Spirit of Lost Angels - Liza Perrat

‘I wondered how much longer I could continue such an existence.’

This is a gripping historical read about one woman's personal story during violent and changing times in 18^th Century France.

Victoire is our heroine in this moving tale of love, passion and sadness, set in revolutionary France. She has grown up in poverty in the little village of Lucie-sur-Vionne, where she has seen her mother executed and her father tragically, cruelly and carelessly killed. She then finds herself in Paris, suffering at the hands of her employer, then enduring further horrors.

At times Victoire is driven to deep despair at her situation and the losses she has suffered in her life. Even when she is feeling less low, the threat is always there: ‘I feared la melancolie would creep upon me again – the sadness that seemed ever poised to spring on to my back and wrap its malevolent arms around me for the slightest reason.’

Yet despite this deep sadness, she is stoic and brave, for at times he has to be in order to survive. As the force for change and revolution grows, Victoire will need all her strength if she is to play a part in creating huge change in her country and overthrowing the current corrupt regime. Throughout the tale, Victoire regularly thinks about the angel pendant made of bone that she once wore, and gave away in the hope that it would be a link between her and a very special person one day. 

The author introduces a great cast of characters, some in Lucie-sur-Vionne, many in Paris, whom Victoire meets and who impact on her life in different ways, all contributing to the person she becomes. I very much enjoyed the interaction she had with these characters, in particular in Paris.

The author has evidently undertaken her research to bring this novel to life, full of detail of the times to add authenticity, but never overwhelming or distracting from the progression of the exciting storyline. As a result I felt transported back to this time period, it was brought to life for me, and I could clearly and vividly imagine the places and situations in which Victoire found herself.

Liza Perrat has written a compelling, strong and beautiful debut novel with a spirited, engaging heroine and convincing historical detail which I really enjoyed reading. The plot keeps moving throughout; the story is pacy and exciting. I was drawn into the story and I grew to care deeply about Victoire and what happened to her, and I found myself rooting for happiness to come to her and for a better life to be around the corner.

Spirit of Lost Angels is the first in a series of novels under the title ‘L’Auberge des Anges’, which is wonderful to hear because I would be very keen to read more from this author.

Reviewed by Lindsay Healy

Triskele Books 
Thank you to the author for kindly sending me a copy of this novel to read and give an honest review.
Find out more about Triskele Books here. 
You can follow the author on twitter here @LizaPerrat and visit her website here. 

The Visiting Angel - Paul Wilson

It was great to have the opportunity to read and review this novel for ‘newbooks’ magazine.

Patrick Shepherd works at a halfway house helping the residents try to straighten out their lives, and he has himself had a troubled life, struggling through after experiencing the death of his mother at a young age, leaving him and his brother Liam orphaned and ending up in Providence House orphanage, where the boys run into some cruel fellow occupants. Now adults, we learn that Patrick has heard of Liam’s apparent passing away in New York. The brothers have had little contact for many years, and Patrick has scant information from which he has cobbled together a picture of how his brother may have been as an adult, having looked to him as a hero who has achieved things with his life. Then one day a man calling himself Saul arrives at the hospital, Patrick becomes involved and is shocked to discover that Saul is the spitting image of his supposedly deceased brother Liam, however Saul claims to be an angel sent to save certain people.

The identities of the other troubled souls whose lives Saul will touch arise as the book progresses. I enjoyed this book and found it to be an enlightening read, it slowly reveals the steps forward that the characters are enabled to make in their lives through the courage that Saul instills. I particularly liked the characters of Patrick and Sarah, both working hard in the world in their daily lives to do good for others, but both with immense inner pain and past hurt that needs mending and dealing with in order for them to live more fulfilled lives in the world and not be held back from living more fully. Of Patrick it is said that ‘all his life he had dreamed of flying above the rooftops with Liam, freed from the fear of things that kept him earthbound.’

With the character of Liam/Saul the author brings a magical dimension to the tale, a special man who touches lives in a certain way in just a brief time. There are some beautiful passages in the novel, and some clever imagery regarding heights and fears, which serves to illustrate how Patrick has gone through life. I think different readers would take different experiences away from reading this novel; it may affect people in different ways. It is certainly thought provoking and a reading group would have a fair amount to discuss here.