Customer Reviews

Angel of Light

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This story of the American political scene is one of loyalty and betrayal, revenge and forgiveness. It's the old two-men-in- love-with-one-woman tale but this time with a twist: save a life and share a love.

When Maurice Halleck dies in disgrace his children vow to kill his betrayers -- their mother and her lover. It's a thriller that takes a good, hard look at the alienation of youth.

Politics. A failed marriage. The intricate world of Washington in the years of 1979-1980, without naming names, a gentle gloss over realities. The politics is just a backdrop, however, for the Halleck family. Maurice, the head of the family, leaves a drunken, convoluted confession and his car is found in a brackish swamp in a small Virginia town. His children, Owen and Kirsten, are convinced it is the doing of his wife and his long time friend (and wife's lover) Nick; everyone else is convinced it is a suicide due to his unscrupulous practices in D.C. The story follows the children and their plans to exact justice however they can.

The characters are well written and realistic, and, although it might seem to end on a rather simplified note, it is a satisfying read.

Maurice Halleck, direct descendent of 1850's anti-slavery martyr John Brown, is accused of wrongdoing and then found dead w/ a suicide note. His kids suspect foul play involving their mother and her lover. This unusually involving book by Oates uses family, politics, and history to weave a tale of justice against those in power.

The story line was simple, a murder, children trying to find out who murdered their father and a mother trying to keep everything a secret.

This family was so confused it would take a genius to figure out what was going on. The sister was crazy, she disgusted me in so many ways. She had strange, not every day, thoughts about every day things. The brother didn't know if he was straight ot gay. The mother was a what I considered a typical high class prostitute. The father you're not sure about, other people telling his story. The whole family was a little strange.

There was so a little too much back tracking in the book. As you read you traveled through too many avenues in the lives of these people. Too many times she went back in time and then jumped right back to the now, all on the same page. By the time you got one chapter figured out, you were once again confused about who was speaking or being spoke about in the next chapter (until about half way through it). I never knew from one chapter to the next what generation I was going to be in.

I judged this book by it's title, I had hoped for more. I would not recommened this book.