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A Vision of Angels
A terrorist attack planned for Easter Sunday in Jerusalem sets off a chain of events that weave together the lives of an American journalist, Israeli war hero, Palestinian farmer, and Christian grocer.
Alerted to a suicide bomb plot, Major Jakov Levy orders the closure of the border with the Gaza Strip. Unable to get his produce to market, Amin Mousa dumps truckloads of tomatoes in a refugee camp. Paul Kessler, an American journalist, sees it on television and goes to Gaza for Amin's personal story.
Hamas militants plot to smuggle the bomb out in Paul’s car and retrieve it when he returns home, but he’s unexpectedly detoured on the way. Meanwhile, a Hamas member confesses to the plot, and the race is on to find Paul and retrieve the bomb before the terrorists can.
A Vision of Angels is a human drama set against the background of the Middle East conflict. Ultimately it’s a story of reconciliation and hope, but not before events as tragic as a modern passion play change the lives of four families forever.
Pre-orders: www.amazon.com/dp/0983476446/ref=as_l...
Alerted to a suicide bomb plot, Major Jakov Levy orders the closure of the border with the Gaza Strip. Unable to get his produce to market, Amin Mousa dumps truckloads of tomatoes in a refugee camp. Paul Kessler, an American journalist, sees it on television and goes to Gaza for Amin's personal story.
Hamas militants plot to smuggle the bomb out in Paul’s car and retrieve it when he returns home, but he’s unexpectedly detoured on the way. Meanwhile, a Hamas member confesses to the plot, and the race is on to find Paul and retrieve the bomb before the terrorists can.
A Vision of Angels is a human drama set against the background of the Middle East conflict. Ultimately it’s a story of reconciliation and hope, but not before events as tragic as a modern passion play change the lives of four families forever.
Pre-orders: www.amazon.com/dp/0983476446/ref=as_l...
300 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
5 people are currently reading
716 people want to read
About the author
Timothy Jay Smith
7 books92 followersFrom an early age, Timothy Jay Smith developed a ceaseless wanderlust that has taken him around the world many times. En route, he’s found the characters that people his work. Polish cops and Greek fishermen, mercenaries and arms dealers, child prostitutes and wannabe terrorists, Indian Chiefs and Indian tailors: he’s hung with them all in an unparalleled international career that’s seen him smuggle banned plays from behind the Iron Curtain, maneuver through Occupied Territories, represent the U.S. at the highest levels of foreign governments, and stowaway aboard a ‘devil’s barge’ for a three-day crossing from Cape Verde that landed him in an African jail.
Tim brings the same energy to his writing that he brought to a distinguished career, and as a result, he has won top honors for his novels, screenplays and stage plays in numerous prestigious competitions. Fire on the Island won the Gold Medal in the 2017 Faulkner-Wisdom Competition for the Novel. Another novel, The Fourth Courier, set in Poland, will be published in spring 2019 by Skyhorse Publishing. Previously, he won the Paris Prize for Fiction (now the Paris Literary Prize) for his novel, A Vision of Angels. Kirkus Reviews called Cooper’s Promise “literary dynamite” and selected it as one of the Best Books of 2012.
Tim was nominated for the 2017 Pushcart Prize. His stage play, How High the Moon, won the prestigious Stanley Drama Award, and his screenplays have won competitions sponsored by the American Screenwriters Association, WriteMovies, Houston WorldFest, Rhode Island International Film Festival, Fresh Voices, StoryPros, and the Hollywood Screenwriting Institute. He is the founder of the Smith Prize for Political Theater.
https://www.instagram.com/timothyjays...
www.facebook.com/TimothyJaySmith/
Tim brings the same energy to his writing that he brought to a distinguished career, and as a result, he has won top honors for his novels, screenplays and stage plays in numerous prestigious competitions. Fire on the Island won the Gold Medal in the 2017 Faulkner-Wisdom Competition for the Novel. Another novel, The Fourth Courier, set in Poland, will be published in spring 2019 by Skyhorse Publishing. Previously, he won the Paris Prize for Fiction (now the Paris Literary Prize) for his novel, A Vision of Angels. Kirkus Reviews called Cooper’s Promise “literary dynamite” and selected it as one of the Best Books of 2012.
Tim was nominated for the 2017 Pushcart Prize. His stage play, How High the Moon, won the prestigious Stanley Drama Award, and his screenplays have won competitions sponsored by the American Screenwriters Association, WriteMovies, Houston WorldFest, Rhode Island International Film Festival, Fresh Voices, StoryPros, and the Hollywood Screenwriting Institute. He is the founder of the Smith Prize for Political Theater.
https://www.instagram.com/timothyjays...
www.facebook.com/TimothyJaySmith/
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 4, 2021
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict doesn't make for an easy read, it was truly harrowing at times, but I like the fact that Timothy Jay Smith lets us see it from different perspectives and also that we see the human side to his characters as they try their best to go about their daily lives.
