Angel Falls

by Kristin Hannah

Overview

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Four Winds, Angel Falls is “a tearjerker . . . about the triumphs of family” (Detroit Free Press).

When Mikaela Campbell, beloved wife and mother, falls into a coma, it is up to her husband, Liam, to hold the family together and care for their grieving, frightened children. Doctors tell Liam not to expect a recovery, but he believes that love can accomplish what medical science cannot. Daily he sits at Mikaela’s bedside, telling her stories of the precious life they have built together, hoping against hope that she will wake up. But then he discovers evidence of his wife’s secret past: a first marriage to movie star Julian True.
 
Desperate to bring Mikaela back at any cost, Liam knows that he must turn to Julian for help. But will that choice cost Liam his wife, his family, and everything he holds dear? One of Kristin Hannah’s most moving novels, Angel Falls is a poignant and unforgettable portrait of marriage and commitment, of an ordinary man who dares to risk everything in the name of love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780345484277
Publisher:	Random House Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/27/2005
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	24,176
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Kristin Hannah is the bestselling author of On Mystic Lake, Summer Island, Distant Shores, Between Sisters, and The Things We Do For Love. She lives with her husband and son in the Pacific Northwest. Visit her online at www.kristinhannah.com.

Read an Excerpt

What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.
Footfalls echo in the memory
Down the passage which we did not take
Towards the door we never opened . . .
T. S. Eliot, from "Burnt Norton"

Chapter One

In northwest Washington state, jagged granite mountains reach for the misty sky, their peaks inaccessible even in this age of helicopters and high-tech adventurers. The trees in this part of the country grow thick as an old man's beard and block out all but the hardiest rays of the sun. Only in the brightest months of summer can hikers find their way back to the cars they park along the sides of the road.

Deep in the black-and-green darkness of this old-growth forest lies the tiny town of Last Bend. To visitors — there are no strangers here — it is the kind of place they'd thought to encounter only in the winding tracks of their own imaginations. When they first walk down the streets, folks swear they hear a noise that can only be described as laughter. Then come the memories, some real, some manufactured images from old movies and Life magazine. They recall how their grandmother's lemonade tasted . . . or the creaky sound of a porch swing gliding quietly back and forth, back and forth, on the tail end of a muggy summer's night.

Last Bend was founded fifty years ago, when a big, broad-shouldered Scotsman named Ian Campbell gave up his crumbling ancestral home in Edinburgh and set off in search of adventure. Somewhere along the way — family legend attributed it to Wyoming — he took up rock climbing, and spent the next ten years wandering from mountain to mountain, looking for two things: the ultimate climb and a place to leave his mark.

He found what he was looking for in Washington's North Cascade mountain range. In this place where Sasquatches were more than a campfire myth and glaciers flowed year round in ice-blue rivers, he staked his claim. He drove as close to the mighty Mt. Baker as he could and bought a hundred acres of prime pastureland, then he bought a corner lot on a gravel road that would someday mature into the Mount Baker Highway. He built his town along the pebbly, pristine shores of Angel Lake and christened it Last Bend, because he thought the only home worth having was worth searching for, and he'd found his at the last turn in the road.

It took him some time to find a woman willing to live in a moss-chinked log cabin without electricity or running water, but find her he did — a fiery Irish lass with dreams that matched his own. Together they fashioned the town of their combined imagination; she planted Japanese maple saplings along Main Street and started a dozen traditions-Glacier Days, the Sasquatch race, and the Halloween haunted house on the corner of Cascade and Main.

In the same year the Righteous Brothers lost that lovin' feeling, Ian and Fiona began to build their dream home, a huge, semicircular log house that sat on a small rise in the middle of their property. On some days, when the sky was steel blue, the glaciered mountain peaks seemed close enough to touch. Towering Douglas firs and cedars rimmed the carefully mowed lawn, protected the orchard from winter's frozen breath. Bordering the west end of their land was Angel Creek, a torrent in the still gloaming of the year, a quiet gurgling creek when the sun shone high and hot in the summer months. In the wintertime, they could step onto their front porch and hear the echo of Angel Falls, only a few miles away.

