
I can honestly say that no book that I have read in recent times has had the emotional impact on me that this book has had. I rode right alongside this mother from the first diagnosis of her child's illness, right through to the conclusion.
Even before her child's illness, I had to keep asking myself; are there really parents out there who treat their children as horrifically as this woman's mother and her family had treated her?
She went from an abused child, to a loveless marriage filled with physical, mental and sexual abuse, to losing her first child to a stillborn birth and then finally reaping the rewards with two beautiful young boys. Life was finally looking up for her, before little Eli was struck down with cancer.
We follow his journey, step by step as the young mother attempts to keep her sanity. split her time between one child in hospital and one 250 miles away. You can really feel her anguish and pain in every page. All the while, the very people who should have been helping to ease her burden; her mother, her siblings and her soon to be ex-husband were so busy plotting and planning on how they could benefit from this turn of events, she was left to struggle along with support only from some special friends.
This book is a harrowing read, make no mistake, but it is also incredibly rewarding. To anyone who has ever complained about how hard their life is - I say; read "When Angels Fly". To anyone who has ever said their life sucked - I say; read "When Angels Fly". When you have seen the courage, the fortitude and the immense challenges that this woman and her beautiful son faced you can't help but be uplifted and reminded just how much we all have to be grateful for.
It would be trite to criticize editorial issues in a book that reveals our indomitable human spirit in such a powerful and uplifting way. The book is in a large part a daily journal of Eli's time in hospital and as such became at times repetitive, but I totally understand the need she felt to document every day - every day with her son was so very precious. The writing style was at times slightly hard to read, but nothing can take away from the powerful impact it had on me as a reader. I was truly moved by and genuinely felt everything this poor woman had to endure...mostly alone. Any other book that had these editorial issues would have only garnered four stars from me, but there's no way I could not give this five stars.
The memories of Sarah, Noah and Eli will live in my memory well after I've consigned this book to the "read" shelf. I feel privileged to have shared Sarah's harrowing journey.
When Angels Fly does exactly what it sets out to do I believe - it reminds us that "There but for the grace of God, go I!"
I recommend this book to all....it will make you cry, but it will also uplift you. Well done.
You can pick up When Angels Fly at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/When-Angels-Fly-S-Stevens-ebook/dp/B00X7T1Q0Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436496469&sr=1-1&keywords=When+Angels+Fly