Although this is a fictional account of the conflict, the author appears well qualified to write about this part of the world, and it's not hard to see that much of what appears in this book, will most certainly have happened for real. Is it Gripping? Moving? Well written? Yes it was all of these and I would definitely recommend it.
Although this is a fictional account of the conflict, the author appears well qualified to write about this part of the world, and it's not hard to see that much of what appears in this book, will most certainly have happened for real. Is it Gripping? Moving? Well written? Yes it was all of these and I would definitely recommend it.
January 15, 2019
Endorsements from other reviewers:
"A taut thriller that opens as a terrorist threat in Jerusalem on Easter Sunday brings together an intriguing quartet of characters... The pitiless cost of war as it plays out in four families is poignantly evoked in this highly charged drama." - New York Daily News
“A Vision of Angels is a thriller of the first order, full of high-stakes drama and suspense, but it’s also something much rarer: an intimately told tale of life and death and day-to-day existence in the Holy Land that doesn’t take sides. Or, rather, that considers them all. This is a remarkable book.” – Toby Lester, author of Da Vinci’s Ghost and The Fourth Part of the World
The suspenseful plot moves very quickly. Like his journalist character, Smith tries to give the different sides of this conflict a human face. The stories of all these characters and their families are slowly interwoven together before a climactic ending that is ultimately one of hope. - Canadian Jewish News
“Haunting and heartbreaking. Timothy Jay Smith puts a very human face on the many-sided Israeli-Palestinian conflict in this gripping and exquisitely detailed narrative set skillfully against the Passover-Easter holidays.” - Jennifer Willis, writer for The Oregonian
"Easily in the top ten for 2013" and "one of the most memorable books I will ever read." - Book Reader's Heaven
Where other novelists had me recoiling in horror when portraying some Middle Eastern characters (Khaled Hosseini comes to mind), I found myself feeling a deep and sympathetic compassion for the characters developed in A Vision of Angels. - Dolce Bellezza
"I had never read anything like this before and the poetic fear that this novel creates astounded me." - The Coffee Pot
"A taut thriller that opens as a terrorist threat in Jerusalem on Easter Sunday brings together an intriguing quartet of characters... The pitiless cost of war as it plays out in four families is poignantly evoked in this highly charged drama." - New York Daily News
“A Vision of Angels is a thriller of the first order, full of high-stakes drama and suspense, but it’s also something much rarer: an intimately told tale of life and death and day-to-day existence in the Holy Land that doesn’t take sides. Or, rather, that considers them all. This is a remarkable book.” – Toby Lester, author of Da Vinci’s Ghost and The Fourth Part of the World
The suspenseful plot moves very quickly. Like his journalist character, Smith tries to give the different sides of this conflict a human face. The stories of all these characters and their families are slowly interwoven together before a climactic ending that is ultimately one of hope. - Canadian Jewish News
“Haunting and heartbreaking. Timothy Jay Smith puts a very human face on the many-sided Israeli-Palestinian conflict in this gripping and exquisitely detailed narrative set skillfully against the Passover-Easter holidays.” - Jennifer Willis, writer for The Oregonian
"Easily in the top ten for 2013" and "one of the most memorable books I will ever read." - Book Reader's Heaven
Where other novelists had me recoiling in horror when portraying some Middle Eastern characters (Khaled Hosseini comes to mind), I found myself feeling a deep and sympathetic compassion for the characters developed in A Vision of Angels. - Dolce Bellezza
"I had never read anything like this before and the poetic fear that this novel creates astounded me." - The Coffee Pot
August 19, 2014
I happened to read A Vision of Angels by Timothy Jay Smith as the tension in the Gaza Strip is building up and retaliatory acts are witnessed on both sides of the divide, claiming over a thousand lives. Fully aware that what I read is fiction and not a news report of the on-going conflict, I read through the novel in one-sitting totally gripped by the story as the author crafted one hell of a story which is believable and realistic.
Readers will appreciate the characters who are relatable, true-to-life and very unique in their own different ways with their own complex nature. Each of the character has their own problems to deal with, and the author has done a superb job tackling each character and developing them to the fullest as far as possible. The story is entertaining and enjoyable. The ending is predictable but nonetheless enjoyable.
Readers will appreciate the characters who are relatable, true-to-life and very unique in their own different ways with their own complex nature. Each of the character has their own problems to deal with, and the author has done a superb job tackling each character and developing them to the fullest as far as possible. The story is entertaining and enjoyable. The ending is predictable but nonetheless enjoyable.
