No Angel

I'm currently listening to a very interesting audio book called No Angel by Penny Vincenzi. I had passed it over several times before finally checking it out a couple weeks ago. (Note: I've been listening to a lot of books lately because I can crochet while I listen or it passes the time when I'm on the bus or train. I also love being read to so it helps me fall asleep at night, no matter what the story.) It usually does not take me three weeks to finish an audio book because of how often I will just put the headphones on and go for a walk to the bank or sit in my room and just listen. However, I didn't have any time to listen while I was visiting Frances and Jonathan in Baltimore so I got very behind. (They wore me out so much I'd fall asleep after about 30 seconds of the story. I finally gave up.)

No Angel is set in the decades after the turn of this century, around 1904-the 20s (I'm not quite sure when it ends as I am still listening). It is a self professed saga, probably similar to the Forsyte Saga. I incidentally listened to another saga from this period by Barbara Taylor Bradford that was quite interesting a couple weeks ago as well. There are 23 CDs this time (compared to my usual book length of 10-12 CDs) because the book spans so many decades and so many characters. Penny Vincenzi writes fascinating and real characters. It might tell you something about how rich her characters are if I tell you about how I wanted to throw the CD player across the room yesterday because one of them was being so idiotic and I cried when another died during WWI. This is the kind of book that could never be made into a decent movie but it has a life of it's own in one's imagination.

The other startlingly fresh aspect of the book is the author's own voice within the narrative. Although I'm sure the reader adds to the affect, Vincenzi often speaks to the audience in asides and long parenthetical musings, for lack of a better phrase. (Note: I will warn anyone who is thinking about reading this book that there are lots of immoral things in the book such as adultery and sex outside of marriage. However, none of it is gratuitous or unnecessary to the story.) The main character, Celia, is most likely the "Angel" referred to in the title. The story revolves around her life and how her choices affect the people around her as well as herself. She does not behave perfectly and recognizes many mistakes and missed chances. This is where Vincenzi's delightful voices enters in. On example of her brilliant omniscient narration is on the subject of a character's adulterous affair. Vincenzi practically spells out the "stages" of adultery, giving a great deal of insight into how the characters may be feeling and how it often progresses in the same fashion throughout generations. Because of this omniscient insight into what people may think or feel at various stages of an affair, the reader/listener is able to look at the situation and understand the motivations. This is not to say adultery (in this example) is in anyway condoned. When I wanted to throw the CD player across the room, it was actually because I could recognize the serious mistakes made by the adulterous character(s) that still did not outweigh the understanding provided by the author. I hope all that makes sense.

The other distinct voice is found in the reminiscent quality in some moments. There are times when Celia will make a strong decision to do or not do something and the narration jumps to the future and says something like "Many years later Celia would look back on that one moment and wonder what would have happened if..." It is both a view into the character's thoughts but this technique also points out the fact that everything that is happening within the telling of the story has already happened. Celia looks back on her choices instead constantly looking ahead (in the narration) to the consequences. Again, I hope I am making that clear enough. I find it hard sometime to fully express the attachments I create with books, especially novels.

It is interesting that I am writing all this praise now because when I had just started out with this story I contemplated commenting on Goodreads (add me as a friend, btw!) that the narration was way too choppy and confusing. This is because Vincenzi is constant jumping to various characters next to the one she was just speaking through or even jumping to a completely new set of characters across oceans, for example. When she does this, there is no exposition at first - the new section usually starts with dialogue rather than explanation. Therefore, when listening to the story it is sometimes hard to know when there is a break in the text that signals a shifting of focus. However, this has become an amazing feature to me now.

There are so many characters that I do not like any of them to be neglected too long, especially if the particular part of the story at the time involves them a great deal. There are some sections that are probably only a paragraph long, featuring perhaps a couple gossiping about something that has just been described through the eyes of the one being gossiped about. Sometimes major decisions will be visited in flashback so when the dialogue of that section begins, you have no idea what actually happened between the last time you saw the character and this time. The switching can also be very humorous when, for example, one character has just found out she is pregnant and the narration jumps to an entirely new character who is screaming in pain when giving birth. It's all about the juxtaposition.


I suppose that is enough of this book review for now, since it is quite long and I'm not even done with the book! I just wanted to write something because I got barely any sleep last night so I'm extremely tired. I need to keep myself awake until bedtime so I don't mess up my sleep schedule even more.

Have a good weekend!