Critique Paper: Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon
The book that I’ve read is titled “Rage of Angels”, by the author Sidney Sheldon. Thriller is the genre of the said book, and it was published in 1980. The publisher of the book is William Morrow. The book is divided into two parts, with 64 chapters in total. Sidney Sheldon is one of the bestselling authors in the world with over 300 million copies of his books sold. Even though the book is fictional, the author stated in the author’s note that the background of the story is real. He also said that it took him almost three years to finish writing the book.
The story is about Jennifer Parker, an inexperienced criminal defense attorney who fell into the plan of Michael Moretti, a member of one of the most powerful organized crime families in America. District Attorney of New York, Robert Di Silva, believes that Jennifer is responsible for the release of Michael Moretti. From there, he arranges Adam Warner to meet Jennifer in order to persuade her that she is guilty for the bribe, and to file disbarment against her. But, Adam realized that Jennifer may not be guilty and he fell in love with her. Adam, who is married, told Jennifer that his wife, Mary Beth, has asked for a divorce. After that, Jennifer meets with her. With Adam running for Senator, Mary Beth tricked him into sleeping with her one last time, and in the process, impregnating her. With Adam learning that his wife is pregnant and Jennifer discovered that it was Mary Beth’s trick all along, and ends her relationship with Adam. He won the Senatorial elections, and Jennifer discovers that she is pregnant, but she did not tell Adam in order to keep his reputation. Jennifer gives birth to her son, which she named Joshua Adam Parker. After giving birth, she returned to her practice. Meanwhile, Michael Moretti tries to be friends with her. Jennifer’s son was kidnapped, and she turned to Michael Moretti for help. After that, she is seduced my Michael and became their consigliere. Joshua died from subdural hematoma that he got from a skiing accident. Jennifer and Michael are hunted down by the government, and he shoots her, and shoots himself right after. The jury acquitted her, and she saw in the television that Adam is sworn as the President of the United States.
The title itself, Rage of Angels, is actually compelling, it has an interesting title, which made me want to read and discover why it was titled like that. For me, the first few chapters were a little boring; it made me want to skip a few parts in the beginning. It made me lose my interest at first. Some of the chapters in the book are lacking, and some parts are not explained properly, and some of the transitions were confusing. But when you reach the twentieth chapter, it gets intense, which definitely left me wanting to read more. When I reached the climax of the story, with the events more intense, I found myself reading more until I realized that I’ve already finished the story. The ending of the book wasn’t good for me. I felt that it lacked something. I also realized that the events at the end were rushed.
As for the introduction of characters, it was okay. But for the characters themselves, I think the author portrayed her well in the sense that she is independent and strong, but at the same time, she is unpredictable, which I think makes the story more interesting. His portrayal of a lawyer is great. Some of the characters were annoying and some of them lacked exposure. The events that he made in the book are on point to what was happening in 1980s. The crime rate in New York, the main setting of the story, was high. There were murders, drugs, and huge issues that involved money. It was a time where men looked down on women, and the idea of a main character being a lawyer, and a female one, gives the fact that women can be greater than men.
Some of the words used are deep, and difficult to understand. There are also words that you need to translate in order for you to understand. The audience of this book are adults, since there are mentions of intercourse and impregnation, and there are sensitive topics that are mentioned.
In conclusion, the book is great, the writing style is good, but for me, I wouldn’t read another book that has a similar plot to this.
Please leave a comment! Comments are very much appreciated! It’s for my English 11-A class. Thank you so much! (Ps. harsh comments are okay) 😊😊
And also, sorry for the errors and stuff 😂
