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California Angel: Updated
 
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California Angel: Updated [Paperback]

Nancy Taylor Rosenberg (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)


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Book Description

December 1, 1996
Believing she is an angel, a woman embarks on a voyage into the supernatural, a trip that reaches its climax in a courtroom trial that becomes a battleground between man and magic, in the popular novel that has been expanded to include readers' letters.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a surprising departure from her bestselling legal thrillers (Mitigating Circumstances, etc.), Rosenberg tells a warmhearted story of divine intervention and angelic miracles. Protagonist Toy Johnson is a charismatic teacher who insists on thinking positively about the futures of the underprivileged children in her inner-city school in Santa Ana, Calif. Though Toy is beautiful (she has "flaming red hair"; her skin is "as translucent as the finest silk") and wealthy, she is unhappy: she has been unable to conceive, and her surgeon husband does not sympathize with her need to donate money to the needy families of her young charges. Idealistic Toy craves "magic, miracles, overnight solutions." She has had this sense of mission since the day she suffered cardiac arrest, when she had a vision in which she helped an autistic boy. Now, having decided that she needs some space to consider a separation from her husband, Toy goes to New York, where she suffers recurrences of cardiac arrest, each time having vivid dreams of saving children from grave danger. Yet these children turn out to be real, and mounting evidence indicates that her lifesaving actions may occur during out-of-body astral projections. Soon Toy understands that she is an angel, deputized on missions of mercy. Rosenberg's fervid, exalted prose often soars to melodramatic heights, and her basic premise requires the same kind of belief that draws readers to The Celestine Prophecy. She eschews heavy-handed sermonizing, however, and intriguing plot twists keep the narrative moving briskly. Literary Guild main selection; audio rights to Penguin Highbridge; author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Toy Johnson, a teacher at an urban Los Angeles school who cannot resist helping children in trouble, has strange but realistic dreams in which she aids children around the world. As her marriage to a wealthy, selfish doctor falters, Toy begins to experience heart problems, during which these strange dreams become so vivid that she bears physical scars afterward. During a visit to New York City, her physical problems and dream sequences reach a peak after she is arrested for kidnapping a child in Kansas whom she dreamed she saved from a fire. A mysterious and ethereal transit cop may be her only salvation. In a departure from her best-selling suspense tales like Mitigating Circumstances (LJ 12/92), Rosenberg offers a well-written work of hope and faith that is sure to be popular. Highly recommended for public libraries. [Literary Guild alternate; previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/94.]-Heather Blenkinsopp, Mercy Coll. Lib., Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
--Heather Blenkinsopp, Mercy Coll. Lib., Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Signet (December 1, 1996)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0451191773
  • ISBN-13: 978-0451191779
  • Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,409,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nancy Taylor Rosenberg is an American writer. She attended school at Gulf Park College in Gulf Port, Mississippi. She has three children, three step children, one adopted child,and currently resides in Dallas, Texas.

Rosenberg's first novel, MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES, was published in 1993, and the film rights were obtained by Academy Award winning director, Jonathan Demme. Rosenberg novels have been translated into almost every language. The majority of her novels have been New York Times bestsellers. MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES has been described as a contemporary CRIME AND PUNISHMENT.

Rosenberg is also known for her philanthropic efforts. She received national acclaim for her writing program for inner city youth,"Voice of Tomorrow". The Board of Supervisors of Orange County voted her "A Woman of Excellence, Learning for Life" in 1994. She was featured on Prime Time Live and in People Magazine for her adoption of a child with a rare, frequently terminal illness, Methylmalonic Acidemia, or MMA. A physician in France who saw the Prime Time Live episode claimed he was curing MMA patients by means of a liver transplant. At the time, the child Rosenberg adopted, Janelle Garcia, was the oldest living survivor with MMA. No one had previously lived past the age of eighteen. Janelle received both a kidney and liver transplant and is now in her early thirties, giving hope to future generations of children suffering from MMA.

Rosenberg's family and friends have nicknamed her "Lucy" as she is known for doing unusual and sometimes hilarious things. She says she never knows what to expect when she opens her refrigerator. She once found flea solution for a fifty pound dog in her freezer. She does have dogs but none of them weigh over fourteen pounds. On one occasion her husband asked her a question while she was writing and she told him she would answer him in when she finished her sentence. When she finally answered him, he told her an entire day had passed sine he had asked her the question.


 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Suspensful and Refreshing, November 26, 1998
This review is from: California Angel: Updated (Paperback)
California Angel is a nice break from the normal criminal and legal thriller we are drawn to. The more I got into this book, the more I couldn't put down. Raymond's character was so heartfelt and I couldn't wait to see what happened to him and how Toy and himself would eventually intwine later in life. I couldn't wait for Toy to dump her husband and it couldn't be too soon. Joey was a God's send (no pun intended) for Toy and you knew he would guide her right from their first meeting. I loved the ending (usally I am disappointed and endings finish to quickly) and not giving anything away I felt renewed in faith that maybe this isn't such a bad and troubled world and there are people making a difference, if not only for a few hours of reading. Get reading for the Christmas season!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Spiritual Tale, October 7, 2006
This review is from: California Angel: Updated (Paperback)
This is just a fun book to read if you are looking for spirtual values as well as an entertaining book to read. A wonderful story that should have been made into a movie. She really spins a spirtual tale that is also a great reading experiece. I read the orignal hardback copy of this book in 1995 - and it still sits on my book shelf. I plan on re-reading it again the coming year.

The ending with all the twists, makes for inspirational way to close the book. I would rate this higher than 5 stars if the sytem would allow me to do so! I really enjoyed her little story.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing but a little saccharine, March 23, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: California Angel: Updated (Paperback)
If you are someone who doesn't like schmaltzy, feel-good books, this isn't for you. The premise is intriguing. Toy Johnson is a teacher who is married to a surgeon and can't have children although there is no known medical cause. She helps out children and their families while doing very little for herself. She's also an environmentalist who practices rather than preaches. Her husband is extravagent and forbids Toy to keep helping families in need, saying they are lazy and taking advantage of her good nature. After a bitter fight with him, Toy goes off with her friend Sylvia to New York City. She once again has a vivid dream of rescuing a child, just as she has ever since a near-death experience when she was in her late teens. Sylvia realizes she isn't breathing and has no pulse and gives her CPR while summoning an ambulance. Toy awakes with burns on her hands and suspects the dream she had of saving a young boy from a fire may have really happened. She sets out to prove this while her husband dismisses her as mentally unstable. A reporter suspects she was trying to kidnap the children she's been rescuing and paints a picture of a desperate childless woman and kid-snatcher in the media. Toy is soon on trial for kidnapping and murder. The ending is about as saccharine sweet as they get and Toy is almost too good to be real, but you will be pulled into the suspenseful plot and root for things to work out for her.
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