September 20, 2013
The most striking thing about the book is a set of very believable and very intense characters. The setting is complex and covers a lot of ground in explaining the state of affairs ... some very striking examples like an individual being prosecuted for 'trespassing' on his own land.
The inner turmoil of every character that the author has brought out in the book is pretty remarkable and makes this a slow read. You can’t just zip through the book as one would do while rading fiction. You read, you pause, you feel, you reflect, you identify with the state of mind of the character.
The inner turmoil of every character that the author has brought out in the book is pretty remarkable and makes this a slow read. You can’t just zip through the book as one would do while rading fiction. You read, you pause, you feel, you reflect, you identify with the state of mind of the character.
October 11, 2013
My review: http://wp.me/p2J8yh-2ti
This is a book that I liked because it was not just a thriller. It had elements that kept one going forward, but it also had depth of characters. Each had qualities that were more than what they were. It had dialogues that stuck true to character, and piqued interest. And it had narration from different angles, viewpoints. It was slow at times, laced with heaviness that the setting brings out and more importantly, the characters bring out. The multiple angles bring a confusion along with the clarity too, but it doesn't deter. A hopeful ending as well.
This is a book that I liked because it was not just a thriller. It had elements that kept one going forward, but it also had depth of characters. Each had qualities that were more than what they were. It had dialogues that stuck true to character, and piqued interest. And it had narration from different angles, viewpoints. It was slow at times, laced with heaviness that the setting brings out and more importantly, the characters bring out. The multiple angles bring a confusion along with the clarity too, but it doesn't deter. A hopeful ending as well.
July 27, 2013
What an intense read. Whew! I feel like I have battlescars! Full review on my blog Guiltless Reading.
September 29, 2013
Timothy Smith has written a gripping tale of love and hate that is set in the Middle East. A terrorist threat for Easter Sunday in Jerusalem sets off a chain of events that weave together the lives of an American journalist, an Israeli war hero, a Palestinian farmer, and an Arab-Christian grocer.
Major Jakov Levy closes the boarder between Israel and the Gaza Strip when he is alerted to a suicide bomb plot. With the closing, Amin Mousa is unable to get his produce to market, so he dumps truckloads of tomatoes in a refugee camp. David Kessler, an American journalist, uses his press identification badge to cross the boarder and drive into Gaza for Amin's story.
Hamas militants plot to hide a bomb in David's car and retrieve it when he returns to Jerusalem, but he's unexpectedly detoured on the way. Meanwhile, a Hamas cell member confesses to the plot, and the race is on to find David and retrieve the bomb before the terrorists can.
The author has penned an ambitious and gripping story from several points of view while keeping the writing unbiased and compassionate. It shows the volatile grudge match that characterizes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from all sides and perspectives. Unbiased does not mean the story is flat, far from it. This is an emotional rollercoaster from first page to last.
This story is told from many different characters’ points of view, which its strength, and also it’s downfall. The narrative switches points of view every few pages (sometimes twice per page) over a wide array of characters. It is interesting to see the story from all sides, yet, I often found it confusing trying to keep track of so many players, and because so little time was spent on each one, none of them were able to reach the depth that I had hoped for. These characters were far from one dimensional, but I expected more from the four protagonists.
This is not an easy story to read, both from an emotional standpoint and a technical one. The author has a lean and edgy prose style that I enjoyed, yet I found it jarring each time he switched from past to present tense and back, which was often. I also found it jarring to switch points of view so often. This is a modern style of writing that an old dog like me has yet to appreciate.
The author ends the story on a symbol of hope for the future, yet I failed to feel that hope. What I was left with was the tragedy and futility caused by the constant collateral damage in cultures where hate is allowed to flourish.
I do recommend this read. It is an enthralling tale, which shines a light on the issues of that precarious region, told by an author who had lived there and experienced it first hand.
Major Jakov Levy closes the boarder between Israel and the Gaza Strip when he is alerted to a suicide bomb plot. With the closing, Amin Mousa is unable to get his produce to market, so he dumps truckloads of tomatoes in a refugee camp. David Kessler, an American journalist, uses his press identification badge to cross the boarder and drive into Gaza for Amin's story.
Hamas militants plot to hide a bomb in David's car and retrieve it when he returns to Jerusalem, but he's unexpectedly detoured on the way. Meanwhile, a Hamas cell member confesses to the plot, and the race is on to find David and retrieve the bomb before the terrorists can.
The author has penned an ambitious and gripping story from several points of view while keeping the writing unbiased and compassionate. It shows the volatile grudge match that characterizes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from all sides and perspectives. Unbiased does not mean the story is flat, far from it. This is an emotional rollercoaster from first page to last.
