Customer Reviews

The Side of the Angels: A Novel

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A refreshing departure from the stale "Sex and the City" genre, "The Side of the Angels" offers a warm, witty look into modern day romance. Author Bartolomeo displays yet again that she has an unrivaled gift for storytelling that will keep the reader turning the page; personally, I found myself absorbed by the book's engaging story (set against the backdrop of a nurse's strike in Rhode Island) and lovable, scrappy cast of characters. This is a plucky novel with heart, even better than Bartolomeo's award-winning "Cupid and Diana." I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, intelligent, and memorable read.

It is clear that Ms. Batolomeo is a wonderful writer. Her descriptions of people and places are so vivid that you easily conjure up a mental image, so I was surprised at the lack of connection I felt to her main character. Nicky Malone is fallible and realistic but bears no traits that make her especially appealing, or unappealing for that matter. I found myself feeling apathetic about whether she got her man or not, particularly since there was nothing in the description of their relationship that made me root for them. The subplot involving nurses on strike was infinitely more interesting, despite my having generally little or no interest in labor disputes. I was much more emotionally invested in the outcome of the strike than I was in the relationship between the heroine and the "man that got away". I suspect that the author herself may have been less invested in creating a believable romantic relationship than she was in depicting the behind-the-scenes machincations of a strike, and as a result, it read as though the romance was the subplot to the strike, not the other way around. Toward the end of the novel, it appeared as though Ms. Bartolomeo realized this imbalance and compensated with a few mawkish descriptions of the depth of feeling between Nicky and the object of her affection, none of which were consistent with the way she thought about or behaved toward him throughout the first two-thirds of the novel. I think the author tried to provide a crowd-pleasing chick lit ending when it is clear from the nature and quality of her writing that her tendency is toward material of much greater depth.

This was a fun read. I loved the innovative and intricate plot, the engaging cast of characters, and the evocative setting (an old RI mill town). I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to root for the underdog. It was especially fun to root for Nicky Malone, the novel's smart, sexy, feisty, and fearless heroine. I'm looking forward to Bartolomeo's next novel, "Snowed In," which is due out this fall.

I really admired Cupid & Diana, this author's previous novel. Here she delivers on the same formula of offering an interesting portrayal of a woman's efforts to get her personal and work life in order as she struggles between the choice of two men. Here the main character, Nicky, works for a PR firm, that is hired to help a union negotiate a strike at a hospital in Winsock (read: Woonsocket) Rhode Island. Meanwhile, she's trying to deal with a recent boyfriend who cheated on her and a more-distant ex, whom she's suddenly reunited with because he's working with the nurse's union as well. Bartolomeo populates the novel with a lot of characters and offers some very intersting behind the scenes details of managing a strike. Her bio on the back sleeve mentions she did similar work as Nicky for a teacher's group. I have three complaints about this novel, however, that made it less enjoyable than Cupid & Diana. First, the first third of the novel reads like a series of character sketches written for an intro to creative writing class. We're introduced to an endless series of people -- some of them seem indistinguishable -- and the story grinds to a halt as we get a long, detailed description of each character. And some of these details seem to make the characters come across as merely cute novel creations and not real people -- e.g. the sneaky sycophant who also has a passion for contra dancing and children's toys, the saintly friend who takes care of everyone but herself, and oh by the way also has wacky ideas about religion. Second, much of the dialogue reads like bad TV or movie scripts, in which a lot of narrative exposition about the character's past is stuffed into the dialogue. People who know each other well don't communicate with long details about what happened in their shared history. Third, and perhaps most annoying is Nicky's jaded view of nearly everyone and everything she encounters. At times, it becomes almost laughable. Even minor characters -- a pizza delivery boy, a hotel clerk, even a pair of dogs -- have to get Nicky's petulant observations about how bored, unhappy or bothersome they are. A character this cynical needs a little awareness or sense of humor about her pessisimism to be tolerable, and this character has neither. Still the story carries itself along. And the author has a considerable talent for capturing specific details of how people dress and populate their living and work spaces. I look forward to Bartolomeo's future efforts, but this story was not as tight or well written as Cupid and Diana. Anyone who likes these tales of woman balancing their work and career demands should also take a look at Sara Lewis's novels. They're very good and fun, easy reads.

Five years ago public relations expert Nicky Malone and union organizer Tony Boltanski ended their torrid relationship when he failed to arrive at her relative's wedding having been tied up by an urgent union matter that could not wait for a couple of hours. Though she rebounded with the philandering Jeremy for three years, Nicky knows that she never got over Tony, the one that got away. Meanwhile, Nicky's widowed practicing Catholic mother prays that her daughter get married.

The nurses of St. Francis Hospital in Winsack, Rhode Island are on strike over working conditions and patient safety. Coventry, Inc sees the bottom line as money not care; they demand changes such as nurse-patient ratio going from 1:3 to 1:8. The hospital administration has made the nurses look like the bad guys to the public; Nicky begins a PR campaign to counteract that impression. However, she works with Tony, who believes in inside fastballs that would knock his grandmother down while Nicky thinks a soft sell is needed. Adding to the charged atmosphere is the unfinished business between two driven people who still love one another.

This entertaining contemporary romance focuses on a serious social issue yet contains amusing sarcastic asides. The story line provides a deep look at media spinning in which both sides spend time painting a negative position of their opponents (sounds familiar). That is where Nicky and Tony differ as she believes their side can sell the nurses' argument of deteriorating patient care while he believes you foster the image that management are scrooges. Though the strike resolution seems hasty, fans will enjoy this labor dispute romance.

Harriet Klausner

I really enjoyed Bartolomeo's second novel, "The Side of the Angels." Yeah, there was a fair amount of romance (for the ladies), but the strike plot was very interesting, and Bartolomeo makes a lot of funny and interesting observations. Honestly, I never understood what Nicky (the female lead) sees in Tony (her lughead love interest), but as I said, I wasn't reading the book for the romance as much as for the plot. I did like the Louise character though, maybe because I once dated a gal like that. Anyway, I never would have read this book if my girlfriend hadn't recommended it, but I'm not sorry I did. It was a fun read, and I'd highly recommend it.

Christina Bartolomeo's books are funny, engaging, and well-written. I read all of The Side of the Angels in one sitting, and I definitely recommend it. However, if you are from DC or you know the area well, the typos and inaccuracies will drive you NUTS...Loudoun is misspelled Loudon, (Upper) Marlboro becomes Marlborough, and so forth.

I couldn't finish this. This is a tirade, replete with axe grinding. Sophomore jinx? Or is this writer tired, too old for Cosmo, too young for Social Security? I think the latter ...