Joseph Vaughan's life has been dogged by tragedy. Growing up in the 1950s, he was at the centre of series of killings of young girls in his small r...
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Jan 18, 2010
Linda
rated it: 
How exactly does a person move beyond a childhood filled with death? Death that seems to take form and follow... yet stay in front all the while, taunting with it's ability to control the very life one tries to escape?
This story begins in early 1900's with the death of a young boy's father - and what follows is a not so sweet serial killer mystery in surrounding Georgia country where everyone is suspect and one boy is destined to be haunted - if not hunted - forever.
I'll admit, I d More...
This story begins in early 1900's with the death of a young boy's father - and what follows is a not so sweet serial killer mystery in surrounding Georgia country where everyone is suspect and one boy is destined to be haunted - if not hunted - forever.
I'll admit, I d More...
Mar 28, 2008
Anne
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A great big 5 STARS! Was blown away by this book, more by the style of writing than the story. Loved it!
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Jan 27, 2012
Madame Charlotte
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J’avais adoré Les Anonymes en octobre dernier, mais là c’est un cran au-dessus !
Encore plus sombre, Seul le silence est un roman avant tout psychologique, un genre de thriller sans réel suspens ni enquête. L’enquête menée pas Joseph Vaughan est principalement intérieure. Traumatisé par la Mort en général et celle de son père et des premières victimes en particulier, Joseph restera lié à une fatalité qui le hante depuis l’enfance. On est fasciné par l’enchainement des événements, on assiste More...
Encore plus sombre, Seul le silence est un roman avant tout psychologique, un genre de thriller sans réel suspens ni enquête. L’enquête menée pas Joseph Vaughan est principalement intérieure. Traumatisé par la Mort en général et celle de son père et des premières victimes en particulier, Joseph restera lié à une fatalité qui le hante depuis l’enfance. On est fasciné par l’enchainement des événements, on assiste More...
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Jan 29, 2012
Carrie
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When I first started reading R.J.Ellory’s, A Quiet Belief in Angels, I thought,
"This is a con.....this can't be right.....this is a joke!"
I was convinced I was reading the works of the Master, Steinbeck.
Right from the opening lines, Ellory had me drawn in, taken under the influence of, and then totally intoxicated by his verbal skills and mastery over phrase, paragraph and perfect prose.
‘Sat at my window, chin almost touching the sill More...
"This is a con.....this can't be right.....this is a joke!"
I was convinced I was reading the works of the Master, Steinbeck.
Right from the opening lines, Ellory had me drawn in, taken under the influence of, and then totally intoxicated by his verbal skills and mastery over phrase, paragraph and perfect prose.
‘Sat at my window, chin almost touching the sill More...
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Feb 18, 2009
Joni
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Finally! I have finished this book. I thought I never would. It's SOOO slow-moving, but the prose is just brilliant. It reads like an enchanting, on-going poem. Don't read it for the story, read it for the words, because the latter far surpasses the former.
However it is a good story as well, slightly marred by the fact that there was no mystery in it for me as two of my relatives let slip the murderer's name in front of me before I started reading. People like that should be hanged.
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However it is a good story as well, slightly marred by the fact that there was no mystery in it for me as two of my relatives let slip the murderer's name in front of me before I started reading. People like that should be hanged.
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Aug 06, 2011
I rarely read crime stories and most of the time I enjoyed this book, not to discover who was the serial killer [far too many novels about serial killers!] but in order to discover more about James Vaughan, the main character. I wanted to know if he was able to lay his own ghosts to rest, if he became a successful writer, if he found peace and contentment in his own relationships, whether he settled in Georgia or NYC, etc. I enjoyed much of this aspect of the novel and actually felt the search
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May 10, 2011
Darklady
rated it: 
É um livro interessante e com uma excelente narrativa, no entanto, creio que promete demais como thriller/policial e no fim não se aproxima disso. Breves descrições das meninas assassinadas e quase no final um momento ou outro que nos prende mas pouco mais que isso.
A história de vida da personagem principal é realmente surpreendente.
A história de vida da personagem principal é realmente surpreendente.
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Feb 03, 2012
Ian
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 12, 2012
Morticia
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This wouldn’t have been a bad crime thriller, had it not been ruined by the author’s apparent belief that he’s a much better writer than he actually is. He aims for the lyrical and poetic and falls flat because he doesn’t apparently understand the value of restraint or economy, and that constant repetition of an idea will diminish its impact.
I suspect that many editors today aren’t ruthless enough, and are too ready to swallow their authors’ self-hyping. A good editor might have sug More...
I suspect that many editors today aren’t ruthless enough, and are too ready to swallow their authors’ self-hyping. A good editor might have sug More...
Aug 12, 2011
Tim
rated it:
It's been awhile since I've encountered a narrator as tightly controlled by his author as Joseph Vaughan is in R.J. Ellory's "A Quiet Belief in Angels." There's a part of Joseph we can't quite get to, hidden by the cloak of enigma or numbness, and Ellory holds the reins relentlessly. But it's no wonder. In his story, spanning decades, Joseph is haunted by the brutal deaths of young girls in his small Georgia town. As the bodies of murdered and mutilated girls pile up in Augusta Falls a
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Jun 26, 2011
Lisa
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Ellory captures the human experience in wonderfully poignant prose, as he details the events in the life of young Joseph Vaughn in rural Georgia; including the complete life altering affect a series of brutal murders had on his life and on the community.
More compelling, however, was the intertwining story line of the tragedy experienced by the losses to his immediate family. "Death came that day. Workmanlike, methodical, indifferent to fashion and favor, disrespecful of Passov More...
More compelling, however, was the intertwining story line of the tragedy experienced by the losses to his immediate family. "Death came that day. Workmanlike, methodical, indifferent to fashion and favor, disrespecful of Passov More...
Sep 06, 2010
David
rated it:
A book with a lot of promise that fails miserably. What captured my attention in the beginning was the prose style...it was very evocative but then it came to drown in its over reliance on similes...that repeat themselves over and over and over.
The story itself started good but became unendingly episodic and cliche. The serial killer narrative and coming of age narratives never gelled. Characterizations were a little interesting but this was lost in a story that went nowhere, I stopped read More...
The story itself started good but became unendingly episodic and cliche. The serial killer narrative and coming of age narratives never gelled. Characterizations were a little interesting but this was lost in a story that went nowhere, I stopped read More...
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Aug 29, 2010
J
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Jul 21, 2010
Belle
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Feb 05, 2010
John
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The beginning of this story had me laughing out loud, and the dialog reminded me of "To Kill a Mockingbird". Remember the laxative Serutan, Natures spelled backwards was the ad? I do. He throws a little story about a man that liked the taste of Serutan and drank it all the time.
The author imagines the dead girls singing - "Two-six-nine...the goose drank wine..the monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line...the line got broke...the mon-key choked...they all went to More...
The author imagines the dead girls singing - "Two-six-nine...the goose drank wine..the monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line...the line got broke...the mon-key choked...they all went to More...
Jan 16, 2010
Mavis
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Nov 30, 2009
Manda
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Precis: A man's life is overshadowed by a brutal serial killer.
One of a chunk of books bought from The Book People that had all been included in Richard and Judy's 2008 Book Club. This is my personal favourite of the books included in the pack.
I really enjoy books that transport you to a different environment, and this book took me to middle America in the 40s. I enjoy a romance, as long as there is a tale behind it, and it is not too overblown, and the romances in this More...
One of a chunk of books bought from The Book People that had all been included in Richard and Judy's 2008 Book Club. This is my personal favourite of the books included in the pack.
I really enjoy books that transport you to a different environment, and this book took me to middle America in the 40s. I enjoy a romance, as long as there is a tale behind it, and it is not too overblown, and the romances in this More...
Nov 26, 2009
Tony
rated it:
Ellory, R. J. A QUIET BELIEF IN ANGELS. (2009). *****. I believe that this is one of the best-written books I have read in years. Although it is a crime novel, it reads as much like a family saga as anything else. It is set in a small town in Georgia, where a young boy, Joseph Vaughan, grows up as most other boys in such a setting, until a tragedy strikes and a young girl is found murdered and violated on the outskirts of town. The townspeople are aghast at such an event, and begin to loo
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Nov 09, 2009
Donna
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I don't read out and out mysteries very often and this book was a random grab at BEA. I just went, "free book!" *yoink* Thankfully it sounded interesting enough and it's set during a time period I normally like so what the hell, right?
It took a little bit to get into and the voice is a retroactive one - the grown up Joseph Vaughan telling the story as he grew up so it's a little strange to read a kid having such high end thoughts. But you get used to it. The only thing I fo More...
It took a little bit to get into and the voice is a retroactive one - the grown up Joseph Vaughan telling the story as he grew up so it's a little strange to read a kid having such high end thoughts. But you get used to it. The only thing I fo More...
Oct 23, 2009
Jaime
rated it:
This book was a wonderful surprise. It had me from the open:
"Rumor, hearsay, folklore. Whichever way it laid down to rest or came up for air, rumor had it that a white feather indicated the visitation of an angel.
On the morning of Wednesday, July twelfth, 1939, I saw one, long and slender and unlike any kind of feather I’d seen before. It skirted the edge of the door as I opened it, almost as if it had waited patiently to enter, and the draft from the hallway carr More...
"Rumor, hearsay, folklore. Whichever way it laid down to rest or came up for air, rumor had it that a white feather indicated the visitation of an angel.
On the morning of Wednesday, July twelfth, 1939, I saw one, long and slender and unlike any kind of feather I’d seen before. It skirted the edge of the door as I opened it, almost as if it had waited patiently to enter, and the draft from the hallway carr More...
Apr 28, 2011
Kristina
rated it:
A Quiet Belief in Angels was my introduction to RJ Ellory and my first impressions were certainly good. Now I'm not the most 'on the ball' when it comes to deducing who done it but in this case I got it right. This may suggest that the twist was too obvious but I really enjoyed the journey of getting there and for me the journey's what it's all about.
So the plot we have our leading man, actually we have our leading boy growing up in Georgia, dealing with the death of his father w More...
So the plot we have our leading man, actually we have our leading boy growing up in Georgia, dealing with the death of his father w More...
Aug 26, 2009
Yas
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Aug 08, 2011
Eek-louisville
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Sep 02, 2010
Rose
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This book is in a class all by itself. A mixture of horror, drama, romance, mystery; I just can't catergorize it. Ellory deserves to be among the great classic authors, the one who comes to mind is Steinbeck.
The story is told through the eyes of Joseph Vaughan, a Georgia boy who grows up among the shadows of a serial killer who rapes, tortures and then tears apart little girls. Yes, it's disturbing, yes, it's gruesome and dark, but it's told with such beauty that even the most d More...
The story is told through the eyes of Joseph Vaughan, a Georgia boy who grows up among the shadows of a serial killer who rapes, tortures and then tears apart little girls. Yes, it's disturbing, yes, it's gruesome and dark, but it's told with such beauty that even the most d More...
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Aug 05, 2011
I'd never heard of R.J. Ellory before, but now that I've found him, I'm going to hit the bookstore and look at everything else he's written to see what else I should read! This is one of those books which I probably would never have found if it weren't for a display at Borders, which is why I'm still a major proponent of bookstores...
This book starts in 1939 in rural Georgia. Young Joseph Vaughan is growing up without his father, challenged by an inspirational teacher and affected by what appe More...
This book starts in 1939 in rural Georgia. Young Joseph Vaughan is growing up without his father, challenged by an inspirational teacher and affected by what appe More...
Aug 04, 2011
Jennifer (JC-S)
rated it:
‘In my dreams, I am a free man.’
One day in July 1939, when Joseph Vaughan was 12 years old, a white feather blew into his room. Joseph saw this as a sign of an angel’s visit. On the same day, his father died.
This angel, the Angel of Death, becomes a frequent visitor to the rural community of Augusta Falls in Georgia. And, as World War II becomes a reality in Europe, a number of young girls, classmates of Joseph, are murdered. Evil takes many different forms. Joseph wa More...
One day in July 1939, when Joseph Vaughan was 12 years old, a white feather blew into his room. Joseph saw this as a sign of an angel’s visit. On the same day, his father died.
This angel, the Angel of Death, becomes a frequent visitor to the rural community of Augusta Falls in Georgia. And, as World War II becomes a reality in Europe, a number of young girls, classmates of Joseph, are murdered. Evil takes many different forms. Joseph wa More...
Aug 18, 2009
F.R.
rated it:
The first half of this book I really liked. The story concerns a young boy dealing with murders occurring in his rural country town. Set in the early forties, the book really captures a sense of time and place. Ellroy’s style is strong, melding pastoral poetry to the brutal reality of the crimes. In fact it comes across as a version of Donna Tartt’s ‘The Little Friend’, albeit one that seems to be heading to a more definite conclusion.
Then about midway the setting changes to New York More...
Then about midway the setting changes to New York More...
Jul 17, 2011
Kate
rated it:
It has taken me longer than expected to get around to reading this fascinating and quite dark story. The saddest thing is how responsible Joseph is made to feel. A fascinating psychological tale
Joseph Vaughan's life has been dogged by tragedy. Growing up in the 1950s, he was at the centre of series of killings of young girls in his small rural community. The girls were taken, assaulted and left horribly mutilated. Barely a teenager himself, Joseph becomes determined to try to protect his co More...
Joseph Vaughan's life has been dogged by tragedy. Growing up in the 1950s, he was at the centre of series of killings of young girls in his small rural community. The girls were taken, assaulted and left horribly mutilated. Barely a teenager himself, Joseph becomes determined to try to protect his co More...
Sep 24, 2010
Josh
rated it:
Wow... This one floored me. This is the first of Ellory's novels I've read, but it won't be the last. I'm not going to bother going into detail about the plot and such, since other reviews handle that well enough. I'll just say it's the best crime novel I've read since I read Mystic River a few years ago. Or is it a crime novel? It's tough to pigeonhole, but what's the point in that anyway? It's a coming of age story, a murder mystery, an insightful and poetic meditation on the dark side of huma
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Oct 05, 2010
Wayne
rated it:
Wow! This was totally unexpected. This felt like true literature. A very dark book. A murder mystery but not like any murder mystery book I have ever read. From the title I was sort of hoping or expecting super natural events but it was not that kind of book.
We start out with a young man whose father just passed away, I think he is the 4th grade. He has a great teacher who challenges him and she see's in Joe (our protagonist) a writer to be. Well Joe has a girl class mate who is bru More...
We start out with a young man whose father just passed away, I think he is the 4th grade. He has a great teacher who challenges him and she see's in Joe (our protagonist) a writer to be. Well Joe has a girl class mate who is bru More...
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