was born, raised and currently still lives.

Reviews

[Daryl Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seem to be one of the only men to write a comment about this book, but I tell you this; this book not only changed my attitudes about my own writing style, it changed my heart. I can't tell you how many times I broke into tears while reading this book. There were passages that I would read over and over... gosh, now I'm gushing. Sorry... If you have ever spent time in L.A. the visuals alone are worth the time. If you've ever been in love or want to be in love... these characters and these stories will guide you and create a belief in you that will forge a way through loneliness and despair.

fin

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know without a doubt that I would have loved the Weetzie Bat books if I'd read them in high school or college when I was an alterna-chick who scoured thrift stores for cool vintage clothes and went to underground clubs every night with gorgeous gay boys who loved me, but not the way I loved them. Back then, I might have sworn Francesca Lia Block had based her contemporary fairy tales on the everyday lives of my friends and me.

But I tried to read these books a couple of years ago, and found all the characters (and by extension, Block herself) irritating in their aggressively whimsical hipness. I literally threw this book across the room when I was about 60% of the way through it. I read a lot of young adult fiction (need to put more of it on my list, I'm realizing), so I'm accustomed to stuff written primarily for adolescent readers, but I just could not stand this collection.

I did like Dangerous Angels, Block's book about the midlife crisis Weetzie has when her girls are all grown up and she feels estranged from Secret Agent Lover Man. But even then I thought it was a little too self-congratulatory: "I may have grown kids now, but I'm still soooo much hipper and more artistic than all other middle-aged women!"

[Gina · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is quite possibly the worst book I've ever read in my life. It's actually a collection of books by the same author, with the same characters and overlapping storylines. To be fair, I only read three of the five books included. Maybe the two I skipped were phenomenal. But I doubt it. Good grief, these books were bad. There are about two dozen characters and I swear there isn't one fully developed character between the lot of them. They seriously are all the same person. You can take any line spoken by any character and replace their name with a different character, and change nothing! And I love how nothing that happens ever matters, because it's resolved immediately. So and so is lonely because she can't find a man... oh one page later, a man shows up on her doorstop and they're instantly in love forever. Hmm, this guy's mom hates him because he's gay... oh, don't worry because THREE PAGES LATER, she's totally fine with it! Oh no, her husband left her because of a fight they had...Don't worry, he'll be back tomorrow and everything will be fine! People, I'm not exaggerating here. I swear, this is how the plot develops in these awful books. I think the most irritating part of these books is how every single character is so relentlessly, obnoxiously PC. Every single one is a vegan, artist, musician who wears all organic clothes and does yoga and grows their own food and raises bunny rabbits and is named moonbeam or doorknob and GIVE ME A BREAK! Please, I implore you. Don't read this book. And tell others not to read it. It will make you hate people.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should have found these books when I was 15, but since I didn't, I will have to settle for loving them at 35.

[Mer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lanky Lizards, I love the Weetzie Bat books!

Quoting the Wiki entry for this series: "The novel is set in a world not without pain, but seemingly without prejudice. Issues such as blended families, pre-marital sex, homosexuality and AIDS are described freely and without apology."

(Yeah, there's been some backlash. Predictably from rabid Evangelicals and other Christian fundamentalist watchdog groups. Thbbbpptt!)

These characters, while not particularly deeply drawn, are endearing and inclusive, whimsical and warm. I wish I could give a copy of this to every lonely, uncertain teenager who craves understanding and acceptance, and a sense of family beyond the biological.

I especially love the dreamy descriptions of the group's adventures in "Shangri-LA"... any time that city starts to get me down, I put on my rose-colored glasses courtesy of Weetzie and Dirk, et al. :)

[Serena.. Sery-ously? · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sto cercando di scrivere un commento razionale e dignitoso, ma gira e rigira a me l'unica cosa sensata che viene da pensare è che Francesca Lia Block si faccia dei trip allucinogeni da paura, del genere unicorni, arcobaleni e Teletubbies che ridono felici insieme a lei.

