Angel

by Barbara Taylor Bradford

A captivating story of family and friends, innocence and corruption. Four friends swore eternal friendship when all they had was each other. Now their dazzling careers, their seemingly successful lives, are to be disrupted by a devastating singer -- and by the shadow of their past. Rosie Madigan is the angel! an Award-winning costume-designer, she is blessed with worldly goods yet troubled by personal commitments. Gavin Ambrose is the Hollywood talented and idolized, true love has eluded him. Nell Jeffrey is the glamorous head of an international PR her secret love for Rosie's brother Kevin pierces her usual shrewdness. Kevin Madigan, undercover cop, inhabits a world of danger from which he tries to shelter his friends -- but evil has a way of spreading. Angel is the stunning novel of family and friends, of love and loss, of innocence and it will captivate you from the first page.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, American, Love

495 pages, Paperback

First published April 19, 1993

About the author

Barbara Taylor Bradford was a British-American best-selling novelist. Her debut novel, A Woman of Substance, was published in 1979 and sold over 30 million copies worldwide. She wrote 40 novels, all bestsellers in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Angel” is an extremely long novel about Rosie, Nell, Gavin and Kevin who are friends. Gavin is a movie star and Rosie designs costumes for his movies and, in theory, other people’s movies. Kevin is Rosie’s sister and an NYPD officer. Nell is a successful publicist. The first 140 pages of this book introduce these people and tell us what they all think of each other. The next third of the book elucidates how, even though they are all fabulously rich and successful (except Kevin’s not rich, because he’s a cop, but he’s still very good at it), none of them are very good at having a personal life and managing romantic relationships.
In the last third of the book, the four friends seem to begin to suck slightly less, but alas, they do not. The book also begins to suck slightly less, but then, just as it threatens to have some sort of plot, the loose ends are abruptly severed (NOT tied up) and the book ends happily ever after. Wow, was this a giant waste of my time.

[Shubham Roy Choudhury · Rating 2 out of 5]

Angel was a middling read for me. I found myself more intrigued by the lives of the four friends than the whole mafia rivalry subplot, which felt a bit overdone.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I read the blurb about the book, I was intrigued. I thought it would be a good story. I guess it was, but I was some disappointed in it. Too predictable. Too, I don't know, too....
Anyway, I think 3 is generous. Sorry Ms Bradford.

[Lolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. Good read.

[Fanny Fristhika Nila · Rating 3 out of 5]

•Rossie diceritakan sebagai tokoh yang tidak hanya berwajah Angel, tapi hatinya pun bak malaikat yang selalu siap menolong teman dan keluarga. Termasuk keluarga suaminya, Guy Montfleurie yang dianggab oleh sahabat-sahabatnya sebagai keluarga penghisap uang. Padahal hanya Guy sang suami yang berengsek dalam hal ini. Pernikahan mereka terbilang sangat cepat, dan hanya setahun Guy bertahan menjadi suami baik hati sebelum hobi gila perempuannya kumat dan meninggalkan istrinya tanpa status yang jelas.
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•Gavin Ambrose, megabintang Hollywood, yang menjadi pujaan banyak orang. Sepintas hidupnya terlihat bahagia, kaya, sukses, didampingi seorang istri cantik dan anak yang sangat dia banggakan. Tapi tak banyak yang tahu, kalau hubungannya dengan Louise sang istri, hanya kamuflase di permukaan. Louise tahu Gavin tidak mencintai dirinya dan hanya tertarik kepada Rosie sejak lama. Sebagai pelampiasan, dia sengaja gonta-ganti pasangan hanya untuk menyakiti Gavin.
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•Kevin Madigan, abang kandung Rosie yang bekerja di kepolisian New York sebagai detektif yang mengkhususkan diri menumpas organisasi mafia yang banyak merajalela di tahun itu. Saat itu, Kevin tengah melacak mafia dari keluarga Salvatore Rudolfo, yang sudah lama menjadi incaran mereka. Sayangnya, Kevin tidak menyadari, bahwa Salvatore Rudolfo ada ayah dari kekasih Rosie, Johnny Fortune.
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•Dia tahu bahwa Rudolfo adalah pelindung dan salah satu orang yang berjasa menaikkan pamornya di dunia musik. Hanya saja Johnny Fortune tidak mengetahui bahwa mafia besar itu adalah ayah kandungnya. Johnny tergila-gila dengan Rosie, dan ingin wanita itu menjadi istri yang 100% mengabdi dan menemaninya kemanapun dia pergi konser. Namun terjadi musibah. Kesalahan penembakan, yang memakan korban tak bersalah.
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Penulis Bradford terkenal karena buku-bukunya yang bertema romance. Tapi kali ini, sorry to say, alur yang terlalu smooth, membuat keselurahan cerita flat. Semua masalah-masalah yang menjadi konflik utama, seperti antiklimaks. Penyelesaiannya terlalu gampang dan terkesan buru-buru, seolah penulis ingin sesegera mungkin menyelesaikan bukunya.

[Susan Chow-Dukhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Six teenagers met and became friends during the late seventies. They vowed to be a family, bound to each other by loyalty, no matter what. This story takes place 15 years later, as we are introduced to four of the original six who have grown up, pursued careers and have had their personal lives affected by the decisions they made.
Barbara Taylor Bradford writes fluidly, making this novel easy to read. She doesn't find it necessary to provide the reader with minute details about the past, or elaborate explanations on why two of the group of six are no longer parrt of the group, or why the relationship between the remaining characters are not as close in adulthood, as they had originally promised each other.
The reason given by one of the characters was "neglect". The neglect of each other, selfishness, self-involvement, pride and ambition, makes people forget what used to be important to them. This is food for thought, for anybody who may wonder what happened to the relationships and promises made in their youth.