Now the third generation of Campbells lived in that house. Tucked tightly under the sharply sloped roofline was a young boy's bedroom.

It was not unlike other little boys' rooms in this media-driven age — Corvette bed, Batman posters tacked to the uneven log walls, Goosebumps books strewn across the shag-carpeted floor, piles of plastic dinosaurs and fake snakes and Star Wars action figures.

Nine-year-old Bret Campbell lay quietly in his bed, watching the digital clock by his bed flick red numbers into the darkness. Five-thirty. Five thirty-one. Five thirty-two.

Halloween morning.

He had wanted to set the alarm for this special Saturday morning, but he didn't know how, and if he'd asked for help, his surprise would have been ruined. And so he snuggled under the Mr. Freeze comforter, waiting.

At precisely 5:45, he flipped the covers back and climbed out of bed. Careful not to make any noise, he pulled the grocery sack from underneath his bed and unpacked it.

There was no light on, but he didn't need one. He'd stared at these clothes every night for a week. His Halloween costume. A sparkly pair of hand-me-down cowboy boots that they'd picked up at the Emperor's New Clothes used-clothing shop, a fake leather vest from the Dollar-Saver thrift shop, a pair of felt chaps his mom had made, a plaid flannel shirt and brand-new Wrangler jeans from Zeke's Feed and Seed, and best of all, a shiny sheriff's star and gun belt from the toy store. His daddy had even made him a kid-sized lariat that could be strapped to the gun belt.

He stripped off his pj's and slipped into the outfit, leaving behind the gun belt, guns, chaps, lariat, and ten-gallon hat. Those he wouldn't need now.

He felt like a real cowboy. He grabbed the index card with the instructions on it — just in case — and went to his bedroom door, peeking out into the shadowy hallway.

He peered down at the other two bedrooms. Both doors were closed and no light slid out from underneath. Of course his sixteen-year-old sister, Jacey, was asleep. It was Saturday, and on the day after a high-school football game, she always slept until noon. Dad had been at the hospital all night with a patient, so he'd be tired this morning, too. Only Mom would be getting up early-and she'd be in the barn, ready to go, at six o'clock.

Reading Group Guide

1. Angel Falls begins with a flashback about Ian and Fiona, Liam’s grandparents. Why do you think Kristin Hannah chose to start the book in this way? What tone does it set for the novel as a whole? How do Liam’s grandfather and father both motivate and intimidate him?

2. The novel unfolds from the points of view of four distinctive narrative voices—Bret, Liam, Julian, and Mikaela. How is this narrative technique effective in propelling the novel forward? Did you identify with one voice more than another, or consider the novel to be the story of one particular character? Which one?

3. After Bret sees his mother’s accident, how does he cope with the ensuing trauma? How do his reactions differ from those of Jacey? How does each of them grow up within the course of the book?

4. What do Mikaela and Liam consider the most important elements of parenthood? How does their approach to child-rearing differ from that of their parents? How does Liam deal with winning Jacey over when he comes into her life and becoming a single dad after Mike’s accident?

5. How does Rosa’s “bad love” influence her daughter? What do you think motivated both Rosa and Mikaela to choose the inappropriate men that they did? Have you or a friend ever been in a similar situation? How did you resolve it?

6. Why do you think Mikaela saved the remnants of her former life in a pillowcase? What about that time did she cling to? Were you surprised by Liam’s response to the discovery? Why do you think that he behaves as he does? How might you have reacted?

7. Why won’t Mikaela tell Liam about her previous marriage to Julian? Why doesn’t Liam press her? What would you have done on either side of the same situation?

8. Why does Liam involve Julian in his quest to awaken Mikaela? What are Liam’s initial feelings about Julian, and do they change over time? Why do you think that Mikaela murmurs Julian’s name and then responds to it while she’s in the coma? What about his memory haunts her?

