Angel - Katie Price

...cope, for more reasons than Angel initially realises. Following this shock, Angie then discovers that her real name, from birth, is in fact Angel, a name that Angel decides to go by in future, much to the chagrin of her adoptive family.

Angel is now seventeen, when the novel begins, and is preparing for a night out with her best friend, Gemma. Angel, a dowdy yet beautiful tomboy, is completely unconcerned with her appearance and is ...
...a close family friend that Angel is secretly in love with, Angel embarks on an exciting yet ill-fated rebound affair with a colleague before being spotted on the beach that summer by someone who really possesses the power to complete Angel's transformation; a model scout who predicts that Angel could be the Next Big Thing.

Angel is suddenly sucked in to the crazy, dangerous world of glamour modelling; a place where egos, drugs and ... more

BACKGROUND:
We live, it appears, in the age of the "Super Celebrity". The characteristics of this type of celebrity is a hunger for world domination, an intense restlessness and a clear "grass is greener" attitude . Not content with one career, these ambitious celebrities like to try their hand at every career possible and dip their toe in all waters. From acting and singing to fashion design and presenting, whether trained, qualified or even talented, these celebrities will drift through the tick-list at ease.

The negative aspect of this new movement is that with the rise of the Super Celebrity there has also been a growth in public cynicism. These celebrities, who appear to achieve far too much far too easily, are met with a certain amount of hostility and prejudice, a scenario which is most clearly demonstrated by the negativity surrounding Paris' Hilton's music career, the doomed Britney movie "Crossroads" and the national joke that has become soapstar-turned-popstars. It is this cynicism that causes many to fall at the first hurdle, but it is true talent that sees the mighty thrive.

One of the newest Super Celebrities on the scene is, of course, Jordan, aka Katie Price. Jordan, after becoming one of the most successful glamour models ever, having conquered the reality TV scene and having attempted a small foray in to the world of music, has now moved on to literature and is flexing her muscles as a fully fledged author. Having already written two autobiographies it was really only a matter of time before Jordan moved on to fiction, and in 2006 we were finally presented with the fruits of her labour in the form of a bright pink, impressably thick novel, "Angel".

This background may seem irrelevant to the novel but I think it is, in fact, very significant. It is imposible, I feel, to read this novel without being acutely aware of who the other is and I worry that this awareness may influence a reader's preconception of the text. I think that it is important to leave any prejudices at the door (or bookshelf) with this novel and approach it with a clear mind. I think, as neither a fan or hater of Jordan, that Katie should be given a fair trial as a writer just like any new novelist. With this brave new expedition, she has exposed herself once more to the critical eye of the public. So… will she fall under the force of her critics, or do we have a genuine writing talent here in our midst? Well, as they say, the proof is indeed in the pudding…

THE PLOT- It was on Angie's sixteenth birthday that her parents, with excellent timing, chose to reveal to her that she was, in fact, adopted. For many years she had lived a 'normal' life in Brighton with her mum, dad and older brother, Tony, before discovering that she had been rejected at birth by her birth mother who couldn't cope, for more reasons than Angel initially realises. Following this shock, Angie then discovers that her real name, from birth, is in fact Angel, a name that Angel decides to go by in future, much to the chagrin of her adoptive family.

Angel is now seventeen, when the novel begins, and is preparing for a night out with her best friend, Gemma. Angel, a dowdy yet beautiful tomboy, is completely unconcerned with her appearance and is dressed in her normal attire of jeans and trainers when Gemma decides to take matters in to her own hands and give her friend a makeover, believing that Angel's model looks should finally be unleashed on the world in their full glory. It is here that Angel's inner and outer transformation begins, as Angel, having glimpsed her glamorous potential, suddenly finds herself hot property, with just about everybody wanting a piece of her.

After being rejected on the eve of her makeover by Cal, a close family friend that Angel is secretly in love with, Angel embarks on an exciting yet ill-fated rebound affair with a colleague before being spotted on the beach that summer by someone who really possesses the power to complete Angel's transformation; a model scout who predicts that Angel could be the Next Big Thing.

Angel is suddenly sucked in to the crazy, dangerous world of glamour modelling; a place where egos, drugs and tabloid inches are the only things that seem to matter. Though consumed by her obsession with eligible yet taken footballer Cal, Angel soon begins a passionate relationship with turbulent boybander Mikey, who steals Angel's heart and almost ends up costing her a whole lot more…

WHAT I LIKED-
Jordan is, probably to the surprise of some, a very talented and proficient writer. Katie has either lived a very dramatic and eventful life or possesses a very impressive imagination which has assisted her in inventing interesting and varied characters and plot-twists. Katie clearly has a knack for story-telling and has come up with a great idea for a novel and has carried it off brilliantly, managing to create a gripping and absorbing book. Although there is a certain element of 'I know how this one's going to end', there are still many unexpected twists and surprises throughout the novel.

