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Angel Falls
Angel Falls is a dramatic, richly nuanced story of an ordinary man who makes an extraordinary decision and gambles with a thorny, painful question. Michaela, beloved wife and mother of two, lies in a coma. It is now up to her husband, Liam, to hold the family together, to care for their grieving, frightened children. Doctors have told Liam not to expect a recovery, but he maintains hope that love can accomplish what medicine cannot. Day after day, he sits by her bedside, holding her hand, sharing the stories of their life together. Then he discovers the evidence of his wife’s secret past—a long-hidden first marriage to international movie star Julian True. When he sees photos of her glowing happiness with Julian, he knows the actor was more than simply Michaela’s first husband. He was the love of her life. Liam senses that Julian is the one person who can bring her back to life, but at what cost? And does Liam love his wife enough to risk losing her to a man no woman could resist? His decision strikes deep into the heart of his family, transforming each of them in unexpected ways.
Audio CD
First published March 21, 2000
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About the author
Kristin Hannah
138 books281k followersKristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels including the international blockbuster, The Nightingale, which was named Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People's Choice award for best fiction in the same year. It was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, iTunes, Buzzfeed, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and The Week. In 2018,
The Great Alone became an instant New York Times #1 bestseller and was named the Best Historical Novel of the Year by Goodreads.
The Four Winds was published in February of 2021 and immediately hit #1 on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Indie bookstore's bestseller lists. Additionally, it was selected as a book club pick by the both Today Show and The Book Of the Month club, which named it the best book of 2021.
Firefly Lane, her beloved novel about two best friends, was the #1 Netflix series around the world, in the week it came out. The popular tv show stars Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke and Season Two is currently set to conclude the series on April 27, 2023.
Her new novel, The Women, about a young woman coming of age during the turbulent 1960's in America, who joins the Army Nurse Corps and serves in Vietnam will be published February 6th, 2024.
A former attorney, Kristin lives in the Pacific Northwest.
The Great Alone became an instant New York Times #1 bestseller and was named the Best Historical Novel of the Year by Goodreads.
The Four Winds was published in February of 2021 and immediately hit #1 on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Indie bookstore's bestseller lists. Additionally, it was selected as a book club pick by the both Today Show and The Book Of the Month club, which named it the best book of 2021.
Firefly Lane, her beloved novel about two best friends, was the #1 Netflix series around the world, in the week it came out. The popular tv show stars Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke and Season Two is currently set to conclude the series on April 27, 2023.
Her new novel, The Women, about a young woman coming of age during the turbulent 1960's in America, who joins the Army Nurse Corps and serves in Vietnam will be published February 6th, 2024.
A former attorney, Kristin lives in the Pacific Northwest.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,752 reviews
March 16, 2022
2.5 stars rounded up
Angel Falls tells the story of Mikayla who falls off a horse and ends up in a coma. While asleep, her family discovers that she was previously married to the famous actor Julian True. Her second husband and two children love her deeply, but they can’t seem to wake her from her coma. Having responded to Julian’s name, he is brought in in the hopes of reaching Mikayla. Will she ever wake from her coma and if so what state will her mind be in?
As the past is brought to light, old wounds are reopened and people get hurt. Mikayla and her family work to move on and appreciate all that the present has to offer. The characters were developed well and learned to look deeply at what they wanted in life.
Though this was a shorter book, I felt that it dragged a bit and was slower paced. The dialogue and situations seemed to be happening again and again up until the very end. Hannah has so many amazing books, but this one wasn’t one my favorites.
Overall, this was a sweet love story, showing how love is about commitment and stability. The book had some nice messages such as how holding a secret gives it power, and in order to be free we must open up. I liked how the characters learned to let go and realized the love right in front of them.
Angel Falls tells the story of Mikayla who falls off a horse and ends up in a coma. While asleep, her family discovers that she was previously married to the famous actor Julian True. Her second husband and two children love her deeply, but they can’t seem to wake her from her coma. Having responded to Julian’s name, he is brought in in the hopes of reaching Mikayla. Will she ever wake from her coma and if so what state will her mind be in?
As the past is brought to light, old wounds are reopened and people get hurt. Mikayla and her family work to move on and appreciate all that the present has to offer. The characters were developed well and learned to look deeply at what they wanted in life.
Though this was a shorter book, I felt that it dragged a bit and was slower paced. The dialogue and situations seemed to be happening again and again up until the very end. Hannah has so many amazing books, but this one wasn’t one my favorites.
Overall, this was a sweet love story, showing how love is about commitment and stability. The book had some nice messages such as how holding a secret gives it power, and in order to be free we must open up. I liked how the characters learned to let go and realized the love right in front of them.
September 13, 2016
This book should be classified more as "inspirational romance" than romance. It is heavily tinged with Christian overtones and contains absolutely no steamy scenes.
Mikaela Campbell sustains a head injury in the first chapter and spends the majority of the book in a coma. Her husband of 10 years, Liam, and her children, Jacey (16) and Bret (9) share their memories with her trying to wake her up. When Liam discovers she was married before, to famous movie star Julian True, and that she responds slightly to Julian's name, he loves her enough to call him and see if maybe he can pull her back from the brink of death. Obviously she wakes up, then has to deal with the fact that she's been lying to her family for years and also choose between Liam and Julian.
{SPOILERS}
I find it very hard to believe that no one in town realized the lady married to the son of the town founder used to be in tabloids. I find it very hard to fathom that once he shows up in town, no one figures out why he's there as well as the obvious paternity of Mikaela's oldest child, Juliana Celeste (Jacey). I find it very hard to believe that the famous movie star meets a poor girl in a diner and can't stop thinking about her, so marries her, then leaves her, but still she's the only woman he's ever loved.
Despite the very obvious need for a suspension of disbelief in order to read this book, I found I couldn't put it down. I can't figure out why. The writing isn't all that great (see also: Mikaela's mother's dialogue being loaded with Spanish words, but only when they're so similar to their English counterparts that the average reader obviously knows what she's saying), the characters aren't all that compelling (although Hannah does give a different 'voice' to the omniscient narrator when focusing on each of them), and the plot is almost cringe-worthy. I just had to keep reading. I don't know that it's even because I wanted to know what happened next. It was pretty obvious what was going to happen next the whole time. I don't know. Whatever, it was an okay book.
