The Fool and the Magician: A Memoir of Love Told in Tarot Readings

by Angela Lam

On the cusp of forty, Angela Lam consults with a tarot reader for career advice and receives the following prediction: she will find a new job and, while there, she will meet a man who will heal her heart. Already married with children, Angela tells her husband who is unconcerned about what the cards reveal. But when the prediction threatens to manifest, will Angela’s family fall apart?

This true story will inspire you to reexamine the definitions of midlife crisis and spiritual awakening as well as challenge the roles of fate and free will in your life.

Advance Praise for The Fool and the Magician:

Lam’s memoir uniquely blends an exploration of love, relationships, mental health, with the more mystical and magical original elements. Her vulnerability and nuanced emotional states allow readers to truly connect to her profound and intimate story.

—Publishers Weekly The BookLife Prize

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2022

About the author

Angela Lam, formerly Angela Lam Turpin, writes across genres, from sweet contemporary romances to candid memoirs to sexy thrillers and everything in between.

Reviews

[Star Gater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I just read a memoir or women's fiction. The book is classified as both. The Tarot card portion concerned me and the title intrigued me.

The story is written beautifully. When I finished I was satisfied and wanted to read it again. This is a love story that spans years. While the Tarot readings are done, the decision-making processes and outcomes can be the same with or without the cards.

I would love to have an audiobook experience with this story. Anna Massey comes to my mind as the narrator.

The book has a noir vibe. I appreciated the ending, I accepted and totally understood it.

Thank you NetGalley and Backlit PR for accepting my request to read and review The Fool and the Magician. It was my pleasure. I had the E-book and one day should I run across the physical book, I will proudly place it on my one shelf only keep books.

[Thelma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book because I love anything related to Tarot cards, and the fact it is a Memoir made it even more appealing, so this was one of the main reasons I wanted to read this book. But I had a hard time getting immersed in the story, but from the very first pages, I was struggling to like what was happening.

It is not about the way it was written or any of that is only because I couldn't digest to read how the main characters were living separate lives as if they weren't married or didn't have any compromise at all.

Without giving too much away I felt very anxious with every page because the characters weren't even trying to fix their marriage they were more immersed in destroying what they had even if that was somehow subconscious. I know this is a true story and is hard for me to rate someone's experience but it was somehow painful to read what the author went true.

The constant silence and regrets, the constant not saying what they want or meant also really was deterring. There was a sad feeling at all times that permeate the whole book. I know not everybody has a happy ending but I felt the main character would have had a better opportunity if they had better communication in the first place.

Overall it was a good book but somehow something struck a nerve in me that made me feel sad to read this story

Thank you, NetGalley and Backlit PR for the advanced copy of The Fool and The Magician in exchange for my honest review

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heart wrenching memoir about a woman who uses tarot cards to look into her future and finds herself at a major crossroad with her husband when seeking answers about her work life, He is repeatedly nonplussed by the reading of the impending destruction of their relationship as she stumbles down a lonely road trying to figure out where her life will take her. They are two people in a relationship on different paths.

I was immediately intrigued with this book when I picked it up. I found the interweaving and explanation of the tarot to be fascinating and it was an excellent backdrop for her memoir. The story of her relationship with her husband, children, and boyfriend was both beautiful and sad. I can only imagine how hard it was to be so forthcoming and honest, and I don't think many could do it. She really put herself "out there" for the reader and showed all of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Some parts made me cringe, some made my heart swell, and all of it kept me reading to find out more.

I have never read any of Angela Lams books before this, but I truly enjoyed it and imagine I will pick up this author again.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

My second memoir. Part magical, part mystical, and part everyday life, this tale told in four tarot readings chronicles the events leading up to and after a tarot reader predicted the outcome of my love life in 2010.

This limited edition will only be available from April to June 2022. The ebook is only $0.99 and the paperback is $15.99.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I always enjoy Angela's fiction, I think this is far and away my absolute favorite of all her books. The deeply personal nature of this book and the raw, jagged edges of the emotion of her experiences make this book so gripping. Angela doesn't hold anything back in exposing the constant struggles of balancing self and others that are a part of being human and living with other humans. Granted, I may be biased as Angela is a friend, so I connected with her experiences more than an unbiased reader might. Nevertheless, this book really made me examine my own motivations and approaches to people in ways that other books don't, and it's going to be going on the list of books that I reread on a regular basis.

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Angela Lam consults with a tarot reader, as she has many times before when considering changes in her life. This time she goes to a reading for career advice, which she receives, but she also learns that she will meet a man who will heal her heart.

This is discombobulating, as she's already married, for several years, and has two children. When she tells her husband of her reading, he is unconcerned, but when Angela meets a new coworker, she feels that this is the man.

Then comes a series of decisions that have a profound effect on her, her husband and children. She begins an affair with this new man, while trying to maintain the life she already has. Extramarital affairs have been a part of both Angela's and her husband's marriage for years, but neither has ever wanted to leave the marriage before.

Much upheaval results when the new man declares he wants to spend the rest of his life with her, and her husband becomes increasingly upset with Angela's meeting up with the other guy.

Lam starts each section with a description and discussion of a particular tarot card, providing context for her decisions. However the memoir can be read without relying on the cards' descriptions.

I had trouble getting into this, even with its honest portrayal of the dissolution of an over twenty-year marriage and its effects on everyone. The tone is sad, wistful, deeply personal and often raw as Angela confronts her life and reasons for her actions. It's full of mess and emotion, and I should have loved this more.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Backlit PR for this ARC in exchange for my review.

[ywanderingreads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I requested for this because it is a memoir that uses tarot card readings to tell the story. Sounds really intriguing right? I really wanted to love this memoir but I had a hard time concentrating on the story.

This memoir details Angela Lam and her tumultuous marriage using tarot readings and categorising them into different categories. I loved the explanation for each tarot card and how it correlates to Angela’s marriage. It feels as though I am reading a fiction rather than a memoir cause of the whimsical aspect of the cards.

This memoir doesn’t actually offer any advice on how to improve Angela’s marriage, instead it shows how destructive Angela’s marriage was and how she is trying her best to find happiness. Lam’s choices in her marriage is questionable but who are we to judge? If put in her shoes, can we really be rational and make the right choices?

Lam was very honest in her writing, sharing all the good and ugly. It’s never easy to air your dirty laundry to an audience you don’t know. She was very honest in her relationship with her husband, her children and her boyfriend as she struggle to find herself again.

Thank you Netgalley and Backlit PR for the arc.

[Robin Hornstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who has had a messy divorce should read this memoir. Angela lays bare her messy life and use of Tarot to guide her through a dark time. With total honesty, she shares those thoughts we all wrestle with as marriages fall apart. That our loves are always cobbled together with memories, dreams and paste is something that can strengthen us when we own it, which Angela does in this second terrific memoir. If honesty is a writing super power, Angela had it.