Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Shattered Wings

3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 · rating details · 48 ratings · 29 reviews

John has a hold of the American dream: Love, a beautiful little girl, the perfect home and a well-paying job. But a sudden layoff brings it all into question, as he deals with the unexpected financial and emotional strain. As he struggles to find new work, a growing sense of despair triggers a return to alcohol and causes him to face his demons of addiction, discrimination...more

Paperback, 250 pages

Published May 6th 2011 by Littera Press (first published May 1st 2011)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Must Have 2011

87th out of 171 books — 383 voters

Once Upon Another Time by Rosary McQuestion

Best Indie Books/Authors

246th out of 1,054 books — 1,116 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 777)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 31, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1st-reads

I won this book on Goodreads and was really excited to find such a talented new author. This story was kind of depressing but very well written. When his world virtually collapses around him John continues to make poor choice after poor choice, compounding his sorrow and despair. Author Healy has a great talent for writing dialogue that you don't see very often. When Charlie and John are talking you feel as though you are in the room with with them and cheering for things to get better.

1 like · like · see review

Jan 04, 2013 Read2review rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-for-read-2-review

Bryan Healey sets out in Shattered Wings to present the sad tale of a man beaten down by his circumstances and leaves the reader wondering if he deserved his lot in life. From page one, we see a pitiful creature in what looks like the aftermath of a tragedy. It isn’t clear as to whether it’s a woman who’s been raped or a man who’s committed murder. But from the get-go, we feel something for the protagonist.

By page 3, we see the main character at his best. His name is John, and life seems to be o...more Bryan Healey sets out in Shattered Wings to present the sad tale of a man beaten down by his circumstances and leaves the reader wondering if he deserved his lot in life. From page one, we see a pitiful creature in what looks like the aftermath of a tragedy. It isn’t clear as to whether it’s a woman who’s been raped or a man who’s committed murder. But from the get-go, we feel something for the protagonist.

By page 3, we see the main character at his best. His name is John, and life seems to be on his side at the beginning. He is married to Charlie, and the two of them have adopted a daughter named Cassie. Even though we know from this point on that they are gay, it isn’t a factor for most of the novel. This slower ease into a sensitive subject is played very well. We do see the full range of reactions to John and Charlie’s lifestyle, from John’s father to Charlie’s friend Jen, but the more powerful aspects of this couple is that they encounter life much the same way anyone else would.

I had been biased to books like these based on past experience, both in books and real life. I don’t know if I just caught the wrong kind of people, but I hadn’t experience many people like this who weren’t on a vendetta against the world or determined to make every single person believe just exactly what they believe and nothing else. When I read about the situation in Shattered Wings, I almost stopped reading there on that bias. But, Bryan Healey demonstrates his writing prowess and makes even the most contrasting of characters close to the reader, and that made the difference for this sensitive book.

John loses his job as a manager, and can’t seem to tell his husband, Charlie. He figured within a month he would be able to secure new work and keep a humiliating secret under wraps. Slowly desperation sneaks in until he returns to his forbidden comfort of drinking. More and more he makes minor wrong decisions until he has lost everything, and is seconds from taking his life.

Throughout this novel, it’s easy and well-presented to see how John’s decisions were wrong, but the easier to make and hide. One drink didn’t unravel his life, a vice president didn’t hire him based on discrimination, and a friend trying to help kept him drinking and lying. But we see him lose the things that meant the most to him, because he couldn’t consider them as the consequences of the little choices he made each day.

I rate this book a 4 out of 5. Well told with brilliant characters and real emotions. There are spelling and grammar errors that crop intermittently, which proved to be an annoyance. Bryan Healey took a controversial topic and presented it in a light to which it was easy to relate.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Aug 10, 2011 Alan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Publisher: CreateSpace (April 29, 2011)
Pages: 249

John is confident, a bit cocky, and happy with his life. He and his lover, Charlie, are proud parents of a darling little girl. Charlie is a stay-at-home daddy while John brings home the bacon with his mid-level management position in an IT department. John is living the dream in their lovely suburban home. The only thing missing is the sheepdog.