9. Why can’t Liam turn to music after Mikaela’s accident? What does he turn to instead to combat his anxiety and worry?

10. “Julian True” is an invented name by a movie star. What’s ironic about the moniker that he has chosen for himself? Why does he finally tell Mikaela his real name?

11. Do you think that Julian ever truly loved or still loves Mikaela? Why couldn’t he stay faithful to his wife? How come he returned to Last Bend to be with her?

12. How is Kayla a different person in Julian’s memories than the Mikaela of Liam’s recollections? How does Rosa provide Liam with a picture of her daughter’s life before him? Do you think that she approves of either of her daughter’s relationships? Why or why not?

13. What is Liam’s weakness in relationships? What is Julian’s? Do you think that the two men forge a bond with each other, and if so, how? What might have attracted Mikaela to them?

14. Why does Julian decide to attend the prom? What does Jacey represent to him? What does he think he might be able to give Jacey?

15. Part four of the novel begins with a quotation by Kierkegaard: “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward.” How does this quote resonate in the lives of Mike, Liam, and Julian? How does the past influence and affect their futures—both together and apart?

16. What prompts Mikaela to remember the details of her past? Do you think that divine intervention spurs her recollections? The intervention of her mother? What do you think Mikaela might regret the most?

17. “It was the coma that had saved her life,” Kristin Hannah writes. What do you think might have happened to a seemingly picture-perfect family had Mikaela not been in the accident? How does it bring Liam and Mikaela closer together? How does it affect the family as a whole?

18. Why does Liam constantly refer to himself as “ordinary”? To what do you attribute his low selfesteem? In which ways is movie star Julian a resolutely ordinary person? Do you think that both Liam and Julian have extraordinary characteristics? What are they?

19. How does Mikaela finally put her obsession with Julian behind her? Why do you think her feelings for Liam triumph over her lingering love for Julian? How do you think their partnership will change as a result?

Foreword

1. Angel Falls begins with a flashback about Ian and Fiona, Liam’s grandparents. Why do you think Kristin Hannah chose to start the book in this way? What tone does it set for the novel as a whole? How do Liam’s grandfather and father both motivate and intimidate him?

2. The novel unfolds from the points of view of four distinctive narrative voices—Bret, Liam, Julian, and Mikaela. How is this narrative technique effective in propelling the novel forward? Did you identify with one voice more than another, or consider the novel to be the story of one particular character? Which one?

3. After Bret sees his mother’s accident, how does he cope with the ensuing trauma? How do his reactions differ from those of Jacey? How does each of them grow up within the course of the book?

4. What do Mikaela and Liam consider the most important elements of parenthood? How does their approach to child-rearing differ from that of their parents? How does Liam deal with winning Jacey over when he comes into her life and becoming a single dad after Mike’s accident?

5. How does Rosa’s “bad love” influence her daughter? What do you think motivated both Rosa and Mikaela to choose the inappropriate men that they did? Have you or a friend ever been in a similar situation? How did you resolve it?

6. Why do you think Mikaela saved the remnants of her former life in a pillowcase? What about that time did she cling to? Were you surprised by Liam’s response to the discovery? Why do you think that he behaves as he does? How might you have reacted?

7. Why won’t Mikaela tell Liam about her previous marriage toJulian? Why doesn’t Liam press her? What would you have done on either side of the same situation?

8. Why does Liam involve Julian in his quest to awaken Mikaela? What are Liam’s initial feelings about Julian, and do they change over time? Why do you think that Mikaela murmurs Julian’s name and then responds to it while she’s in the coma? What about his memory haunts her?

9. Why can’t Liam turn to music after Mikaela’s accident? What does he turn to instead to combat his anxiety and worry?

10. “Julian True” is an invented name by a movie star. What’s ironic about the moniker that he has chosen for himself? Why does he finally tell Mikaela his real name?

