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!!!!