And then an unexpected layoff shows John just how fragile a foundation his perfect life is built on. J...more Publisher: CreateSpace (April 29, 2011)
Pages: 249

John is confident, a bit cocky, and happy with his life. He and his lover, Charlie, are proud parents of a darling little girl. Charlie is a stay-at-home daddy while John brings home the bacon with his mid-level management position in an IT department. John is living the dream in their lovely suburban home. The only thing missing is the sheepdog.

And then an unexpected layoff shows John just how fragile a foundation his perfect life is built on. John’s search for a new job brings only emotional strain. He spirals into despair, which triggers a relapse into alcoholism, lies, and deceit. All it will take to recover his dream is a job—any job—but can he find one in this down economy before he loses everything?

I had a love/hate relationship with this novel. The story itself is simply terrific. It’s like watching a train wreck from close up, and knowing that at any moment the whole damned thing could explode, but there is nothing you can do, not even pull your eyes away. It is a gripping story, and John is a compelling character. He’s both sympathetic and pathetic at the same time, making all the wrong moves for comprehensible reasons.

This is a detailed study of a man slowly disintegrating. He keeps grasping for help, but at every turn, people turn their back on him until he is pushed beyond his endurance. It is a sad story, and bitterly real. I would love to award this tale a five-star rating, but I can’t overlook the numerous issues that annoyed me.

This story desperately needs a competent editor with a large red pen. The writing—with numerous typos, misspellings, bad punctuation, switching from past tense to present and back, and repeated phrases—make this one of the worst written books I’ve seen in print. The writing continually pulled me out of the story, and tainted an otherwise compelling read. It is the curse of self-publishing, and why I generally shy away from writers who publish their own work.

Although John’s character has significant depth, the other characters in the story have little or no depth at all. I kept wanting them to show more of themselves, but that didn’t happen. In defense of the author, this story is told by John in first person, and he is totally self absorbed through most of the story. Yet, I wanted more.

There is one other issue I’ll mention. It seems that half of the book is told in flashbacks. There is a pattern where every four or five pages the author cuts from the current storyline to give several pages of backstory. Back and forth, back and forth. My issue is that too many flashbacks kept breaking the rhythm of the current story. Normally I could overlook that, except that in this case most of these flashbacks did little or nothing to advance the storyline. They seemed to slow the story down for no reason.

My opinion is that this book is not ready for prime time. With significant editing, the rounding out of some characters and the deletion of several flashbacks, this could be a fantastic read.
(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 11, 2011 Ron Fritsch rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone

Bryan Healey's novel, Shattered Wings, won me over completely. The descent of his protagonist, John, from his delightfully gay heaven—with a good job, an attractive and almost saintly lover, and an adopted daughter they both adore—to the hell his bigoted and yet knowing father had predicted all along (thus "shattered wings") is believable, intense, and tragic.

John has a drinking problem. In order to keep his partner, Charlie, and his daughter, Cassie—his family—John stops drinking but struggles...more Bryan Healey's novel, Shattered Wings, won me over completely. The descent of his protagonist, John, from his delightfully gay heaven—with a good job, an attractive and almost saintly lover, and an adopted daughter they both adore—to the hell his bigoted and yet knowing father had predicted all along (thus "shattered wings") is believable, intense, and tragic.

John has a drinking problem. In order to keep his partner, Charlie, and his daughter, Cassie—his family—John stops drinking but struggles to remain abstinent. Then, apparently a victim of the recent economic crisis, he loses his job.

The bookends to Healey's story seem quite right to me. The beginning immediately arouses dread. The ending boldly goes, in the confessional first person no less, where many writers would lack the courage to go.