This story is told from many different characters’ points of view, which its strength, and also it’s downfall. The narrative switches points of view every few pages (sometimes twice per page) over a wide array of characters. It is interesting to see the story from all sides, yet, I often found it confusing trying to keep track of so many players, and because so little time was spent on each one, none of them were able to reach the depth that I had hoped for. These characters were far from one dimensional, but I expected more from the four protagonists.
This is not an easy story to read, both from an emotional standpoint and a technical one. The author has a lean and edgy prose style that I enjoyed, yet I found it jarring each time he switched from past to present tense and back, which was often. I also found it jarring to switch points of view so often. This is a modern style of writing that an old dog like me has yet to appreciate.
The author ends the story on a symbol of hope for the future, yet I failed to feel that hope. What I was left with was the tragedy and futility caused by the constant collateral damage in cultures where hate is allowed to flourish.
I do recommend this read. It is an enthralling tale, which shines a light on the issues of that precarious region, told by an author who had lived there and experienced it first hand.
February 9, 2016
I just couldn’t decide whether to give it 3 (enjoyed) or 4 (really enjoyed) stars; in the end have given it 3 as when I finished it was more for achievement reasons than loving it. It will however be one book that I remember for a long time as I learnt a lot of facts; the author explained the situation well and also in a very unbiased way, showing all viewpoints from a horrible situation. IMHO, where the book was lacking was in depth of character, therefore no real empathy with any of them. If the book had been more fleshed out with characters rather than just facts and events, I think I may have “really enjoyed” it.
July 7, 2013
Timothy Jay Smith's novel immerses you in the daily life of Jews, Arabs and Christians in Israel and Gaza, and in doing so conveys the tragedy of the conflict there. His characters are richly detailed, the plot is suspenseful and his descriptions so powerful that you can almost feel the heat and smell the scents of life in Jerusalem and its surroundings. A compelling, tragic tale.
March 11, 2019
Nablus Rd. Damascus Gate. David Kessler (American journalist) was being detained by a soldier. No cameras allowed. They are also checking IDs.
Issa Dajanis (Muslim, mother) greeted Azzedine (Issa elderly father-in-law).
Chief of Staff Ben-Ami was screaming & wanted to know how CNN had access.
The TV broadcast revealed 3 Palestinians, & 7 Israelis were killed.
Major Jakov Levy (husband/father), Leah Levy (wife/mother), Mishe Levy (22, Jakov/Leah’s son/brother, Steering Committee), & Rachel Levy (16, Jakov/Leah’s, daughter/younger sister, aka Ms. Smartie Pants) were setting down for their evening meal.
Major Levy had to tell Leah Chief of Staff Ben-Ami Yitzak had called about.
The soldiers took Hakem Abu-Rous into custody.
He was later released.
Major Levy was questioning Captain Sa’eb Rayes (Palestinian) about the shipment of explosives.
Hakem spends the days preparing for his mission. 1st he scouts the checkpoints, wanders around the border, & then learns the patrols patterns/behaviors.
Uri (soldier), & Major Levy stopped Amin Mousa’s (upper-class Mousa Farms produce salesman, Oxford U) convoy.
Gershon showed Dvir, Eitan, Mari, Roz, & Nina (asthma) The Times front page. Mishe Levy (Nina’s BF) was a hero.
Passover was celebrated.
The gate guard Uri was inspecting David’s truck.
Sergeant Avi Stein (Jewish, soldier) caught a ride with David. A night to remember.
A lot of PPL were watching the live coverage of Peace Now’s news conference.
Major Levy called Sergeant Stein to his office.
Why did Captain Sa’eb Rayes have Issa Dajani (Nadia’s husband), Amin Mousa, Fadil, Majed, & Rami, Nadia (Issa’s wife) questioned?
What happened to Roz Bronstein, Eitan Cohen, Dvir Katz, Mishe Levy, Nina Levy (Mishe’s wife), Mari Novak?
Warning: This book contains adult content, violence, or expletive language which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive or have potential adverse psychological effects on the reader.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.
A very awesome book cover, & great font/writing style. Wow, a very well written political terrorist book. It wasn’t always very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish (culture/style), but never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a large set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great political terrorist movie, or better yet a TV series.
A very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free Owl Canyon Press; 1 edition; BookSirens; Author; PDF, Word book
Tony Parsons (Washburn; MSW)
Issa Dajanis (Muslim, mother) greeted Azzedine (Issa elderly father-in-law).
Chief of Staff Ben-Ami was screaming & wanted to know how CNN had access.
The TV broadcast revealed 3 Palestinians, & 7 Israelis were killed.
Major Jakov Levy (husband/father), Leah Levy (wife/mother), Mishe Levy (22, Jakov/Leah’s son/brother, Steering Committee), & Rachel Levy (16, Jakov/Leah’s, daughter/younger sister, aka Ms. Smartie Pants) were setting down for their evening meal.