Questo libro è un totale nonsense con picchi disturbanti da morire (A me la scena del "Voglio un bambino" "Io no" "Vabbé lo faccio con i nostri due coinquilini gay insieme così non sapremo mai chi è il padre e vivremo tutti felici e contenti e la bambina avrà tre padri" ha lasciato un profondo senso di malessere..); i nessi logico-temporali sono assenti, si passa da una scena ad un'altra senza un minimo di preambolo.. Pare quasi che l'autrice faccia uso di oppiacei una sorta di metatesto, quando in realtà si è solo annoiata di parlare di una certa cosa e passa dunque ad un'altra. E tu sei lì che stai ancora provando ad assimilare l'idiozia precedente e ti trovi invece catapultata in un altro WTF allucinato.

E la cosa fa ancora più male se penso a quanto l'ho desiderato e cercato, prima di trovarlo in un mercatino (giustamente) abbandonato da qualche lettore più scaltro.

[Neko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tuely adore this book. I recall the first time I read this book was some years ago when my mom rushed into my room clutching a tattered book. she thrust it at me saying "you have to read this book! it's my new favorite book now!" seeing how much my mom loved that book (love itself may be even insuffiencent so much as adored), I delved straight into it. I've read it several times over now, the pages of our favorite book worn and stained with finger-grease. It now sits in a place of honor on our bookshelf: It gives you a full, clear picture of the characters in a world that could be our very own, with raw realism and also delicate magic woven and intertwined into our everyday lives. i loved all the characters and more clearly identified with the mysteriuos Witch Baby. I especially love the symbolism and odd names in this book. For anyone into a modern realis that is also fantasy, I strongly reccomend this book

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This omnibus collects all 5 YA books in the Weetzie Bat series.

These are fabulous books, although not every book will appeal to every reader equally, of course. The stories follow Weetzie Bat (yes, that's her name) from high school through mid-to-late 20s as she and her beau and their assortment of bohemian, artsy friends grow up and make lives for themselves in and around Hollywood.

Throughout, Weetzie maintains a wild and magical view of the universe. Characters don't get names, they get descriptions and we're told that everyone calls them by that name, even outsiders and family. Her feller is called My Secret Agent Lover Man--by everyone--and one of her children (well, a stepchild to her) is called Witch Baby. The group of friends make movies and never mention other means of support. Wishes are granted, ghosts are appeased, and shamans summon the wind.

But these aren't magical realism. It's clear from the beginning that we're seeing the world through Weetzie's eyes as she magnifies everything for us and filters it through a Hollywood history of fantasy and archetype. Weetzie--and later, her children--shows us more about the characters' and events' impact on one another than their actual mundane behavior. It's a highly effective device in Block's hands.

The books are worth reading on their own. Each addresses typical YA themes: finding love and identity, being the outsider, etc., but doesn't sugar-coat the pain and compromises even though the world is technicolor and liable to break out into a Busby Berkeley number at any time. The book where Witch Baby visits New York City and tries to abandon her mother's fanciful influence is especially interesting.

Whether or not the YA stories appeal to you, these quick reads are a must to prepare for the non-YA, mainstream book Necklace of Kisses, where Block strips away Weetzie's fantasy and shows us the same characters and world in the bright light of modern realism--at least for the first portion of the book. The shock of learning My Secret Agent Lover Man's given name and the normalcy of their day jobs makes the setting, which involves their reaction to the attacks on 9/11/2001 and a middle-aged introspection, will resonate with everyone who has ever wondered where their wonder went.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was introduced to Weetzie in college during my children's writing class and it was the best return on investment of those college loans. Never thinking that I would be a fan of L.A., and never really caring... I completely fell for Francesca's version of it. Not just in these books, but also in her others... I think using Houdini's mansion is wonderful. This changed how I approached my own writing. I know that they label it as young adult, but I feel that anyone with this mindset could fall in love with these books.

