Customer Reviews

The Unfinished Angel

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I found The Unfinished Angel (uncorrected proof) in the trash bin of the newsroom where I work, along with other children's book proofs. I looked through the others and picked this one to read on a flight. I had never heard of Sharon Creech before.

Three pages into Unfinished Angel, I turned to my wife and said, 'This is incredibly good.' I raced through the book. What a joyful experience, very funny, very touching. Maybe it is because my Italian grandmom, who couldn't read or write, talked just like this angel. Maybe it is because I am not at all religious but really need and want an angel. Or maybe it is because I don't have kids and got to share some in this wonderful book.

The back cover, I think, said it was for children 7 to 12 - something like that. Ha! It is for anyone, any age. The humor and plays on words on are so imaginative. When I finished the book, I turned to my wife, a tear on my face, and said: 'It was poetry.'

So I thank my angel for finding The Unfinished Angel in a trash bin.

I have read several other Sharon Creech books since, and I am a huge fan -- Love that Dog, Hate that Cat, Two Moons. 'Unfinished Angel' is still my favorite. It lacks the deeper emotion of those other books, but it radiates joy. It's a treasure.

In this tale of quirky characters and mystical beings, beloved author Sharon Creech gives fans a new perspective on the worries of the world, such as homelessness and child hunger. After developing a sizable fan base, Creech may be intentionally pushing at certain boundaries with this book about a young American girl named Zola Pomodoro who lives an adventuresome life in rural Switzerland while her father builds a school for children from all over the globe. Some authors choose a certain point in their careers to challenge social issues with their work, and this may explain why Creech is offering this treatise.

Zola's father is an educator, and his goal is to teach peace and tolerance to youngsters from all nations in hopes of eradicating social evils. Zola is a social activist of her own merits and discovers local children hiding in a barn at night who don't have parents, food, clothing, or shelter. Zola sets out to remedy their plight but not by herself. She insists that a local "angel" living in the tower near her home help her aid the starving children.

The "unfinished angel" is the primary narrator of this tale that centers on saving local children while a host of tangent plot lines circle at their own pace. A nasty neighbor who speaks Italian and throws garbage in Zola's yard is disarming with her temperament. Zola's dad is distant and distracted but always a constant in her life until mother and brother arrive (without explanations as to why they weren't there in the first place.) And then there is Zola herself:

"Zola, she is intrigueful to me. In her many-layered clothings, with her chippy-choppy hair and the eyes with the big black poppils, in her sometimes bossy way, she has also the soft heart of a bunny. The soft heart is also a smart heart because it is not soft for every puny silly thing, but over the things that are matterful. Are you knowing what I am meaning?"

This is the angel describing her new acquaintance, and Creech has decidedly projected a special image for this unique character while pushing the envelope of standard English. It is never quite determined what "unfinished" means, but the internal dialogues and the speeches delivered by the angel are colorful and creative to the point of possibly explaining the endearing moniker. It's obvious that the angel who shadows Zola on her quest for social justice is a being that didn't get everything from the heavenly factory that he or she (it's never clear which) should have, including a strong command of the English language. Or perhaps he/she is speaking a language unknown to anyone but other angels.

Whatever Creech's purpose for writing THE UNFINISHED ANGEL, she aptly captures the reader's attention with the extra effort it takes to comprehend the narrator's speech patterns. After a chapter or two of getting used to the awkward syntax and creative word inventions such as "flooshing" and "stickly," the angel's words become charming and meaningful as if you are being taught a new language while you read the book. In spite of the special energy occasionally required to follow the story because of the "flooshing" back and forth from character to character, the angel wraps things up nicely with "Sometimes a people needs an angel and sometimes an angel needs a people," which is so very, very true.

--- Reviewed by Joy Held

In an old stone tower in the Swiss Alps, life has been the same for one angel has for as long as it can remember. But one day peoples move into the Angel's casa. And the girl, Zola, can see the angel and begins to tell her to help people in the village. But the Angel doesn't like people telling her what to do. And how does Zola know so much about what an angel should do when the angel doesn't really know herself.

This book is full of crazy characters like Signora Divino who lives next door and is always sneaking her snakes into their yard (they keep following her back home!). And her dog who barks arf, arf, arf, arf day and night until even the angel wants to kill it. And there's Signor Rubini who collects drawers full of blue socks because when he was a child he always had cold feet. And the bossy Zolo, the girl who moves into the Angel's casa. She wears at least 3 outfits at once even though it is summer. But the best is the angel who drops pinecones on the heads of people she doesn't like and has the craziest vocabulary--but deep down wants most of all to be a "finished" angel.

I just loved every word of this hilarious book. I highly recommend it for both kids and adults.

THE UNFINISHED ANGEL was... well, was an ok story I guess. It's seems to have done well with high marks and great reviews, but honestly, I just didn't get it. Maybe it's because I'm Californian and an American mutt and not someone with an "Italian grandparent whom couldn't read or write, whom talked like the angel in the story"; or maybe it's that I'm just not "deep" enough to appreciate such obscure writing?.. Either way, I just found this quick read to be a bit bizarre and had to force myself to finish it (I am not a quitter!).