Reading Shattered Wings is like viewing an Ed Norton movie, where we're thinking, we love you, man; you don't need to do what you're doing to yourself. Does his character hear our plea? Of course not. He's on the screen in a magnificent fall. We're on our couch.

Those of us who read and admire thoughtful, serious fiction know a John. We sometimes see him when we look in our mirrors. I readily gave him the benefit of every doubt, even as he refused to do what I wanted him to do. His struggle, emanating from his father's rejection, is too familiar and true for him not to capture our sympathy as if it were prey.

Readers should know that Healey handles his "sex" scenes with admirable restraint. I found it good to know that, yeah, John and Charlie are very much in love with one another that way, too. But Healey wisely knows he doesn't have to provide a play-by-play account in this kind of story. He can let us imagine the details, or not, as we see fit.

I'm looking forward to what Bryan Healey next has to offer his readers. I hope he continues to write realistic fiction.

The horror in an honest and realistic depiction of the world as we know it, as in Shattered Wings, can far exceed the make-believe horror in the genre realms. Unlike the magical world, where anything horrific or beautiful can happen but invariably doesn't, since that world doesn't exist, the real world's horrors and beauties more thoroughly frighten or move us simply because they're real and can happen to us all.

I'm keeping my eye on Bryan Healey.
(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 05, 2011 SenoraG rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, arc, blogcritics-review-book, fiction, highly-recommended

Article first published as Book Review: Shattered Wings by Bryan Healey on Blogcritics.

Shattered Wings tells the story of a family, John, Charlie and their little girl Cassie. It tells how one change, the loss of John's job, can break the family into pieces and drive John to do things he never thought possible or that he was capable of.

This is a powerful book. It shows the power of love and how love is not always enough. It introduces us to a family who went from being so happy to slowly fallin...more

1 like · like · see review

May 28, 2011 Kitty Bullard rated it 5 of 5 stars

BRYAN HEALEY'S "SHATTERED WINGS" (A REVIEW)

"Shattered Wings," is the story of a homosexual man with a family and his struggle with alcoholism. It shows how the stresses of daily life can drag you so far down that it's hard to claw your way back up. After losing his job with a company he's served since his graduation from college, he tries hard to find another in the meantime filling in what he feels are the missing pieces of his life with alcohol. He keeps his lay-off a secret from his fiance' C...more

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 15, 2011 Jill rated it 3 of 5 stars

Love fails in light of job loss and depression.

***
The real agony felt when one loses a job and its devastating effects on his or her family is too often a common story in these difficult times. Author Bryan Healey traces John’s spiraling downfall from his job loss, drinking problem and failure to communicate with those he loves. This story shows the real life agony from the choices John made and his actions and interactions as a son, as a father to Cassie and as a spouse to Charlie. This story...more

1 like · like · see review

May 12, 2011 Valentina rated it 4 of 5 stars

I’m still in a bit of a shock at the ending. I finished it a couple of hours ago after having spent yesterday reading the majority of the book, and let me tell you, this is one powerful book.

So, John is a recovered alcoholic who seems to have everything figured out: he has a wonderful partner, Charlie, and an adopted daughter Cassie, who love him very much, a house, a job that provides for all of them well. And suddenly, it all falls to pieces. He loses his job and the downward spiral begins. W...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 20, 2011 Headacheslayer rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Headacheslayer by: Author

Shelves: 2011, arc, awesome-cover, drama, fiction, glbt, must-read, politics, romance-erotica, sent-by-author, made-me-cry, reviewed

My deepest thanks to Bryan Healey for sending me an ARC of this book to review.

