Official Review: A Vision of Angels by Timothy Jay Smith
Posted: 14 Jul 2013, 18:53
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A VISION OF ANGELS" by Timothy Jay Smith.]
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A Vision of Angels by Timothy Jay Smith is an interesting read. I admit that had I known the subject of the book I probably would not have read it, but I am glad that I did.
Mr. Smith addresses the conflict between Israel and Palestine using an interesting array of characters. I had a difficult time placing the many characters within their proper setting at first; by the last 75 pages of the book I could place most of them on one side of the conflict or the other. David Kessler is an American reporter whose pictures are indeed worth a thousand words. He captures the grief, sadness, and poverty that most do not see during and after war. David also has friends on both sides of the conflict. His upstairs neighbor, whose son adores David, is hoping for a new start in Israel after leaving London. Military men on both sides struggle with family issues, loyalty, and survival. Citizens must decide to become informants for the sake of survival. New love develops as two young adults help their organization cry for peace in a world where no one wants to listen. A father-in-law and son-in-law finally come to the realization that although one is Muslim and one is Christian; relying on one’s faith is really the important thing. An important military official deals with the death of a daughter and the realization that his son craves peace in the land, even if it is with “the enemy”. Homosexuality is also addressed in a surprise revelation, and the list of characters continues.
I do like the concept of this book, but at times I could not grasp when a scene changed. New paragraphs did not always begin with indentation because characters and thoughts changed in what seemed to be the middle of a paragraph. By the time I caught on to the new events, subjects and characters changed again.
The other issue that I had is the lack of some historical information. I know about the story of Isaac and Ishmael from reading my Bible, but those who are not familiar with the reason for the conflict between Israel and Palestine may question why the conflict exists and why it has lasted for so long. I recommend that the prologue or an extra chapter at the beginning of the book explaining the history of these two countries would benefit some readers.
I give this book a 3 out of 4 star rating because of the difficulty I had with the scenes in the book changing without notice (indenting paragraphs would help tremendously) and the lack of historical information concerning the Christians and Muslims, as well as why they do not tolerate each other. I would still recommend this book for the information that it reveals about events that take place in Israel and Palestine. It is a subject that I believe carries spiritual significance, but not a subject that many Americans may not take the time to ponder.
***
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Share This Review
Mr. Smith addresses the conflict between Israel and Palestine using an interesting array of characters. I had a difficult time placing the many characters within their proper setting at first; by the last 75 pages of the book I could place most of them on one side of the conflict or the other. David Kessler is an American reporter whose pictures are indeed worth a thousand words. He captures the grief, sadness, and poverty that most do not see during and after war. David also has friends on both sides of the conflict. His upstairs neighbor, whose son adores David, is hoping for a new start in Israel after leaving London. Military men on both sides struggle with family issues, loyalty, and survival. Citizens must decide to become informants for the sake of survival. New love develops as two young adults help their organization cry for peace in a world where no one wants to listen. A father-in-law and son-in-law finally come to the realization that although one is Muslim and one is Christian; relying on one’s faith is really the important thing. An important military official deals with the death of a daughter and the realization that his son craves peace in the land, even if it is with “the enemy”. Homosexuality is also addressed in a surprise revelation, and the list of characters continues.
I do like the concept of this book, but at times I could not grasp when a scene changed. New paragraphs did not always begin with indentation because characters and thoughts changed in what seemed to be the middle of a paragraph. By the time I caught on to the new events, subjects and characters changed again.
The other issue that I had is the lack of some historical information. I know about the story of Isaac and Ishmael from reading my Bible, but those who are not familiar with the reason for the conflict between Israel and Palestine may question why the conflict exists and why it has lasted for so long. I recommend that the prologue or an extra chapter at the beginning of the book explaining the history of these two countries would benefit some readers.
I give this book a 3 out of 4 star rating because of the difficulty I had with the scenes in the book changing without notice (indenting paragraphs would help tremendously) and the lack of historical information concerning the Christians and Muslims, as well as why they do not tolerate each other. I would still recommend this book for the information that it reveals about events that take place in Israel and Palestine. It is a subject that I believe carries spiritual significance, but not a subject that many Americans may not take the time to ponder.
***
Buy "A VISION OF ANGELS" on Amazon
Buy "A VISION OF ANGELS" on Barnes and Noble