Major Levy had to tell Leah Chief of Staff Ben-Ami Yitzak had called about.
The soldiers took Hakem Abu-Rous into custody.
He was later released.
Major Levy was questioning Captain Sa’eb Rayes (Palestinian) about the shipment of explosives.
Hakem spends the days preparing for his mission. 1st he scouts the checkpoints, wanders around the border, & then learns the patrols patterns/behaviors.
Uri (soldier), & Major Levy stopped Amin Mousa’s (upper-class Mousa Farms produce salesman, Oxford U) convoy.
Gershon showed Dvir, Eitan, Mari, Roz, & Nina (asthma) The Times front page. Mishe Levy (Nina’s BF) was a hero.
Passover was celebrated.
The gate guard Uri was inspecting David’s truck.
Sergeant Avi Stein (Jewish, soldier) caught a ride with David. A night to remember.
A lot of PPL were watching the live coverage of Peace Now’s news conference.
Major Levy called Sergeant Stein to his office.
Why did Captain Sa’eb Rayes have Issa Dajani (Nadia’s husband), Amin Mousa, Fadil, Majed, & Rami, Nadia (Issa’s wife) questioned?
What happened to Roz Bronstein, Eitan Cohen, Dvir Katz, Mishe Levy, Nina Levy (Mishe’s wife), Mari Novak?
Warning: This book contains adult content, violence, or expletive language which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive or have potential adverse psychological effects on the reader.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.
A very awesome book cover, & great font/writing style. Wow, a very well written political terrorist book. It wasn’t always very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish (culture/style), but never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a large set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great political terrorist movie, or better yet a TV series.
A very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free Owl Canyon Press; 1 edition; BookSirens; Author; PDF, Word book
Tony Parsons (Washburn; MSW)
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We do same day shipment, and tracking information is provided as soon as shipment is made.
All products come with manual and most of them are still in box but not all are brand new.
These are not stolen and there’s a sales document issued for each.
We also ship to an FFL for those who prefer it that way.
Please feel free to visit our website.
Contact us on wickr: thediscreetboss
Weblink: https://discreetarmsdealer.com
Email: discreetarmsdealer@gmail.com
Tel: +1(405) 296-0656
March 29, 2021
Warning: don't read this book unless you want a powerful message about life in the Middle East. I don't mean that warning as a negative: Smith writes a fast paced thriller, full of engaging characters and a realistic portrait of life in Israel. More remarkably, he never takes a side in the complex world in which he emerges the reader. There is good and bad swirling at every turn, sometimes all wrapped up in the same person. And for those wanting a gay flare, you will find that element in the novel as well. I learned a lot. I felt a gut punch at many turns. Smith hit all the right marks here.
July 15, 2013
This is a book that could so easily have become derailed and ‘preachy’, as the subject covered within its pages is one we see and hear about daily on our national news; the conflict between Israel and Palestine. So I was wonderfully relieved to see that the Author dealt with this volatile area with an unbiased and caring pen. Too many Authors take sides in their writing when covering this topic and, I’m happy to say that Timothy J. Smith is definitely not one of them; he conveys through his writing a feeling of truth, familiarity and understanding.
There is not one main lead character but many, as the novel is written from a variety of different points of view that are all equally represented; there is no hint at all as to whether the Author leans one way or the other in his beliefs. Through the eyes of his characters, the people who live in Israel and are subject to this everyday (to give spoilers would really be wrong in this review), we are able to understand the history of the area, what has happened and why it is still happening now. To me this was the absolute strong point of the novel; it meant I could really empathize with the characters, and see through their eyes how futile and complicated the situation there really is. For some readers though, they may feel it hard to empathize with the characters as this, after all, is a novel about the concept of war. Whilst all the characters are dynamic and complicated, they will incite one of two emotions in the reader, empathy or a general disdain.
The story moves at a cracking pace; it’s tragic, suspenseful, desperate and desolate and the conflict at times is brutally confronting; something we all need in this present day to make us take note to what is happening outside our own comfort zone. Unlike our daily media reporting this novel is able to give the situation an underlying human perspective, which we all too often fail to acknowledge.
Ultimately, this story is a depiction of how continuing conflict can cause individuals to lose track of what is going on, and the actual reason they are at war. How it tears families apart while at the same time it bringing them back together.
To get a better understanding of how this works, how the characters and circumstances work together in this region, you really need to read the novel. To try to describe it here would be to do an injustice to a sensitively covered topic, which has us reeling in the modern media.
I would definitely recommend this novel to lovers of international political and contemporary fiction and anyone who takes a keen interest in world affairs.
Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.wordpress.com/...