What do you do when your life is turned tragically upside down? In Shattered Wings, we are introduced to a family--John, his spouse Charlie, and their adopted daughter Cassie. While Charlie works at home to be with their daughter, John is a white collar worker with a secure job. Until it isn't. Laid off in the dwindling economy, John decides to not tell Charlie. In a series of flashbacks, we are thrust into feeling hi...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 29, 2011 Joanne added it

Shelves: 2011-books-read

John is alone and wondering what has happened to his love, Charlie, and his little girl, Cassie.
John has a very good job and lives with his lover, Charlie in a beautiful home in upper New York. John loves coming home every day to house-husband Charlie and the little girl that they worked so hard to adopt, Cassie.
John is at work one day and is released from his position because of down-sizing. He is unable to tell Charlie, so he dresses for work each day and he sits in teh park as he applies for...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 25, 2011 Jennifer Defoy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, 2011-reads

This one I thought would be a bit difficult for me to read. So many of us right now are struggling with losing our jobs, not having the money to make ends meet, and all the other stresses that come along for the ride. It's a difficult subject to talk about, let alone get emotionally attached to in a story (as I almost always get emotionally attached to the stories I read). My fear was that I would be emotionally drained after reading this. Healey masterfully pulled off a story that let me get at...more This one I thought would be a bit difficult for me to read. So many of us right now are struggling with losing our jobs, not having the money to make ends meet, and all the other stresses that come along for the ride. It's a difficult subject to talk about, let alone get emotionally attached to in a story (as I almost always get emotionally attached to the stories I read). My fear was that I would be emotionally drained after reading this. Healey masterfully pulled off a story that let me get attached, but didn't drain me, and actually let me wanting to keep reading.

The character development was so great in this book. John comes off as a bit of a jerk (sometimes a lot of a jerk) but he was still likeable. I really attached to him and even though I felt like he needed a swift kick in the you know what I still felt the pain and anguish that he was going through. I just wanted things to work out good for him. As the book progresses we are taken back through important moments in his life that give us a little more insight into how his life has progressed. We get to meet Charlie with him, we get to see him when his daughter is born, we get to see all the important events that have gone on in his life. Being privy to these moments really helped to form the bond that I built with John.

I think it takes a great author to be able to pull of flashbacks in a story without making the story feel choppy. The flashbacks sometimes confused me, as I would get lost in the story and I wouldn't realize that I was in a flashback. I think that is my only criticism of this book, while the flashbacks didn't deter from the story I didn't always pick up on the fact that I had jumped into the flashback. But I think this is more due to my reading habits rather than an error on the author's part.

But overall it was a great book. I really liked the characters, even when I didn't want to. There were some great twists that really made John's situation that much more desperate. The ending was great, I had part of it pegged, but the last twist really threw me for a loop. I was left with a few questions, but I didn't feel like I was left with an unfinished story. Enough was answered to keep me satiated, and enough was left unanswered to make the ending quite intriguing.

A review copy of this book was provided by the author. This is not a paid review and is a truthful and honest review.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jul 19, 2011 Sara Winters added it · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, dont-know-what-to-make-of-it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · like · see review

Jan 11, 2012 Jenee Rager rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-fiction

What a waste of a good writer. I liked Mr. Healey's writing style but the plot of this story was just dumb. When John gets fired his whole life starts to fall apart, mainly because he refuses to tell his partner about said loss of job, the bills begin piling up and he starts drinking again. The main thing I kept thinking to myself is why in the world doesn't he just apply for unemployment? The next thing I asked is what is wrong with him? Seriously he was one of the most unlikeable main characte...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 22, 2012 Rob rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I just started this book yesterday and I could not really put it down. I enjoyed the honesty and real nature of this story. Bryan did a great job showing the relationship of Charlie and John as a realistic portrayal of a gay couple that go through their issues just like any other couple. I felt horrible for John from the start. I felt that he just was going through so much but at the same time, I felt that he was so engulfed in his own issues that he never really wanted to change his circumstanc...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 02, 2012 Theresa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, fiction

This engrossing and well written book was difficult for me to read because of the amount of emotions it stirred. The main character, John Lawer, was a man that I didn't like nor did I want to. He was a self-centered, egotistical drunk and a liar - all the qualities I loved to hate. There were times I almost felt sorry for him (I said almost) and wanted him to redeem himself, but then feeling would change and I wanted him to get exactly what I thought he deserved.

