Confessions of a Fallen Angel

About the Author ~ Ronan O'Brien
Ronan O'Brien is a solicitor who specialises in criminal law. He is originally from Dublin but now lives in County Kildare. Confessions of a Fallen Angel is his first book.

Exclusive Amazon.co.uk Interview with Ronan O'Brien

What is Confessions of a Fallen Angel about?

Confessions of a Fallen Angel is about a boy who has a near-death experience one day during a football game. He brings something back with him from the afterlife and finds himself cursed with the ability to foresee the deaths of the people closest to him. These visions follow him into adulthood and after some disastrous attempts to thwart destiny, he is ultimately left with the dilemma of having to decide whether or not he should try to save a little girl that he has grown to love.

What inspired you to write it?

After studying the ancient Greek myths at school, I became fascinated by the concept of destiny and the idea that whatever path we decide to take with our lives, may in fact be preordained and the element of free will is no more than an illusion.

Who are your literary influences?

I love authors who can make me laugh and cry with the same book but unfortunately a lot of authors tend to shy away from comedy. My literary heroes would be Nick Hornby, Roddy Doyle, J.D. Salinger, Irvine Welsh and Jonathan Tropper, who I discovered recently.

If you could recommend just one "must-read book" to anyone, what would it be and why?

Without the slightest hesitation, I would recommend A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. It is a comic masterpiece with a truly unforgettable narrator who manages to be as awful as he is lovable.

What top tips do you have for anyone looking to write their first book?

Writing is all about discipline, so set yourself a realistic number of hours to put in, or words to write, every week, and then don't stop until you've finished the first draft. When you get to that point, go back to the beginning and start on the second draft. When you've finished the second draft, get some constructive criticism from friends whose opinion you trust, and then work on a third draft. The book has to be polished to a very high standard before any agent will give serious consideration to a manuscript.

Reviews for Confessions of a Fallen Angel

Confessions of a Fallen Angel is a fresh, highly original debut by a writer not afraid to take on the bigger issues of life. Fate and love in their many guises stalk these pages, as well as a man who, like the hero in a Greek tragedy, rails against the destiny mapped out to him, trying only to safeguard what he holds dear. It will grip you from the first paragraph. Maggie O'Farrell

Told in a lively Dublin vernacular…author Ronan O'Brien has a fine sense of drama, marrying the minutiae of everyday life to the extraordinary, with spirited aplomb. Daily Mail

Spooky, magical and engrossing. Elle

This thrilling tale will keep you reading long into the night. New Woman

Part tender, idiosyncratic story about love and redemption, part black comedy Confessions of a Fallen Angel shows great promise.Metro

View other editions of Confessions of a Fallen Angel.
View books by Ronan O'Brien.

Overpraised - Rated
This is not a bad book at all but I find, reading the reviews, that I can't be as enthousiastic as others have been.The first part is quite well written and interesting but then I found a major flaw- I couldn't suspend my disbelief and accept that the main character who has a gift/curse and is able to see people's deaths before they happen, could lose so many members of his family and friends. Who loses his mum , his best friend, another friend, his dad, his adored wife....in a matter of years? Not very many people I hope! I also found the ending obvious and laboured.Not great but definitely readable.

simply beautiful - Rated
From the off I knew that I would love this novel. Its narrative is clear and simple and well thought out. The story is one of love really, love for his friends and love for his wife.
When young the narrator nearly dies, but is resusitated and brought back to life, from this near death experience he brings back with him the ability to see the deaths of his loved ones.
This novel does put your mind through a subconsious vortex, the idea that you cannot play with what death eventually has in store for you or you will also become involved in it thus implicating you for the death of that person, even though it is accidental? Or is it mearly your destiny.
A fantastic first novel and I honestly and truthfully cannot wait for the next one. Think this man will be a great writer

Half superb, half very good - Rated
The first half of this novel was extraordinarily good, easily deserving of five stars. It reminded me quite strongly of Glen Duncan, one of my favourite authors, and I encouraged my friends and colleagues to seek out this book whenever I could. The second half, however (titled "Zoe") is less interesting and merely very good, worth maybe three stars, so looking at the averages I give this one four. What let the second half down? It was still beautifully written but was too obvious, almost stereotypical, so the eventual finale was telegraphed very early on. After the shocks delivered by the first half this was a huge disappointment, but failed to spoil the book completely for me. A keeper, but it could have been just that bit better.

Umm... - Rated
Well, I'm sorry I can't totally agree with all the other reviews here. Yes, it's quite a fun book but it really isn't a 'five star blockbuster'.

It's competently written but it's all pretty much of a muchness. It seems to stay on one note throughout, even though there are highs and lows to the story. It's kind of told in a monotone.

I didn't really get involved in it until I'd passed page 70 or so and found the lead character quite impossible to identify or sympathise with. I also thought the story was largely predictable.

Books can, and frequently do, move me to laughter and tears; this one gave me the occasional chuckle and the odd sniff.

Maybe the problem is that it's not clear whether the book is a social commentary, a love story or a supernatural mystery. Because of this ambiguity, it lacks focus and any real drive.

Still, let's see what the next one is like. :-)

Great book - Rated
Just finished the book and I must say it was great! I was sad to finish reading the last page. Not a lot of books grip you the way this does or make you laugh ( more than once I laughed out loud while in a packed luas) at bad situations. Loved it, reminded me a little of Angela's Ashes. Cant wait for the next book!!