"A sad story with meaning"
Reviewed by Patti Loveday
Posted April 6, 2018
Young Adult | Inspirational
THE DAY THE ANGELS FELL by Shawn Smucker is a novel that deals
with the theme of good versus evil. A story that is told from
an older man's point of view as he recounts and revisits
memoirs of his childhood. He lost his mother one summer when he
was a young boy. THE DAY THE ANGELS FELL seems to bounce around
a lot in respects to the points of view. I feel that it would
have been easier to understand if it started from the boy's
point of view and then moved to the mans. The boy tells his
story so that you get a richness and bold telling of what
happened. The man tells his in a way that gives too much away. I found this to be a strong story with interesting storytelling
but a very sad overall tone. This book will bring you to tears
in some scenes that are written very descriptive and detailed.
Smucker really knows how to write in a way that engages your
emotions and draws you into the story. The setting revolves
around a few different places due to the flashbacks and each
one helps in the retelling of the events or scenes. The
characters are well developed and planned out with past stories
that help in the retelling of the summer his mother died. I did
find THE DAY THE ANGELS FELL to be a very sad novel that had me
in tears with all the grief and death. The ending was somewhat
of a surprise to me and leads me to believe there is another
book in the works.
SUMMARY
It was the summer of storms and strays and strangers. The
summer that lightning struck the big oak tree in the front
yard. The summer his mother died in a tragic accident. As he
recalls the tumultuous events that launched a surprising
journey, Samuel can still hardly believe it all happened. After his mother's death, twelve-year-old Samuel Chambers
would do anything to turn back time. Prompted by three
strange carnival fortune-tellers and the surfacing of his
mysterious and reclusive neighbor, Samuel begins his search
for the Tree of Life--the only thing that could possibly
bring his mother back. His quest to defeat death entangles
him and his best friend Abra in an ancient conflict and
forces Samuel to grapple with an unwelcome question: could
it be possible that death is a gift? Haunting and hypnotic, The Day the Angels Fell is a story
that explores the difficult questions of life in a voice
that is fresh, friendly, and unafraid. With this powerful
debut, Shawn Smucker has carved out a spot for himself in
the tradition of authors Madeleine L'Engle and Lois Lowry.
What do you think about this review?
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