ANGEL by BARBARA TAYLOR BRADFORD

ANGEL

BY BARBARA TAYLOR BRADFORD

THE BLURB:-

Angel tells the story of four friends who, when all they had was each other, swore eternal friendship. Now their dazzling careers, their seemingly successful lives are to be disrupted by a devastating singer- and by the shadow of their past.

Rose Madigan is the angel- an award-winning costume designer, she is blessed with worldly goods yet troubled by personal commitments.

Gavin Ambrose is the Hollywood megastar: talented and idolized, true love has eluded him.

Nell Jeffrey is the glamorous head of an international PR company: her secret love for Rosie's brother Kevin pierces her usual shrewdness.

Kevin Madigan, undercover cop, inhabits a world of danger from which he tries to shelter his friends- but evil has a way of spreading.

Angel is the stunning novel of family and friends, of love and loss, of innocence and corruption: it will captivate you from the first page.

THE REALITY:-

Barbara Taylor Bradford once wrote stunning novels- her rags-to-riches saga, A Woman Of Substance is possibly my favourite novel ever and really inspirational. Ditto Voice Of The Heart (very long but incredibly detailed and difficult to put down) and Act Of Will (based upon the story of BTB and her parents' lives). And then at the other end of the scale you get Emma's Secret (a sequel to the former, borderline trite and lacking in continuity) and then there was another book (think it's called Dangerous To Know) that was so far fetched it was laughable. If my memory serves me correctly (and please feel free to put me straight on this if I am wrong) the storyline involved the heroine getting pregnant after an affair with her long-lost son, and then the long-lost son killing himself after falling in love with the heroine's daughter who, being the fruit of his loins, is actually his daughter too. You think it's a tad extreme and unbelievable? Yep, me too. Coincidence is all well and good, but you can have too much of it.

If BTB was a new author starting out she wouldn't find a publisher willing to work with her, it's as simple as that. It makes my blood boil that agents and publishers generally only seem interested in established authors or those with some degree of celebrity. There is so much talent out there, including myself. If you think that last remark is conceited, then TOUGH- I worked hard on my novel, think it deserves to be properly published and my readers agree. So there.

This book was alright but, in typical BTB style, most of the characters were beautiful, successful, rich... and totally two dimensional. I've personally met very few people who have done well out of life and have always wondered what the secret to success is.  Maybe it's living in America, a place where those in charge seem to encourage new ideas and intelligent people. Maybe it's sheer luck. If I knew, I would have cracked the code a long time ago. Mind you, if it's being a workaholic, then forget it. I've always thought them the saddest bunch on earth as there is so much more to life than work.

I would have loved to have read about the main characters' pasts and their joint experiences as orphans. Sunny needed to be developed and Mikey found. I would also have liked Kevin's role as a cop, and the sheer nitty-gritty of the Mafia underworld explored. Now that would have been interesting. I also found Johnny's sudden demise all too convenient- some kind of fallout from his violent death would have made for a brilliant blockbuster ending.

An okay read; with plenty of glamour, great locations, literature and detailed descriptions of historical events- but nothing major to recommend it. BTB, you can do better- sort it out!!!!

FLORAL CROCKERY SET AND MOCK-CATH-KIDSTON MUGS...

I needed some new crockery as the set I owned was more chipped than a street-fighter's teeth, so I was glad to find this twelve piece set going for just £7.50 in Wilkinsons.  I had one of those £5 Love To Shop vouchers, awarded to me for taking part in a survey regarding Newham, London (place of my birth and place of my current life) so I ended up paying just £2.50 for this little lot.  Result!

The set, as you can see, did not include cups, so I nipped over to Sainsbury's to pick up some lovely mugs I'd seen reduced in the sale, for either £1.50 or £1.75 each.  They had gorgeous red poppies and purple orchids splattered on them.

However, they only had the one mug left, and the colours didn't really go with the plate set (or my kitchen decor) anyway, so I was pleased to find four of these floral lovelies going for £1.25 each.

They are very Cath Kidston, aren't they?  I love that brand but it isn't cheap, although I'm not against shopping premium brands during the sales.

When I was buying my flat, I found some lovely, candy coloured, Cath Kidston stripy fabric that was ideal for my kitchen window, but I needed about four metres and they wanted £35 a metre for it!!!!

I was so pleased to source something very similar, albeit of lesser quality (well, that is to be expected) on Shepherd's Bush market for £1 per metre.

One day I will be rich- until that day, common sense applies! 

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA...

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I've ALWAYS wanted to see The Phantom of the Opera, ever since it was first released in 1986.  I've lived in London for 20 years, so can't actually believe that I left it this long.  I had some time spare so booked to visit the matinee performance yesterday, trudging through weather that resembled that of the tropics (think hot rain) and putting in an appearance at Her Majesty's Theatre in Haymarket looking like half-drowned rat.