[[Name Redacted] · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sure there are a number of reasons I didn't enjoy this book, among them the fact that I have a penis, I'm straight, I am not some kind of Valley-Girl-Hipster hybrid, and I hate California - especially Southern California - with a firey passion. This author's writing is too aggressively and pretentiously precious, the plots (such as they were) all felt tremendously contrived, and the so-called "insights"...well, again, I have a penis, I'm straight, I'm not some kind of Valley-Girl-Hipster hybrid, and I hate California. It's entirely possible that I'm not capable of understanding or appreciating these books, much the way so many women I've known failed to understand and therefore railed against male-oriented literature and cinema (by which I mean ACTUAL literature and cinema, not trash or porn). But I'm going to stick by my 1-star rating; I did not enjoy these stories, and they made me sincerely question the judgment of the friend who recommended them to me.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

surfing, frosted pink lip gloss, good tunes, old cars, cute bungalows in Los Angeles, Witch Babies, gay best friends, platinum blond hair, good food, great friends, the best of times, the worst of times.
i couldn't believe it when i was done reading and there was no more.... ::sniff::

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't be properly objective about these stories since they were so instrumental to the heart of teenaged Candace, but reading them again as a 39 year old was quite something. I still liked them, I think there is a lot that doesn't fully translate into 2021 cultural awareness, but also the heart is there in its pure dreamy state. Reading people's negative reviews is also hilarious because indeed, if the writing style is not someone's cup of tea, that is very understandable.

Witch Baby is my favourite character and Missing Angel Juan is my favourite story, in case anyone is interested

[Ecaterina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps to today's audience saturated by TV shows like Glee or Gossip Girls and teen novels that cover everything from abusive-human-vampire-werewolf-love-triangles to drugs, what Francesca Lia Block did in this series may not seem revolutionary, but she originally published these books in the 1990s. Her books were banned in libraries because she was brave enough to explore issues around sex and sexual orientation, things that preoccupy teen brains but for which they get few safe outlets to address them. Francesca Lia Block was the first author I felt who "got it"---who understood the questions and concerns myself and my friends had but so few adults were willing to discuss with us. I was so glad that I could learn through Weetzie Bat and Dirk the meaning of friendship, the process of growing up and the complexity sex adds to relationships. Her magic realism combined with her exploration of love and queer issues makes her a trailblazer, for breaking open the boundaries of young adult literature and unlocking the issues that for so long have been stigmatized or silenced in our culture.

[Derek Moody · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know how I’d feel about this collection of books now. But how I felt about them as a gay teen in the 90s? Life changing. Affirming. Hopeful. So that’s where I stand. I own them all and hope to read them again. Even if they don’t stand up, I will not change this review.

[Sarah]

Chelsea/Sam book rec

[Tabitha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weetzie is interesting and often inspiring, and I enjoyed the fairytale-like quality of these stories. But for the most part they just left me feeling oh so sad. Sad that these characters seem to find happiness primarily in Romantic Love, that their lives are on hold until they find The One. Sad that they all go through such incredibly painful explorations to get there. Sad that sexuality/intimacy seems to be how all of them search for connection and meaning; there are no alternatives offered. Sad that all the heroines are "tiny and skinny," the prevailing beauty standard of the 90s. Sad for the cultural stereotypes, although it was probably novel at the time to even mention Native Americans and biracial relationships in this context. "Weetzie Bat" was fun, but for the others-- I realize the author probably intends them to be hopeful, but they constantly left me feeling hopeless.

[Elle]

I think The Weetzie Bat Books are of the WORST books I ever read. In my very personal opinion, the problem’s not the story per se, but the way it’s written with conceptual language and descriptively what makes it terrible. It’s a book where they want to take youth and understand topics like: homosexuality, VIH and different relation frames. The point is that the story’s language and the way it’s narrated sucks. It is my understanding as an educator that youngsters can be able to understand a message without ornamenting it with so much crap. I’m one of the readers that try to look for something positive in every book, and from my 400+ book collection, this is the only one that actually ended down in the trash.

Peace
Doxys

[Kendra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, because I know that a friend is very fond of it -- but I just could NOT keep reading it. This is where I have to admit that I am not the least bit "slinkster-cool," because I just do. not. get. Weetzie. Bat. I don't get the stupid nicknames. I don't get why it's written at a "See Spot Run" reading level, but completely inappropriate for anyone who actually reads at that level. And I was willing to TRY to get it, but by the time I got to "Weetzie Wants a Baby," I just couldn't do it anymore. I can appreciate that there was nothing like Weetzie Bat when the books first came out, and maybe I would have actually liked them if I had discovered them way back then, but now...they just aren't what I want to spend my time reading.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are pure escapism, set in a pseudo-L.A. where magic is real, actions have no consequences as long as you really believe in them, and everyone lives happily ever after. Block is cross-marketed to teens and adults, probably because she doesn't really fit very well into either category--her writing reads like imaginative high-school poetry written by a grown-up new-age hipster. Yeah, OK, maybe this sounds awful. But for me, it comes off as endearing (kinda like Miranda July). If nothing else, it's definitely unique.

