Reviews for Angels of Morgan Hill

The average rating for Angels of Morgan Hill based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-02-09 00:00:00 William Powell This is the prequel to The Good Dream (great book, comprehensible as a stand-alone). Nice to see so much of Henry Walker and his wife Loretta, favorite characters in The Good Dream, but why didn't we see more of his sister, Sarah Ivorie Walker? Compared to The Good Dream, there is slightly more romance woven into this plot, but nonetheless this is primarily a post-war historical about a few white families uniting to help an orphaned homeless black boy (little Milo). It's a heartwarming, heartbreaking, and fairly credible portrayal of racial segregation and intolerance in small-town Tennessee. There is a slight religious message, too. The story is set in 1947, seven years before the Supreme Court ruling on Brown vs Board of Education. So, in 1947, each state could decide for itself how it would handle school segregation. In Tennessee, the state law required "separate but equal" schools -- blacks and whites could not attend the same school. I liked the scenes that led to an avalanche for change, but the legal requirement was too easily pushed aside and the conflict too easily resolved. At least the principal kept some documentation to show the courts, if it comes to that. I didn't predict the plot twist regarding the poisoned animal -- didn't expect that person to be the villain, and not sure I buy it (but okay). There was plenty of tension across the book as I feared for Milo, a black boy adopted into a white family (the widow Fran Gable and her children, Jane and John). Tension also came from the three thugs, Beef (Jeff), Clyde, and Eddy. Eddy had his evil eye on the pretty widow. Then there was the tension about Joe Cannon, hoping he'd not go back to Atlanta. Hoping he'd stay for Fran and her children. Quibbles: On the down side, some key areas were not developed enough to move me. For example, I couldn't "feel" the bond of friendship between Fran and Addy -- she died too soon. Also, I couldn't really feel the love between Fran and Joe -- they needed to spend more time together. If these areas were more thoroughly developed, it could be a 4 or 5 star story. Again, as occurred in The Good Dream (excellent book!) the villains got away with too much. Does this author think punishment fitting the crime is inconsistent with inspirational fiction? Excellent writing. I love the metaphors, the analogies, the dialogue. Some groan-worthy jokes, too. Henry, discussing the heat and the drought: "How dry is it? So dry the tree is bribing the dog for it." Great narration by the author herself. Superb performance!

Review # 2 was written on 2012-03-09 00:00:00 Lauren Donovan I have seen this book so many times on Goodreads that I decided that I needed to read it. I laughed, I cried and I loved it. There are some very sad parts of the book, and I don't recommend it to readers under 14 because of the subject matter, unless they are very emotionally mature readers. The characters are very real and it tells a story that could have very well happened. I didn't want to put it down once I started reading it. It's good to the very end - and there's a nice little surprise at the end, too. The main character is Jane Gable and the year is 1947 and the location is Morgan Hill, Tennessee. I love books that are written about the south because I lived there and loved it. I can to relate to these stories. I also like stories in which the main character looks back on a significant place in their life and reflects on what happened and what they learned. This is exactly that type of book and the reflections are so real you feel like you're right there with the author.