This will be one book I won't so...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 23, 2012 Dustin Rhodes rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: digital-book, favorite, gay-lit

Shattered Wings opens with the story's ending (no need to read the last chapter first, if you are one of those readers who has to know in advance how a story ends).

“The rain in coming down harder now, each drop larger than the one before it. I look up, but the water keeps me from seeing the menacing sky, illuminated only briefly by a silent crash of light. My hair is fallen and becoming matted to my forehead. I can feel the stain spread across my chest, and the water streaking down my cheeks in...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 31, 2011 Debbie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, glbt, rtbook, reviewer-copy

Overcoming so much in his life, John had finally found happiness with his partner Charlie and their adopted daughter Cassie. Having already put his life back together from drinking once, being laid off from his job, a job he loved and did well, led John to make bad decisions. Not telling Charlie that he was laid off, John was convinced that he could get another job before his severance pay ran out. Leaving everyday like he was heading out to work when in reality he was spending most of his time...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 24, 2011 Evie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

** Originally published to: Bookish

Every once in awhile, you find a book that is so compelling and penetrating that you can’t put it down. Through its fiery emotional onslaught it tears at your soul and leaves a stain upon your heart. It’s dark and disquieting, and yet you can’t cast it away. It grabs hold of you from page one and doesn’t let go till the end. Shattered Wings is one of those books.

In his book, Bryan Healey tackles the demons and obsessions challenging the alcoholic. He brings...more ** Originally published to: Bookish

Every once in awhile, you find a book that is so compelling and penetrating that you can’t put it down. Through its fiery emotional onslaught it tears at your soul and leaves a stain upon your heart. It’s dark and disquieting, and yet you can’t cast it away. It grabs hold of you from page one and doesn’t let go till the end. Shattered Wings is one of those books.

In his book, Bryan Healey tackles the demons and obsessions challenging the alcoholic. He brings to vivid light the tragedy of the alcohol addiction. In a literary style that is both simple and masterful, his description of what true alcoholism is and what it does to people is deeply disturbing and unforgettable.

Shattered Wings is a tale of one man’s descent into alcoholism. John seems to have everything going for him. He has a well-paying white-collar job, loving partner and beautiful daughter. Together with his family he lives a harmonious and prosperous life in a suburban house in upper New York. He’s a successful man, content with what he has. Until one day it all comes tumbling down when John is released from his job due to the downsizing of the company he works for. Determined to salvage the situation on his own, he decides to keep the layoff a secret from his partner, until he finds a new job. But finding it isn’t as easy as he first thought it would be. No one seems to be interested in hiring a laid-off worker who dedicated 13 years of his life to one company. Apparently his loyalty means nothing more than experience deficiency and not enough exposure to a broader range of skills. As days pass by and there’s still very little prospect of getting hired, an overpowering sense of hopelessness sinks John to the bottom of the bottle.

Shattered Wings pulls the reader into a dark and scary world of alcohol abuse. A world filled with lies, delusions, anger, self-pity and fear. John is slowly losing everything he ever cared about and yet I find it very hard to sympathize with him. After all, he made the decision to face the hardships on his own. If only he’d confide in Charlie, no matter how desperate the situation, I’m sure together they’d find a way out of it. I was really angry at John for making all the wrong decisions and succumbing to his addiction. There were many times when I seriously wanted to slap or shake him. I was frustrated that he gave up, that he didn’t try harder, and that he didn’t let people help him when he was unable to help himself. Deep inside he knew that he’s an alcoholic, and yet he chose to pretend that it’s only temporary, that he can –and will – stop drinking as soon as he can find a new job.

It’s a very emotional story and I was totally engrossed in it. Healey’s writing style is simple yet very captivating. The story is told in a way that will keep you turning the pages until you hit the back cover. This book deals with some heavy subjects yet it’s not emotionally draining.

