The Mark of the Angel

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, painful
Review: A story of forbidden love in post-war Paris between two people damaged in different ways by the Holocaust--you've read it before. But Huston's book is a cut above--beautifully written from multiple perspectives, Huston describes Paris, love, music and above all, anger and shock over infidelity discovered, so strongly and vividly--this one has stayed in my mind for awhile. And the conclusion was a brutal shock! Of particular interest to me was the backdrop of the French--Algerian issues--as England had India, France had Algeria--a painful, shameful episode in the history of a Western democracy that has permanently marred France's conception of itself.

Rating:
Summary: Fine Writing from Nancy Huston
Review: I have a confession to make. I have not had enough tragedy in my life. After reading a book like this I dwell on how soft my life has been and how guilty I feel about it.

The story line here is quite simple. Woman marries man for wrong reasons. Woman then meets man who fulfills inner needs and falls in love. Woman has child with husband but remains in love with the man she has met. Man finds out. Man kills child and everyones life is ruined.

But that is not what this book is really about. It is about the incredible inner struggles that these characters go through, the unspeakable horrors of the wars in Europe and the unexplainable things that humans do to each other.

Main character Saffie acts a bit strange at first. But we understand why when we learn what she has experienced. Same for her lover Andras. I personally struggled with what these people had seen. I became introsepctive and self critical as I pondered on the lives of those who lived through the Holocaust and Algerian cleansing periods.

Well written and fast moving, Huston has done a great job in displaying emotion and courage. Read this book to learn a little about these characters and a lot about yourself.

Rating:
Summary: The Mark Left On Me By Nancy Huston
Review: I read this book with great interest, and was quite moved and captivated. The book starts and ends grimly, but there is no other hope for Saffie, as we learn of her past. I was entranced by the beauty of the middle part of the book, and it made a mark on me. There is a fresh perspective on the holocaust, as seen through a child's innocent eye, and there is an epic love affair that is forbidden. I thought the writing was excellent at times, but was taken aback somewhat when the author had personal "asides" to the reader. The Mark of the Angel was riveting and I would be interested in following this author in her next book.

Rating:
Summary: Very French, very extravagant.
Review: Like so many other things one associates with the ultra-romantic French national character, this book, too, betrays both an extravagance of emotion and the desire here to dramatize (and incorporate in the book) every possible personal and political trauma of the last half-century. Saffie, the main character, is almost literally a ghost, so traumatized as a German Aryan "victim" of the Nazi horror that she cannot function at all as a human. Her husband Raphael, a flutist, is so busy making beautiful music that he never has a clue about his wife's 5-year affair. Their child, unlike any kid I've ever known (!), never, ever blabs a word about Andras, the other man in his mother's life, to his father, though he sees Andras every time his mother does--very frequently--and refers to him as Apu. Andras, a Jewish Hungarian Holocaust victim, is also intimately involved in the Algerian fight for independence from France. Added to this whole sticky pie are the additional heart-tuggers--the desire of Andras to educate Saffie about minorities and about German history, her inability to experience maternal feelings for her child, her rejection by her mother-in-law, her perfect housekeeping and gourmet cooking, and a completely unrealistic breakdown by Raphael at a critical moment. A real melodrama that tries too hard to be "significant" by pushing every emotional button known to man, with the result that it is sentimental, over-the-top melodrama.

Rating:
Summary: A BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN AND BELIEVABLE TALE
Review: The setting of 'The Mark of the Angel' is in Paris, 1957. It's a story of two people from different backgrounds (she is German, he is French) who meet and marry. But the recent past of World War II and the current rising violence, which eventually leads to the independence of Algeria, shape the attitude of these two characters into a disastrous climax.

The seemingly simple style of this story could make some readers believe that it's just a 'pulp romance' novel -- there are, however, layers of psychological levels to the characters and a complexity in the way setting and storyline are entwined together that make this novel far from being simplistic or a 'pulp romance' novel. Saffie, the female protagonist, is a difficult character to read -- and agreeably unpleasant at times -- and that's why makes the story even more intriguing; we are not dealing with nice and 'normal' cardboard cut-out characters, where everything is beautiful and everyone holds hands at the end of the story.

This book is not a lovely love story, but a character study on how war tears down the fabric of human nature, how it effects everyone for years to come, even for genertations to come -- it a story about confusion, betrayal, jealousy and revenge. Nancy Huston has done a wonderful at showing how difficult it can be to deal with the world around us, and how sometimes human behaviour can be misinterpreted by those who live in a protected world.

'The Mark of the Angel' is a disturbing tale of passion and survival, which makes the reader reflect on the humand condition long after the book has been read. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Rating:
Summary: Best written book I have read in a long while.
Review: The story is very good and the characters feel real, but what sets this book apart is the style in which it is written.

The narrator's voice weaves expertly between story-teller and omniscent observer.

There is one moment in particular - I will not spoil it by saying which - where this is done absolutely perfectly.

It has been a long time since I've read a book where I noticed, and yet didn't find abrasive, the author's voice. Just the opposite, in fact.

Rating:
Summary: Best written book I have read in a long while.
Review: The story is very good and the characters feel real, but what sets this book apart is the style in which it is written.

The narrator's voice weaves expertly between story-teller and omniscent observer.

There is one moment in particular - I will not spoil it by saying which - where this is done absolutely perfectly.

It has been a long time since I've read a book where I noticed, and yet didn't find abrasive, the author's voice. Just the opposite, in fact.

Rating:
Summary: Memorable and very well written
Review: The structure and style of this novel are engaging and effective. The interjections of the narrator force the reader to focus not only on Saffie's story, but to pull back from this narrow focus and absorb the author's bigger message. Her message is a grim one - that history teaches us little, and that human beings will continue to abuse and murder one another with the belief that their cause is right and justifiable. I think the reader could have understood the message with a little less input from the narrator whose voice was, at times, intrusive and tended to state the obvious. This is a novel that delivers a disturbing assessment of mankind, but it is beautifully written and gives the reader much food for thought. I will forever think of the philtrum (that funny little dent between your nose and your upper lip) as "the mark of the angel" now, and remember Ms. Huston's powerful book and message as I do.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful!
Review: What beautiful and unique writing! Nancy Huston is a great French-Canadian writer whose work I will be looking forward to reading in the future. The Mark of the Angel is a stunning novel set in Paris during the 1950's. The historic feel of the novel -- after World War 2, during the Algerian war -- is extremely accurate! The story of a daughter of a Nazi having an affair with a Jewish Communist is thought provoking and intense. There are various political views illustrated in this novel.

Huston's writing style makes this beautiful work of art seem like silk. The narrative style is very unique. A tale of adultery, this novel sort of reminds me of The Scarlet Letter, but with strong political views and great historical feel. I highly recommend this book!