This show lived up to the hype and then some, and did not disappoint.  I can certainly understand why it's still selling out nearly thirty years after opening.  The performances were exemplary in each and every way and the talents of the performers unmatched. Only the great get to perform in the West End and the singers/ dancers/ actors were all spellbinding and real experts in their field, as you would expect.

I've always steered a bit clear of musicals in general.  I find them too upbeat and zippedy-do-dah for me.  I don't want to listen to cheerful.  And I certainly don't want to see light, bright and trite.  Give me tragedy!  I'm a serious person- MOVE ME!  The only other musical I have seen is the fantastic Blood Brothers, which was suitably dark, and I suppose I'd better give Les Miserables a go in the future (the title of that one appeals to a gloomy cow like myself)...

As for Phantom, the music and the show itself sent shivers down my spine and I found the whole thing incredible moving.  I would certainly go to see it again and am looking forward to doing so.  The only anti-climax was the chandelier scene.  It was a real blink-and-you-miss it thing and I can't remember that much about it.  I don't even think the chandelier lights were on or flickering, it all seemed to happen that fast.  Mind, you, I was way up in the balcony, so was actually sitting higher that the chandelier when it was fully pulled above the stage, so that was no doubt why the impact of the fall and the swing was lost on me.  Next time, I'll go for a seat in the dress circle or stalls.

Swinging chandelier PDF

Lucky Sarah Brightman, having her husband, Andrew Lloyd Webber, so madly in love with her that he wrote a musical for her.  But strange that he should then leave her only a few years later.  Hmmm. 

As Graham Norton pointed out, on his show, to her, 'Andrew Lloyd Webber  is not the prettiest boy in the playground.'

She responded by saying, 'Ah, but he had the biggest willy!'

And I'm sure that you all feel better for being left with that thought in your minds!!!! 

THE LADY RISKS ALL by STEPHANIE LAURENS...

THE LADY RISKS ALL

BY STEPHANIE LAURENS

THE BLURB:-

Neville Roscoe, mysterious and enigmatic, lives resolutely outside society, bound only by his code of honour- until challenged by his desire for the one woman he cannot have.

Miranda Clifford is a lady imprisoned by rigid respectability- until tempted by a passion beyond her power to deny.

Flung together in peril, through danger and intrigue, they discover a love impossible to ignore...or keep.

Filled to the brim with glamour and breathtaking passion, discover the latest novel by the queen of historical romance.

THE REALITY:-

This was very Mills & Boon in its conception, with the idea of a dashing hero and a virginal, beautiful heroine. With bodice ripper written all over it, the novel certainly delivered, with a storyline of mystery and intrigue that was a page turner, as you strived to find out who the mysterious villain of the piece really was. I got this wrong- I thought it might be Wraxby, one of Miranda's suitors, but it turned out that it was someone introduced way into the novel. I won't spoil the surprise!

I'm glad that Miranda chose to turn her nose up at the (ridiculous to modern eyes and ears) conventions and proprieties that a young lady was supposed to follow and went with her heart and lustful body instead. This was a real Regency romp with some great characters, including Roscoe- seemingly advantageous, but in reality a true gent with a good heart and a duel persona.

My only criticism would be the length of the various bedroom scenes in the book. Reading one for the first time was erotic- enough for me to text my partner and tell him to have it hard for me later. By the second and third time, the writing had become long winded and a bit daft. One love scene was seven pages long and seemed to take forever to read, and that's with me skimming through it. Jesus, that's time enough for me to do the deed and have a quickie, wipe me fanny on the curtains and bugger off home!! 

BEACH EAST, QUEEN ELIZABETH OLYMPIC PARK, STRATFORD...

A beach in the heart of east London?  No, I'm not on drugs and it wasn't a mirage!

I visited Beach East the other day and was very impressed- well, it's only up the road from me so I thought, why not give it a go?  Southend and Brighton are both easily accessible from London train stations and can be completed as a day trip (done that, many times) but this is even more local to me.

Setting a beach up in London is a fantastic idea.  With white sand, a paddling pool, funfair and a bar for the adults (featuring some lovely cocktails!) this is great fun and it's something that all ages can enjoy.

It was also nice to take a stroll around the Olympic park for the first time.  It seemed so clean and modern.

I've been up the Orbit (a freebie thanks to Newham council) but have yet to venture into the stadium (currently being re-modelled) or the Aquatics centre.  I will certainly make it my business to check out the latter soon.

SILVER MESH RHINESTONE SHOES...

I bought these as a little belated Birthday pressie to myself.  They are silver mesh and rhinestone and I NEEDED a pair of shoes that were dressy but not too high (walking around on 5 inches can be hard work sometimes!!!!)  At 3 and a quarter inches, these are child's play.

They were £24, reduced from either £44 or £49 (I can't remember which) and were from a department store in Ilford called Bodgers.

It's nice to see a good, old-fashioned independent (or at least I think it's independent!) department store like this still going, in a world that's made up of chain stores and conglomerates.  The store needs a lick of paint and their name is truly awful, but you can find some really individual and quirky pieces there.