What I especially like about this book is that it does not aspire to create a greater sympathy for alcoholics, nor does it have any didactic feeling to it. Healey is not here to teach you what is wrong or right, he won’t tell you to stay away from the alcohol, nor will he encourage you to have a drink. Shattered Wings has no agenda, good or bad, for its influence in the world. It simply tells a tragic story. It lays out the facts, leaving the reader to interpret them however he/she wants. Bryan Healey has perfectly captured the madness, hopelessness, compulsion, fear and degradation of addiction. Shattered Wings chronicles a truly heartbreaking journey down the road to self-destruction. It’s a powerful and thought-provoking read, a chronicle, a picture, a record of a dark way of life. All that makes it a great piece of literature, well worthy of the time invested into reading it. (less)

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 01, 2011 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: blog-reviews

Despite the slow signs of recovery, the Global Financial Crisis continues to impact heavily on society. While unemployment and the subsequent financial pressure may be the immediate consequence of the credit crunch, it is the long term individual repercussions that continue to reverberate. In Shattered Wings, John's unexpected 'downsizing' triggers a spiraling descent into depression and alcoholism. The main breadwinner for his family that includes stay at home husband Charlie and daughter Cassi...more Despite the slow signs of recovery, the Global Financial Crisis continues to impact heavily on society. While unemployment and the subsequent financial pressure may be the immediate consequence of the credit crunch, it is the long term individual repercussions that continue to reverberate. In Shattered Wings, John's unexpected 'downsizing' triggers a spiraling descent into depression and alcoholism. The main breadwinner for his family that includes stay at home husband Charlie and daughter Cassie, John is initially confident he will find a new position quickly and hides his unemployment as he searches for work. As the days and then weeks pass, his optimism fades and as his stress levels mount John reverts to old patterns of coping - alcohol and denial. Eventually his secrets are revealed and John risks losing much more than his career.

Shattered Wings is an emotionally hard hitting novel, brutally demonstrating the destabilising effects of unemployment in our financially troubled times. It is not just the the loss of income that affects the individual, the impact on self esteem, identity and sense of security is equally as devastating, particularly for the main breadwinner who has a family who relies on him as John does. I was very sympathetic to John's shock at being made redundant and his hurt and frustration as it became obvious that he was unlikely to find employment again quickly. The author skillfully illustrates John's devolving confidence and increasing desperation.
Twice my husband has been a victim of unemployment when businesses he worked for had filed for bankruptcy without warning so I have personal experience of the challenges men in John's position face. Both times it took a few months to regain full time employment and while my husband tried to maintain a positive outlook I know it ate as his soul.
As we are shown through a series of flashbacks, John was already vulnerable to stress, he had had issues with alcohol that had previously jeopardised his relationship with his husband and like many alcoholics was under the delusion he could control it. When he begins drinking again after being made redundant it contributes significantly to the disintegration of his relationship. The drinking also robs John of his motivation, his common sense and eventually his sense of self preservation resulting in a shocking climax.
This is a well written novel, told in the first person through a series of flashbacks and the current agonies of his circumstance. While the division between the past and present is made clear in the narrative, the formatting in my e-version could be improved to define it more clearly.
Shattered Wings is a powerful story with timely relevance. Thought provoking and poignant this novel is sure to have an emotional impact.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jun 20, 2011 Bailey rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was lucky to have received this book for free through the Goodreads First Reads program. The topic of the book is alcoholism, how it can destroy a persons life and the ripple effects it can have on others around them. The book was an easy read, although somewhat sad. I felt the writing style of the author was suited to me, I am not one who loves books who are "over" detailed. This story was smooth, with enough knowledge of the characters to keep you involved.