11. Do you think that Julian ever truly loved or still loves Mikaela? Why couldn’t he stay faithful to his wife? How come he returned to Last Bend to be with her?

12. How is Kayla a different person in Julian’s memories than the Mikaela of Liam’s recollections? How does Rosa provide Liam with a picture of her daughter’s life before him? Do you think that she approves of either of her daughter’s relationships? Why or why not?

13. What is Liam’s weakness in relationships? What is Julian’s? Do you think that the two men forge a bond with each other, and if so, how? What might have attracted Mikaela to them?

14. Why does Julian decide to attend the prom? What does Jacey represent to him? What does he think he might be able to give Jacey?

15. Part four of the novel begins with a quotation by Kierkegaard: “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward.” How does this quote resonate in the lives of Mike, Liam, and Julian? How does the past influence and affect their futures—both together and apart?

16. What prompts Mikaela to remember the details of her past? Do you think that divine intervention spurs her recollections? The intervention of her mother? What do you think Mikaela might regret the most?

17. “It was the coma that had saved her life,” Kristin Hannah writes. What do you think might have happened to a seemingly picture-perfect family had Mikaela not been in the accident? How does it bring Liam and Mikaela closer together? How does it affect the family as a whole?

18. Why does Liam constantly refer to himself as “ordinary”? To what do you attribute his low selfesteem? In which ways is movie star Julian a resolutely ordinary person? Do you think that both Liam and Julian have extraordinary characteristics? What are they?

19. How does Mikaela finally put her obsession with Julian behind her? Why do you think her feelings for Liam triumph over her lingering love for Julian? How do you think their partnership will change as a result?

Editorial Reviews

An all-night reading affair—you won’t be able to put it down. . . . [Angel Falls will] make you laugh and cry.”—New York Post

“A jewel . . . Hannah has executed her premise perfectly and plumbed its implications for every ounce of feeling.”—San Jose Mercury News
 
“Hannah writes of love with compassion and conviction.”—Luanne Rice

From the Publisher

From the best-selling author of On Mystic Lake comes this "sweet" story of an ordinary man who makes an extraordinary decision, gambling with a thorny question: Can the enduring love of the one who stands beside you through thick and thin compete with the passion of the soulmate who sets your world on fire? "Didn't evoke a lot of emotion." "The writing was more melodramatic than it needed to be." But others "read the book in three hours!" And called it "my staff recommendation."

Barnes & Noble Guide to New Fiction

Ms. Hannah's new novel Angel Falls deftly explores love in all its variations and manifestatins. She is without a doubt one of the premier voices in women's fiction today.
— Romantic Times

Jill M. Smith

Hannah is superb at delving into her main character's psyches and delineating nuances of feeling.

Washington Post

Set amid the splendor of Washington State's North Cascade mountain range, Hannah's latest (after On Mystic Lake) borrows elements from soap opera, the silver screen and fairy tales to make a simple statement about the complications of love. Dr. Liam Campbell is devastated when his beloved wife, Mikaela, mother of two, suffers a horse-jumping injury that leaves her in a coma. His confusion escalates when he learns the identity of Mikaela's first husband: world-famous movie star Julian True. The biggest shock: True's is the only name she responds to. Liam senses that his Sleeping Beauty needs love to wake her up, but whose? Given the depth of his feelings for her, will he be brave enough to summon True for help, and so risk losing Mikaela forever in order to save her life? Scenes reminiscent of Kramer vs. Kramer occur where Liam tries to be mom to their nine-year-old son; the suds world takes over when Mikaela finally wakes, but with retrograde amnesia, thinking she's still married to True and with no memory of Liam; and It's a Wonderful Life brings the curtain down. In keeping with the popular convention of giving voice to spirituality, the novel employs religious overtones, which will please some readers while leaving others feeling molested by an angel. Mikaela and Liam are sweet characters, even relentlessly good ones, so many will find them likable even as they float smoothly toward an easy conclusion. 125,000 first printing. (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly