Angels

The Walshes starred in a previous Keyes novel, the delightful Rachel's Holiday; Maggie is Rachel's older sister, (one of five) and the only one who "never did any of that nasty sleeping around business". Instead she got married to her first boyfriend Paul Garvan and everything was fine, until they suffered a couple of "setbacks". Unable to face sorting out the difficulties, Maggie hightails it to Los Angeles to stay with her old pal Emily. Emily is a script writer, her short film A Perfect Day was a big hit in Ireland, but her working life is a little tougher in the land of sunshine and fat-free Pringles. The two girls, along with a supporting cast of wannabes, scary film studio folk and slacker next door neighbours, get on with sorting out their emotional issues in a stylishly witty, wonderfully warm fashion. Maggie's devilish ex-boyfriend and the commitment phobic Troy add in a delightful frisson of sexual tension.

Marian Keyes observations on the foibles of love and LA are laugh-out-loud funny, but there's a beguiling tenderness there too. By the time you reach the final full stop you'll be sighing with contentment, and just wishing that Marian would get a move on with the next book. --Eithne Farry

A welcome return to the Walsh family ( Rachel from Rachel's holiday and Claire from Watermelon) and their cocktail of alcohol dependance, junk food greed and disreputable daughters.Fabulous!!

Maggie Walsh , sister of Claire and Rachel, goes through the
" Turning 30/should I be having kids crisis", exacerbated by the fact that no -one will tell her the truth about labour pains ( it hurts believe me!!). Crisis is catalyst for relationship breakdown which in turn is catalyst for her buggering off to L.A.

Maggie's time in LA is interspersed with thoughtful insights into her history and the book swings from past to present in a Wuthering Heights kind of a way, keeping you gripped and wanting to get through the chapters like Penelope Pitstop on speed so you can find out about her past!!

The satirical look at LA is hilarious - wait till you find out about the very latest plastic surgery - quite an image!!

The way that Maggie thinks " To hell with it" and behaves out of character is almost like it's you yourself on holiday thinking " sod it". Marian Keyes lets you know the characters so personally that you experience Maggie's risks and thrills almost first hand. When Maggie wakes up to herself is something we can all identify with, the happy ending is something we all deserve but most of us don't get! Still that's why it's a book and a brilliant one!

When do we get the next book about another wayward sister?


Yet another Marian Keyes winner!   September 27, 2002
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

I am an avid reader of Marian Keyes' novels, and received Angels as a birthday gift back in June. In fact, Ms. Keyes was reading from "Angels" in my neighborhood bookstore here in the USA, but I had just had surgery and couldn't attend.
Angels just might be my new favorite Keyes book! I laughed the entire way through the book....but then, before I knew it, I was actually crying while reading along too. Keyes' books are always light-hearted, yet based in reality, and offer some heart-felt poignent moments that have her characters baring their innermost souls. At the same time, Keyes has a wonderful ability to play on the "transplanted" characters, whether they are from Ireland and plopped down smack in the middle of Los Angeles, or they have a steady career and find themselves suddenly sacked without a job at all, or being wonderfully married only to be suddenly single, etc.
Angels captures the superficial soul of Hollywood and LA VERY accurately, with her usual wit and honest observations. And in the meantime, the novel is filled with characters that you want to keep reading about! Well done Ms. Keyes!


Another great book   September 24, 2002
20 out of 21 found this review helpful

As a massive fan of Marian Keyes I have been patiently waiting for the publication of this latest book.
If you've read either Rachel's Holiday or Watermelon you will be delighted to know that Angels follows the story of another of the Walsh sisters, Maggie.
Maggie has always been the "good girl" of the family and so when her marriage to Garv breaks down, her family and friends are deeply shocked. Struggling to come to terms with the split, the worn down Maggie jets off to LA to spend some time with her writer friend Emily.
Emily is herself trying to prove to all and sundry at home that her decision to move to Cailfornia to be a Hollywood writer was worth the risk.
It's hard to say too much about this book without giving away much of the story. There are so many twists and turns that the reader simply does not know what is coming next. This is not chick lit, this is funny, immensely moving and ultimately completely uplifting.
The Walsh family are as usual fabulous in all their dysfunctional glory. Maggie herself is a typical woman, with typical hopes and dreams and we can all relate to her shock at her broken marriage. Anyone who has ever had their heart broken will cry with her as she comes to terms with what has happend.
But never at any time does this book descend into self pity and depression. The women in Angels are fighters and they keep going no matter what is thrown at them, sometimes with hilarious consequences.
If I have to say one negative thing about this book ( and I really don't want to) this book was, for me, a little slow to start with, but that may have been simply because having read and loved Keyes' previous Walsh books I was expected to wowed from the first page.
However the book picked up pace and second half of the book is really "unputdownable".
I would recommend Angels to anyone who likes a good read, doesn't want to be patronised and likes to a book to make them both laugh and cry.
I can't wait for the next one.


Irish at it's best   October 20, 2002
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This is a FAB book, but I would recommend you read, Watermelon 1st and Rachaels Holiday next as it is about the same Irish family and it refers to things that have happened in these previous books. I could not put the book down as it flows and is funny and sad, but hey we have all been there. The author is about my age and therefore things she describes relate to the way that i think (I was born in 1966). A short trip to LA and a world of discovery for Maggie, settled sensible Maggie. A must read for all Keyes fans, I hope she does a one woman show, I'd definately be there. And the tip re piles cream, well I'll have to try it!!!!


Marian Keyes at her very best   May 6, 2005
Faith (Finland)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I concider Angels the best book Marian Keyes has ever written (although I havent yet read all her books). Maggie is clearly the most symhatetic of the Walsh-sisters. I also think that Angels deals with wider themes. Maggie's problem isnt really low selfexteem, like Claire's and Rachel's. Shes somehow a deaper character. I also liked the plot. In Angels Marian Keyes is more entertraininbg than ever. I really laughed, especially when Maggies family came to LA to visite her. The Walsh family seems to be an Irish version of Bridget Jones' family. Marian howver makes her chacters more realistic and nicer than Helen fielding. Angels was also a real pageturner like no other book I have read for a while has been. I compeletely loved it. It captured me. Marian Keyes has a great way of relieving the background of events little by little. First it seemed like in the book Maggie's and Garv's marridge brokdown because they were simply tired of each other or something as shallow, but during the book it turned out there was a lot more to it. Really great! I really felt like I was Maggie when I was reading the book.