The Side of the Angels: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Another brilliant book by Bartolomeo
Review: A refreshing departure from the stale "Sex and the City" genre, "The Side of the Angels" offers a warm, witty look into modern day romance. Author Bartolomeo displays yet again that she has an unrivaled gift for storytelling that will keep the reader turning the page; personally, I found myself absorbed by the book's engaging story (set against the backdrop of a nurse's strike in Rhode Island) and lovable, scrappy cast of characters. This is a plucky novel with heart, even better than Bartolomeo's award-winning "Cupid and Diana." I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, intelligent, and memorable read.

Rating:
Summary: A great book, but get out your red pencil
Review: Christina Bartolomeo's books are funny, engaging, and well-written. I read all of The Side of the Angels in one sitting, and I definitely recommend it. However, if you are from DC or you know the area well, the typos and inaccuracies will drive you NUTS...Loudoun is misspelled Loudon, (Upper) Marlboro becomes Marlborough, and so forth.

Rating:
Summary: A great book, but get out your red pencil
Review: Christina Bartolomeo's books are funny, engaging, and well-written. I read all of The Side of the Angels in one sitting, and I definitely recommend it. However, if you are from DC or you know the area well, the typos and inaccuracies will drive you NUTS...Loudoun is misspelled Loudon, (Upper) Marlboro becomes Marlborough, and so forth.

Rating:
Summary: Tiresome, a union rant, not a fun read
Review: I couldn't finish this. This is a tirade, replete with axe grinding. Sophomore jinx? Or is this writer tired, too old for Cosmo, too young for Social Security? I think the latter ...

Rating:
Summary: Good lighthearted read, but could have been tighter
Review: I really admired Cupid & Diana, this author's previous novel. Here she delivers on the same formula of offering an interesting portrayal of a woman's efforts to get her personal and work life in order as she struggles between the choice of two men. Here the main character, Nicky, works for a PR firm, that is hired to help a union negotiate a strike at a hospital in Winsock (read: Woonsocket) Rhode Island. Meanwhile, she's trying to deal with a recent boyfriend who cheated on her and a more-distant ex, whom she's suddenly reunited with because he's working with the nurse's union as well. Bartolomeo populates the novel with a lot of characters and offers some very intersting behind the scenes details of managing a strike. Her bio on the back sleeve mentions she did similar work as Nicky for a teacher's group. I have three complaints about this novel, however, that made it less enjoyable than Cupid & Diana. First, the first third of the novel reads like a series of character sketches written for an intro to creative writing class. We're introduced to an endless series of people -- some of them seem indistinguishable -- and the story grinds to a halt as we get a long, detailed description of each character. And some of these details seem to make the characters come across as merely cute novel creations and not real people -- e.g. the sneaky sycophant who also has a passion for contra dancing and children's toys, the saintly friend who takes care of everyone but herself, and oh by the way also has wacky ideas about religion. Second, much of the dialogue reads like bad TV or movie scripts, in which a lot of narrative exposition about the character's past is stuffed into the dialogue. People who know each other well don't communicate with long details about what happened in their shared history. Third, and perhaps most annoying is Nicky's jaded view of nearly everyone and everything she encounters. At times, it becomes almost laughable. Even minor characters -- a pizza delivery boy, a hotel clerk, even a pair of dogs -- have to get Nicky's petulant observations about how bored, unhappy or bothersome they are. A character this cynical needs a little awareness or sense of humor about her pessisimism to be tolerable, and this character has neither. Still the story carries itself along. And the author has a considerable talent for capturing specific details of how people dress and populate their living and work spaces. I look forward to Bartolomeo's future efforts, but this story was not as tight or well written as Cupid and Diana. Anyone who likes these tales of woman balancing their work and career demands should also take a look at Sara Lewis's novels. They're very good and fun, easy reads.

Rating:
Summary: This is a fun book -- you should check it out.
Review: I really enjoyed Bartolomeo's second novel, "The Side of the Angels." Yeah, there was a fair amount of romance (for the ladies), but the strike plot was very interesting, and Bartolomeo makes a lot of funny and interesting observations. Honestly, I never understood what Nicky (the female lead) sees in Tony (her lughead love interest), but as I said, I wasn't reading the book for the romance as much as for the plot. I did like the Louise character though, maybe because I once dated a gal like that. Anyway, I never would have read this book if my girlfriend hadn't recommended it, but I'm not sorry I did. It was a fun read, and I'd highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: This is a fun book -- you should check it out.
Review: I really enjoyed Bartolomeo's second novel, "The Side of the Angels." Yeah, there was a fair amount of romance (for the ladies), but the strike plot was very interesting, and Bartolomeo makes a lot of funny and interesting observations. Honestly, I never understood what Nicky (the female lead) sees in Tony (her lughead love interest), but as I said, I wasn't reading the book for the romance as much as for the plot. I did like the Louise character though, maybe because I once dated a gal like that. Anyway, I never would have read this book if my girlfriend hadn't recommended it, but I'm not sorry I did. It was a fun read, and I'd highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Great book in every way
Review: This was a fun read. I loved the innovative and intricate plot, the engaging cast of characters, and the evocative setting (an old RI mill town). I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to root for the underdog. It was especially fun to root for Nicky Malone, the novel's smart, sexy, feisty, and fearless heroine. I'm looking forward to Bartolomeo's next novel, "Snowed In," which is due out this fall.