Mikaela Campbell sustains a head injury in the first chapter and spends the majority of the book in a coma. Her husband of 10 years, Liam, and her children, Jacey (16) and Bret (9) share their memories with her trying to wake her up. When Liam discovers she was married before, to famous movie star Julian True, and that she responds slightly to Julian's name, he loves her enough to call him and see if maybe he can pull her back from the brink of death. Obviously she wakes up, then has to deal with the fact that she's been lying to her family for years and also choose between Liam and Julian.
{SPOILERS}
I find it very hard to believe that no one in town realized the lady married to the son of the town founder used to be in tabloids. I find it very hard to fathom that once he shows up in town, no one figures out why he's there as well as the obvious paternity of Mikaela's oldest child, Juliana Celeste (Jacey). I find it very hard to believe that the famous movie star meets a poor girl in a diner and can't stop thinking about her, so marries her, then leaves her, but still she's the only woman he's ever loved.
Despite the very obvious need for a suspension of disbelief in order to read this book, I found I couldn't put it down. I can't figure out why. The writing isn't all that great (see also: Mikaela's mother's dialogue being loaded with Spanish words, but only when they're so similar to their English counterparts that the average reader obviously knows what she's saying), the characters aren't all that compelling (although Hannah does give a different 'voice' to the omniscient narrator when focusing on each of them), and the plot is almost cringe-worthy. I just had to keep reading. I don't know that it's even because I wanted to know what happened next. It was pretty obvious what was going to happen next the whole time. I don't know. Whatever, it was an okay book.
August 22, 2017
This is one of the soft-reads I have chosen as in-betweener, to escape a little from the heavy-handed, often depressing, other books I love to indulge in. It is a well-constructed, intriguing story that kept me going forward despite the obvious clues of the outcome. There even might have been quite an impressive number of other books with a similar theme. Mother or father lands in a coma, secrets are revealed, town and family gets involved, the ambiance around the saga is romantic, sentimental, Hallmark-ish. But sometimes I just need this kind of book to balance my reading-psyche out. And this one worked splendidly.
Official blurb:
When Mikaela Campbell, beloved wife and mother, falls into a coma, it is up to her husband, Liam, to hold the family together and care for their grieving, frightened children. Doctors tell him not to expect a recovery, but he believes that love can accomplish what medical science cannot. Daily he sits at her bedside, telling her stories of the precious life they have built together, hoping against hope that she will wake up. But then he discovers evidence of his wife’s secret past: a hidden first marriage to movie star Julian True.
Desperate to bring Mikaela back at any cost, Liam knows he must turn to Julian for help. But will that choice cost Liam his wife, his family, and everything he holds dear? One of Kristin Hannah’s most moving novels, Angel Falls is a poignant and unforgettable portrait of marriage and commitment, of an ordinary man who dares to risk everything in the name of love.
There you have it. Quite a heavy load of clichés are thrown in to establish the all-american entertainment family feeling - those television and movie families, the do-gooders, the divine carriers of the American feel-good genes.
Living and working in a harsh environment, I often indulge in this kind of reads because deep down inside I want to believe that the good people in the world is still winning; and the good people set the standards of the good things in life, such as happy family Christmastimes, and happy family birthday celebrations, etc. In real life it does not always exist, as we all know. In fact, there are more movies (and statistics) depicting the opposite, and in my heart I want them to go away and let the good guys storm in and take over the running of the world. Intellectually this kind of story does not make it to the finishing line, because the world is way too cruel and uncompromising for it. But emotionally I allow this kind of story to win and I bet my bottom dollar on these characters to not only be part of the saga, but also part of real life as well. In fact, I want to, and do believe(or at least hope) they are based on real people! It's part of my head-in-the-sand-stand!
So, as a soft-read with a few realistic and unrealistic elements combined, this is a good book to read in its genre. The moral of the story is interesting to explore. I am not giving away any clues whatsoever. I am happy with the ending. It fits this story, and that's where I get out of it. You can indulge and enjoy if you want to know more :-))
This was my introduction to Kristin Hannah. I hope to come back to more of her books as time permits. But for now she has made me feel better about the world.
Official blurb:
When Mikaela Campbell, beloved wife and mother, falls into a coma, it is up to her husband, Liam, to hold the family together and care for their grieving, frightened children. Doctors tell him not to expect a recovery, but he believes that love can accomplish what medical science cannot. Daily he sits at her bedside, telling her stories of the precious life they have built together, hoping against hope that she will wake up. But then he discovers evidence of his wife’s secret past: a hidden first marriage to movie star Julian True.
Desperate to bring Mikaela back at any cost, Liam knows he must turn to Julian for help. But will that choice cost Liam his wife, his family, and everything he holds dear? One of Kristin Hannah’s most moving novels, Angel Falls is a poignant and unforgettable portrait of marriage and commitment, of an ordinary man who dares to risk everything in the name of love.
There you have it. Quite a heavy load of clichés are thrown in to establish the all-american entertainment family feeling - those television and movie families, the do-gooders, the divine carriers of the American feel-good genes.
Living and working in a harsh environment, I often indulge in this kind of reads because deep down inside I want to believe that the good people in the world is still winning; and the good people set the standards of the good things in life, such as happy family Christmastimes, and happy family birthday celebrations, etc. In real life it does not always exist, as we all know. In fact, there are more movies (and statistics) depicting the opposite, and in my heart I want them to go away and let the good guys storm in and take over the running of the world. Intellectually this kind of story does not make it to the finishing line, because the world is way too cruel and uncompromising for it. But emotionally I allow this kind of story to win and I bet my bottom dollar on these characters to not only be part of the saga, but also part of real life as well. In fact, I want to, and do believe(or at least hope) they are based on real people! It's part of my head-in-the-sand-stand!
