The Guardian Angel's Journal

Sep 07, 2011 Tclearyn3 rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mindful-readers-bookclub-selection

I'm captivated, I haven't been able to put this one down this weekend! P.S. will write more once my book club has discussed it, don't want to give it all up yet!

The author's description of the angel's wings was so vivid, I could clearly see in my mind how beautiful they must have been and felt. Unfortunately, she was almost too good in her descriptive narrative that in the darker parts of the books, made the events feel too real, or close to home. As a parent, these parts were really hard to rea...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Marinella rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: pr-uf, adult

A pagina 50 volevo abbandonarlo. Troppe incongruenze (ritornare indietro nel tempo e fare l'angelo custode di sé stessi?!) e troppa sofferenza, un po' troppo morbosamente esibita. La seconda parte, però, me lo ha fatto piacere. Dialoghi interessanti e qualche descrizione davvero bella (non solo quella delle ali, ma anche dei cambiamenti di Ruth, di quello che accade quando si decide di aprirsi e rivelarsi agli altri anche nelle proprie debolezze, di un amore materno assoluto e doloroso pur nella...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Beadyjan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Not a book I'd probably have chosen for myself - but when my bookgroup presented us with this one I thought it had promise - on the cover it says the new Audrey Niffeneger and as I liked both her books I was looking forward to this, however it failed to meet my expectations.

We meet Margot a middle aged Irish woman who has just died, she is sent back to earth as a guardian angel - to look over - Margot herself and re-live the choices and mistakes she made in life - I found it disjointed and stret...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Brina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Margot stirbt im Alter von nur 42 Jahren auf gewaltsame Weise. Da ihr Leben und das Schicksal es jedoch nie gut mit ihr meinten, bekommt sie die einmalige Chance, als ihr eigener Schutzengel auf sich selbst aufzupassen. Sie bekommt die Chance, ihr Leben zu verändern und in andere Richtung zu leiten.
Aber kann sie es diesmal auch wirklich besser machen?

„Tagebuch eines Engels“ hat mich zuallererst mit seinem wunderschönen Cover beeindruckt. Da ich Engelgeschichten liebe, war es für mich Grund genug...more Margot stirbt im Alter von nur 42 Jahren auf gewaltsame Weise. Da ihr Leben und das Schicksal es jedoch nie gut mit ihr meinten, bekommt sie die einmalige Chance, als ihr eigener Schutzengel auf sich selbst aufzupassen. Sie bekommt die Chance, ihr Leben zu verändern und in andere Richtung zu leiten.
Aber kann sie es diesmal auch wirklich besser machen?

„Tagebuch eines Engels“ hat mich zuallererst mit seinem wunderschönen Cover beeindruckt. Da ich Engelgeschichten liebe, war es für mich Grund genug, dieses wunderbare Buch zu lesen.

Sehr überrascht hat mich der Schreibstil. Durch die Kurzbeschreibung habe ich eher eine sehr sensible Geschichte erwartet, die die Autorin auf ruhige und sensible Art und Weise erzählt, doch hier findet man tatsächlich eine gewisse Ironie, die mir sehr gut gefallen hat.

Zwar habe ich schon viele Geschichten bzgl. Engel und Schutzengel gelesen, jedoch noch nicht in dieser Form. Hier wurde etwas – für mich – neues geschaffen, dass Hand und Fuß hat, ohne zu überladen zu wirken.

Die Geschichte liest sich schnell und hat mich sehr schnell gepackt. Vor allem wie Margot als Schutzengel nun auf sich selbst aufpassen, finde ich sehr gut erzählt. Vor allem ihre Gefühle hierbei und ihre Reue bzgl. so mancher Männer finde ich sehr gut umgesetzt und sie wirkt sehr sympathisch und authentisch.

Aber die Geschichte unterhält nicht nur, sondern regt auch zum Nachdenken an. Wie sehr soll man auf sich achten? Verhält man sich gegenüber anderen immer richtig?

Die Covergestaltung gefällt mir sehr gut. Allerdings muss ich auch sagen, dass mir die Originalausgabe mindestens genauso gut gefällt. Die Person ist identisch, die Haltung und die Farben sind anders, aber mindestens genauso schön. Hier ein großes Kompliment an den Verlag, dass man das Cover nicht komplett verändert hat.
Auch die Kurzbeschreibung ist hier gut gelungen, ohne zu viel zu verraten.