[Andrea George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I find Barbara Taylor Bradford novels to be pretty decent reads. "Angel" was another one of those books.
The four main characters met as teenage orphans in the late 1970's. They vowed that they would always remain a family and loyal to each other. Rosalind Madigan is the leader of the group. She is an Academy Ward winning costume designer. Gavin Ambrose is a Hollywood star. His personal life is falling apart. Nell Jeffrey is Rosalind's best friend and the head of an international public relations firm. Kevin Madigan is Rosalind's brother and an undercover police officer. They all have regrets, including not being as loyal to each other, as they could have been. The plot follows their relationships with each other and others. Another well-written novel with a great ending.

[Ana · Rating 2 out of 5]

El libro habla sobre la vida de Rosalind Madigan y las personas que han pasado por su vida.
Al principio se mencionan personas que uno no relaciona aún, pero luego al contar la historia se entiende mejor. Hay personajes, como Mike, que uno espera ver aparecer en algún momento, y nunca pasa, su presente es un misterio. La parte final deja algunos cabos sueltos, hay muertes y no se sabe la reacción de otros ante ellas, personajes que no se vuelven a ver...

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is my third BTB book and I was cautiously optimistic. The other books of hers that I've read made me roll my eyes and I found them ridiculous. This one didn't start out that way, but by the end I felt like I, once again, had wasted my time and should have picked up something else to read. IMO, the book reads like an afternoon soap opera. Slow, plodding; it was almost 400 pages of 'character development' before anything moderately interesting or unique happened.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the beginning of the story had a lot of history and facts, the pace picks up. I quickly became invested in the characters of the story. I liked how the story explained about film making, costume design, undercover police officers, and the mafia. I was definitely hooked in and enjoyed the story.

[Samantha Neal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought like to say that this book did start of really well and I was enjoying it.
As it got to a certainly part of the book. I felt that it wasn't gripping me anymore.
Once it got to that moment where you would want more with this.
The dramatic moment wasn't there for me sorry to say this.
I will still read more books by this author.

[Amna Riaz · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is absolutely nothing in this book that you cannot predict. You can even predict the next line. I don’t mind a simple and predictable story but at least it should be written beautifully in a captivating way. This book offers nothing. I wanted to read something similar to Penni Vincenzi and I have to say it was a complete waste of time.

[Bamboozlepig · Rating 1 out of 5]

This felt like it was written by Danielle Steel. Or at least written in all of five minutes while riding in a taxi. No plot, annoying characters, nothing of substance, unlike BTB's "Woman of Substance". As other reviewers have said, it's predictable and boring and none of the loose ends gets tied up in the end, you're just left hanging.

[Virginia Markhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to audio version from local library. It was somewhat different from the other books I have read by this author. It was fairly predictible and not as interesting as the series that I have enjoyed so much in the past.

Look forward to reading some of her other works.

[Arlene Reinhart Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Angel was enjoyable to read, but it was one long novel; then just as things started coming together it all ended… very abruptly! As a reader, I felt cheated.

Normally I like Barbara Taylor Bradford books, this time though, the story just did not come together well in my opinion.

[Patricia Bethel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another good book by Barbara Taylor Bradford. Towards the end of the book, it reminded me of the movie, The Godfather, which I definitely enjoyed.

In the beginning of the book, I thought of my own family being so close but we had our own lives to live.

[Susan Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oldie but a goodie

Barbara Taylor Bradford is a gifted writer. This book pulls you in & keeps your attention. Warm, strong female characters. Strongly recommend to women 30 to 80.

[Zsófia Szoukup · Rating 1 out of 5]

I made it to page 82, but I found it extremely slow and dull. The story barely moved forward, and the writing felt clichéd and unpolished. Maybe it picks up later, but it just wasn’t worth continuing for me.

[Kathleen Messmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read her in a long time and I remember liking her books. But this one was a bit slow and not very interesting, at least until the end. The only story bit she left unresolved was Mikey. Otherwise it was ok. Read it. You might like it better than I did.

[Johanna Juntunen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Se oli hyvä!!

[Pam · Rating 1 out of 5]

I rarely don't finish a book. But this one wasn't worth my time. I am not interested in the lives of fictional movie stars and their friends.

[Katrina Daughtridge · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book left me with lots of questions! Disappointed that part of the story was left unfinished

[Krystle T · Rating 3 out of 5]

really enjoyed this story but it all of a sudden finished and it was wrapped up very quickly - felt rushed, a bit disappointing

[Debbie Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Bradford, but didn't think this was as good as some of her other works. Still, made for a good lockdown read!

[julie allesee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

[Pat Jorgenson Waterchilde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic Barbara Taylor Bradford. Easily read filled with good characters and a good storyline. Good read on a cold winter day!

[Pauline · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gave up after about 30%. Thin, predictable plot. Too many characters. Now giving up with Barbara Taylor Bradford

[Cyndi Fulco · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting group of characters, however, it was a bit too drawn out for me. However, it was worth the read, lots of deep connections and enjoyable!

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this old book and it’s glimpses into life, fashion, and style in the early 1990’s. Good beach read

[Carol Fellenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosie has a family that she grew up with. They promised to be there for each other.