So, as a soft-read with a few realistic and unrealistic elements combined, this is a good book to read in its genre. The moral of the story is interesting to explore. I am not giving away any clues whatsoever. I am happy with the ending. It fits this story, and that's where I get out of it. You can indulge and enjoy if you want to know more :-))
This was my introduction to Kristin Hannah. I hope to come back to more of her books as time permits. But for now she has made me feel better about the world.
June 16, 2017
I really didn't like this. I've read lots of good reviews for books from this author so I was expecting a good solid read.
This was unbearably soppy. It was like watching one of those awful d grade romance 'made for tv' movies.
It was very heavy on Christianity too. I don't normally mind this but all the praying to Jesus talk made me want to pray to Jesus that the book would be over.
I HATED that Liam's Hispanic mother in law called him Dr Liam - she may as well have cleaned his house as well to perfect that whole second class citizen thing she had going on.
And speaking of names, every time someone called Brett, the son, Bretster I hated this book just a little more.
How can I connect with characters insisting on using stupid names like Dr Liam (for your son in law, FFS) and Bretster?
Sentimental drivel that will steal your precious time and leave you wondering WTF you are reading this crap.
Ugh!
This was unbearably soppy. It was like watching one of those awful d grade romance 'made for tv' movies.
It was very heavy on Christianity too. I don't normally mind this but all the praying to Jesus talk made me want to pray to Jesus that the book would be over.
I HATED that Liam's Hispanic mother in law called him Dr Liam - she may as well have cleaned his house as well to perfect that whole second class citizen thing she had going on.
And speaking of names, every time someone called Brett, the son, Bretster I hated this book just a little more.
How can I connect with characters insisting on using stupid names like Dr Liam (for your son in law, FFS) and Bretster?
Sentimental drivel that will steal your precious time and leave you wondering WTF you are reading this crap.
Ugh!
March 10, 2011
I'm torn about this book. It was written over 10 years ago by Kristin Hannah (my fave author!) but it lacks the appeal that her most recent books do. It is mildly farfetched but Ms. Hannah knows how to make it not too over-the-top and mildly relatable.
As always this book focuses on trials and tribulations on the family bond and love. The main characters learned about themselves and grew on their new found knowledge of themselves and their loved ones.
Some things that bothered me about this book, for one, was the little boy acted too young, it wasn't an accurate portrayal of a nine year old. A minor irritation but I had to point it out. And really? Would someone love another so much to be completely blind to the built up wall of the past? I wasn't quite sold on that either.
I liked how the story played out for the most part but of all of the books I've read of Kristin Hannah's, this is my least favorite.
As always this book focuses on trials and tribulations on the family bond and love. The main characters learned about themselves and grew on their new found knowledge of themselves and their loved ones.
Some things that bothered me about this book, for one, was the little boy acted too young, it wasn't an accurate portrayal of a nine year old. A minor irritation but I had to point it out. And really? Would someone love another so much to be completely blind to the built up wall of the past? I wasn't quite sold on that either.
I liked how the story played out for the most part but of all of the books I've read of Kristin Hannah's, this is my least favorite.
July 12, 2023
Believe it or not there is a story behind me reading this mass market paperback. Because for one, I do not read mass market paperbacks, if I can help it. Actually, at all. The print is too small for my eyesight. Even with glasses.
And for me selecting this book, there is another story behind this, too. Because so many of you have told me that you stay away from her earlier books, and this certainly wasn’t my intent to read one of her earlier books, and in a mass market paperback format.
But…
This is what happened.
I ran out of books.
Yes. It is true.
I know. I have a Little Free Library Shed full of books.
Yes, I have a stacks of books in my garage ready to eventually go into my Little Free Library Shed.
Yes, I have books in my personal library.
Yes, I had finished all my checked-out books from my local library books.
And…
Yes, it was a first for me that this has ever happened.
A first!
So, I had gone out AGAIN to my garage and searched. Was there any book that I had mistakenly put away that I had not read?
And I looked in my discard pile, which are the mass market paperback donations which I do not put in my Little Free Library Shed and give to other LFL’s, and found this one.
Yes, this lone book.
And, that is how I ended up reading this book.
Fortunately, this having no book dilemma lasted only 24 hours. Donations came in, and my local library contacted me with books ordered coming in. And I am once again back with a stack, ready for me to read and eventually review.
But I have to say, it is a terrible business to be in for a book reader to have no books to read. And, I am not one that likes to read them twice. (Unless I forgot that I read them the first time! – and I have had that discussion with some of you, too!)
On to the review…
Where do I begin?
This is a story about family and how they pull together in a terrible crisis. It isn’t a romance, although romance surrounds this story. It is about a husband and his children and how they manage as their wife and her mother struggle as she lays lingering in a coma in a hospital after a tragic fall off a horse.
And while Liam, the husband finds a hidden pillowcase of his wife Mike’s that reveals a lot about the first marriage of hers that she never talked about – including the identity of her husband and the father of the child that Liam has taken on as his own. As the family waits anxiously for her to come back from the coma, she seems to react to the name of her first husband, so Liam thinks that maybe bringing him into the picture might advance her healing.
So Julian willingly comes back. Because you see, Julian, the ex-husband, is also a vain, spoiled, movie star, and he also remembers Kayla (that is what he called her) as the love of his life, that he let get away.
Liam realizes bringing Julian back, might risk Liam’s marriage to Mike, if she eventually wakes up. He has always felt that she has kept something back from him – and now that he knows about Julian, he understands more about her first love.
Liam is an unusual romance hero. He is more the steady and responsible guy. Whereas, Julian is supposedly the compelling and charismatic guy. But Liam has an enormous capacity for love. As readers we are rooting for him.
As readers follow the back story, and recovery, we are uncertain whether we are that enamored with Mike. We recognize that she never fully committed herself to Liam because of her feelings for her first love, Julian. Even considering how he left her.
But, the intention of the story is to watch the growth and change in all the characters.
So…
Did it work?
Is it eventually a happily ever after? - and for whom? (No spoilers from me!)
Cute. Been-here-before. We all know how it is going to end.
Was there something that didn’t work?
There was a silly plot device to have Julian’s character a movie star. It made Mike’s attachment shallow and well Julian, too Hollywood, for lack of a better description.
