Review of Wounded Angels
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Review of Wounded Angels
[Following is a volunteer review of "Wounded Angels" by Chuck Miceli.]
Wounded Angels by Chuck Miceli begins with a heartbreaking recount of Maureen Bower’s childhood trauma and how she came to develop a fear of abandonment from an early age. Years later, she meets Frank Russo, a charming gentleman who assures her that he’ll never leave her side. However, shortly after becoming Mrs. Maureen Russo, her beloved new husband Frank receives a draft notice to join in the World War 2 efforts. Frank returns a broken and changed man that Maureen doesn’t recognize, but soon their family begins to grow, and the light in Frank’s eyes brightens once more. Many happy memories later, the couple are content in their senior citizen lifestyle; Frank and Maureen busy themselves visiting their children, taking trips, and volunteering at the community center.
Tragedy strikes when Frank moves on to the great beyond, and Maureen is again tossed into a lonely and dark place, feeling the sharp pangs of abandonment once again. Just when Maureen reaches her lowest point, an unexpected friend named Doris Cantrell urges her to experience life in a new way. Through this time together, the two women learn more about each other, and Maureen soon finds that Doris deals with a darkness of her own. As both parties help the other heal from their brokenness, Maureen begins to see that hope can still be found after loss. Wounded Angels is a touching narrative that, on the surface level, seems like the simple story of a woman, but when looked at in a deeper way, readers can see themselves and their own experiences being reflected on the pages.
The way that the author of this book is able to use a story about a woman’s life to showcase the complexity of existence and how God is working in seemingly hopeless situations is breathtakingly beautiful. Speaking of hopelessness, I appreciated the direct and realistic look into the emotions the characters experienced throughout the book. The regret, anger, sadness, and torment of these characters are beautifully depicted. Also, I found the description of Maureen dealing with grief to be the most accurate wording of the experience that I have ever read. That said, there were a few points during the book that seemed to drag. For example, there was a portion in which one character was attempting to teach another how to drive. Just that interaction was an entire chapter; it was a cute scenario, but it seemed like a very random chapter amidst the others.
I am rating this book a 3 out of 4 stars. Overall it was a really special book that serves as a window into the complexity and mystery of life. Though superficially, it could be seen as a simple telling, it reveals much about the human experience. However, as I mentioned above, there were a few moments that seemed to be longer than necessary and thus felt random and tedious. Also, there were a few errors that detracted from the reader's experience.
I recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read, though I think it will be especially important to those that have experienced grief or depression. The author’s description of the main character dealing with these emotions hits the nail on the head and gives more than the usual “she was very sad and cried all the time.” Also, I think anyone can see themselves within at least one of the characters in this story and could absorb something from the lessons these characters learn throughout the plot. As an ending note, I would like to point out that there are many mature theme moments in this book, such as descriptions of events during the war, suicidal thoughts and actions, abuse, and sexual trauma.
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Wounded Angels
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Wounded Angels by Chuck Miceli begins with a heartbreaking recount of Maureen Bower’s childhood trauma and how she came to develop a fear of abandonment from an early age. Years later, she meets Frank Russo, a charming gentleman who assures her that he’ll never leave her side. However, shortly after becoming Mrs. Maureen Russo, her beloved new husband Frank receives a draft notice to join in the World War 2 efforts. Frank returns a broken and changed man that Maureen doesn’t recognize, but soon their family begins to grow, and the light in Frank’s eyes brightens once more. Many happy memories later, the couple are content in their senior citizen lifestyle; Frank and Maureen busy themselves visiting their children, taking trips, and volunteering at the community center.
Tragedy strikes when Frank moves on to the great beyond, and Maureen is again tossed into a lonely and dark place, feeling the sharp pangs of abandonment once again. Just when Maureen reaches her lowest point, an unexpected friend named Doris Cantrell urges her to experience life in a new way. Through this time together, the two women learn more about each other, and Maureen soon finds that Doris deals with a darkness of her own. As both parties help the other heal from their brokenness, Maureen begins to see that hope can still be found after loss. Wounded Angels is a touching narrative that, on the surface level, seems like the simple story of a woman, but when looked at in a deeper way, readers can see themselves and their own experiences being reflected on the pages.
The way that the author of this book is able to use a story about a woman’s life to showcase the complexity of existence and how God is working in seemingly hopeless situations is breathtakingly beautiful. Speaking of hopelessness, I appreciated the direct and realistic look into the emotions the characters experienced throughout the book. The regret, anger, sadness, and torment of these characters are beautifully depicted. Also, I found the description of Maureen dealing with grief to be the most accurate wording of the experience that I have ever read. That said, there were a few points during the book that seemed to drag. For example, there was a portion in which one character was attempting to teach another how to drive. Just that interaction was an entire chapter; it was a cute scenario, but it seemed like a very random chapter amidst the others.
I am rating this book a 3 out of 4 stars. Overall it was a really special book that serves as a window into the complexity and mystery of life. Though superficially, it could be seen as a simple telling, it reveals much about the human experience. However, as I mentioned above, there were a few moments that seemed to be longer than necessary and thus felt random and tedious. Also, there were a few errors that detracted from the reader's experience.
I recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read, though I think it will be especially important to those that have experienced grief or depression. The author’s description of the main character dealing with these emotions hits the nail on the head and gives more than the usual “she was very sad and cried all the time.” Also, I think anyone can see themselves within at least one of the characters in this story and could absorb something from the lessons these characters learn throughout the plot. As an ending note, I would like to point out that there are many mature theme moments in this book, such as descriptions of events during the war, suicidal thoughts and actions, abuse, and sexual trauma.
******
Wounded Angels
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
