Review: Very Good Novel
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 15, 2012
Sometimes Christian literature sort of beats you over the head, sounding like a thinly disguised sermon.  "Angel in the Saloon" doesn't do that.  It has an interesting group of characters, and Amelia and Paul's faith in the Lord is portrayed as an important part of them without them seeming one dimensional.  They seem very much like real people, as do the other characters: self-sacrificing Jeremiah, observant and kindly Amos, and Aunt Corrin, the reluctant guardian.The setting in 19th century Colorado is well done, and shows some of the less attractive aspects of the good old days, like the fact that stagecoaches were an uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous way to travel.  As with almost all historical fiction, there are a few anachronisms.  In the 1880's virtually everyone was, at least nominally, a Christian of one denomination or another.  Consequently people who were devout weren't referred to as "Christian", but as "religious".  Those who increased in their convictions weren't "converted", they got religion, became religious, or got closer to God.  These are minor discrepancies, however.All in all, I found it a good book and a refreshing change from the dirt-for-dirt's-sake approach of so much modern literature.