This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Frank Mutuma for Readers' Favorite
Angels of Paradise is a memoir by Barbara Murphy. Barbara finds herself in prison on her birthday for the crime of kidnapping her own son. She had taken Valentin to the Bahamas to save both of them from a horrible life. In the Bahamas, she had given Valentin a wonderful life, but the authorities were not keen on listening to her. She is engaged to Ian, who informs her that due to the Christmas holidays, she would have to stay in prison until January, when the Supreme Court would resume. At Fox Hill, things are horrible for Barbara, who has to deal with cultural differences with other inmates and a lack of basic amenities. When the court process resumes, she has to deal with disappointments due to the rejection of her bail. Barbara also has to deal with a medical condition and a prison doctor who seems to be keen on keeping her in the hospital despite her worsening condition.
Angels of Paradise paints a different picture of the Bahamas than the popular one shown by the media, as Barbara Murphy tells her story. It is not just a story about courage and resilience, but also shows how having strong social support is important. This thought-provoking memoir also covers other topics, like how upbringing affects who we turn out to be, as we see with some of the inmates with whom Barbara was incarcerated. It also got me thinking about how the criminal justice system fails to rehabilitate prisoners and ends up causing more damage, especially to those serving short sentences who are expected to rejoin society. Her kindness and compassion toward other prisoners were also very touching. I look forward to reading more by Barbara Murphy, perhaps on how her surgery went or if she eventually met up with Davina when she was released some months after Barbara.
