The Third Angel

A MOTHER AND DAUGHTER'S BOOK REVIEW

Alice Hoffman is amazing. My seventeen year old daughter and I have read all her books. The Third Angel links lives of people through a hotel in London. Her words are so important that my daughter writes down some of the books thoughts on love and life. She gave us yet another gift to share- we both treasured this book. Although my favorite will always be Turtle Moon. My daughter's is Green Angel.

5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Gorgeous

This book is amazing because you can read it over and over and always have a different perpective and notice something different. I love the style of this book because you can read the chapters completely out of order and still get the same overall appeal but in a completely different way. However, I will warn you that it might take a little to get started and it might be frustrating at first because it's a little hard to get into for the fact that you can read any chapter first and it will all make sense. The books characters aren't underdeveloped, but you'll see the need to jump from one person to another, to one timeline to another and so forth. It will all make sense and you'll be begging for more.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Will touch your very soul!

This is one of those mysterious hauntings that works backwards to solve the case of WHY. Wonderful puzzle pieces, complex, soulful characters, very believable, multi-faceted love,in the 1950's and 1960's time period, all to tantalize you and keep you reading till all hours of the night. ENJOY! WELL WORTH YOUR PURCHASE!

Some others that took my very breath away...RAINWATER and EXPLOSION IN PARIS and BEAUTIFUL CREATURES...

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

The Ghost of Michael Macklin

This offering by Ms. Hoffman is a generational piece whose roots are in the 1950s. The backdrop for most of the story is the Lion Park hotel in London, a second-rate hotel that is haunted.

Our first encounter with sisters Maddie and Allie uncovers a betrayal by the younger sister who lives a care-free existence based on the fact that she believes that she was an unloved child. Allie, the older sister, has pretty much done what was expected of her because she has always been the caretaker; first when her mother had cancer and later when her fiance suffers from the same disease. She realizes only too late that she truly loves her fiance and moves swiftly to makes things right only to lose him too.

Freida, the fiance's mother, takes up the middle of the book. Her story is set in the 1960s and brought back for this reader 'the look' that was so popular then in London: overly made-up eyes, short mini-skirts, high boots, swingy music, free love, etc. Hoping to escape from the dreariness of a rural youth she makes her way to the Lion Park hotel where she works as a maid. Soon, though, she becomes the muse for a rock-star wanna-be who is hooked on drugs and has a very Paris Hilton-like girlfriend. In the end, Freida puts all of the very trendy and drug-filled life behind her and returns to her rural home where she marries the boyfriend who had gone on to college. She goes on to nursing school herself and lives a very fulfilling life in spite of the ghostly happenings that populated her time working at the Lion Park.

The thread that sews it all together is Lucy Green. Lucy is the mother of the two young women we first met at the outset of the story. Inadvertently she is the one who caused the problems that have brought about the haunting of the Lion Park's seventh floor. Having witnessed the deaths of the people involved she withdraws to a secret place inside herself just as she did when her own mother passed away. It takes love in all its simple complexities to bring Lucy into her own once more.

This book is a very easy read despite the complexities of the characters we meet. I read it in two sittings and would have accomplished it in one had I not fallen asleep at nearly two in the morning.

I give this story four stars simply because I've enjoyed some of Ms. Hoffman's other offerings more.

Note: you're bound to fall in love with Millie.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Depressing but well written

Once again, I have read an Alice Hoffman book with great admiration for her writing and her style, but find the story much too depressing. I love to read and continually have a store of books waiting in the wings and particularly enjoy great writers. However, I look to books as an escape from reality, not a chance to wallow in the miseries of others. This series of short but related stories is one disaster after another.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Different type of book

this book was set up weird because it included three seperate stories and while reading it i wasn't sure how they connected to eachother, but when i finished it it all clicked together to make an amazing story. Its unique and thats what makes it so great. THe storyline and characters are captivating and i didn't want it to end. overall it was a great book!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Interesting book

I really enjoyed this book. It's a little hard to get into at first, but the simplistic writing style eventually got me engrossed in the story. My favorite section was the first part, "The Heron's Wife," but I felt that just as I was getting into it, the second section began and it started to get a little hard to keep track of all the characters and how everyone was connected. Maybe I liked the first part best because I have a sister and we're very close. The characters were well-developed, which makes it easier for the reader to understand their motivations. I liked that the book was not chronological, but I thought this technique was confusing. After I finished the book, I had to go back to the first section in order to understand the ending better. All in all though, this is a beautiful story about love and betrayal and I highly recommend it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Unique with an unusual writing style

This book has an unusual writing style which keeps you reading well after you should be asleep. The characters were well portrayed, both adults and children. Emotions were very descriptive as well as the background to the story. I will be looking to see what else this writer has written, as her refreshing twist of writing captured my imagination.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One of my favorites

I have enjoyed Alice Hoffman in the past but her books tended towards the depressing so I picked up this one hesitantly but fell in love with it. It's a wonderful story about the different ways people love one another. Her characters are complicated and humanly flawed. The story is so artfully written that it could be read backwards as well as forwards. I often pass along books to people when I am finished with them but this one is staying with me.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!

Alice Hoffman does not disappoint here...she delivers a quirky slice of life. Her characters are real.....the pain and joy they experience are your own as you weave through her story....wonderful

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent book, stellar writing and plot

I haven't read all of Alice Hoffman's books, but I can easily say that this one is my favorite so far. Three-part plot, interweaving characters, tense story line, realistic emotions and dialogue. A little bit mysterious and special. If you like Hoffman you will love this book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

You'll Never Forget This One!

This book was incredibly moving and quite unforgettable. There were several times I could feel the pain and love right alongside the characters. I became so involved with the characters that I was sad to see the book end. This was this first book I read by Alice Hoffman, and the day I finished the book I went to the store and bought two more of her books. I can't wait to read them!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Don't Get It and Don't Care

I'm not disappointed as I haven't read anything by this author and so had no expectations.I read it for my book club. Definitely a dud.I thought there was little theme to the book - the interwoven stories way too far fetched. I don't get the point- if there was one to get - and I disagree about the characters being well drawn - sorry - I thought they were shallow and poorly drawn. I would not recommend this book - and DEFINITELY not on audio - way too confusing.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

wonderful

this is just a wonderful and lovely book filled with beloved people like everyday life. What sets it apart, however, is how the writer approaches each individual's struggle and brings them together in the end. I highly recommend it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I am a fan for life

Satisfaction Guaranteed!! A beautifully written story. Definitely one of Alice's best. You will love the characters that are so real and vunerable. What a boring place my world would be if I could not read the amazing words of Alice Hoffman.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Best one yet!

I have all of Alice's books and think this is the best one yet. The stories of three woman and how they are linked is a can not put down book. Can not wait for the next book

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Hoffman is Magical again

If you're an Alice Hoffman fan, this book will not disappoint you. Once again she is able to tell a story, bring her characters alive with feeling, and touch our souls. So simple, and yet so heartful, and mystical.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This was my first Alice Hoffman book. I love love loved it! I

This was my first Alice Hoffman book. I love love loved it! I haven't read anything quite like it and I read a lot of books. Highly recommended!

So depressing

I think i would have found more redemption in the characters of a LifeTime movie!!!!!

Recommended

This was an interesting book read for my book club. Very different. It had me intrigued very quickly. Definately a worthwhile read.