Angels

A new Marian Keyes novel is always something to celebrate, and her sixth novel, Angels, will have you cheering. From the first couple of sentences: "I'd always lived a fairly blameless life. Up until the day I left my husband and ran away to Hollywood, I'd hardly ever put a foot wrong" to the hugely satisfying last page, you're immediately involved in the story of Maggie Walsh's life; of how it went wrong, and then went right again.

The Walshes starred in a previous Keyes novel, the delightful Rachel's Holiday; Maggie is Rachel's older sister, (one of five) and the only one who "never did any of that nasty sleeping around business". Instead she got married to her first boyfriend Paul Garvan and everything was fine, until they suffered a couple of "setbacks". Unable to face sorting out the difficulties, Maggie hightails it to Los Angeles to stay with her old pal Emily. Emily is a script writer, her short film A Perfect Day was a big hit in Ireland, but her working life is a little tougher in the land of sunshine and fat-free Pringles. The two girls, along with a supporting cast of wannabes, scary film studio folk and slacker next door neighbours, get on with sorting out their emotional issues in a stylishly witty, wonderfully warm fashion. Maggie's devilish ex-boyfriend and the commitment phobic Troy add in a delightful frisson of sexual tension.

Marian Keyes observations on the foibles of love and LA are laugh-out-loud funny, but there's a beguiling tenderness there too. By the time you reach the final full stop you'll be sighing with contentment, and just wishing that Marian would get a move on with the next book. --Eithne Farry

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fake book - Rated
I used to like Marian Keyes but thought this book was horrible. It was a nasty attack on Los Angeles by a woman who's clearly never lived there. Horrible, vile and twisted. It has really put me off this Irish dwarf

Marian Keyes can you go wrong? - Rated
I've given this little number a 5 star because its easy to read and, as always, very enjoyable. Another book that you know you'll enjoy before you've even opened the front cover.

I will be totally frank, its not AS good as some of the other of her books yet its still hard to put down and Keyes has, yet again, managed to maintain the consitency of the characters and ensure that this is a great read!

my first Marian Keyes book and I was hooked - Rated
A friend borrowed my her copy of "Angels" and I loved it. I thoroughly enjoyed the read. Most of Marian Keyes' books are quite a hefty read (600 pages+) but I got through it in no time. You can very much relate to the characters and it made me smile.

Stereotypes are there for a reason! - Rated
I wasn't sure about this book initially, but having lived in LA for a year, i discovered Keyes' stereotypes are completely true!! I would have thought it was ridiculous had I not lived there, but actually it's quite an accurate insight into LA life. Took me a while to get into but well worth a read.

The funniest yet - Rated
This is the fourth book I have read about the Walsh sisters and I have loved them all, but this, I think, is the funniest. I can't believe the reviewer who thought it was 'ugly' - how on earth could something so light-hearted be ugly? I found myself laughing out loud quite a lot of the time. I can't wait for her to write a book about Helen who is the only sister we haven't had as our 'heroine' yet!