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bmc1230's review against another edition
4.5
Just finished *Angels* by Denis Johnson and I thoroughly enjoyed the read. Johnson perplexed me a lot as a reader, sometimes. When he hits, he really hits and I've found that to be the case through his shorter works while also finding several duds in his novels. *Largesse of the Sea Maiden* and *Jesus' Son* are some of my favorite short story collections. *Train Dreams* is also a great application of his ability to craft the inner worlds of the brow beaten, smacked around by the universe type to the West and is a great novella. I've always appreciated the way a poet writes prose and does that work at the sentence level.
The novels, though? There's just some moments where you want to keep him in the rotation with folks you keep coming back to, but you can see the gap between him and the greats. Johnson is always good for a turn of phrase or a pivot that leaves you seeing the world differently and that work at the sentence-level never really goes away in his novels, but sometimes the plot doesn't move along with it. *Stars at Noon* might be one of the roughest reads I've had this year. I did enjoy a lot of *The Name of the World* but it gets to one thing about Johnson's novels that I think I've extended into other reads with him. The novels feel like strings of great short story ideas without the sinew to hold them together on the whole. Great passages, intriguing vignettes and still those ungodly sentences, but nothing really propelling it forward. I'm also not someone who needs a plot to enjoy a book. Bolano is a favorite of mine that falls in that poet writes prose category and I've loved his least-plot driven works. Granted, any completionist will find plenty of duds and it's not like Bolano is exempt from duds. *The Skating Rink*? I'm looking at you.
*Angels* both restored my faith in the Johnson novel and perplexed me about all the fail-sons of novels I've read from him since. *Angels* keeps the ball moving, captures the intersection of the deeply flawed mortality of struggling to get by rubbing up against high heaven that makes his work great. All the ideas that felt like separate short stories in other novels line up to tell a multilayered story. *Angels* really gets there.
I've resigned myself to the fate of being a Johnson completionist. After all, when he hits, he hits. I'll be searching out those little bumps and highs as I finish the remaining four novels (*Already Dead*, *Tree of Smoke*, *Resuscitation of a Hanged Man*, *Fiskadoro), but I don't know if *Angels* has restored my faith for what lies ahead or left me thinking I've finished what might be the best.
The novels, though? There's just some moments where you want to keep him in the rotation with folks you keep coming back to, but you can see the gap between him and the greats. Johnson is always good for a turn of phrase or a pivot that leaves you seeing the world differently and that work at the sentence-level never really goes away in his novels, but sometimes the plot doesn't move along with it. *Stars at Noon* might be one of the roughest reads I've had this year. I did enjoy a lot of *The Name of the World* but it gets to one thing about Johnson's novels that I think I've extended into other reads with him. The novels feel like strings of great short story ideas without the sinew to hold them together on the whole. Great passages, intriguing vignettes and still those ungodly sentences, but nothing really propelling it forward. I'm also not someone who needs a plot to enjoy a book. Bolano is a favorite of mine that falls in that poet writes prose category and I've loved his least-plot driven works. Granted, any completionist will find plenty of duds and it's not like Bolano is exempt from duds. *The Skating Rink*? I'm looking at you.
*Angels* both restored my faith in the Johnson novel and perplexed me about all the fail-sons of novels I've read from him since. *Angels* keeps the ball moving, captures the intersection of the deeply flawed mortality of struggling to get by rubbing up against high heaven that makes his work great. All the ideas that felt like separate short stories in other novels line up to tell a multilayered story. *Angels* really gets there.
I've resigned myself to the fate of being a Johnson completionist. After all, when he hits, he hits. I'll be searching out those little bumps and highs as I finish the remaining four novels (*Already Dead*, *Tree of Smoke*, *Resuscitation of a Hanged Man*, *Fiskadoro), but I don't know if *Angels* has restored my faith for what lies ahead or left me thinking I've finished what might be the best.
pklawton's review
4.0
In "Angels" by Denis Johnson, readers are plunged into a harrowing narrative that juxtaposes the bleak aspects of the American dream with the stark realities of a descent into madness. The novel follows Jamie Mays, a woman fleeing a life of disappointment, and Bill Houston, a man embroiled in a cycle of violence and despair. Their journey from a hopeful escape to a nightmarish reality unfolds with poetic intensity and brutal honesty.
Johnson's portrayal of their spiraling descent is both captivating and disturbing, marking a stunning exploration of human frailty and the dark corners of the American psyche. Through vivid characters and gripping scenarios, "Angels" stands as a profound commentary on the consequences of desperation and the inevitable pull of doom, showcasing Johnson's remarkable talent in his debut novel.
I loved this book, it kicked my ass. Also: I read that this was one of Kim Gordon’s favs so what more do you need to know?