1 like · like · see review

Jun 14, 2011 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads-books-books-won

This book is written in an interesting way. You start practically at the end and then go back to the beginning in flashbacks, both in the distant and near past. It is about a troubled relationship that while it is a gay relationship, could just as easily be any two people who love one another. i don't want to give away too much, because I think you should read and find out yourself the entire break down of John, his relationship with his lover and his daughter. It will touch most people very dee...more

1 like · like · see review

May 15, 2011 Ronda rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked this story! John has it all, a sucessful professional life and a loving family. After a life changing event and poor choices, you watch him slowly self-destruct. Battling inner demons against alcholism, I found myself sympathizing with his circumstances and sad each time he took a step in the wrong direction. Although I continued to wish for a happy ending, life doesn't always imitate fairy tales.

Thanks Bryan for the privilege of being one of the first to read it! Will definitely pass i...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 29, 2011 Kara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow! This book was powerful. I'll try to review it without spoiling anything but it deals around a man named John that is struggling with the loss of his job and several other things that he loses in his life gradually. He basically copes with depression and the psychology of it is fascinating. I'm glad that I won this book because I might not have found it otherwise. I enjoyed the read even though it seems (to me anyways) to be tragic because in some ways, I've known people like John.

1 like · like · see review

Jun 08, 2011 Grace G rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-read-giveaways

This was my first free giveway from GoodReads.
This was a great story of a homosexual man who loses job and cannot seem to face reality and advise his family of this causing him to lie until he no longer can. He drinks to help himself during this time of searching for a job which makes him feel hopeless and noone seem to hire him.
What a shock at ending.

1 like · like · see review

Jun 10, 2011 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

*I received this book free through a goodreads giveaway*
I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed the story, however I found myself angry at the main character. There was nothig about him that made you feel for him at all. The ending was shocking and I would have liked to know how Charlie reacted to what happened.

1 like · like · see review

Jun 18, 2011 Nicci rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: glbt, contemporary-romance

Shattered Wings is a devastating story of John losing his job and the events that follows. John narrates the story in 1st person.

Rest of the review can be read here: http://niciasus.com/blog/2011/06/18/r...

1 like · like · see review

Jul 06, 2011 Meagen Hudson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

My only complaint about this novel is just one of personal preference. There are no "chapters". I regulate my reading by chapters, meaning when I know it's time to stop, I'll read through until the next chapter, so when I pick up again, It's at a 'new beginning'. He does have separations with bold "I Remember..." but for me, I enjoy books that are riddled with chapters. It's just a personal preference and I understand that every writer has their own style. Other than that, I quite enjoyed it.

1 like · like · see review

Jun 17, 2011 Angelic rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Angelic by: anzal6@aol.com

Shelves: library-thing-early-reviewers

I won this book from librarything.com. This was a good book withreal life struggles. I enjoyed reading about this family coming together making a life and having to deal with alchoholism and the loss of income. I loved tnis book.

1 like · like · see review

Jul 20, 2011 Jordan Hennen added it

i loved this book :) it was absolutly amazing :)

1 like · like · see review

Aug 09, 2011 Crazy added it

It was a decent book. Not particularly one of my favorites.

1 like · like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 25 26 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Goodreads Librari...: Please merge these books	2	140	May 10, 2012 12:54pm

combine
Other Editions (2)

Genres

Glbt

5 users

Romance > M M Romance

4 users

Contemporary

3 users

Romance

3 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Thief of His Heart
by Mya
Moonlight
by Arshad Ahsanuddin
Daron's Guitar Chronicles: Volume One
by Cecilia Tan
One Last Lie
by Rob Kaufman
Beneath Your Wings
by Cleon Lee

About Bryan Healey

Bryan Healey went to Northeastern University for Computer Science and is currently pursuing his degree in English. He is currently living in Rhode Island with his beautiful wife.

More about Bryan Healey...

Books by Bryan Healey

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Shattered Wings

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Shattered Wings
avg rating	preview: Shattered Wings Goodreads rating: 3.81 (48 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11249813-shattered-wings?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1336678548l/11249813.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11249813-shattered-wings?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Shattered Wings by Bryan Healey[/url]

Shattered Wings

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website