„Tagebuch eines Engels“ ist eine gute Geschichte, die mich zum Nachdenken anregen konnte und gleichzeitig sehr gut unterhalten hat. Hoffentlich wird man noch viele weitere tolle Bücher der Autorin erleben können. Die perfekte Geschichte für verregnete Nachmittage. :) (less)

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Jul 29, 2011 Brina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Margot stirbt im Alter von nur 42 Jahren auf gewaltsame Weise. Da ihr Leben und das Schicksal es jedoch nie gut mit ihr meinten, bekommt sie die einmalige Chance, als ihr eigener Schutzengel auf sich selbst aufzupassen. Sie bekommt die Chance, ihr Leben zu verändern und in andere Richtung zu leiten.
Aber kann sie es diesmal auch wirklich besser machen?

„Tagebuch eines Engels“ hat mich zuallererst mit seinem wunderschönen Cover beeindruckt. Da ich Engelgeschichten liebe, war es für mich Grund genug...more Margot stirbt im Alter von nur 42 Jahren auf gewaltsame Weise. Da ihr Leben und das Schicksal es jedoch nie gut mit ihr meinten, bekommt sie die einmalige Chance, als ihr eigener Schutzengel auf sich selbst aufzupassen. Sie bekommt die Chance, ihr Leben zu verändern und in andere Richtung zu leiten.
Aber kann sie es diesmal auch wirklich besser machen?

„Tagebuch eines Engels“ hat mich zuallererst mit seinem wunderschönen Cover beeindruckt. Da ich Engelgeschichten liebe, war es für mich Grund genug, dieses wunderbare Buch zu lesen.

Sehr überrascht hat mich der Schreibstil. Durch die Kurzbeschreibung habe ich eher eine sehr sensible Geschichte erwartet, die die Autorin auf ruhige und sensible Art und Weise erzählt, doch hier findet man tatsächlich eine gewisse Ironie, die mir sehr gut gefallen hat.

Zwar habe ich schon viele Geschichten bzgl. Engel und Schutzengel gelesen, jedoch noch nicht in dieser Form. Hier wurde etwas – für mich – neues geschaffen, dass Hand und Fuß hat, ohne zu überladen zu wirken.

Die Geschichte liest sich schnell und hat mich sehr schnell gepackt. Vor allem wie Margot als Schutzengel nun auf sich selbst aufpassen, finde ich sehr gut erzählt. Vor allem ihre Gefühle hierbei und ihre Reue bzgl. so mancher Männer finde ich sehr gut umgesetzt und sie wirkt sehr sympathisch und authentisch.

Aber die Geschichte unterhält nicht nur, sondern regt auch zum Nachdenken an. Wie sehr soll man auf sich achten? Verhält man sich gegenüber anderen immer richtig?

Die Covergestaltung gefällt mir sehr gut. Allerdings muss ich auch sagen, dass mir die Originalausgabe mindestens genauso gut gefällt. Die Person ist identisch, die Haltung und die Farben sind anders, aber mindestens genauso schön. Hier ein großes Kompliment an den Verlag, dass man das Cover nicht komplett verändert hat.
Auch die Kurzbeschreibung ist hier gut gelungen, ohne zu viel zu verraten.

„Tagebuch eines Engels“ ist eine gute Geschichte, die mich zum Nachdenken anregen konnte und gleichzeitig sehr gut unterhalten hat. Hoffentlich wird man noch viele weitere tolle Bücher der Autorin erleben können. Die perfekte Geschichte für verregnete Nachmittage. :) (less)

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Jul 24, 2011 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