I’d like to believe that we all have had a first love in our lives – we know that heartache. It didn’t need to have Hollywood looks, et al to get this point across.
So, how did I do with this one?
Come on…folks, it was my only book! I needed to just go with it!
Seriously, no books?
That was not a good moment for me!
And for me selecting this book, there is another story behind this, too. Because so many of you have told me that you stay away from her earlier books, and this certainly wasn’t my intent to read one of her earlier books, and in a mass market paperback format.
But…
This is what happened.
I ran out of books.
Yes. It is true.
I know. I have a Little Free Library Shed full of books.
Yes, I have a stacks of books in my garage ready to eventually go into my Little Free Library Shed.
Yes, I have books in my personal library.
Yes, I had finished all my checked-out books from my local library books.
And…
Yes, it was a first for me that this has ever happened.
A first!
So, I had gone out AGAIN to my garage and searched. Was there any book that I had mistakenly put away that I had not read?
And I looked in my discard pile, which are the mass market paperback donations which I do not put in my Little Free Library Shed and give to other LFL’s, and found this one.
Yes, this lone book.
And, that is how I ended up reading this book.
Fortunately, this having no book dilemma lasted only 24 hours. Donations came in, and my local library contacted me with books ordered coming in. And I am once again back with a stack, ready for me to read and eventually review.
But I have to say, it is a terrible business to be in for a book reader to have no books to read. And, I am not one that likes to read them twice. (Unless I forgot that I read them the first time! – and I have had that discussion with some of you, too!)
On to the review…
Where do I begin?
This is a story about family and how they pull together in a terrible crisis. It isn’t a romance, although romance surrounds this story. It is about a husband and his children and how they manage as their wife and her mother struggle as she lays lingering in a coma in a hospital after a tragic fall off a horse.
And while Liam, the husband finds a hidden pillowcase of his wife Mike’s that reveals a lot about the first marriage of hers that she never talked about – including the identity of her husband and the father of the child that Liam has taken on as his own. As the family waits anxiously for her to come back from the coma, she seems to react to the name of her first husband, so Liam thinks that maybe bringing him into the picture might advance her healing.
So Julian willingly comes back. Because you see, Julian, the ex-husband, is also a vain, spoiled, movie star, and he also remembers Kayla (that is what he called her) as the love of his life, that he let get away.
Liam realizes bringing Julian back, might risk Liam’s marriage to Mike, if she eventually wakes up. He has always felt that she has kept something back from him – and now that he knows about Julian, he understands more about her first love.
Liam is an unusual romance hero. He is more the steady and responsible guy. Whereas, Julian is supposedly the compelling and charismatic guy. But Liam has an enormous capacity for love. As readers we are rooting for him.
As readers follow the back story, and recovery, we are uncertain whether we are that enamored with Mike. We recognize that she never fully committed herself to Liam because of her feelings for her first love, Julian. Even considering how he left her.
But, the intention of the story is to watch the growth and change in all the characters.
So…
Did it work?
Is it eventually a happily ever after? - and for whom? (No spoilers from me!)
Cute. Been-here-before. We all know how it is going to end.
Was there something that didn’t work?
There was a silly plot device to have Julian’s character a movie star. It made Mike’s attachment shallow and well Julian, too Hollywood, for lack of a better description.
I’d like to believe that we all have had a first love in our lives – we know that heartache. It didn’t need to have Hollywood looks, et al to get this point across.
So, how did I do with this one?
Come on…folks, it was my only book! I needed to just go with it!
Seriously, no books?
That was not a good moment for me!
December 29, 2024
Picked this up since I hadn't read this old Kristin Hannah and needed to fulfill a prompt for PopSugar about reading a book from 2000. I wish I could say this was enjoyable, but it was cringy, and does not hold up well 24 (almost 25 years from pub date).
Mikaela falls from her horse and goes into a coma, her husband and family rally around her. The only thing that seems to get through to her is the "Idea" of her first husband and love (who also happens to be a movie star - like come on). She hasn't gotten over him and he's the father of her first child.
The whole premise of this is so unbelievable it made me roll my eyes over and over again. This was just such a surface level plot with no depth. Kristin Hannah has come SO FAR from here. On my way to become a KH completist but these older ones are painful.
Mikaela falls from her horse and goes into a coma, her husband and family rally around her. The only thing that seems to get through to her is the "Idea" of her first husband and love (who also happens to be a movie star - like come on). She hasn't gotten over him and he's the father of her first child.
The whole premise of this is so unbelievable it made me roll my eyes over and over again. This was just such a surface level plot with no depth. Kristin Hannah has come SO FAR from here. On my way to become a KH completist but these older ones are painful.
December 29, 2020
Oh how I loved ANGEL FALLS! For a debut, this story was intense! I can’t believe I waited so long to read it as it was published in 2000 and I have been a fan of Kristin Hannah for many many years! Another heart tugging, tearful book by one of my favorite authors and I loved every minute of it! I loved the characters and at times even felt sorry for Julian. Liam was my best character – he was greater than life itself – when the life of his wife Mikaela was at stake. This is not a gushy romance story, rather it is a moving tale of a family struggling to get through the most challenging time of their lives.
ANGEL FALLS is the story of Mikaela Campbell. She’s a wife and mother and ends up in a coma after an accident. While she’s in the coma, her family does everything to try to wake her up, but nothing works until her husband Liam discovers the identity of her first husband, a famous Hollywood actor, Julian True. It’s his name that Mikaela responds too and as a result, Liam contacts Julian in the hopes that he can bring her out of the coma. And he does, but with heartbreaking consequences. I was completely invested in certain characters – I just had to know what happened. Let me tell you, my heart hurt for them.
ANGEL FALLS by Kristin Hannah pulled me right in as all of Kristin’s books do. The mystery through out had me flipping the pages like a mad woman at some points. Once I started reading ANGEL FALLS it was very hard to stop. The twists and turns kept me reading late into the night. I love when an author can do that to me! Kristin Hannah does a super job of making you feel the emotions the characters are experiencing, at familiarizing you to the settings and the motivations of the story and just simply making you FEEL. Whether it be sadness, anger, love or disgust you get to crawl into some of the characters lives and see the story through their perspective.