Katie is very good at characterisation and has created interesting characters that felt very real to me. She writes in a way that made me feel as though I was there, witnessing the action, and which made me feel as though I knew the characters of the novel. It was easy to forget that I was reading fiction and I was sad to reach the end of the book as I felt, in a way, that I had got to know the characters of the novel.

Another thing that I liked about 'Angel' is that it has a little more depth than a lot of chicklit. Whilst the novel comprises the usual love-story-with-a-catch and predictable need for all loose ends to be tied up, Katie, unsurprisingly, doesn't shy away from controversy and this novel is a little more gritty and realistic than most, with dark periods and unpleasant elements as well as the feel-good and uplifting parts.

A further plus point of this novel is that many readers of 'Angel' have claimed that the novel is based greatly on Jordan's real life and you can certainly see this influence. To what degree the novel is based on the life of Katie I don't know, having never read her autobiographies myself, but there is definitely a sense of realism and truth about this novel that is absent in a lot of books. A lot of chicklit or 'trashy' novels require a certain suspension of reality and a need to beat down those thoughts of, 'wait, that would never happen in real life!' but with this novel you get the impression that many of the convenient or outrageous plot twists may actually be glimpses of what happens in the real life of a glamour model. This is what makes the novel so compulsive; the sense that you are glimpsing in on the lives of the rich and glamorous, and that is quite a shocking thought at times.

WHAT I DISLIKED-
Although Katie's writing style is very impressive and proficient, at times she does slip in to a colloquial style, which did distract me from the story somewhat. While most of the time I was completely absorbed in the novel and felt as though the characters were real, when I came across words such as 'minger' I could suddenly see Jordan sat writing this text and hear her voice behind the words, which brought me back to the real world. Katie also uses, several times, the informal 'you', which sounds strange, to me, in a novel (eg. 'She was in that loved-up state where you can't get enough of the other person'). This may just be a personal thing and is probably nit-picking but I would have preferred Jordan to have refrained from using slang in the novel.

Another thing that I felt was a slight downfall of the novel was that some characters are very one-dimensional and cliched. Although, as I stated earlier, Katie, for the most part, has created believable characters, I felt that some of them were quite 'convenient' and stereotypical; Simone, for example, Cal's girlfriend, is the typical pretty yet shallow bitch, she is self-centred, high maintenance and, typically, a near-anorexic non-natural beauty who is obsessed with her appearance. Angel, also, as the girl-next door turned overnight beauty, seemed in that way a bit predictable, and her cosy chats and shopping sessions with supportive, so-close-they-could-be-sisters best friend Gemma and Gay Best Friend Jez were very familiar and standard chicklit. Tony was also included as Protective Older Brother and when you throw in Angel's simpering, submissive mother and insensitive, strict dad you have the whole chicklit set!

Although, as a fan of chicklit, it didn't bother me so much, I can also see the standard happy ending and slight predictability as being, for some, a shortcoming of the novel. Despite there being some twists along the way, the conclusion of this novel was very obvious and I could have predicted it from very early on. From halfway through I probably could have written this review, as it was fairly obvious even then what was going to happen.

MY THOUGHTS- Despite the fact that some of the characters and some of the plot was predictable, this was a compulsive and absorbing read that entertained me, moved me, frustrated me and made me smile in equal measures. It is a slow starter but will soon have you gripped, you won't look at the celebrity world in quite the same way again!

RECOMENDED FOR... Readers of celebrity magazines such as 'Heat'; fans of 'America's/ Britain's/ Australia's Next Top Model' or 'Make Me a Supermodel'; and lovers of chicklit who fancy something a little bit different and a little bit darker but still with the same easy-reading feel and comforting predictability.

READ WHEN... You fancy something entertaining that is easy to read but will have you gripped. Or when you are gazing enviously at the pages of celebrity magazines, wishing you could have that 'perfect' lifestyle.

SIMILAR TEXTS (READ THIS IF YOU LIKED)… 'A Whole New World' by Katie Price, 'Drop Dead Gorgeous' by Katie Agnew, 'The Next Big Thing' by Sara Caspian or, for teen readers, 'Models: Zoes's Story, Havana to Hollywood and Beyond' by Chloe Rayban.

IF IT WERE FOOD IT WOULD BE... Tiramisu. A grown up, enjoyable treat with depth; layers of sweet fluffiness, bitter overtones… and tons of alcohol!

IF IT WERE A COLOUR IT WOULD BE... Scarlet; sexy, attention-grabbing, yet not to everyone's taste.

IF IT WERE A SEASON IT WOULD BE... Winter; dark and gloomy at times, yet you know that it will brighten up in the end.

MARKS OUT OF 10 FOR:
WRITING STYLE- 8
PLOT- 9
CHARACTERS- 9
UNPREDICTABILITY- 5
UN-PUT-DOWN-ABILITY- 9
OVERALL NOVEL- 9

RECOMMENDED? - Yes

 

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