A fantastic and original story. Four stars because of the problems, which were that the last two chapters were rushed and tedious, not living up to the promise the rest of the book held for it's conclusion. I absolutely love the way the character dies, the randomness of it. I was ready for something akin to the tragedies and injustices of the earlier part of the book. The writing was good, straight-forward, emotionally powerful and direct, with poetic gems peppered in in just the right amount.
T...more A fantastic and original story. Four stars because of the problems, which were that the last two chapters were rushed and tedious, not living up to the promise the rest of the book held for it's conclusion. I absolutely love the way the character dies, the randomness of it. I was ready for something akin to the tragedies and injustices of the earlier part of the book. The writing was good, straight-forward, emotionally powerful and direct, with poetic gems peppered in in just the right amount.
The concept of the story was one of the main wow factors for me in the first page and I was hooked on it from the very beginning. I wonder if the author made a mistake in making the early life of Ruth/Margot so Dickinson. The drama comes from the conflict of Ruth and Margot (and of Ruth being privy to an aspect of her early life to which we never have real access to), not so much from the tragic early life. I believe, with the authors writing ability and the whole concept of the plot, that the book would have been as successful had the author chosen to use a more believable/relatable early life. The time line the author chose to work in was a great choice. Close enough in time to understand on a visceral level the consequences of what we were reading (and flesh out some of the mental images ourselves), but not too far back to lose connection with readers who haven't read their history.
Wish the writer had fleshed out more of Margot's life, instead of skipping whole decades and relying primarily on superficial drama of horrible life events and more on the loss of the tie between the two and the alternate fates that could result from the decisions, AND that she had really done more with the ending and drawn a more distinct line between Ruth's actions and the revolving morality of what she becomes in the end. The fact that she broke the 'rules' and made a bargain with the devil and is rewarded really (and painfully) twists the religious tradition within which the story lies. That incongruity is hard and another aspect of a badly done, rushed and unfulfilling ending. And yet, because of the whole novel concept I still want more.(less)

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Apr 24, 2011 Anna rated it 1 of 5 stars

I was looking forward to reading this book but was sadly disappointed and in a way could not wait for it to end. Unlike other readers I thought the beginning of the novel was much stronger than the latter half. I appreciated the idea of guardianship of the young children through difficult times and even the notion that cruel adults have guardians too. I particularly liked the idea of the adult self protecting oneself as a child. I realise it is a limitation of the "journal" genre but I found the...more

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Oct 19, 2011 Ana Luisa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Acabei este livro com uma lágrima no canto do olho! Um livro emotivo, romântico e que demonstra claramente o quanto a força de um verdadeiro amor pode ser mais forte que a própria morte. Margot, é uma mulher complicada, com um passado ainda mais complicado que de um momento para o outro é assassinada numa suite do Ritz. Quando chega ao céu é lhe dava uma oportunidade que julgava impossível, ser anjo da guarda de si própria. Viu-se a nascer, viu-se a crescer…e a voltar a cometer os mesmos erros....more

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Jul 10, 2011 Jo Bennie rated it 3 of 5 stars

'When I died I became a guardian angel'. So begin the story of Margot Delacroix, reincarnated as the angel Ruth bound to watch over her own life. She helps the infant Margot into the world from her dying mother's womb, overdosed from heroin. She watches as Margot suffers years of terrible abuse punctured before finding a happier home, fighting the demons who threaten the life of her and those who would care for her. But she tries to protect Margot from making the decisions she made in her life,...more

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Oct 03, 2011 Mehreen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Just finished reading "The Guardian Angel's Journal" by Carolyn Jess-Cooke. For a book that didn't start off too well with me, I have to admit the end was pretty impressive.

I followed the life of Margot, an orphan with a dark, treacherous childhood and saw closely how this past affected all the choices she made in her life later on. Made me shudder to think how fragile we humans are. We cling to our personal experiences in our subconscious, and they keep nudging us on to, sometimes, so many bad...more

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May 13, 2013 FourteenRedRoses rated it 4 of 5 stars

It has been quite a while since I read this, so please excuse me if my review is a little rusty.