ANGEL FALLS is the story of Mikaela Campbell. She’s a wife and mother and ends up in a coma after an accident. While she’s in the coma, her family does everything to try to wake her up, but nothing works until her husband Liam discovers the identity of her first husband, a famous Hollywood actor, Julian True. It’s his name that Mikaela responds too and as a result, Liam contacts Julian in the hopes that he can bring her out of the coma. And he does, but with heartbreaking consequences. I was completely invested in certain characters – I just had to know what happened. Let me tell you, my heart hurt for them.
ANGEL FALLS by Kristin Hannah pulled me right in as all of Kristin’s books do. The mystery through out had me flipping the pages like a mad woman at some points. Once I started reading ANGEL FALLS it was very hard to stop. The twists and turns kept me reading late into the night. I love when an author can do that to me! Kristin Hannah does a super job of making you feel the emotions the characters are experiencing, at familiarizing you to the settings and the motivations of the story and just simply making you FEEL. Whether it be sadness, anger, love or disgust you get to crawl into some of the characters lives and see the story through their perspective.
February 14, 2024
Angel Falls is a sweet tender love story between Mikeala and Liam. I enlist Liam as my book husband. He is such perfect man. His heart knows no boundry when it comes to Mikeala. Love him.
Miss Hannah proven herself even in her early books, she is a master on putting a powerful narative. I simply in awe with this book.
4 stars
Miss Hannah proven herself even in her early books, she is a master on putting a powerful narative. I simply in awe with this book.
4 stars
August 11, 2016
I've read multiple books by this author and liked every one of them. This one was just too much like an over-the-top Hallmark movie. The characters and setting were too contrived, Liam was too perfect, Julian was too stereotypical superficial Hollywood, and Mikayla was just unlikable. One of the first things that got me out of this book was her portrayal of Bret. I have a 4th grader myself, and I could not get over how off she was in how Bret acts, she's giving him the characteristics of a 4 year old, not 4th grader. If this were the first book I'd read by this author, I would have never picked up one of her books again.
October 28, 2021
Average book. Fast read.
January 25, 2023
I literally have no feelings about this book. Like it was the definition of “fine”
June 27, 2017
I thought I would add this to my reading pile as a sort of light break. I was correct in my assumption. This story is overly sweet - like a classic cupcake, a sweet burst of flavour, but not very filling. Once eaten, one decides not to have another cupcake for a little while ;)
Mikaela falls off her horse and sustains a head injury. It's while she in a coma that her husband of 10 years discovers she has been married before. The story then follows the struggle of her family - her husband, her mother and her 2 children, as they battle to keep everything together and hope today is that day that Mikaela will wake up.
Lots of teary moments - it's all a bit clichéd and HEA ... but that is perfectly fine every now and again :)
Mikaela falls off her horse and sustains a head injury. It's while she in a coma that her husband of 10 years discovers she has been married before. The story then follows the struggle of her family - her husband, her mother and her 2 children, as they battle to keep everything together and hope today is that day that Mikaela will wake up.
Lots of teary moments - it's all a bit clichéd and HEA ... but that is perfectly fine every now and again :)
March 3, 2019
I enjoyed this book very much, more than I expected. It is a love story and a tear jerker which is not my normal genre to read.
There were a couple of parts in this book that I found a little far fetched but other than that I quite enjoyed it. I would recommend to anyone who loves to read romance novels.
There were a couple of parts in this book that I found a little far fetched but other than that I quite enjoyed it. I would recommend to anyone who loves to read romance novels.
March 27, 2020
Kristin Hannah não desilude!
August 6, 2022
Mistrzyni pięknej literatury obyczajowej – Kristin Hannah – snuje opowieść o rodzinnej tragedii, cichej miłości i drugiej szansie.
Każda z powieści obyczajowych, która wychodzi spod pióra Kristin Hannah ma swój motyw przewodni, swojego anioła, który prowadzi opowieść – tak poetycko – tym motywem w „Cudownej mocy miłości jest”… miłość, nic więcej, nic mniej. Miłość, która kryje się w rzeczach małych i codziennych. W przelotnym pocałunku, w kubku gorącej kawy o poranku, we wspólnym obiedzie i zachodach słońca, która mijają niepostrzeżenie za oknem. Miłość, która może nie jest niczym miedź brzęcząca czy cymbał brzmiący, ale jest cicha i cierpliwa. Ukrywa się w szczegółach, w pełnych uczucia spojrzeniach – co z tego, że nie do końca odwzajemnionych? Z czasem przyjdzie zrozumienie i to poczucie, że miłość była tam od zawsze, nie trzeba było jej wcale szukać.
Miłość w „Cudownej mocy miłości” jest również siłą, jest źródłem, które niesie pocieszenie i pozwala czerpać garściami w tych najtrudniejszych chwilach. Bohaterowie powieści Hannah zmagają się z największym wyzwaniem, śmierć czeka w cieniu, nie wiadomo, co może się wydarzyć. To miłość pozwala rodzinie przetrwać i sprawia, że może przeżyć każdy kolejny dzień, nawet jeśli ciężar bólu, strachu, rozstania wydaje się być nie do zniesienia.
Ale… Miłość bywa tutaj także słabością, chociażby wtedy, gdy idealizuje przeszłość, wygładza wspomnienia, zaburza percepcję prawdy. Może wtedy wcale nie jest miłością, a przywiązaniem? Pozostałością, jakimś śladem, widmem czegoś co było, ale nie przetrwało próby czasu?
Powieść Kristin Hannah jest czuła i ciepła, ale nie ma w sobie nic ckliwego, nic banalnego. Tej autorce udało się odnaleźć równowagę między powieścią obyczajową a romantyczną, między historią do bólu życiową a na granicy innego nieco świata. „Cudowna moc miłości” potrafi nieść pocieszenie, potrafi zamotać emocjonalnie, wzruszyć do łez… Jako czytelnicy z łatwością potrafi zżyć się z bohaterami Hannah, zrozumieć ich rozterki, życiowe wybory – razem z nimi stajemy na rozstajach i stajemy się częścią nowej przyszłości. To kolejna wyjątkowa powieść autorki, kolejne niezwykłe doświadczenie.
