Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Angels by Marian Keyes

3 reviews

beckyyreadss's review against another edition

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challenging emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wanted to read this book as I was gifted the second book (Rachel’s Holiday) and the sixth book (Again, Rachel) by Michael Joseph Penguin Publishing. So, me being me, had to read the whole series so I went and bought this book after reading the first book in the series. Again, like the last book this could have been cut down by 200 pages. 

This book follows the white sheep of the Walsh family – Maggie Walsh. Unlike her dysfunctional sisters, Rachel and Claire, she married a decent man who adored her and found herself a solid career. Where Rachel is reckless, and Claire is dramatic. Maggie settled early for safety. Or so she believed until she discovers that her husband is having an affair and her boss fired her. Suddenly, her perfectly organised life has become a perfect mess. Devastated, she decided the only thing to do is to run for the shelter of her best friend, Emily, who lives in Los Angeles. There, with the help of sunshine and long days at the beach, she licks her wounds and decides where life will take her next. But from the moment she lands in the City of Angels, things are not quite what she expected. Overnight, she’s mixing with movie stars, even pitching film scripts to studios. Most unexpectedly of all, she finds that just because her marriage is over, it doesn’t mean her life is. In the end neither the City of Angels or Maggie Walsh will ever be the same again.  

Right, I'll start with what/who I liked during this book. Emily. That's it. She was the only reasonable one during this book, she didn’t want her best friend to get hurt and her best friend slept with the man she was in love with and didn’t have an issue because her best friend was hurt. Emily was just trying to make it as a script writer and dealing with the friend’s marriage breaking up. I would have loved this book to have been from Emily’s point of view, it would have been 4 stars. She saved this book from being 2 stars. 

I didn’t like Watermelon, I thought it was too big for what it was and that it was just Claire’s thoughts and James was a horrible person. This book was the same. Maggie spent half of the time doing literally nothing and the other half sleeping with people and then feeling bad about it. I would have loved for this to have been becoming your true self at a later age story – figuring out your sexuality and I'm all for experimenting but the way Marian Keyes wrote the whole sub-storyline with Lara just rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t think Maggie should have gone back to Garv after he cheated on her, she has clearly got mug written on her head and this book was completely pointless. I don’t think she should have got with Shay and I'm glad she got her closure, and it must have been difficult, but she needed to be on her and the happy ending to this book should have been that she finds her true passion and met someone in LA. But again, with most of the Walsh girls, they go running back to comfort rather than be their true selves.  

I don’t really have much hope for the rest of the series but Helen and Anna’s story as probably going to be chaotic, but hopefully a good chaotic unlike the shitshows that has already happened.  
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katewhite77's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

Mammy Walsh is the best 

Marianne Keyes is so underrated as a witer it is almost criminal. She can have you laughing out loud one minute and crying the next bit it is only a true reflection on what life is truly about. This novel is an astute and assurbic take down of Hollywood and Celebrity culture. 

In my opinion Mammy and Daddy Walsh have to be to of two of the best minor characters ever written. It's not often what they say that's important It's more the way they say it.
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blenchbooks's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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