The Guardian Angel's Journal was a novel I found to be quite good, if not heartbreaking. Not so much the death of the main character, Margot - now named Ruth - , but her past. As the novel progresses we read about a young Margot being born, her school, her parents and her life. I am not sure which part I found to be the most distressing but her childhood years were pretty terrible. Ruth describes her...more

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Apr 24, 2011 Lissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

This book didn't lead me where I thought it was leading me. In hindsight, I think that's a good thing. I kept expecting one thing, and getting another. Every turn was a surprise because I was expecting more, and it was really quite simple: Ruth can't change Margot's life. I was totally expecting her to, but she didn't.
I had so many questions throughout the whole book that all seemed to get resolved. At first, I wasn't sure why it was written in first person when the guardian angel (Ruth) couldn'...more This book didn't lead me where I thought it was leading me. In hindsight, I think that's a good thing. I kept expecting one thing, and getting another. Every turn was a surprise because I was expecting more, and it was really quite simple: Ruth can't change Margot's life. I was totally expecting her to, but she didn't.
I had so many questions throughout the whole book that all seemed to get resolved. At first, I wasn't sure why it was written in first person when the guardian angel (Ruth) couldn't do anything to change the sad, sad life that Margot lived. If this was just a recounting of Margot's life and Ruth couldn't do anything about it, I didn't get why the angels were even involved. And considering Ruth was Margot before she was guardian angel-ified, I briefly wondered if this was a time travel novel. What could Ruth do to change Margot's life and stop her dying at age 40?
In short, nothing. Ruth wasn't Margot's angel to change Margot's life. (Although she did, very slightly, but it didn't change anything in a major way.) Ruth was sent back to help Margot's son Theo. I don't want to get into spoilers, but that one point needs to be known before you read the book, otherwise the entire time I was yelling in my head DO SOMETHING, RUTH! I kept expecting Margot's life to change, and it didn't.
Sometime Ruth could interfere, and sometimes she couldn't. Sometimes she could be seen and heard, and sometimes she couldn't. Sometimes she could change things, and sometimes she couldn't. Sometimes she had amazing magical powers and could defend herself against demons, and sometimes she couldn't. The inconsistency bothered me.
I did like the idea of the demons, but I wish they were more involved. They didn't seem that frightening. They were positioned as a temptation for Ruth to turn to, and a Big Bad, but they really had nothing to do with the climax, and I was disappointed by that. I still want to know who Grogor is - if all the angels are somehow related to their charges, surely demons are, as well? I had so many questions about them, and they were really only included to give Ruth more horrible villains than other humans - who of course, had their own angels.
The climax was satisfying, once I realised the novel wasn't what I was expecting it to be (about two-thirds in). Although I didn't quite understand the last section - I think Ruth got promoted, even though she didn't really do anything to deserve it.
I did enjoy quite a bit how even though there was quite a bit of talk about God, there was never any portrayal, and in fact the psychic information Ruth mysteriously received in the form of instructions popping into her head, was never confirmed if it was from God or not - the atheist in me was happy.

EDIT: I have to add, the only really beautiful writing I found was in the first few chapters, where I actually paused and thought, "That's lovely description," but it seemed to peter off significantly after that, and I can't help but wonder if the author was suffering from "debut novel-itis", where they work so long and so hard on their opening pages and then leave the rest of the book to their normal writing.(less)

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Apr 09, 2011 Vivienne Serendipity Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am a complete sucker for an angel story and this one sent me straight to heaven. The idea behind this story is so original it blew my mind. I felt like I had stepped into a quantam physics experiment, where I could bend time backwards and forwards like an eraser.

Margot dies at the age of forty and is sent back to Earth to be her OWN GUARDIAN ANGEL! I kid you not. Doesn't that just defy mentality? Margot is renamed Beth and forced to accompany herself as she relives every minor detail of her p...more I am a complete sucker for an angel story and this one sent me straight to heaven. The idea behind this story is so original it blew my mind. I felt like I had stepped into a quantam physics experiment, where I could bend time backwards and forwards like an eraser.

Margot dies at the age of forty and is sent back to Earth to be her OWN GUARDIAN ANGEL! I kid you not. Doesn't that just defy mentality? Margot is renamed Beth and forced to accompany herself as she relives every minor detail of her past. Beth is allowed to encourage Margot into making the right decisions, but Margot is a force to be reckoned with and isn't about to listen carefully to her former self.

I refuse to give away any spoilers for this book. You just have to read it. I am actually rather desperate for someone else to read this book, so that I can talk about it openly without giving away any of the storyline.

This book felt like a 'before' and 'after' scenerio. Just imagine being able to try and alter all of those incidents that you now know had disasterous effects on your life. Beth knows exactly how Margot's life will turn out and does her utmost to try and change her actions, often without any change occurring. Margot's younger years are probably some of the worst you can imagine. So it is not surprising at all, the way Margot's life unfolds. The events of her son's life were definitely a direct consequence of Margot's emotional rollercoaster of a life. You could just envisage this vicious barbed wire circle of circumstances continually playing over and over again.

I found the writing to be utterly beautiful and often very poignant. Carolyn Jess-Cooke is extremely good at pulling your heart strings and twisted them into knots. This book is a real gut wrencher and a couple of times I felt my eyes welling up at some rather emotional and violent scenes. I felt every last tear and pain that the young Margot experienced right alongside her guardian angel Beth.

As Margot moves into adulthood, I wanted to dislike her, but everytime I reminded myself of the childhood she had led, I stepped away from those feelings.

Carolyn Jess-Cooke has been compared with Audrey Niffenegger and I can understand why. Her book is a fresh approach to angels with an original idea developed thoroughly, leaving you desperate to read more of her work.

The only thing I don't like about this book is that I didn't write it first! Only joking. I just can't wait to see what Carolyn writes next.

If you love angels like I do and believe that everything is not as it seems, then trust me when I tell you that you are going to want to read this book.

(less)

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May 16, 2011 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, spec-fiction

4.5 stars for originality - a woman (Margot) dies and becomes her own guardian angel, going back to her own birth and overseeing every mistake, every heartache. (If this isn't Hell, I don't know what is.)

4.5 stars for the writing - Jess-Cooke has a beautiful writing style. I loved this description:

'His thick storm of hair was now a fistful of saltgrass; his round ruddy cheeks were sunken into his cheekbones and his eyes - the most shocking of all - were without wit or fight.'

2-3 stars for the p...more

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Aug 19, 2011 LA Carlson rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone

Recommended to LA by: found it unexpectedly

Shelves: fiction

One of the best thrills for me is finding an unexpected great book at the library. This story is a fresh spin on the subject of guardian angels. A subject I tend to find more plausible, comforting and safe than astrology or tarot card reading. This is the story of a young woman who dies and comes back as a guardian angel. The writing is effervescent, haunting and thought-provoking. Contrary to other reviews the ending doesn't feel rushed and follows in the thread of all the other unexpected mome...more

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Mar 30, 2011 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of the most original stories I've read in over a decade. Jess-Cooke's style is both poetic and accessible, with a unique protagonist, whose dilemma is a a three-way conflict with her mortal self, her spiritual self, and with a god that she has to trust in, though she can't see him. I've never encountered a guardian angel who is so human in her efforts to literally save herself from herself. Heartwrenching though the mortal struggles are, the lessons learned --mostly the hard way --by the cha...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-review-read, read-in-2011

When Margot dies at the age of 40 she is sent back to earth as her own guardian angel. Now known as Ruth, it is her job to witness and record the biggest events in Margot's life, she must try to protect Margot from outside forces and she must learn to love herself. As she watches over herself and her family she comes to realise that she is responsible for the trouble that her son now finds herself in but she has been told she must change nothing. But is there a way that she can make things bette...more When Margot dies at the age of 40 she is sent back to earth as her own guardian angel. Now known as Ruth, it is her job to witness and record the biggest events in Margot's life, she must try to protect Margot from outside forces and she must learn to love herself. As she watches over herself and her family she comes to realise that she is responsible for the trouble that her son now finds herself in but she has been told she must change nothing. But is there a way that she can make things better for either herself or her son?

When I first read the description for The Guardian Angel's Journal I was fascinated by the idea of becoming your own guardian angel. I'm sure the idea of going back and changing certain events and decisions we made in the past has a certain appeal to most of us, after all I think everyone can think of at least a few things they would like to change about their past! For Ruth it is particularly difficult, as Margot she suffered horrendous abuse but even though she must watch these events unfold she is powerless to prevent them from happening. She tries her hardest to make small changes but often her suggestions only make things worse.