Każda z powieści obyczajowych, która wychodzi spod pióra Kristin Hannah ma swój motyw przewodni, swojego anioła, który prowadzi opowieść – tak poetycko – tym motywem w „Cudownej mocy miłości jest”… miłość, nic więcej, nic mniej. Miłość, która kryje się w rzeczach małych i codziennych. W przelotnym pocałunku, w kubku gorącej kawy o poranku, we wspólnym obiedzie i zachodach słońca, która mijają niepostrzeżenie za oknem. Miłość, która może nie jest niczym miedź brzęcząca czy cymbał brzmiący, ale jest cicha i cierpliwa. Ukrywa się w szczegółach, w pełnych uczucia spojrzeniach – co z tego, że nie do końca odwzajemnionych? Z czasem przyjdzie zrozumienie i to poczucie, że miłość była tam od zawsze, nie trzeba było jej wcale szukać.
Miłość w „Cudownej mocy miłości” jest również siłą, jest źródłem, które niesie pocieszenie i pozwala czerpać garściami w tych najtrudniejszych chwilach. Bohaterowie powieści Hannah zmagają się z największym wyzwaniem, śmierć czeka w cieniu, nie wiadomo, co może się wydarzyć. To miłość pozwala rodzinie przetrwać i sprawia, że może przeżyć każdy kolejny dzień, nawet jeśli ciężar bólu, strachu, rozstania wydaje się być nie do zniesienia.
Ale… Miłość bywa tutaj także słabością, chociażby wtedy, gdy idealizuje przeszłość, wygładza wspomnienia, zaburza percepcję prawdy. Może wtedy wcale nie jest miłością, a przywiązaniem? Pozostałością, jakimś śladem, widmem czegoś co było, ale nie przetrwało próby czasu?
Powieść Kristin Hannah jest czuła i ciepła, ale nie ma w sobie nic ckliwego, nic banalnego. Tej autorce udało się odnaleźć równowagę między powieścią obyczajową a romantyczną, między historią do bólu życiową a na granicy innego nieco świata. „Cudowna moc miłości” potrafi nieść pocieszenie, potrafi zamotać emocjonalnie, wzruszyć do łez… Jako czytelnicy z łatwością potrafi zżyć się z bohaterami Hannah, zrozumieć ich rozterki, życiowe wybory – razem z nimi stajemy na rozstajach i stajemy się częścią nowej przyszłości. To kolejna wyjątkowa powieść autorki, kolejne niezwykłe doświadczenie.
April 1, 2021
Am evitat aceasta carte multa vreme, din cauza recenziilor pe care le are, adaugand-o practic langa A doua sansa sau carti mai slabe ale autoarei, dar plecand de la asteptari scazute, s-a dovedit a fi o poveste placuta. Are un inceput slab si pe alocuri personajele devin fie extrem de predictibile, fie inconsistente, dar povestea in sine salveaza romanul in cele din urma.
March 27, 2008
Wanted to like this more than I really did. The romance was sweet, but the rest was just more of the same old, same old.
September 3, 2021
Predictable & far fetched, but well written.
As always, Kristin Hannah created well rounded characters with interesting backstories, and likable personalities. And I was really into this book until about halfway, when it went sideways with a twist & I basically predicted the rest of the book.
So…I’d skip this one if you hadn’t read it. Choose the Nightingale instead.
As always, Kristin Hannah created well rounded characters with interesting backstories, and likable personalities. And I was really into this book until about halfway, when it went sideways with a twist & I basically predicted the rest of the book.
So…I’d skip this one if you hadn’t read it. Choose the Nightingale instead.
December 31, 2010
Forgoing high drama and dysfunctional elements, Angel Falls takes a conservative approach and focuses on a simple, yet profound issue that is still deeply moving and emotional. Thus, begins the story of a couple who learn what love truly means, and deciding whether it is enough.
Set in Angel Falls, a geographically appealing, small anonymous town where the people are the heart of the community. It is a place where everyone knows everyone and where families are raised. It is also a place for escape and where Mikaela Luna find refuge from a painful past. Here she meets Liam Campbell, a quiet man who loves her fully. Here Mikaela nurtures a broken heart, raises a family, and settle into life. It is a life so unlike the former one she has known: a fast, disillusioned world with a man who appears larger than life and has a hold on her heart, despite being the one to break it.
All this changes when an accident puts Mikaela in a coma and her past re-emerges. Suddenly the love Liam and Mikaela share come under scrutiny. Is it enough? Was it ever enough? For Liam, it is a realization that he is unsure he can still settle for a part of his wife's love if she loves another. For Mikaela, it is a realization of taking her husband's love for granted, and her inability to fully love him back because of another man.
In the wake of Mikaela's recovery comes clarity, renewed questions posed through a different perspective, where what was is not what seems and is. The re-appearance of Julian True into her life allows Mikaela to finally come to terms with her past and discover things about herself she has never realized.
The characters are what support and makes the story. Central to the story is Mikaela's family who represent solidity and security in her life. Her husband, Liam loves her, but who has settled for her love with the belief that it is enough. Her children, Jacey and Bret represent her success in motherhood. Her mother Rosa also has a strong presence; her mistakes mirror those of her daughter's except she is in a position to provide wisdom and guidance to her daughter.
The setting and beauty of Angel Falls do more than appeal; they represent a contrast to Mikaela's former life and now. Though small, the town provides peace, serenity and home, a place of acceptance. This in contrast to the big city, where faces are anonymous and lacks the feel of home.
The story itself is simple; there is no family drama concerning infidelity, teenage rebellion and angst or complex issues. But even without these elements, the story remain moving and insightful. Instead, the betrayals are those that are hidden or quietly yearned for. They reside in words unspoken, and feelings withheld. It is the accident that provide Liam and Mikaela the chance to find significance in their love, re-affirm their love, and strengthen the bonds of their family.