[marsu · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book could save the life left in any lingering remnants of your childhood (as well as clearing up eyes bruised purple by dammed-up tears). if only several of the books comprising francesca lia block’s dangerous angels collection would have secretly slithered into my bedroom when i was twelve or thirteen... (by fourteen the walls were already much too high.) i am reading this now (and have only so far read the first, second, and final stories), at twenty-six, after initially assessing it to be silly and stupid over five years ago when it was given to my partner by a friend, and then again assuming about as much even a few weeks ago when she picked up another used copy to finally finish and send along to her little sister. well, she started reading one of the stories out-loud to me while i was scrambling some spicy tofu on the stove, and after my eyes got all their rolling out of the way, and my whimsy-less non-fiction-only filter of late began to break down a bit, i started to enjoy these words floating over to me, laced with more flavors and scents than those rising up from the frying pan.

in continuing with the reading on my own, i found that it isn’t simply block’s olfactory adjective action that initiated an opening of my senses and stony little heart chambers, it’s the overall acceptance and encouragement, the confidence-mixed-with-insecurity, the realism and the magic that passes between the characters and the ugly, beautiful, sad, joyous world that they (we) inhabit - one that block refuses to veil from either direction. it seemed like all that was available to me when i was old enough to be desperate for the secrets to the (unattainable and imaginary) coolness that everyone else seemed to inherit naturally, while still being young enough and permeable to influences that would bolster my still-soft heart’s reserves of care and compassion – were books & films exclusive to either one or the other pole. dangerous angels is so incredibly COOL (block just mentions SO MANY scenes, and innumerable styles of identity that it is all still so amazingly relevant), that my younger self would have felt like he’d had some basis for a more confident, unique identity, while the book’s explorations of the inner-feelings of these diverse characters could have staved off the hardening that comes with the rearing of a male (really, all of us) in this culture. even my initial fears of indigenous fetishization were eased as block told more and more stories and displayed a genuine respect for varying cultures and lifestyles, which would be an invaluable head-start for kids who need their awareness of oppression raised as early as possible. yeah, i really wish i’d had francesca lia block’s stories when i was a mere clutch piglet turning off my ability to fully respect, to love, and to cry, but i’ll take it now, and i’ll take it all in joyously, mending some of the wounds inflicted and scarred over by this culture’s process of turning the living & feeling into the crushed, traumatized, dead.

i find it very hard to express myself and articulate in words what i’m thinking & feeling, but these pages compelled me to share...and i haven’t even finished the book!

[Rosanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most original things I have ever read, unique and evocative. When I finished the first book, my impression was of a charming bohemian fantasy world on crack, not very realistic, but totally wonderful.

As the books progress, issues are explored in greater depth and we see the fallout from the bohemian fantasy world. Block writes with such truth, beauty, and insight, I love how she focuses on the essence of what makes us human; eating, playing, loving, making the world better, trying to find our place, creating a family. One idea that resonated with me is that how you can create a family with the very best of intentions, yet there are still misunderstandings and hurt. Great stuff.

Francesca Lia Block must be a foodie-so many of descriptions about eating!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very pretty and amusing to read. Some great parts, but some of the books are WAY better than others, and some characters (like witch baby) are great, while others are unbelievable (not in a good way). Her style of writing definitely isn't for everyone, its very flowery and descriptive and flowy, but leaves somethign to be desired. I'd recommend it, but I wont promise that you'll like it. Check it out from a library, don't buy it. (I own it, but, like I said, it's not for everyone)

[Beckett · Rating 1 out of 5]

So bad!! i can't believe Harper Collins published it...I am perplexed. The dialogue was ridiculously bad, the worst I've seen published. (Who starts sentences like, "One day...."...SERIOUSLY) And in the first book, where's the conflict? It's a list of events.