It is easy for Ruth to love Margot as a child, after all she is suffering through no fault of her own, but as she watches the decisions Margot makes as an adult she finds it harder to forgive her mistakes. Ruth must learn to accept that her childhood was to blame for a lot of her choices as an adult and it is hard for her to come to terms with the damage she then causes to her son and the rest of her family. As a reader it could have been hard not to feel unsympathetic towards Margot as she passes on her suffering to a new generation but Carolyn Jess-Cooke did a fantastic job of making me relate to her and understand what she had been through. The story is thought provoking and gives an interesting insight to how your past can effect your present in ways you don't always notice without the benefit of hindsight.

The Guardian Angel's Journal is a beautiful story that kept me up until 5am because I couldn't stop reading. It is very different from anything that I've read before but something I would highly recommend. It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel and I'm very much looking forward to seeing what the author comes up with next.(less)

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Sep 07, 2011 Kristi Vitale rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mindful-readers-book-club-selection, read-in-2011

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6.

This beautifully lyrical, so unique and original gripping page-turner was well enjoyed by the Mindful Readers. A life once lived by Margot Delacroix, filled with painstakingly unfortunate childhood realities and harsh adult choices, is so captivatingly revealed and relived through the eyes of who else? -- Herself, now her own gu...more

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Sep 14, 2011 Sherrie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reading-challenge, already-read

The book grabs your attention right away. Starting with Ruth's wakening to being an angel. The rules are explained to Ruth, which is her new name instead of Margot. I am wary of Christian lit. I don't like having a particular message shoved down my throat. But this book isn't like that. It's very well written with all the characters having their own personalities. Reading about Margot(Ruth) learning what God has intended for her is sometimes funny and sometimes very heart warming. If your into r...more

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May 04, 2011 Krystal rated it 5 of 5 stars

Monday, April 25, 2011The Guardian Angel's Journal: Carolyn Jess-Cooke

Admittedly, when I picked this book up I was afraid it was going to be about calling people to believe in angels...and not much else content. However, I was pleasantly surprised.

The main character, Margot, has just died. Her life was not particularly well-spent; one may even consider her life "bad". She has a chance to redeem herself; she can become a guardian angel. This is where the novel gets interesting. She becomes a gu...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Kate Davis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, amazon-vine, fiction

I was initially intrigued by this book, but once I'd received it I had no desire to read it. However, once I'd started the story stuck with me although I could only read a few chapters at a time to start with because of the graphic description of Margot's childhood.

I found the concept of guardian angels in this book intriguing; particularly in Margot's case where she is her own angel so experiences her life a second time from a different view point and with additional sights.

It is unlikely I wi...more

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May 22, 2011 Carol Peace rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book it makes you rethink your own life and how your decisions change the direction.
The beginning of the book gives us Margot who is sent back to earth as Ruth who is her own guardian angel. I loved that she didn't really know how to react and we were stumbling along with her as she realised the rules and regulations of Angeldom. It hold your attention right till the end as thats when you get to know who killed her. Ruth thought she was changing the direction of 'Margots' life but w...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Tracy Barrall rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This got me thinking several times about are there angels looking over our shoulders trying to guide us in our daily lives. All those thoughts in our heads are they really us or words from our angel. Can the wrong choices we make be the demons talking trying to help us make the wrong choices. Margot dies and is sent to be a guardian angel to herself, she will now see the whole picture of an event not just her side and she is tempted to change things, but can she and should she! Margot could not...more

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Jul 23, 2011 Jane rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I understand why people like this book, I really do. If you have faith it must be a great comfort.

I believe in Carl Sagan and physics and not God or angels. It's my logical neuro-linguist programming.

I liked the premise behind this book. Life after death, looking after frail humanity. But I found very little depth, and the things I found fascinating (the battle of archangels for example) were not developed enough. The writing was insular and stilted, and there was little to like about the main...more

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Dec 11, 2011 Nicola rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, contemporary, magic-realism, favourites

You can read my full review at: http://nicolasbookshelf.blogspot.com/

Ruth is sent back to earth to become her own guardian angel after her untimely death. It seems like the perfect opportunity to right all the wrongs of her life, but it quickly becomes clear that nothing is that simple, even for angels...

