A Quiet Belief in Angels

by R J Ellory | Mystery & Thrillers | This book has not been rated.
ISBN: 0752882635 Global Overview for this book
Registered by keithpp of Farnborough, Hampshire United Kingdom on 3/10/2008
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Journal Entry 1 by keithpp from Farnborough, Hampshire United Kingdom on Monday, March 10, 2008
'What we remember from childhood we remember forever - permanent ghosts, stamped, inked, imprinted, eternally seen.' -- Cynthia Ozik

A Quiet Belief in Angels by R J Ellory is a very powerful novel.

One day in July 1939, when he was still a little boy, a feather blew into his room. Joseph was sure it was the sign of a visit from an angel.

On the same July day, the Angel of Death pays a visit and takes away his father.

Joseph's childhood is haunted by a serial killer who is killing little girls in his neighbourhood. Joseph feels powerless to stop the killer. The nightmares haunt him into adulthood.

Joseph also has dreams, he dreams of being a writer. He is encouraged by his mother and teacher. His teacher tells him to always tell the truth, to write what he believes in, not what others expect of him.

A parallel to be seen in the works of Paulo Coelho, follow ones dreams, what you believe in, not be a slave to the wishes of others, be true to yourself.

To encourage him, his teacher drops off for him as a birthday present, The Long Valley by John Steinbeck.

Later in life, reflecting on his childhood, Joseph sees himself as J D Salinger's 'Catcher' in The Catcher in the Rye.

The past is composed of fragments of memory. Although the subject matter is different, the period is the same, construction of the past from fragments of memory, to be found in The Visible World by Mark Slouka.

A beautifully written book, shortlisted for the British Book Awards 2008.

Synchronicity: I was inspired to read A Quiet Belief in Angels by R J Ellory after talking with a girl who was reading the book. We got to talking about angels, I told her I had written an article on angels. We spoke again a few days later. She told me she had been out on a trip all day and had found three white feathers. A sure sign she told me of visits by angels. The day after we spoke, I checked my e-mail to find I had received an e-mail of angels! [see Synchronicity and angels]

Also read

The Woods by Harlan Coben [see BCID 5971705]

The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger [see BCID 5965253]

The Long Valley by John Steinbeck

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold [see BCID 5897866]

The Visible World by Mark Slouka [see BCID 5898073]

The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster [see BCID 5712318]

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak [see BCID 5879648]

My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk [see BCID 5849546]

By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho [see BCID 5584996]

The Valkyries by Paulo Coelho [see BCID 5849550]

Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho [see BCID 5872447]


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