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Angels Without Wings: A Courageous Family's Triumph over Tragedy
The story of how the author and her family opened their home to four orphaned boys, the sons of the author's brother-in-law, who was killed in a train accident, and his wife, who died thirty-six hours later, of cancer
- GenresNonfictionMemoir
174 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1987
46 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 30, 2022
A friend loaned me this book months ago, during a personally tough time, with the comment, “I don’t know if you’re up for reading this because it starts with a terrible tragedy, but I find it very uplifting.” With such a recommendation, I shelved it and thought with vague guilt occasionally that I should return it to her. I picked it up a few weeks ago and did a double take at the author’s name. Yes, that Vonnegut. As in Kurt’s first wife.
Curiosity piqued, I sat down to read.
This memoir is split into three parts. The first narrates the tragedy and its immediate aftermath; the second and third are composed of essays, one for each of the children, plus two that consider memory and death.
The tragedy was this: On September 15, 1958, a commuter train plunged over an open drawbridge into Newark Bay. Kurt’s brother-in-law was on the train. Thirty-six hours later, Kurt’s sister died of cancer. At her deathbed, Kurt promised that the couple’s four sons would not be separated. The relatives loaded up three cars with the four boys, their two dogs, and what possessions they could fit in the remaining space, and drove from New Jersey to Barnstable on Cape Cod. Meanwhile, Jane frantically prepared their derelict home to receive her new, grieving sons.
The rest of the book tells of the trials and stresses of integrating the two families, the conflict within the extended family over the Vonneguts keeping all four boys when they were barely making ends meet (Kurt had yet to become successful), and the great joy that their sacrifices brought in the end. Vonnegut Yarmolinsky’s voice is unflinchingly honest as she strives to put down on paper emotions, dreams, and memories that were overwhelmingly intense. She barely touches on the breakup of her marriage to Kurt, which occurred a decade after the tragedy, nor does she write about her own role as his writing coach and chief encourager to dream. Instead she focuses on the ways that their entire family was changed, broken, and then enriched through the aftermath of the tragedy.
She concludes her meditation on her own impending death from cancer with these beautiful words:
"So what is there to say when you know you don’t have much time left? Or rather, what is most important to say, since you can’t say it all? I wrote this partly to find out what I might have to say. And in the doing I have discovered how absolutely madly in love I am with life and with all the people I was given—yes, given—to love. I am grateful to have learned so much of life….I’ve learned that paina dn joy are inextricably ,mingled, and that out of suffering does come love. It is a great mystery to me why this should be so.
"But I know that there will be angels in the next underpass as well, and I am content."
Curiosity piqued, I sat down to read.
This memoir is split into three parts. The first narrates the tragedy and its immediate aftermath; the second and third are composed of essays, one for each of the children, plus two that consider memory and death.
The tragedy was this: On September 15, 1958, a commuter train plunged over an open drawbridge into Newark Bay. Kurt’s brother-in-law was on the train. Thirty-six hours later, Kurt’s sister died of cancer. At her deathbed, Kurt promised that the couple’s four sons would not be separated. The relatives loaded up three cars with the four boys, their two dogs, and what possessions they could fit in the remaining space, and drove from New Jersey to Barnstable on Cape Cod. Meanwhile, Jane frantically prepared their derelict home to receive her new, grieving sons.
The rest of the book tells of the trials and stresses of integrating the two families, the conflict within the extended family over the Vonneguts keeping all four boys when they were barely making ends meet (Kurt had yet to become successful), and the great joy that their sacrifices brought in the end. Vonnegut Yarmolinsky’s voice is unflinchingly honest as she strives to put down on paper emotions, dreams, and memories that were overwhelmingly intense. She barely touches on the breakup of her marriage to Kurt, which occurred a decade after the tragedy, nor does she write about her own role as his writing coach and chief encourager to dream. Instead she focuses on the ways that their entire family was changed, broken, and then enriched through the aftermath of the tragedy.