"The Guardian Angel's Journal" is incredibly well-written. Carolyn Jess-Cooke's imagery is just beautiful - the idea of water flowing down an angel's back, the metaphors she uses - the language...more

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Oct 05, 2011 Shan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Imagine that when your life ends you are sent back to Earth as a guardian angel. And not for just anyone but a guardian angel for yourself. Imagine you had the opportunity to observe and alter the life you have already lived.

This is what happens to Margot Delacroix when her tragic life comes to an end at the age of forty. Renamed Ruth, she is sent back to Earth to encourage Margot to make the right decisions, in the hopes of making her life a little easier. Not only does Ruth now have the opport...more Imagine that when your life ends you are sent back to Earth as a guardian angel. And not for just anyone but a guardian angel for yourself. Imagine you had the opportunity to observe and alter the life you have already lived.

This is what happens to Margot Delacroix when her tragic life comes to an end at the age of forty. Renamed Ruth, she is sent back to Earth to encourage Margot to make the right decisions, in the hopes of making her life a little easier. Not only does Ruth now have the opportunity to fix the wrongs of her life, but she also is able to understand why her life turned out the way it did. Will Ruth be able to give Margot the life she truly deserves, or will Margot continue to do things her own way and leave Ruth to be a witness to her own self-destruction?

The Guardian Angel's Journal by Carolyn Jess-Cooke is not the type of novel I would usually read. I tend to stay away from novels about angels and the spiritual realm that don't line up with my faith, and because of that I did hesitate for a second when contacted by the author to review this novel. But the premise of the book sounded so interesting, being ones own guardian angel, so I decided to give it a read. And I am so glad that I did.

This is a fantastic book. Right from the first page the reader is drawn into the book and captivated by Margot's story. Her life was full of tragedy, and as you read about her experiences you ache and hurt for the little girl, wishing that you could be her guardian angel to try and save her from these terrible things.

And as Margot grows older you feel for Ruth as she has to watch herself make difficult and terrible decisions, now having the wisdom to know better, but unable to convince herself to make a change.

There is so much wrapped up in this novel - death, abuse, addiction, angels and demons, tragedy, forgiveness, redemption - and yet it is a beautiful page-turner. This is a book that you will not be able to put down. I've read that Carolyn Jess-Cooke has been compared with Audrey Niffenegger and I can see why. The feeling I was left with after reading this book is the same great feeling I had after reading The Time Traveller's Wife. The Guardian Angel's Journal is an original and fresh take on the story of guardian angels and well worth a read.(less)

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Apr 06, 2011 Hayley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-owned

Having read negative early reviews of the Guardian Angel's Journal I was initially a little reluctant to give this a read, however I'm glad my interest in the concept won out and lead me to pick it up and perservere beyond the first few irritating chapters.

The idea of being sent back as a Guardian Angel to watch over your own life greatly appealed to my interest in novels about second chances and while it is an intriguing premise, it is unfortunately precisely this premise that gives the book it...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Pat Stearman rated it 2 of 5 stars

Reading Group book and the third in a row about extreme violence to children. Hope we get some light relief this month!
That said, it's an interesting idea, woman comes back as her own guardian angel with the power to alter tiny things but mostly to watch her life.
Some very nasty scenes and not a whole lot of joy - even the better bits of Margot's life are underscored with the knowledge that it will go bad again and little joy for Ruth (the angel, renamed) in watching most of it helplessly.

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May 14, 2011 Lyn Battersby rated it 2 of 5 stars

Let me start by saying I'm a huge reader. I usually have two books by the side of my bed plus one in my car and one in my bag. This was a 'by the bed' book. It still is. By the bed, I mean.

I started the book about two months ago and in the meantime I've managed to start and finish around about ten books. Not this one. I'm about a third of the way and, to be honest, I just can't be bothered.
Still, I'm perservering, because I'm sure there's a good story in there. I just can't find it. Yet.

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Jan 11, 2013 Linda Wallis rated it 3 of 5 stars

I approached this book with trepidation.....being yet another reading group book that seemed rather miserable!
However, I have to say I really enjoyed it. Apart from the violence to children....the story is well written and is an interesting premise.
I liked the character of Ruth, trying desperately to stop her younger self making the same mistakes but having to stand back & watch as unable to change what has already happened.
Not a book I would have chosen, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

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