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
There is not one main lead character but many, as the novel is written from a variety of different points of view that are all equally represented; there is no hint at all as to whether the Author leans one way or the other in his beliefs. Through the eyes of his characters, the people who live in Israel and are subject to this everyday (to give spoilers would really be wrong in this review), we are able to understand the history of the area, what has happened and why it is still happening now. To me this was the absolute strong point of the novel; it meant I could really empathize with the characters, and see through their eyes how futile and complicated the situation there really is. For some readers though, they may feel it hard to empathize with the characters as this, after all, is a novel about the concept of war. Whilst all the characters are dynamic and complicated, they will incite one of two emotions in the reader, empathy or a general disdain.
The story moves at a cracking pace; it’s tragic, suspenseful, desperate and desolate and the conflict at times is brutally confronting; something we all need in this present day to make us take note to what is happening outside our own comfort zone. Unlike our daily media reporting this novel is able to give the situation an underlying human perspective, which we all too often fail to acknowledge.
Ultimately, this story is a depiction of how continuing conflict can cause individuals to lose track of what is going on, and the actual reason they are at war. How it tears families apart while at the same time it bringing them back together.
To get a better understanding of how this works, how the characters and circumstances work together in this region, you really need to read the novel. To try to describe it here would be to do an injustice to a sensitively covered topic, which has us reeling in the modern media.
I would definitely recommend this novel to lovers of international political and contemporary fiction and anyone who takes a keen interest in world affairs.
Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.wordpress.com/...
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
January 19, 2014
This review was provided by Alan Chin for his column for THE BOOK BREEZE.
Timothy Smith has written a gripping tale of love and hate that is set in the Middle East. A terrorist threat for Easter Sunday in Jerusalem sets off a chain of events that weave together the lives of an American journalist, an Israeli war hero, a Palestinian farmer, and an Arab-Christian grocer.
Major Jakov Levy closes the boarder between Israel and the Gaza Strip when he is alerted to a suicide bomb plot. With the closing, Amin Mousa is unable to get his produce to market, so he dumps truckloads of tomatoes in a refugee camp. David Kessler, an American journalist, uses his press identification badge to cross the boarder and drive into Gaza for Amin's story.
Hamas militants plot to hide a bomb in David's car and retrieve it when he returns to Jerusalem, but he's unexpectedly detoured on the way. Meanwhile, a Hamas cell member confesses to the plot, and the race is on to find David and retrieve the bomb before the terrorists can.
The author has penned an ambitious and gripping story from several points of view while keeping the writing unbiased and compassionate. It shows the volatile grudge match that characterizes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from all sides and perspectives. Unbiased does not mean the story is flat, far from it. This is an emotional rollercoaster from first page to last.
This story is told from many different characters’ points of view, which its strength, and also it’s downfall. The narrative switches points of view every few pages (sometimes twice per page) over a wide array of characters. It is interesting to see the story from all sides, yet, I often found it confusing trying to keep track of so many players, and because so little time was spent on each one, none of them were able to reach the depth that I had hoped for. These characters were far from one dimensional, but I expected more from the four protagonists.
This is not an easy story to read, both from an emotional standpoint and a technical one. The author has a lean and edgy prose style that I enjoyed, yet I found it jarring each time he switched from past to present tense and back, which was often. I also found it jarring to switch points of view so often. This is a modern style of writing that an old dog like me has yet to appreciate.
The author ends the story on a symbol of hope for the future, yet I failed to feel that hope. What I was left with was the tragedy and futility caused by the constant collateral damage in cultures where hate is allowed to flourish.
I do recommend this read. It is an enthralling tale, which shines a light on the issues of that precarious region, told by an author who had lived there and experienced it first hand.
Timothy Smith has written a gripping tale of love and hate that is set in the Middle East. A terrorist threat for Easter Sunday in Jerusalem sets off a chain of events that weave together the lives of an American journalist, an Israeli war hero, a Palestinian farmer, and an Arab-Christian grocer.
Major Jakov Levy closes the boarder between Israel and the Gaza Strip when he is alerted to a suicide bomb plot. With the closing, Amin Mousa is unable to get his produce to market, so he dumps truckloads of tomatoes in a refugee camp. David Kessler, an American journalist, uses his press identification badge to cross the boarder and drive into Gaza for Amin's story.
Hamas militants plot to hide a bomb in David's car and retrieve it when he returns to Jerusalem, but he's unexpectedly detoured on the way. Meanwhile, a Hamas cell member confesses to the plot, and the race is on to find David and retrieve the bomb before the terrorists can.
The author has penned an ambitious and gripping story from several points of view while keeping the writing unbiased and compassionate. It shows the volatile grudge match that characterizes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from all sides and perspectives. Unbiased does not mean the story is flat, far from it. This is an emotional rollercoaster from first page to last.