She concludes her meditation on her own impending death from cancer with these beautiful words:
"So what is there to say when you know you don’t have much time left? Or rather, what is most important to say, since you can’t say it all? I wrote this partly to find out what I might have to say. And in the doing I have discovered how absolutely madly in love I am with life and with all the people I was given—yes, given—to love. I am grateful to have learned so much of life….I’ve learned that paina dn joy are inextricably ,mingled, and that out of suffering does come love. It is a great mystery to me why this should be so.
"But I know that there will be angels in the next underpass as well, and I am content."
February 14, 2020
I rescued this when it was being weeded from the library several years ago and I finally got tired of looking at it around the house so I read it. It was very heartfelt. The author and her husband adopted his sister's four children when their parents died within 48 hours of each other. The author wrote a little character sketch/vignette of each child, her four adopted children and her three biological children. While it wasn't really a biography of a family, you got an idea of how difficult it was to blend all those different personalities and what strength it must have taken to parent that size of a tribe.
She spends a lot of time exploring how everyone had a different memory of many events that happened around the time of the deaths and in the following months. The events were surrounded with chaos, as you might expect with seven children and several adults that didn't have the means to contact each other the way we do now. She does this in a sympathetic manner.
It was only when I looked on Goodreads that I realized she uses aliases for her characters and that her husband, the frustrated writer who had been in WWII, was Kurt Vonnegut. Whoa. She was not on Wikipedia, so I wish someone who knew about her would rectify this.
It is an interesting look at how a family survived an unspeakable tragedy.
She spends a lot of time exploring how everyone had a different memory of many events that happened around the time of the deaths and in the following months. The events were surrounded with chaos, as you might expect with seven children and several adults that didn't have the means to contact each other the way we do now. She does this in a sympathetic manner.
It was only when I looked on Goodreads that I realized she uses aliases for her characters and that her husband, the frustrated writer who had been in WWII, was Kurt Vonnegut. Whoa. She was not on Wikipedia, so I wish someone who knew about her would rectify this.
It is an interesting look at how a family survived an unspeakable tragedy.
June 19, 2019
I enjoyed the story as it is true and amazing. I was not a big fan of the tone, but all the same it was a good story.
April 18, 2021
A deeply personal account of how Jane Vonnegut made room in her life for the four orphans left behind by her sister-in-law.
September 1, 2009
I really can't see anyone not already very interested in the Vonnegut family enjoying this. It is a very personal account of what it was like for Jane Vonnegut, already mother of three, to take in four orphans (Kurt's sister's children) when both of their parents died within thirty-six hours of one another. A chapter was devoted to each child, so the book is, in a sense, a very mini-biography of all of the children, which is more touching having been written by their mom. Having met Nanny Vonnegut, Kurt's youngest biological daughter, I found the chapter devoted to her very engaging.
Although it was obvious that the book was not written by an established author, the simple fact that a mommy was writing about her kids made it readable. Also, the end might even evoke a tear as the reader realizes that this isn't just a mother, but a dying mother leaving this book as her legacy.
Although it was obvious that the book was not written by an established author, the simple fact that a mommy was writing about her kids made it readable. Also, the end might even evoke a tear as the reader realizes that this isn't just a mother, but a dying mother leaving this book as her legacy.
February 19, 2017
Jane was a friend of my mother's and I have to say, I'm sorry I didn't read this 20 years ago. They were a remarkable pair.
Kurt was right to be jealous. HIs talent notwithstanding, dare I say she was a better writer?
Kurt was right to be jealous. HIs talent notwithstanding, dare I say she was a better writer?
August 26, 2013
Non-fiction. The parents of 4 young boys are both tragically killed. They are taken in by their aunt and uncle on the Cape. They don't have much money though.
July 25, 2014
Moving and riveting.
November 6, 2016
interesting memoir; what would you do if your family of 5 was suddenly expanded by the addition of your 4 orphaned nephews; I would not have managed as well as the Vonneguts did
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews