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Winged
What if the cavalier decision you made about your child the day she was born had the power to reverberate for more than thirty years, dividing the nation, costing three people their lives, and destroying your family? Homeless teen Allison Fitzgerald believes the two tiny membranes on her baby's back are not, as the doctors claim, a surgically correctable birth defect, but a pair of wings. And after having a vision of her child flying, she even names her Angel. The "wings" will never flap, fly or lift the child off the ground, but they will engender in Angel a dangerous obsession with flying, an obsession that will one day drive her to attempt the impossible. This darkly comic contemporary reframing of the Icarus and Daedalus myth explores the lengths to which a mother will go to protect her child, and ultimately offers a message of salvation, not just for the family involved, but for all mankind.
270 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 12, 2011
1 person is currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
April Kelly
6 books9 followersI was born on Long Island to military parents who would have much preferred a new dining room set. After a peripatetic childhood I did hard time at the University of South Florida before moving to Los Angeles to be either a stand-up comic or a writer.
Since writing paid actual money while stand-up did not, I signed onto the original writing staff of MORK AND MINDY, leaving two seasons later after having written 15 of the initial 52 episodes, one of which was a finalist for the Humanitas Prize.
I then relocated to New York to write and produce the premier season of LOVE, SIDNEY, starring Tony Randall and Swoosie Kurtz, the first prime-time comedy featuring an openly gay lead character (many years before WILL AND GRACE) and the show for which I received my second Emmy nomination.
Back to the west coast, I wrote and produced series such as 9 to 5 (the TV version of the feature film), TEACHERS ONLY, starring Lynn Redgrave, and WEBSTER, before co-creating the first half-hour comedy specifically made for cable, SANCHEZ OF BEL AIR.
From 1987 to 1991 I stopped doing TV staff work so I could take a four-year course at the oldest homeopathic medical school in England. During that time I worked strictly freelance, supporting myself by writing made-for-television movies and mini-series.
After graduating from The College of Homeopathy in London, I returned to television, co-creating the series BOY MEETS WORLD which ran on ABC from 1993 to 2000.
In 2000 I moved to a farm in Tennessee, where I now write less soul-sucking material than TV scripts. I have two dogs who stay with me more from Stockholm syndrome than any genuine feeling of affection.
Since writing paid actual money while stand-up did not, I signed onto the original writing staff of MORK AND MINDY, leaving two seasons later after having written 15 of the initial 52 episodes, one of which was a finalist for the Humanitas Prize.
I then relocated to New York to write and produce the premier season of LOVE, SIDNEY, starring Tony Randall and Swoosie Kurtz, the first prime-time comedy featuring an openly gay lead character (many years before WILL AND GRACE) and the show for which I received my second Emmy nomination.
Back to the west coast, I wrote and produced series such as 9 to 5 (the TV version of the feature film), TEACHERS ONLY, starring Lynn Redgrave, and WEBSTER, before co-creating the first half-hour comedy specifically made for cable, SANCHEZ OF BEL AIR.
From 1987 to 1991 I stopped doing TV staff work so I could take a four-year course at the oldest homeopathic medical school in England. During that time I worked strictly freelance, supporting myself by writing made-for-television movies and mini-series.
After graduating from The College of Homeopathy in London, I returned to television, co-creating the series BOY MEETS WORLD which ran on ABC from 1993 to 2000.
In 2000 I moved to a farm in Tennessee, where I now write less soul-sucking material than TV scripts. I have two dogs who stay with me more from Stockholm syndrome than any genuine feeling of affection.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 15, 2014
What would you do if your child was born with "wings"? I was intrigued when I first read the synopsis of this book for it had me wondering if this was a book on angels or if it was a more realistic story. Further, I was curious to learn how this girl's wings caused people their lives and divided a nation. I was eager to start reading this book.
I was immediately captivated with the story told by Allison, the mother of Angel. Allison was unfortunately raped at a young age and was kicked out of her house when her parents learned that she was pregnant. Though she was young, Allison showed determination to keep moving forward especially after her daughter was born. It was fascinating to read how this mother did everything possible to make sure that her daughter had a good life as well as make sure that she herself received further education. It was heart-warming and sometimes comical to read how mother and daughter reacted towards the wings and wondered whether or not Angel would be able to fly.
As heart-warming as the story was, I could not help being boggled on how unrealistic everything seemed. The tone of the story was too positive. The fact that Allison was gang raped and showed little side affects about it had me scratching my head. Perhaps April Kelly did not want to focus too much on such a horrific incident, but I still found it odd that Allison was a pretty stable character. Another thing that I found the tone being too positive strange was the lack of people's reaction to Angel's wings. It was not mentioned whether or not Angel was teased or bullied at school for having wings. Kids are cruel no matter what, so this omission was unreal to me. However, the positiveness of this book did not turn me away from reading it. In fact, I found myself glued to the story.
Yes, I was enthralled by the quirkiness of the story and the two main characters. I could not help but love them. I found it funny how almost every chapter ended with a cliff-hanger and how spunky Angel was when she became older and knew how to use her wings to her advantage. The whole time reading this book, it had me wondering and hoping whether or not Angel would fly.
All in all, this was an interesting and unique read. Though its positive tone might have made it seem unbelievable, this was more of a realistic fiction read versus a sci-fi/fantasy one. It was engrossing and heartfelt. This was a wonderful read and I hope to read some more from this author.
I was immediately captivated with the story told by Allison, the mother of Angel. Allison was unfortunately raped at a young age and was kicked out of her house when her parents learned that she was pregnant. Though she was young, Allison showed determination to keep moving forward especially after her daughter was born. It was fascinating to read how this mother did everything possible to make sure that her daughter had a good life as well as make sure that she herself received further education. It was heart-warming and sometimes comical to read how mother and daughter reacted towards the wings and wondered whether or not Angel would be able to fly.
As heart-warming as the story was, I could not help being boggled on how unrealistic everything seemed. The tone of the story was too positive. The fact that Allison was gang raped and showed little side affects about it had me scratching my head. Perhaps April Kelly did not want to focus too much on such a horrific incident, but I still found it odd that Allison was a pretty stable character. Another thing that I found the tone being too positive strange was the lack of people's reaction to Angel's wings. It was not mentioned whether or not Angel was teased or bullied at school for having wings. Kids are cruel no matter what, so this omission was unreal to me. However, the positiveness of this book did not turn me away from reading it. In fact, I found myself glued to the story.
Yes, I was enthralled by the quirkiness of the story and the two main characters. I could not help but love them. I found it funny how almost every chapter ended with a cliff-hanger and how spunky Angel was when she became older and knew how to use her wings to her advantage. The whole time reading this book, it had me wondering and hoping whether or not Angel would fly.
All in all, this was an interesting and unique read. Though its positive tone might have made it seem unbelievable, this was more of a realistic fiction read versus a sci-fi/fantasy one. It was engrossing and heartfelt. This was a wonderful read and I hope to read some more from this author.
January 15, 2014
Not everyone enjoys magical realism, but I do and found this novel quite original. Suppose you’re an unmarried, teen mother, with no support network. The nurses bring your new baby daughter to you, and she has what look like two tiny wings sprouting from her back. The doctor calls these “congenital anomalies” and suggests removing them immediately to make the child “normal.” Would you listen to him or to your heart telling you that you think this child will someday fly? Although I found the first narrator, the mom, at times annoyingly sarcastic ( à la Bridgett Jones) and a few of the plot developments overly sensational, I was mostly charmed.
May 9, 2018
What a disappointment. I really loved this concept and had read the excerpt from the ABNA 2013 contest, leaving me wanting more. Without giving spoilers, I'll just say the author raced through the two main characters lives, leaving us with a novice to TELL us theme and message (not even a very compelling theme at that). Twist at end was forced and not believable. Poor show.
November 19, 2011
Truly unique. Unforgettable.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews