No Angel ~ Book Review

Having finished No Angel at some point late last night or early this morning, both of which are long past my normal bed time of 10pm has left me a bit uneasy about how to write this review. Perhaps due to lack of sleep? I should probably give it a few days to really think about first but no, no that's not me at all. I'll just plow right ahead and tell you what I think about it this morning. Oh how I wish I could have a fully loaded cup of coffee... less then 8 weeks till baby deux arrives... oh dear that makes me think of all the little things I need to be doing. Mm, best get on with this review!

As I previously mentioned this is the first in a three book series described as a "family saga" and centered around the life of Lady Celia Lytton and her family. A saga is certainly the best way to describe the book. While it was nearly impossible to put down because I was so consumed with the characters and their lives, it was difficult for me to read for several reasons. I'm sure I'll continue on with the series and hope for the best but there were a couple of things that made me uneasy.

First, I should probably mention that the book is much racier than I was expecting. I think I may have even blushed at several parts so please keep that in mind if you decide to pick it up. I'm so curious where I got the recommendation, for the life of me I can't seem to remember. I swear!

Secondly, I tend to get very emotionally involved and frankly personally effected by the books I read. Somehow they seem so intimate I feel as if I am going along with each of the characters and their lives. This is probably due more to an excellent writing style than to my personal reactions but never the less, because of this I tend to get upset if the characters choose a path I wouldn't necessarily choose or even understand their choice. I know I know, quite silly of me right? They are after all fictional characters and I've been reading fantasy for months now! but I'm nothing if not a contradiction in terms, I consider that my right as a woman, especially when pregnant!

Back to the story.... Lady Celia is raised by a very upper class family living in the English country side and although she is popular, beautiful, kind of heart, loyal and clearly destined to marry very well she is also extremely stubborn, strong willed and more than a bit manipulative. At only 19 years old and after being told she will not be allowed to marry the man she is deeply in love with because he is not of good enough breeding she decides (with out consulting her love, Oliver Lytton) that she'll get pregnant thus forcing her parents to allow the marriage. All seems well as Celia spends the next several years madly in love, starting a family and watching as Oliver leads his father's publishing company to many a great success. All is perfect until the outbreak of World War I.

The book is literally split into two parts at this point. Even offering a page noting that you have reached part II. Given the severe transition it hardly seems necessary to me. From the moment the war starts things seem to go awry. Celia is thrown into a leadership position that while she appreciates and even succeeds at also wears tremendously on her spirit. For anyone that has read and loved Gone with the Wind and Scarlet O'Hara, this section of the book is a drastic reminder of how war irrevocably changes people.

A quick aside, I was fascinated by the description of how strongly all the men seemed to feel about volunteering for the War. At every level of society from a working bricklayer to Lord Beckenham a wealthy aristocrat. They all felt a moral obligation to fight for their country, I'm so curious if that was actually the case at the time.

But back to the review...

After Oliver and most of the other men return from the war, some things return such as galas, parties and other social events but so many of the men and the women are forever changed. It it a difficult period in the book to see how Oliver and Celia try to rebuild their marriage, their love, their faith and most importantly their trust in one another. Even more difficult is watching as they (again in my opinion) selfishly get through the following years.

I won't go any further with the plot simply because I don't want to give anything more away, but the story also follows the lives of Lady Celia's aristocratic parents, Oliver's wildly unconventional sister, LM and their charming but fool-hearty younger brother Jack. There are a number of antics and scenarios that occur in the family owned publishing house that are also quite entertaining and more than a bit scandalous. Also linked to this story is Oliver's brother Robert who has moved to New York and has made quite a successful career in the new booming world of real estate and finance despite some family troubles of his own.

One of the things I particularly loved about the book was the way in which it was written. The language at the time and words spoken seem enchanting to this little American girl. I guess it's one of the many reasons why I've always been so fascinated with Great Britain and London in particular.

As I finish this up I find that I seem to like the book more than when I started the review. This of course means that I'll have to hit the library this afternoon and pick up the next book in the series, Something Dangerous which continues through the mid-twentieth century. And in case you are curious the third and final book in the Lytton family saga is Into Temptation following the family into the latter half of the twentieth century.

I'm taking this one book at at time of course but will post a review of Something Dangerous should it be as compelling as No Angel.

Happy Reading!

Cheers,

Ouiser