What's the point of the drunkenness? Is that COOL?? Does this author not realize that she's writing for adolescents??? (I am mad.)
I am disgusted.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't read much YA these days, but I really enjoyed this collection of novellas. Block has a distinctive, lyrical writing style that makes her stories feel as much like dreams as prose. The sense of place in these books is very strong, and so far, they are the only thing to have ever made me actually want to visit L.A.

[Shera (Book Whispers) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope. Nope. Can't do this writing style or this overly weird hippy thing. Even back in the whatevers I think this was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too over the top. Nope.

*sighs* I'm annoyed I spent money on this. But I saw the title and just went for it, plus the cover . . . I was decieved. I'm not even slightly ashamed that this is getting the axe in my book thinning craze. No guilt for not reading it fully.

This is why:

“That’s a great outfit,” Dirk said. Weetzie was wearing her feathered headdress and her moccasins and a pink fringed mini dress.
“Thanks. I made it,” she said, snapping her strawberry bubble gum. “I’m into Indians,” she said. “They were here first and we treated them like shit.”
“Yeah,” Dirk said, touching his Mohawk. He smiled. “You want to go to a movie tonight? There’s a Jayne Mansfield film festival. The Girl Can’t Help It.”
“Oh, I love that movie!” Weetzie said in her scratchiest voice.
Weetzie and Dirk saw The Girl Can’t Help It, and Weetzie practiced walking like Jayne Mansfield and making siren noises all the way to the car.
“This really is the most slinkster-cool car I have ever seen!” she said.
“His name’s Jerry,” Dirk said, beaming. “Because he reminds me of Jerry Lewis. I think Jerry likes you. Let’s go out in him again.”

That's page 4. I suffered to this terrible point. *shivers* Too many books and so little time. I ain't wasting it on this one.

[Mellie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel like I must be missing something, as folks seem to love this book, but I hated it. Weird racial stereotypes, bland characters, and so few things that happen really matter. Just felt uncomfortable reading it.

[léonna marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

i don't know about happily ever after ... but i know about happily 🤍🤍💫💫

a lot wrong with it that i'm pretty critical over but weetzie, witch baby, dirk, and duck are the most lovely unique slinkster-cool characters ive ever seen. the whole series is magical and life defining!!!

[Clete · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll say it up front, this book isn’t for everyone, but, for me, it was magical.

[Crystal Gempko · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first few books were difficult to get into, but the fifth book of the series...wow. Incredible.

[Karissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the collection of the Weezie Bat Books all into one book. I picked this up because it sounded like an interesting urban fantasy; that wasn't really what it was.

This book follows Weezie Bat's family. Each book is done from a different character's point of view. More than anything the books are about facing the difficulties of growing up and how a person's personality can affect that. For the most part the book takes place in LA. There are odd bits of magic thrown in at rare points; a genie shows up to grant wishes, Baby Witch tours New York city with her dead grandfather. These fantastical happenings are rarities in the stories though; they are written in a way that leaves you wondering if the character really did run into something magical or are they just hallucinating?

What makes this book different and special is the way it is written. Block throws in so many crazy ways of describing things that it will leave your mind reeling. She tries to explain the taste of a picture, the sound of a smell, the texture of a sight. The novels are decadent purely because of the descriptions...there is so much glitter, so many feathers, petals falling, raindrops touching. With her descriptions Block turns LA into a fantasy world where one doesn't really exist. She uses this over-describing to give her characters personality. Weezie Bat is full of sunshine and everything she touches seems to turn to gold. Baby Witch is dark and chaotic and when she tells the story it is in shades of grey.

Overall I thought these were unique and interesting stories. They weren't what I expected. The characters didn't have a goal or a plot to follow, outside of obtaining their own happiness. Unfortunately like a really rich dessert, the decadent descriptions and frivolous characters started to be too much. By the end of the book, I just wanted to be done with it. The lack of a plot, the characters inability to make anything other than rash emotional decisions, and the amount of time it takes for Block to describe anything started to bug me. I know that these characters are supposed to be teaching life lessons, but they just seemed very immature. And though I enjoyed the novelty of Block's writing in the beginning, by the last story I was sick of it. I would imagine Block's books are something best taken in small doses.

Will I read another book by Block? Probably not, unless I am in the mood for something over the top, decadent, and wandering.