Johnson's portrayal of their spiraling descent is both captivating and disturbing, marking a stunning exploration of human frailty and the dark corners of the American psyche. Through vivid characters and gripping scenarios, "Angels" stands as a profound commentary on the consequences of desperation and the inevitable pull of doom, showcasing Johnson's remarkable talent in his debut novel.
I loved this book, it kicked my ass. Also: I read that this was one of Kim Gordon’s favs so what more do you need to know?
kingbob's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
cushingrr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
aleatorizzy's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I enjoyed this one leaps better than train dreams and definitely thought there was more richness in the text itself. By the middle of the book I was eating it up but also having to read it very slowly, Johnson’s lines look so simple on the surface but they build and build into something extraordinary. i felt myself rereading many many sections just to try and fully understand an absorb the poetry of each sentence. i was so excited to feel this excited about a book again!
alexhaydon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
After reading Train Dreams I was very certain I was going to appreciate a full length novel from Johnson and Angels didn't let me down. The subject matter is very dark and bleak as I had anticipated but I didn't at all feel bogged down by it. I can be quite sensitive to topically challenging reads but Johnson's style of storytelling doesn't make the experience too suffocating in my opinion. He has a knack for telescopic prose which constantly refocus your attention to different sentiments or events with varying degrees of gravity. His characters feel extremely real, and whilst you may not feel emotionally invested in them individually, you can't help but feel a bit breathless overseeing all the ways in which they navigate their circumstances. Johnson pairs lyrical writing in and amongst paired back passages that state things as they are. A perfect mirroring of the lives of our protagonists. Recommend to those who like gritty, American literature
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Rape
mgilhart's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
assyrians's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
helena_handbasket's review against another edition
4.0
Angels is Johnson's first novel, and I suppose it shows, just a bit. I found myself skimming a little through the first sixty pages or so. The writing seemed a little hesitant or maybe it rang a bit false for me through the beginning. By the middle and end of the book, I was hooked.
Angels is the sad story of two people on the fringes of society: Jamie, escaping what she thinks is a terrible life with her two young daughters and Bill Houston, a drifter ex-military, ex-con, alcoholic looking for his next high and easy money. The two meet on a cross country greyhound bus and despite Jamie having sworn off men, she's charmed by Bill Houston and decides to hang out with him a while.
The thing about Denis Johnson's characters is that they're so real and gritty. He creates these realistic characters, low lives, some might say- but he does so with grace and understanding. Above all, they are humans and Johnson forces the reader to empathize and see them as humans, despite their shortcomings.
I rated this four stars initially, but some passages deserve nothing less than five stars- I can't stop thinking about one passage in particular where I had to stop reading as I realized what it would truly be like to lose your mind. The horror and powerlessness of how that would feel in brief moments of lucidity was absolutely perfectly rendered by Johnson, and it was terrifying (The Yellow Wallpaper by Gilman comes close, but not quite). How we can be controlled by our desires, no matter what they are, and miss what is all around us right here and now and what a terrible shame that is, how we piss it all away in out pursuit of other, better things. How in a moment, a split second, our lives can fall apart and how you can't take that moment back. How it feels to be utterly powerless.
I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that I don't know how a person could read through Bill Houston's last chapters and not be affected, even if it just makes you pause and think.
A book that will stay with me a long time, just as Jesus' Son has.
Angels is the sad story of two people on the fringes of society: Jamie, escaping what she thinks is a terrible life with her two young daughters and Bill Houston, a drifter ex-military, ex-con, alcoholic looking for his next high and easy money. The two meet on a cross country greyhound bus and despite Jamie having sworn off men, she's charmed by Bill Houston and decides to hang out with him a while.
The thing about Denis Johnson's characters is that they're so real and gritty. He creates these realistic characters, low lives, some might say- but he does so with grace and understanding. Above all, they are humans and Johnson forces the reader to empathize and see them as humans, despite their shortcomings.
I rated this four stars initially, but some passages deserve nothing less than five stars- I can't stop thinking about one passage in particular where I had to stop reading as I realized what it would truly be like to lose your mind. The horror and powerlessness of how that would feel in brief moments of lucidity was absolutely perfectly rendered by Johnson, and it was terrifying (The Yellow Wallpaper by Gilman comes close, but not quite). How we can be controlled by our desires, no matter what they are, and miss what is all around us right here and now and what a terrible shame that is, how we piss it all away in out pursuit of other, better things. How in a moment, a split second, our lives can fall apart and how you can't take that moment back. How it feels to be utterly powerless.
I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that I don't know how a person could read through Bill Houston's last chapters and not be affected, even if it just makes you pause and think.
A book that will stay with me a long time, just as Jesus' Son has.