Set in Angel Falls, a geographically appealing, small anonymous town where the people are the heart of the community. It is a place where everyone knows everyone and where families are raised. It is also a place for escape and where Mikaela Luna find refuge from a painful past. Here she meets Liam Campbell, a quiet man who loves her fully. Here Mikaela nurtures a broken heart, raises a family, and settle into life. It is a life so unlike the former one she has known: a fast, disillusioned world with a man who appears larger than life and has a hold on her heart, despite being the one to break it.
All this changes when an accident puts Mikaela in a coma and her past re-emerges. Suddenly the love Liam and Mikaela share come under scrutiny. Is it enough? Was it ever enough? For Liam, it is a realization that he is unsure he can still settle for a part of his wife's love if she loves another. For Mikaela, it is a realization of taking her husband's love for granted, and her inability to fully love him back because of another man.
In the wake of Mikaela's recovery comes clarity, renewed questions posed through a different perspective, where what was is not what seems and is. The re-appearance of Julian True into her life allows Mikaela to finally come to terms with her past and discover things about herself she has never realized.
The characters are what support and makes the story. Central to the story is Mikaela's family who represent solidity and security in her life. Her husband, Liam loves her, but who has settled for her love with the belief that it is enough. Her children, Jacey and Bret represent her success in motherhood. Her mother Rosa also has a strong presence; her mistakes mirror those of her daughter's except she is in a position to provide wisdom and guidance to her daughter.
The setting and beauty of Angel Falls do more than appeal; they represent a contrast to Mikaela's former life and now. Though small, the town provides peace, serenity and home, a place of acceptance. This in contrast to the big city, where faces are anonymous and lacks the feel of home.
The story itself is simple; there is no family drama concerning infidelity, teenage rebellion and angst or complex issues. But even without these elements, the story remain moving and insightful. Instead, the betrayals are those that are hidden or quietly yearned for. They reside in words unspoken, and feelings withheld. It is the accident that provide Liam and Mikaela the chance to find significance in their love, re-affirm their love, and strengthen the bonds of their family.
April 26, 2015
Well, that was like reading a Hallmark movie. I have never read anything by Kristin Hannah before. I read this one for my book group. At first, I found this book very depressing. When Julian enters the picture, I started perking up. And then, by the last third of the book, I had to keep reading till I was done just to find out the answers to so many questions! Yes, it was a little sappy and sentimental and tear-jerking - not my thing - but I was distanced enough from it all to find it a bit intriguing. And also a bit unbelievable. I kept thinking - yeh, but what about this? And - really? don't you think that. . . . Of course, if I put in all of that in this review, it would just be a bunch of spoilers. I really can see the appeal of this book. Not sure I'd read another Kristin Hannah book, but I could see how it could be like Doritos - can't have just one.
June 24, 2018
I recently read The Great Alone and loved it, so I picked up another Kristin Hannah book. I got through Angel Falls, but found the writing to be far inferior to The Great Alone. I absolutely could not enjoy Angel Falls once I started noticing errors in the Spanish phrases used in the book. A few examples are as follows:
“Buenos noches” should be “buenas noches”
“Stupido” should be “estúpido”
“Recuerdes”, in the context in which it is used, should be “recuerdas”
As a fluent Spanish speaker and a teacher for 35 years, I simply cannot fathom a writer, her publisher, and her editor overlooking the simple task of asking a native speaker to check the Spanish used in the book. These errors would be spotted by any native Spanish speaker. I felt so aggravated by this oversight that I lost respect for the book and limped to the finish.
“Buenos noches” should be “buenas noches”
“Stupido” should be “estúpido”
“Recuerdes”, in the context in which it is used, should be “recuerdas”
As a fluent Spanish speaker and a teacher for 35 years, I simply cannot fathom a writer, her publisher, and her editor overlooking the simple task of asking a native speaker to check the Spanish used in the book. These errors would be spotted by any native Spanish speaker. I felt so aggravated by this oversight that I lost respect for the book and limped to the finish.
December 13, 2022
Trochę odstaje od innych książek Hannah, męczyłam się.
May 7, 2020
A minha opinião em vídeo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyKdw...
November 2, 2022
Não é dos livros mais profundos e arrebatadores da Kristin Hannah. Penso que foi dos primeiros que a autora escreveu e, de facto, nota-se bem a diferença. Já tinha visto opiniões menos positivas e quando comecei a leitura percebi logo o porquê, achei que também eu não ia gostar muito, mas no fim acabei com uma sensação boa de ter sido surpreendida.
Acredito que a nossa experiência de leitura é muitas vezes influenciada pela fase da vida em que estamos. Se tivesse lido esta história noutra altura se calhar não me teria dito nada, mas sinto que a li na altura certa, inspirou-me muito e identifiquei-me com muitas das mensagens.
Não fiquei propriamente fã da Mikaela, não gostei da forma como lidou com o seu passado e muito menos como deixou que este fosse sempre uma sombra na sua relação com os outros. O Liam por outro lado, foi inspirador no amor que demonstrou pela mulher e pela família em todos os momentos, e ainda mais na forma como lidou com o medo da perda. Este livro mostra-nos como são muitas vezes os momentos mais sombrios que nos abrem oportunidade para darmos devido valor a tudo o que temos e sermos realmente felizes. Não me podia identificar mais com esta mensagem, é assim que tenho tentado encarado a vida nos últimos tempos e ler este livro só me deu mais certezas de estar no caminho certo. Precisava desta leitura e não sabia.
Apesar de ter gostado muito, reconheço a diferença de qualidade em relação aos restantes livros da autora. As principais razões para esta minha avaliação são motivos muito pessoais, não é daqueles que recomendo imediatamente mas ainda assim aconselho a que dêem uma oportunidade, talvez vos inspire a vocês também :)
Acredito que a nossa experiência de leitura é muitas vezes influenciada pela fase da vida em que estamos. Se tivesse lido esta história noutra altura se calhar não me teria dito nada, mas sinto que a li na altura certa, inspirou-me muito e identifiquei-me com muitas das mensagens.