This story is told from many different characters’ points of view, which its strength, and also it’s downfall. The narrative switches points of view every few pages (sometimes twice per page) over a wide array of characters. It is interesting to see the story from all sides, yet, I often found it confusing trying to keep track of so many players, and because so little time was spent on each one, none of them were able to reach the depth that I had hoped for. These characters were far from one dimensional, but I expected more from the four protagonists.
This is not an easy story to read, both from an emotional standpoint and a technical one. The author has a lean and edgy prose style that I enjoyed, yet I found it jarring each time he switched from past to present tense and back, which was often. I also found it jarring to switch points of view so often. This is a modern style of writing that an old dog like me has yet to appreciate.
The author ends the story on a symbol of hope for the future, yet I failed to feel that hope. What I was left with was the tragedy and futility caused by the constant collateral damage in cultures where hate is allowed to flourish.
I do recommend this read. It is an enthralling tale, which shines a light on the issues of that precarious region, told by an author who had lived there and experienced it first hand.
July 9, 2013
A Vision of Angels by Timothy Jay Smith is a tragic and suspenseful tale that revolves around a planned terrorist attack for Easter Sunday in Jerusalem. The lives of an American journalist, Israeli war hero, Palestinian farmer and Christian grocer are weaved together and changed forever as a result of this single event that is set to take place amidst the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
It is a story that moves at a fast pace and switches between perspectives of the characters just as quickly. The destruction, desolation and desperation caused by the conflict is at times brutally confronting, but gives the story an underlying human perspective that is too often missed in modern media reporting.
Smith does well to give all sides involved in the conflict a voice, and I found it a particularly interesting read in the sense that it gave new perspective to an old war. However, whilst the nature of the conflict itself kept me interested enough to continue reading, I found it impossible to either like or relate to any of the characters in the story. Whilst they are all dynamic, complicated characters for whom I felt empathy or a general disdain for, I couldn't connect with them in such a way that made me feel invested in their stories. For this reason, it was merely the conflict itself and not the stories of the individual characters taking place within it that gained and held my attention.
Overall, A Vision of Angels is an interesting yet confronting depiction of the ways in which conflict can tear a nation apart and yet bring it together at the same time. Recommended to readers of contemporary fiction and those with a particular interest in current world politics.
Thank you to the author for inviting me to read and review this novel.
It is a story that moves at a fast pace and switches between perspectives of the characters just as quickly. The destruction, desolation and desperation caused by the conflict is at times brutally confronting, but gives the story an underlying human perspective that is too often missed in modern media reporting.
Smith does well to give all sides involved in the conflict a voice, and I found it a particularly interesting read in the sense that it gave new perspective to an old war. However, whilst the nature of the conflict itself kept me interested enough to continue reading, I found it impossible to either like or relate to any of the characters in the story. Whilst they are all dynamic, complicated characters for whom I felt empathy or a general disdain for, I couldn't connect with them in such a way that made me feel invested in their stories. For this reason, it was merely the conflict itself and not the stories of the individual characters taking place within it that gained and held my attention.
Overall, A Vision of Angels is an interesting yet confronting depiction of the ways in which conflict can tear a nation apart and yet bring it together at the same time. Recommended to readers of contemporary fiction and those with a particular interest in current world politics.
Thank you to the author for inviting me to read and review this novel.
January 26, 2015
A Vision of Angels
By Timothy Jay Smith
2013
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
David Kessler, a 44 year-old American journalist, is in the Middle East capturing the life and conflicts in the Old City of Jerusalem with his camera, which many times must be kept hidden. The repeated confiscation of his film has made him quite adept at switching to blank film to hand over in order to keep his photographs.
In this area of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, Kessler sees past the differences to befriend good people of all three religions. It is this wisdom of the sameness in all people, despite religious beliefs, that makes his photos capture the essence of the people of the area.
Unfortunately, the Middle East situation remains the hotbed of conflict and power struggles today as it has for centuries, pulling Kessler and those he cares about, into its dangerous religiously driven net.
The author’s excellent characterizations and realistic dialogue gives readers a front row seat into a Middle East of which they may be unaware through an action driven, emotional, and true-to-life story, leaving them with an experience that they will remember long after finishing the book.
By Timothy Jay Smith
2013
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
David Kessler, a 44 year-old American journalist, is in the Middle East capturing the life and conflicts in the Old City of Jerusalem with his camera, which many times must be kept hidden. The repeated confiscation of his film has made him quite adept at switching to blank film to hand over in order to keep his photographs.
In this area of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, Kessler sees past the differences to befriend good people of all three religions. It is this wisdom of the sameness in all people, despite religious beliefs, that makes his photos capture the essence of the people of the area.
