I chose this book simply because I am an Alice Hoffman fan. Akin to Shakespeare, she writes the tragic love story; the real to life story with no happily ever after endings; a love story that I can believe in. She weaves magic with emotion, in a manner that is both touching and awesome. The Third Angel wasn't heavily laden in magic, but Alice left her magical touch with a new idea that one could leave a partial ghost of oneself, lost in a tragic situation, without loosing ones' life. Alice Hoffman knows how to take the supernatural to a level boarding on fantacy, but somehow believable to those who reach beyond the five senses.
Her weaving of three love stories in different times with overlapping characters is a work of art, often leaving me with chills. This book reflects a middle aged wisdom; knowledge that can only be written after emotional payment.
The worth of this book is in the story telling. Most of the telling is set in London (1999, 1966 and 1952), which makes these tales quite colorful. It was fun to read, though was a heart breaker at times. This would make a good discussion book due to the quality, quantity (289 pages) and rich discussion points. According to the story, there are three angels, the angel of death, the angel of life, and the angel that we can help. I would like to know, was Millie the rabbit the third angel in the third story? I think so, but then, who was the third angel in the first and second stories?
Lastly, I would like to say that my two favorite Alice Hoffman books are Practical Magic (not deep, just totally fun, there is a movie too) and Here on Earth (awesome writing, Oprah liked it also). However, I have not read all of her works. She is quite prolific, having written thirty books.