What do you think?
Rate this book
War Angel
Engel Johnson discovers that his Grandmother has been hiding a secret since the final days of World War II. His visit to her death bed reveals that she she witnessed some of the most horrifying moments of the 20th century first hand. And that she's been keeping a secret for more than 65 years. This novelette set both in the present day and in waning days of the second World War shows how great forces disrupted the life of one family for generations.
27 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 25, 2012
1 person is currently reading
8 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 22, 2012
Children seldom get a good idea of the lives the adults in their lives lead before they came into them. I'm sure this is true of my own kids even though I do try to tell them stories of my youth. Those snapshot events rarely reveal what a person was really like. And, of course, kids often don't care... not until much later, often not until it's too late to find out.
That's the basis of "War Angel" by Rusty Carl, a grandchild discovering the secret past of his grandmother.
Not that it was necessarily a secret, he had just never been curious enough to find out about it until she was about to die.
It's a good story, although I'd say it opens more questions than it answers. For instance, Engel has always been his grandmother's favorite, and there is an implication in the story that there's a reason for this, but it's never explained. There is a possible reason within the story, but there's not enough information for it to be more than guesswork which is a bit unsatisfying. For me, at any rate.
The other main drawback for me is that it's too short. There's so much more there that's kind of hinted at and, then, passed by. But it is a good story; it just could have used some expansion.
However, if you're looking for a quick read that will immerse quickly, this may be one to look at. It does grab the reader quickly with the immediate questions it raises.
I'm skipping the technicals this time as I have a copy that I know has transcription errors. Even with these, though, it was a gripping story, meaning they didn't distract me from what I was reading. Most of these, if not all, should be fixed at this point, so it should be even better for anyone else.
I'd say this one is a strong B. Definitely above average. Being able to read it in one sitting doesn't hurt, either, even if I would have preferred something longer.
That's the basis of "War Angel" by Rusty Carl, a grandchild discovering the secret past of his grandmother.
Not that it was necessarily a secret, he had just never been curious enough to find out about it until she was about to die.
It's a good story, although I'd say it opens more questions than it answers. For instance, Engel has always been his grandmother's favorite, and there is an implication in the story that there's a reason for this, but it's never explained. There is a possible reason within the story, but there's not enough information for it to be more than guesswork which is a bit unsatisfying. For me, at any rate.
The other main drawback for me is that it's too short. There's so much more there that's kind of hinted at and, then, passed by. But it is a good story; it just could have used some expansion.
However, if you're looking for a quick read that will immerse quickly, this may be one to look at. It does grab the reader quickly with the immediate questions it raises.
I'm skipping the technicals this time as I have a copy that I know has transcription errors. Even with these, though, it was a gripping story, meaning they didn't distract me from what I was reading. Most of these, if not all, should be fixed at this point, so it should be even better for anyone else.
I'd say this one is a strong B. Definitely above average. Being able to read it in one sitting doesn't hurt, either, even if I would have preferred something longer.
October 6, 2012
I LOVED IT!!
A story about a grandmother's past during World War 2. There's a struggle to survive along with a romance. I was in tears a couple of times over everything she went through. The characters felt so real I wondered if some of it was based on a true story. About 75% through there was one thing that became predictable. If the author was going for a twist ending, certain things needed to be more subtle. Yet again, maybe the author wasn't going for a twist. With twist or without, doesn't really matter because the core of the story is so strong. It's a page turner.
A story about a grandmother's past during World War 2. There's a struggle to survive along with a romance. I was in tears a couple of times over everything she went through. The characters felt so real I wondered if some of it was based on a true story. About 75% through there was one thing that became predictable. If the author was going for a twist ending, certain things needed to be more subtle. Yet again, maybe the author wasn't going for a twist. With twist or without, doesn't really matter because the core of the story is so strong. It's a page turner.
October 17, 2012
What starts out as a simple story of a grandson visiting his grandmother turns into something very powerful and moving. Rusty has captured the horrors and emotions of war, both the good and the bad, so very well. Ending wasn't a big surprise, but I would've been very disappointed had it ended differently. Excellent short story!
October 4, 2012
It's a good story about love and secrets in Germany during the last days of WWII. I figured out the twist early on with a little deduction based on the olfactory properties of a certain individual--how's that for clever? Anyway, I'd give it five stars but it needs some serious proofreading.
December 26, 2012
A tale that reminds me of the movie, The Notebook, "War Angel" has a grand child who visits his dying grandmother in the hospital and reads about a romance she had when she was young at the height of World War 2. In a way, it has elements of Titanic too in that the love story does not have a good ending. But it is very touching and a reminder to the young that the old are not just smelly and wrinkled. They too were young once, they had dreams, and they loved other people.
The story is short and a quick read. I could see this as something a teacher might select as it's a good tale with a lot of history to it. I recommend it highly.
The story is short and a quick read. I could see this as something a teacher might select as it's a good tale with a lot of history to it. I recommend it highly.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews