Keith Donohue’s first novel, The Stolen Child, was a national bestseller hailed as “captivating” (USA Today), “lumin...
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Sep 22, 2011
Book Chick City
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When I first received this book to review, I read the synopsis and thought it was going to be about fantasy and magic, but what I got was so much more.
The story begins in 1985. One bitterly cold night, Margaret quinn, a widow, who lives alone and still mourns the loss of her child; a daughter, who ran away a decade earlier with the boy that she loved, opens the door to find Norah, a small bespectacled girl, frozen and shivering with a battered suitcase leaning against her legs. Marga More...
The story begins in 1985. One bitterly cold night, Margaret quinn, a widow, who lives alone and still mourns the loss of her child; a daughter, who ran away a decade earlier with the boy that she loved, opens the door to find Norah, a small bespectacled girl, frozen and shivering with a battered suitcase leaning against her legs. Marga More...
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Mar 08, 2011
Carrie
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I had high hopes for this book since I adore Donohue's first novel, "The Stolen Child." At first, I found the book interesting and mysterious. Then as the chapters moved along, Donahue's writing became fragmented. This book is all over the place. It skips around in time periods, settings, point of view of characters. Several times, I found myself confused and starting to loose interest. The characters in the book are so flawed that they are unlikeable. I could care less about an
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Jan 28, 2011
Paul
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On a cold, snowy, and wintry night Margaret Quinn hears a knock on her door. She opens the door to find a young girl with a battered suitcase. The young girl is freezing and Margaret opens her house and heart to her. So starts a journey in life that is both fascinating and riveting.
Margaret believes that the young girl may be the daughter of her daughter who ran away from home years ago.Margaret's daughter, Erica, left home with her young lover, Wiley, who was to join a group call More...
Margaret believes that the young girl may be the daughter of her daughter who ran away from home years ago.Margaret's daughter, Erica, left home with her young lover, Wiley, who was to join a group call More...
Mar 23, 2010
Fleur
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I loved Keith Donohue’s first novel, The Stolen Child, and so I ordered this, his second, as soon as I knew it existed.
The premise is interesting. Margaret’s daughter ran away and then her beloved husband died, leaving her alone in the world. But then, on a cold winter’s night, she opens the door and finds a child. A little girl. Norah. She claims to belong to no one, and and acquiesces when Margaret takes her in and plans to pass her off as a long-lost grandchild.
It set More...
The premise is interesting. Margaret’s daughter ran away and then her beloved husband died, leaving her alone in the world. But then, on a cold winter’s night, she opens the door and finds a child. A little girl. Norah. She claims to belong to no one, and and acquiesces when Margaret takes her in and plans to pass her off as a long-lost grandchild.
It set More...
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Jan 22, 2010
Shannon
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Angels of Destruction has an interesting premise: a woman whose daughter disappeared decades ago has a mysterious nine year old show up on her doorstep. With almost no questions asked, she takes the young girl, Nora, in and the girl proceeds to bring about a series of mysteries.
I loved that this novel walked the line between realistic fiction and fantasy. Throughout most of the book, I couldn't decide whether characters were hallucinating, dreaming, fantasizing or really seeing m More...
I loved that this novel walked the line between realistic fiction and fantasy. Throughout most of the book, I couldn't decide whether characters were hallucinating, dreaming, fantasizing or really seeing m More...
Apr 04, 2009
RNOCEAN
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Keith Donohue’s first novel, The Stolen Child, was a national bestseller hailed as “captivating” (USA Today), “luminous and thrilling” (Washington Post), and “wonderful...So spare and unsentimental that it’s impossible not to be moved (Newsweek. His new novel, Angels of Destruction, opens on a winter’s night, when a young girl appears at the home of Mrs. Margaret Quinn, a widow who lives alone. A decade earlier, she had lost her only child, Erica, who fled with her high school sweetheart to join
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Jan 07, 2011
El
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What I loved about Keith Donohue's debut novel, The Stolen Child, was the magic that seemed to drip from every page. It was a welcome change from a lot of the other things I had been reading, so I expected much the same with Angels of Destruction.
Some things are similar - Donohue has an interesting way with words; very similar in a lot of ways to a personal favorite, Stewart O'Nan. Some passages may be very bleak but written beautifully enough that it's hard to be anything but entran More...
Some things are similar - Donohue has an interesting way with words; very similar in a lot of ways to a personal favorite, Stewart O'Nan. Some passages may be very bleak but written beautifully enough that it's hard to be anything but entran More...
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Dec 16, 2009
Laura Stone
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Keith Donohue’s second novel, Angels of Destruction, is not a sequel to his first, The Stolen Child, but it could just as well have been titled The Returned Child, in that it deals with an otherworldly child who shows up rather miraculously to impact the lives of others.
The story opens with frail, pale, ethereal Norah knocking on lonely widow Margaret’s door one winter’s eve. With no parents and no history Norah is a mysterious creature who fills a void in Margaret, created ten years ago More...
The story opens with frail, pale, ethereal Norah knocking on lonely widow Margaret’s door one winter’s eve. With no parents and no history Norah is a mysterious creature who fills a void in Margaret, created ten years ago More...
Jan 24, 2010
Rebecca
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I would not have chosen this book to read myself, but was pleasantly surprised that I generally liked it. I enjoyed the author’s descriptions of the small town and especially the woods that Sean and Norah played and explored, as this reminded me of my own childhood. I also liked the fantasy aspects of the book and the idea that angels walk among us. However, when I finished the book I felt confused and wanted more resolution. I don’t have to have everything spelled out for me in an ending, b
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Oct 06, 2010
Kristal
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On a cold winter's night, a young girl appears on the doorstep of Margaret Quinn's home with only a small suitcase and no real answers as to where she came from. Still grieving from her own daughter's abandonment 10 years earlier and the recent death of her husband, Margaret finds herself concocting a story that this stranger child, Norah, is her long-lost granddaughter. When Margaet's sister comes for a visit, she discovers that Norah might know the whereabouts of her mother along with some oth
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Dec 26, 2009
Jeanne
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This novel reads and feels quite a lot like its main character, Norah: mysterious, slightly ethereal, and filled with an air of sadness and loneliness......however still shot through with hope.....The writing, is all of those things also; even apart from the story telling, Donohue somehow manages to fill the words themselves with a sense of loneliness and longing..... At the end, I am not sure that I have entirely wrapped my head around the message and moral of the story, and there are some issu
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Dec 07, 2009
Suzi
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After thinking about Angels of Destruction for almost a week now I still don't know whether I liked it or not. The writing is technically good, but the ending left me underwhelmed. I can understand that Donohue perhaps did not want to spell everything out for the reader and make us think, but could he have been clearer on whether Norah was an angel or not? Personally, I think she was, and that she is the same girl that Erica met in Tennessee (Una) ten years earlier. Also, what happens to her
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Dec 21, 2008
Chatterinthewry
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Read the uncorrected proof. Excellent and easy to read. I think if you liked Stolen Child you won't be dissappointed. Donohue returns to some of the SC themes and there are some similarities.
I'll say more after the book comes out in March.
I'll say more after the book comes out in March.
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Nov 11, 2009
Catie
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Oct 19, 2011
Anne
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I recently read Keith Donohue's newest book, Centuries of June, and became an instant fan. I just finished listening to Angels of Destruction, and am even more enamored by this terrific author. His plots and incredible writing have yet to disappoint me.
In Angels of Destruction, a young girl appears at the home of Mrs. Margaret Quinn, a widow living alone. A decade earlier she lost her only daughter who ran away with her boyfriend to join a radical group known as the Angels of De More...
In Angels of Destruction, a young girl appears at the home of Mrs. Margaret Quinn, a widow living alone. A decade earlier she lost her only daughter who ran away with her boyfriend to join a radical group known as the Angels of De More...
Feb 01, 2010
Jacki
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Upon first opening this book, I could not put it down and dreaded the minutes at work because I could be reading. The mystery of Norah, the man with the fedora, and the missing Erica engrossed me, and as I read, it became a mystery not of people but of the guardian angels we never quite come to recognized.
Yet the ending feel short. The mysteries were left just that, but even more so. Who was Una? Who was Norah and where did she come from? What exactly was her purpose, because More...
Yet the ending feel short. The mysteries were left just that, but even more so. Who was Una? Who was Norah and where did she come from? What exactly was her purpose, because More...
Aug 28, 2009
Donna
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Margaret Quinn's daughter ran off almost a decade ago. Margaret has continued to grieve and pray for her return. On a cold night, her doorbell rings and there is a lost 9 year old who says she has no parents. Margaret takes her in and passes her off as her granddaughter Norah. Norah says she is a messenger sent from God and indeed miracles seem to happen around her.
The book intersperses Norah's story with that of Margaret's daughter who ran off with her boyfriend to join a California c More...
The book intersperses Norah's story with that of Margaret's daughter who ran off with her boyfriend to join a California c More...
Dec 19, 2009
Becky
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I have never read this author before - I liked the book, I wasn't expecting the supernatural/magical elements involved, although I thought they were well done.
I felt like the author started off well, with an interesting idea and built it up to a climax well, but then it almost seemed like he didn't know how to end it so he just kind of wound it down and resolved a couple of the loose ends, but in such a way as to try to distract you from the fact that some of the others weren't reso More...
I felt like the author started off well, with an interesting idea and built it up to a climax well, but then it almost seemed like he didn't know how to end it so he just kind of wound it down and resolved a couple of the loose ends, but in such a way as to try to distract you from the fact that some of the others weren't reso More...
Nov 08, 2009
Brenda (Lansdowne)
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Intially, I was all set to give this book five stars. I liked the prose immensely. The writing is beautiful, and I really like stories about angels. The book is in three parts I enjoyed the first part and give it 5-stars. The second part is background information, and I gave it three and half stars, but by the time I got to the last part of the book, I felt like it was dragging on.
Whether you believe in angels or not is what makes the story. I would have liked it more if someho More...
Whether you believe in angels or not is what makes the story. I would have liked it more if someho More...
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Jul 30, 2010
Bookreaderljh
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It took a little time to get into this book and I enjoyed the story in the "present" better than the 10 years earlier - but obviously that background was necessary. The idea of angels coming into your life when needed has been done in other stories but this one wasn't as obvious as some. The story of a mother "losing" the relationship with her child was more important. My dad always used to say that angels were God's thoughts passing to man and this book echoed that feeling t
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Dec 29, 2008
Kirk
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I received an uncorrected proof from the publisher and was looking forward to reading the sophomore effort from Keith Donohue, who brought us Stolen Child (which was great).
I'm not going to give a recap of the book, I'm sure there will be plenty of those for people who need it.
What if there are Angels everywhere, we just don't know what to look for when they come to us with guidence? Could that stranger you met at the coffee house be an angel? Can you past be forgiven More...
I'm not going to give a recap of the book, I'm sure there will be plenty of those for people who need it.
What if there are Angels everywhere, we just don't know what to look for when they come to us with guidence? Could that stranger you met at the coffee house be an angel? Can you past be forgiven More...
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Aug 02, 2011
Cyndie
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I enjoyed this book. It is well paced and creates enough mystery to keep you involved and eager to learn more. The author is adept with descriptions and pulls you in quickly. He creates his characters with such care that you find it easy to care about them too. In the end, he leaves a great deal unsaid. In some ways i like that, as it demands that the reader really consider what they do or do not believe. But I also wish that it was a little easier to understand the author's intent. I preferred
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Oct 11, 2010
Brian
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As with Keith Donohue's first novel, The Stolen Child, the most intriguing aspect of this novel is his remarkable ability to blend supernatural elements into his stories without ever making the reader feel as though they are reading fantasy fiction. In The Stolen Child, he tackled goblins (or changlings) and here he introduces the reader to Norah, a peculiar kind of angel that feels original and genuine. Donohue knows how to highlight subtleties in order to create a larger portrait. His magical
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Jul 22, 2010
Tom
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I like this writer's style. Sometimes he's too literate by half. What I mean by that is that he seems to have the need to remind his readers that he has a PhD in English every twenty pages or so. Ok, we get it, now try avoiding words real people in the real world don't really use?
The characters are memorable, particularly Norah and Sean. I worried in places that Donahue had a sort of self-hating misandry going given that most his male characters were either flat, absent, or sinister je More...
The characters are memorable, particularly Norah and Sean. I worried in places that Donahue had a sort of self-hating misandry going given that most his male characters were either flat, absent, or sinister je More...
Dec 29, 2009
Mia
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Amateur writing at best. The dialogue was stiff and unconvincing. In fact, the characters were, for the most part, unbelievable: Example: A child shows up on your doorstep in the middle of the night in the dead of winter and you invite her in, just like that? No alarm bells go off in your head? You just tell her to come in and promise her, "we'll talk it about in the morning?" That was the first mistake. Then the child herself is so unreal as to be laughable. A cute child with gla
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Oct 16, 2009
Jo
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In 1985 Margaret Quinn is lonely, her husband is dead and her seventeen year old daughter, Erica, disappeared without trace ten years previously. When nine year old Norah arrives on her doorstep proclaiming to be her grand-daughter, Margaret is overwhelmed, and thus finds comfort in nurturing her newly found grandchild. However, Norah is no ordinary child and it soon becomes apparent that she has been sent to Margaret for a special purpose.
The story is told in three distinct sections and More...
The story is told in three distinct sections and More...
May 23, 2009
Wendi
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Ah, the frustration. I was excited and intrigued by the premise and the promise of supernatural elements to give that little shiver of the unknown.
But the shivers never came to my skin and the creepy tone that other reviewers mentioned never materialized for me. I never found any of the characters particularly sympathetic, despite that I think I was supposed to.
So I would typically give a book like this that was rather a disappointment one or two stars. I bump it up to three More...
But the shivers never came to my skin and the creepy tone that other reviewers mentioned never materialized for me. I never found any of the characters particularly sympathetic, despite that I think I was supposed to.
So I would typically give a book like this that was rather a disappointment one or two stars. I bump it up to three More...
May 03, 2009
Bill
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I was so taken with this guy's first book, The Stolen Child, I had to pick this up as soon as I saw it. While I didn't really feel it was quite as amazing, I certainly wasn't disappointed. The story begins with Margaret Quinn's discovery one winter night of a young girl on her doorstep. She takes her in, and though at first the girl is uncommunicative, Margaret decides, based on a note pinned to her coat with the letters "N-O-R" that her name is Norah. We also soon learn that Margaret
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Jul 13, 2009
Rashida
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After reading both of the books he's written so far, I think that I have license to say that I like Donohue's writing style. I think he is very talented at giving the reader a lyrical flow of words that are unerringly evocative of the feelings, sights, and sounds that he sets out to describe. If you don't like flowery language, he is not the author for you. Angels of Destruction ruminates on two main subjects: 1. The bonding and loss that is inevitable in every parent/child relationship and 2
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