That being said, the story it's self had a lot of heart and strong moral of people coming together to help each other.. so that's something.. but was still weird.

First appeared on Libri Ago (dot)blogspot(dot)com.

There are so few books that have touched me deeply enough that I couldn't imagine my life without having read them: The Alchemist, The Little Prince, The Graveyard Book: A Novel (P.S.). And now, I add to that list The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech.

The story is simple. It goes like this: an angel lives in a tower in a small village in the Swiss Alps. This angel, he isn't sure what his purpose is. "Me, I am an angel. I am supposed to be having all the words in all the languages, but I am not. Many are missing. I am also not having a special assignment. I think I did not get all the training. . . . Do the other angels know what they are doing? Am I the only confused one? Maybe I am unfinished, an unfinished angel."

This angel watches over the people of this little village, and then one day, an American family comes to live in the house attached to his tower. Zola, a young girl vibrant with life and colors--she wears three different colored skirts and numerous bright ribbons at the same time--meets angel and actually sees him. Thus begins an unlikely friendship between a vivacious girl and a grumpy angel.

Though the events of the story are ordinary, there is an uncommon grace and elegance to the prose, even with an angel narrator that cannot speak English properly and often fuses words. ("Zola smills, smuggles, what is the word? What is it, that word for happy teeth??") But more than that, the beauty of the story outshines any I have read in a long while.

Through often misguided efforts, angel watches over his town and his "peoples." By the end of the book, angel realizes he has a purpose, and we recognize the goodness that there is in the world and the hearts of the people who populate it.

"I am feeling most hopeful watching these peoples. I don't know what to say about this feeling. I don't eat food, but if I did, maybe it is as if I were hungry, so hungry, and I didn't even know it, and then I found a mountain of food and I ate and ate, and then I sat back contentful and there was still more mountain for the next day and the next day. Maybe it is like that. I don't know. Since I don't eat food, it is hard to say."

After reading this striking story, I am feeling contentful as well.

In conclusion, this mesmerizing story is one that will become a classic, and I would not be too far off in saying I see this as a strong contender for the Newbery. Every child, every adult should become friends with this unfinished angel and let him help you become more of a finished person.

P.S. I have serious issues with the book's cover design. Had I not read a review of the book previous to buying it, I would most likely have passed it over.

I am a fifth grade teacher who loves to read and share books with my students. My mom (a librarian) recommended this book and it is easily one of my favorites. I work with a lot of students who do not speak English as their first language. The book is written in a way that my students really love, especially as a read aloud. They like the way the angel speaks and tries to figure out how to say different words. We also get into really good conversations about inferences, making tough choices, vocabulary and onomatopoeia. The chapters are very short and I can't tell you how many times I heard, "Just read one more chapter!" I hope you will read and enjoy the book!

Its a cute concept..An Angel can speak broken english and only been seen by children. It's a silly read that made me think it was written for 8 year olds. I enjoyed it from a child like mind set. Does it take the reader on detail landscape and in depth discription of each character? NO!
Its about children rescuing children. Simple as that. I am not sure that angel who does not have a name, ever really does anything in the book except complain. The angel does not like his (assuming it's a him) realm. He is annoyed with the way people behave, the spoken language and the volume in which language is spoken.
I won't be recomending this book to adults.

I liked this book because, I like fantasy books. Sometimes I found some of the words hard to read, because the angle seemed like she had her own language.

Zola and her father move from America to Switzerland to open up a school. They happen to move into Casa Rosa where an angel has been living and looking over the people in the town for 100s of years. The villagers are quirky and aren't too happy about the orphans that are stealing clothes and food while they hide out in the chicken shed. Funny thing though. When Zola and the angel decide to help the orphans there's an interesting turn of events and the entire village gets involved.

The Unfinished Angel, author Sharon Creech, published 2009, Joanna Carter Books
Are we living with possible angels unaware? Do you think supernatural beings observe how people react to everyday situations? The unfinished Angel tells about living in a tower unknown to others; however one young girl, Zola can see the angel. She has a gift of seeing Angels. She has saw one stay with a baby in the form of a pigeon. Zola asks many questions of angels and critiques the powers angel should do. Angel often makes comments on the behaviors of "peoples" suggesting much of the problems of the world could be repaired if people would be more careful and not as wasteful. An "ah ha'' moment is when Angel thinks to herself about little orphan children need a home and food and people pay to get pedicures. Angel causes the reader to think just as Zola causes angel to think. Zola, throughout the book questions Angel about the type of angel she is, what her powers are, and why don't she fix the immediate situations. Angel often wonders how Zola knows so much about being an angel. Could Zola be an angel? Zola, a young girl seems to get many problems worked out in the book, including those of her family, neighbors, and the orphans. The book is evidence that people need hope. Hope is that: can be found in angels and other people. The characters in this book all have longings and emptiness of their own kind. Much of the miracle in this book is "angels need people, people need angels, sometimes children need old people, and old people need children." I would say this book is very inspirational and makes one realize each person has a purpose.