Unfortunately, the Middle East situation remains the hotbed of conflict and power struggles today as it has for centuries, pulling Kessler and those he cares about, into its dangerous religiously driven net.
The author’s excellent characterizations and realistic dialogue gives readers a front row seat into a Middle East of which they may be unaware through an action driven, emotional, and true-to-life story, leaving them with an experience that they will remember long after finishing the book.
January 19, 2014
A Vision of Angels is a fast-moving thriller with a dramatic, politically charged back story, which the author takes pains to tell without obvious bias. Set in Israel and Palestine during an indeterminate time (we later learn it's the mid-80s), the novel introduces a welter of diverse characters who develop and blossom into their own as the action unspools around them and their stories intersect. There's the American journalist, a cub reporter at 40, and his quirky Israeli neighbors and Palestinian friends, none of whom are easy to pigeon-hole into the usual stereotypes. We meet strident Jewish settlers and the Jewish protesters who oppose their claims on land the Arab characters consider to be their birthright. We find an interesting duo in the Israeli and Palestinian military commanders, enemies manning their respective posts at a Gaza checkpoint, who find themselves allied in an effort to stop terrorists from smuggling a bomb into Israel. And there are the innocent Arabs and Jews, the victims caught in the web that Timothy Jay Smith skillfully spins. Like Smith's first novel Cooper's Promise, this story is a plot-driven joy ride through sensitive territory, rich with dialogue and with screenplay-like attention to movement and sense of place.
November 1, 2014
A Vision of Angels takes you to another place, familiar to us from the news yet remote from our daily lives. I felt that it was a particularly topical time for me to read this, and it certainly gave me an insight into what was going on in the Middle East at the moment of reading.
This book felt as if it was written by someone who truly understood what as going in. Despite this, it was mostly easy to follow what was going on. Only occasionally did I feel some more background information would have been useful.
The characters were realistic and well rounded. I found it easy to understand each person's viewpoint and what brought them to the situation they were now in. I didn't feel that any of the people were stereotyped or over-filled with meaning.
I recommend this book to anyone wanting to understand more about the conflicts of Israel-Palestine.
This book was provided for me by the author in exchange for an honest review
This book felt as if it was written by someone who truly understood what as going in. Despite this, it was mostly easy to follow what was going on. Only occasionally did I feel some more background information would have been useful.
The characters were realistic and well rounded. I found it easy to understand each person's viewpoint and what brought them to the situation they were now in. I didn't feel that any of the people were stereotyped or over-filled with meaning.
I recommend this book to anyone wanting to understand more about the conflicts of Israel-Palestine.
This book was provided for me by the author in exchange for an honest review
February 13, 2015
A Vision of AngelsA Vision of Angels by Timothy Jay Smith is a simple story of day-to-day life of simple people with simple day-to-day activities. Yet the complex web through which their lives are intertwined and impact each other makes one remember the Butterfly flapping its wings in one corner of the world.
The story mostly is in modern-day Jerusalem, which tries to keep up a façade of peace amid tensions between Palestinians, Jews, and Christians. Due to hundreds of years of conflict nobody trusts anybody else but is forced to live and work in close proximity. The Israeli security forces have reached a state of paranoia when they shoot first and ask questions later. Peace is a dirty word and both sides consider anybody looking for peace as a traitor. Read this book to understand the day to day struggle an conflicts in the oldest war zone in the world.
February 28, 2016
I also was not sure whether to give it three or four stars.In the end I gave it 4 as I was interested enough to want to keep reading and finish it. Descriptively it was well written and you could almost smell the fires and gunfire as well as imagine the famous buildings in Jerusalem.There are many characters from different sides in the constant war going on in these lands and it was difficult to identify with them, possibly the Jewish family were the most rounded characters. It was interesting historically and showed how complicated the war is. I think I did enjoy it although it is a sad book and might even read it again.
January 23, 2014
A fast paced and gripping saga of four families whose lives intersect within the confines of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. It is much more than a thriller as the writing is crisp and the plot barrels along with many unforeseen twists and turns. This is a book that truly lays out the tragedy of a political situation that lays its traps upon the innocent and the guilty with equal impact. A superb read!
November 21, 2013
This book is outstanding. In the end, you'll think about it for days after you've finished. The characters are so real, you'll swear you know them. Don't hesitate, buy it and buy it now. You'll be so happy to curl up on the couch and read the whole thing.
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May 3, 2013Tried to read it, but I kept falling asleep. It did not keep my interest.
Read
November 24, 2014I found it difficult at first to keep all the characters straight but it was definitely a different type of book for me and I was glad I finished it and enjoyed it
August 13, 2016
I won this book through First Reads. Gripping novel - Left me thinking about it long after I finished reading it. Love the drama & suspense - & how quickly the plot moves along. Great read.
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