Não fiquei propriamente fã da Mikaela, não gostei da forma como lidou com o seu passado e muito menos como deixou que este fosse sempre uma sombra na sua relação com os outros. O Liam por outro lado, foi inspirador no amor que demonstrou pela mulher e pela família em todos os momentos, e ainda mais na forma como lidou com o medo da perda. Este livro mostra-nos como são muitas vezes os momentos mais sombrios que nos abrem oportunidade para darmos devido valor a tudo o que temos e sermos realmente felizes. Não me podia identificar mais com esta mensagem, é assim que tenho tentado encarado a vida nos últimos tempos e ler este livro só me deu mais certezas de estar no caminho certo. Precisava desta leitura e não sabia.
Apesar de ter gostado muito, reconheço a diferença de qualidade em relação aos restantes livros da autora. As principais razões para esta minha avaliação são motivos muito pessoais, não é daqueles que recomendo imediatamente mas ainda assim aconselho a que dêem uma oportunidade, talvez vos inspire a vocês também :)
December 6, 2008
Angel Falls was a challenging book to write at the time. In it, the heroine is in a coma for most of the story, and while she in unconscious, she remains central to the plot. This book was, in simplest terms, a love triangle. That was the surface story, at least. But what I really loved about it, was that it examined two completely different kinds of love, and reminded the reader that a woman can be in love with two different men in her life…and that ultimately, a choice has to be made. For Michaela, the heroine of this book, the choice was between her first and second husbands—one who had swept her away with his passion and broken her heart, and the other, who had grounded her with the constancy of his love and healed her soul. And all of this story—her choice—was carried out between the men while she lay sleeping. As a novelist, the challenge was to create two men worthy of her love so that the reader could reasonably believe either choice; as a writer, the challenge was to write a triangle love story primarily through the two men’s viewpoints. In the years since its publication, Angel Falls has proven to be a real "love it or hate it" book.
February 5, 2018
"It was like that these days. The best of times were quiet moments like this one, tucked into the corners of what passed for everyday life. They were learning, each of them, to notice the things they'd once taken for granted.
And to be thankful for the life that was left."
-as they wait for mother, daughter and wife Mikaela to wake up from her coma-
And to be thankful for the life that was left."
-as they wait for mother, daughter and wife Mikaela to wake up from her coma-
July 12, 2022
Simțeam că am nevoie de ceva lejer și rapid, iar aceasta mi s-a părut cea mai bună opțiune. Nu pot spune că am recunoscut neapărat stilul autoarei în această carte, nu este printre cele mai bune cărți ale ei, dar a fost drăguță.
Tema principală este “dragostea”: față de soț, de copii, de viață și de un trecut tumultos. V-aș sfătui să nu citiți ce scrie pe spate dacă nu știți nimic despre ea și totuși vă atrage. Mie mi se pare că scrie un pic prea mult.
Astfel aleg să vă rezum eu puțin acțiunea, dar fără să ofer prea mult. Facem cunoștință încă din primele pagini cu Mikaela care suferă un accident ce va da peste cap întreaga familie. Inconștiența în care va fi adâncită va scoate la lumină o grămadă de secrete despre o viață pe care și-o dorea uitată. Toate aspectele noi care vor ieși la iveală vor afecta membrii familiei, dar mai ales pe ea. Un test al timpului, al iubirii și al legăturilor ce țin de trecut și prezent.
Aș vedea un film după acestă carte, unul romantic de Crăciun. Cred că ar ieși ceva drăguț.
Tema principală este “dragostea”: față de soț, de copii, de viață și de un trecut tumultos. V-aș sfătui să nu citiți ce scrie pe spate dacă nu știți nimic despre ea și totuși vă atrage. Mie mi se pare că scrie un pic prea mult.
Astfel aleg să vă rezum eu puțin acțiunea, dar fără să ofer prea mult. Facem cunoștință încă din primele pagini cu Mikaela care suferă un accident ce va da peste cap întreaga familie. Inconștiența în care va fi adâncită va scoate la lumină o grămadă de secrete despre o viață pe care și-o dorea uitată. Toate aspectele noi care vor ieși la iveală vor afecta membrii familiei, dar mai ales pe ea. Un test al timpului, al iubirii și al legăturilor ce țin de trecut și prezent.
Aș vedea un film după acestă carte, unul romantic de Crăciun. Cred că ar ieși ceva drăguț.
August 14, 2008
I can kill this author! I read this book cause the reviews given here convinced me, talking to patient in a coma, my kind of story.
But aaaggghhhh! This writer didn’t do the minimum homework with her Mexican character! I mean, a Mexican woman who actually makes a mistake saying “good night” (many times too) in her mother tongue?!!? That finishes every sentence with “si?” when she would actually end it with “no?” I can’t explain what this novel has done to my frustration level… now I am skipping paragraphs just to find out if she will wake up to only Julian – another obnoxious character BTW – or what… I am suffering this novel!!!
But aaaggghhhh! This writer didn’t do the minimum homework with her Mexican character! I mean, a Mexican woman who actually makes a mistake saying “good night” (many times too) in her mother tongue?!!? That finishes every sentence with “si?” when she would actually end it with “no?” I can’t explain what this novel has done to my frustration level… now I am skipping paragraphs just to find out if she will wake up to only Julian – another obnoxious character BTW – or what… I am suffering this novel!!!
September 19, 2021
An earlier Kristin Hannah
After a terrible accident, Mikaela slips into a coma for months. Her husband, Liam, sits by her side, telling her stories of their lives together. Things change when her previous love, movie star Julian True comes by her side. Will her and Liam's love overcome?
I enjoyed this book, but enjoy Hannah's later works better. Even though the story was interesting, I would have liked to know about the characters more. Worth the read, but not a favorite of the year.
If you are looking for one of Hannah's historical fiction book, this is more of a contemporary novel. Try some of her later works. If you want a sweet story, then try this one.
After a terrible accident, Mikaela slips into a coma for months. Her husband, Liam, sits by her side, telling her stories of their lives together. Things change when her previous love, movie star Julian True comes by her side. Will her and Liam's love overcome?
I enjoyed this book, but enjoy Hannah's later works better. Even though the story was interesting, I would have liked to know about the characters more. Worth the read, but not a favorite of the year.
If you are looking for one of Hannah's historical fiction book, this is more of a contemporary novel. Try some of her later works. If you want a sweet story, then try this one.
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