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dawnyamk's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tomaind's review
5.0
OMG! I loved this book! I really enjoyed all of VanLiere's Christmas themed books, but this book has moved up to the top of my list as my favorite by this author. Sometimes when I read a book that has moved me emotionally, I become confused that a book like this has gotten so little attention. A sweet and moving story like this would make a wonderful movie. This is also a book that would be a good recommendation for students to read. If you loved "The Help", "Mudbound" or "Calling Me Home", then this similar themed story (race relations in the South) should be on your TBR list.
It was not far into the story (Chapter 3) before tragedy struck. I was shocked and heartbroken by the quick turn of events. This tragedy ended up bringing out the best in some of the residents of Morgan Hill. These residents were the true Angels of Morgan Hill. You will be moved by the struggles and tenacity of the Gable family. Fran Gable is a strong character that I had sympathy and admiration for. The decisions she had to make for her family and others must have been hard choices for a woman in 1947, but she was strong even when she seemed to be at her weakest moments. Also, the Epilogue was one of the best I have ever read in a book. The ending jumped over 40 years into the future, but it wrapped up the story in a way that gave a fitting ending to all the characters. I highly recommend this book!
It was not far into the story (Chapter 3) before tragedy struck. I was shocked and heartbroken by the quick turn of events. This tragedy ended up bringing out the best in some of the residents of Morgan Hill. These residents were the true Angels of Morgan Hill. You will be moved by the struggles and tenacity of the Gable family. Fran Gable is a strong character that I had sympathy and admiration for. The decisions she had to make for her family and others must have been hard choices for a woman in 1947, but she was strong even when she seemed to be at her weakest moments. Also, the Epilogue was one of the best I have ever read in a book. The ending jumped over 40 years into the future, but it wrapped up the story in a way that gave a fitting ending to all the characters. I highly recommend this book!
boldconfused's review against another edition
Racism written from a white author… No thank you. So far the characters have no depth especially the black characters. And it’s rush
leonore_book's review
4.0
Have your tissue box nearby. A great story of how family and friends should be. Also a lesson that you don't have to have material things to be the richest person around. These characters have such a love for each other and know how to do the right thing. It's funny and delightful to read just as it is hard and sad. Wonderful book.
k_lee_reads_it's review
4.0
Easy read. Good story. Family, prejudice, communication, and love are some of the themes.
raejeanr's review
This is one of those books that makes me wonder how there can be so much good and bad there is in the world. But it also offers hope in riding out the hard times to get to the sweet ones and that in the end, good wins out even when we don't see how it can.
jordantheune's review
3.0
When I read "The Good Dream," I thought it was an incredibly touching story. Naturally I decided that I wanted to see more of what Donna VanLiere was writing, so I chose "The Angels of Morgan Hill," since it was a sort of prequel to the book I loved so much. Though I enjoyed seeing familiar characters from "The Good Dream" and delving more into who they were, "Angels" did not deliver in the way I had hoped.
"The Angels of Morgan Hill," like "The Good Dream," is a story about finding happiness after tragic circumstances. In this novel, a young black boy loses his family and is taken in my a widowed white woman, Fran, and her children. As to be expected in a small-town state of mind like Morgan Hill, the rest of the white community is in complete opposition with the boy, Milo, living with a white family. Poor Milo broke my heart. It was so difficult to see the way that he was treated because of the color of his skin. So many people in Morgan Hill didn't think it would be possible for a black child to fit in with a white family, but Fran--burdened by a deathbed promise--was determined to do what she could for Milo.
Occasionally this book reminded me of "To Kill a Mockingbird." It very much held the vibe of, "Hey, we're good white people, and of course we aren't actually racist............... but a BLACK person involved with white people? Oh, the scandal! It's wrong, just wrong, and God says so too!" That's the kind of thing that disgusted me with TKAM, and it gave me similar feelings here too. Though, I do think that VanLiere was trying to show her readers that that was NOT the way to treat people.
Though I did like the characters, I didn't feel like I ever really got to know them the way I anticipated I would. They didn't appear fully fleshed out, and I didn't think the relationships between key characters (ex. Milo with anyone; Fran with Milo's mom) were believable. There wasn't enough depth or story buildup for me to feel attached to anyone or any relationship.
All things being said, however, I liked "Angels" well enough. It was a laid-back read, easy read, and I enjoyed being able to read something that revolved around a heavy topic like race relations. While this by no means is on the level of "The Good Dream," it was a decent book, and I certainly didn't hate it.
"The Angels of Morgan Hill," like "The Good Dream," is a story about finding happiness after tragic circumstances. In this novel, a young black boy loses his family and is taken in my a widowed white woman, Fran, and her children. As to be expected in a small-town state of mind like Morgan Hill, the rest of the white community is in complete opposition with the boy, Milo, living with a white family. Poor Milo broke my heart. It was so difficult to see the way that he was treated because of the color of his skin. So many people in Morgan Hill didn't think it would be possible for a black child to fit in with a white family, but Fran--burdened by a deathbed promise--was determined to do what she could for Milo.
Occasionally this book reminded me of "To Kill a Mockingbird." It very much held the vibe of, "Hey, we're good white people, and of course we aren't actually racist............... but a BLACK person involved with white people? Oh, the scandal! It's wrong, just wrong, and God says so too!" That's the kind of thing that disgusted me with TKAM, and it gave me similar feelings here too. Though, I do think that VanLiere was trying to show her readers that that was NOT the way to treat people.
Though I did like the characters, I didn't feel like I ever really got to know them the way I anticipated I would. They didn't appear fully fleshed out, and I didn't think the relationships between key characters (ex. Milo with anyone; Fran with Milo's mom) were believable. There wasn't enough depth or story buildup for me to feel attached to anyone or any relationship.
All things being said, however, I liked "Angels" well enough. It was a laid-back read, easy read, and I enjoyed being able to read something that revolved around a heavy topic like race relations. While this by no means is on the level of "The Good Dream," it was a decent book, and I certainly didn't hate it.