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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
okay, I'm addicted.,
By Candace "thepageturner" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: No Angel (Hardcover)
The addictive properties of this book are such that as soon as I put it down, I jumped up to order the two other books in the Lytton trilogy from the UK. Penny Vincenzi is a huge seller in Europe and it is easy to see why. "No Angel" has the full cast of vivid characters, urgent situations, and confident writing that make the family saga one of the most venerable and satisfying of fiction genres.Despite the stylish 1950s fashion cover, "No Angel" is set between 1904 and 1928. Aristocratic Lady Celia has gotten herself pregnant so she can marry Oliver Lytton. The Lyttons may own a publishing house, but they are not of Celia's class. The match is a success, and easy-going Oliver and sparky Celia are a happy couple. But it seems inevitable that Celia should become restless and look for more to do than peek in on the children occasionally. She dabbles in social activism, which awkwardly ends with her fostering Barty, the little daughter of the slum family she's supposed to be observing. She carefully begins to take small part in the business of Lyttons, which is now run by Oliver and his sister LM. When the Great War breaks out, Oliver enlists, and it is up to LM and Celia to keep the publishing house that supports them all afloat. With her brains, looks, and business sense, Celia would seem to be a slam-dunk for a charmed life. But no one's life is, least of all the Lyttons, who are as full of flaws, bad judgment, humor, and hope as anybody else. There is excellent period detail, with a fascinating look at the publishing industry in the early part of the century, social activism, family dynamics, World War I, fashion, and popular culture. One of the most pleasing aspects of the book is that Vincenzi has created strong female characters without having to resort to assigning them anachronistic behavior. They are women of their time and behave as such. "No Angel" has an exciting ending and you will be kept on the edge of your seat to the last page. Considering the way the characters have developed, any number of possible endings would be believable. Whew! This is an adept and satisfying novel that will bring hours of pleasure. My question is: What took so long for this enjoyable writer's books to reach these shores?
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As Compulsively Readable as any Spy Thriller,
By Bookreporter.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews
This review is from: No Angel (Hardcover)
Last year the Overlook Press, previously best known for publishing literary fiction and reissuing the Freddy the Pig children's books, took a gamble and published a big, popular book, THE COMPANY by Robert Littell. Its success prompted the publisher to tackle an equally ambitious project this year. This time, though, the novel is so-called women's fiction, and the subject matter is not the history of the CIA but the equally turbulent history of a single British family. The good news is that NO ANGEL, with its superb plotting and wide cast of characters, is just as compulsively readable as any spy thriller.The heroine of NO ANGEL is Lady Celia, a lovely debutante at the start of the novel, who sets her sights on Oliver Lytton, heir to an up-and-coming publishing firm. The year is 1904, and Celia's very proper society family is appalled by her desire to marry into "new money." Even more shocking, though, is Celia's desire to work in publishing herself. Despite her husband's misgivings, Celia joins the firm as a junior editor and surprises everyone by being absolutely brilliant at her work, soon rising through the ranks to work alongside Oliver and his sister, the imposing but secretly vulnerable LM. In the meantime, Celia is also having babies, and the challenges she faces in balancing the work she loves with her growing family will ring true for many modern working mothers. Celia and Oliver work hard to build a life for themselves in London and soon find themselves at the center of a fabulous social circle that includes prominent writers, artists and politicians. Then World War I begins, and everything changes. Oliver spends four years at the front lines and comes back a shadow of his former self. Celia and LM, who have worked hard to keep the publishing house going in his absence, must cope with relinquishing power to the men when they return from the war. Soon, Celia, accustomed to making hard decisions in her professional life, finds herself torn by an incredibly difficult personal choice between passion and responsibility. Although Lady Celia Lytton is the "no angel" of the book's title, and most of the novel's plots revolve around her intense personality, one of the book's riches is its immense cast of supporting players, most of whom are finely drawn, interesting characters in their own right. From Jack, Oliver's dashing but inept bachelor brother, to Barty, the young girl Celia plucks from poverty in a misguided charitable impulse, to Celia's mother, who harbors some pretty racy secrets of her own, the cast of characters spans generations, class boundaries and continents, and the plot touches all of them in turn. NO ANGEL is not great literature, but it does provide a certain level of emotional insight into all of these characters that is lacking in much popular fiction. The plot itself rockets through all 600+ pages and the text, especially near the book's end, is broken up into small chunks of a paragraph or two, shifting the story rapidly from one character to another. If there's one flaw with the book, it's the numerous typographical errors and punctuation problems that riddle the text to the point of being distracting. The story also relies a little too heavily on coincidence and close calls, but that's OK --- that's what will keep readers turning the pages, waiting for a resolution. Not all of the subplots are resolved, however. The author had to save something for the book's two sequels, which have already been published in the United Kingdom, where Penny Vincenzi has long been a bestselling author, and will be published in the United States by Overlook Press as well. For readers who devour NO ANGEL, these next installments in the Lytton family saga can't be published quickly enough. --- Reviewed by Norah Piehl
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Magical Classic,
By Heather Marshall Negahdar "Haze" (Bridgetown, Barbados) - See all my reviews
This review is from: No Angel (Paperback)
This is the first volume of a series.Set in the publishing house of the Lyttons. named after the Lytton family, Ms. Vincenzi's new classic takes us into the lives of the Lytton, the Beckenham and the Miller families just before World War II. Celia Lytton is the main character who takes over the helm of the family business as the country goes to war. A strong-willed woman, Celia displays her good business acumen and makes Lyttons a successful and competitive establishment. As the family men leave England to fight in the war, there are butterflies in the womens' stomachs each time as they worry if and whether they would ever see their loved ones again. There are powerful women in this book who take their responsibility, virtually heading their households, dispersing their children from London up to country homes away from the bombs, and establishing temporary shelters for the the wounded men who return from the war in despair, and some total incapacitated. As the novel weaves it's intoxicating magic, you will meet Oliver Lytton, Celia's kind husband who becomes a tiresome and tempermental soul much to Celia's agitation, causing her to look elsewhere for love. You'll also meet Margaret Lytton, Oliver's sister who helps Celia manage the publishing house. Then of course there are Celia's twin daughters, Adele and Venetia; two playfully wicked girls; silent Giles and her adopted daughter Barty Miller. With exciting authors at the publishing house, especially one particular one who makes a marked impact on Celia Lytton's life, this plot twists and turns with the reader never knowing what will take place on the following page. A remarkable classic read which has me now waiting in limbo for the follow-up...as this story has by no means finished....just merely paused...awaiting the second volume. It makes one wonderfuly anxious to see what will happen to these charming characters who the reader begins to care so much about. One has to be patient for the answers lie in SOMETHING DANGEROUS which should be out this month. Readers who have loved Penny Vincenzi's wonderful novels should order this compelling book soon. It's not to be missed. Check for yourself. Heather Marshall
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