title: Gigi's Guardian
author: McGrath, Michele
description: I never thought I’d make history after I was dead,” says Ariane, when she agrees to become Gigi’s Guardian. (Guardian Angel isn’t P.C. because she’s no angel!) Ariane has always kept a diary and sees no reason to stop just because she is now a ghost. She has recently arrived in Heaven after dying on the operating table. Out sightseeing, she peers through a portal into the real world and discovers the love of her life in bed with her best friend. Fuming and dreadfully unhappy, Ariane badly needs something to take her mind off her troubles. She does not want to stay in Heaven and she hopes that having a demanding job will provide the distraction she needs. So she is delighted when she is offered the position and is very interested in her new client. Gigi is a young girl with a mixed race background living in Swinging Sixties London, an era which Ariane has always wanted to visit. Gigi needs her help at this moment of her life because she is about to make a decision which will have world changing consequences. Before Ariane returns to earth, though, she has a wonderful time choosing the right clothes for her new role because, as the wardrobe mistress asks her, “ if you were a Sensitive, which would you prefer to see – someone who looks perfectly ordinary or a bloody figure, with his head under his arm?” After some dubious help from the ghost of Sir Francis Drake and the Big Orange section of Angels Central, the Guardians chaotic head office, Ariane sets off on her journey, raring to go. She hasn’t bargained, though, on the ups and downs of her new ‘life’. Her task is to ensure that Gigi marries the right man and has the right baby or a major medical advance will not happen. The alternative doesn’t bear thinking about. Ariane cannot leave Gigi and return to Heaven until her task is completed Unfortunately Ariane finds it very difficult to influence her client, so she turns for help to the Guardians of Gigi’s friends including the ‘Gorgeous Ivan’ a mysterious figure who makes a pass at her. Afraid of being hurt again, Ariane holds Ivan at arm’s length until several things happen to change her mind. One of them occurs when she goes to a costume ball in Heaven, dressed in a ‘Southern Belle’ crinoline. Ivan arrives wearing the uniform of a Confederate officer, a perfect match for her costume. Ariane is swayed by the romance of the setting and has a wonderful time with him. She is worried, though, by his reputation as an incorrigible flirt. Will she be hurt again if she allows herself to fall in love with him? Can such things happen in Heaven? On earth, Ariane and Gigi romp through 1960s London in search of fun and romance. They go to parties, have a narrow escape from charging police horses at an Anti-Vietnam War Demonstration, visit nightclubs and enjoy themselves thoroughly. Gigi meets two boy-friends and has to choose between them. Unfortunately she falls deeply in love with the wrong man and disaster looms. Ariane has to find a way to shake Gigi’s loyalty and conviction, which is difficult. The book has been called ‘a ghost story with a difference’. The main character is dead, but full of ‘life’. Heaven is a place where there are shopping malls, cafes, chocolate and champagne. Famous people rub shoulders with bemused newcomers. 1960s London is lively, fun but has a darker side. The themes of racial prejudice and illegitimacy run through the book, both big issues in that era. Ariane is a strong woman in a very unfamiliar situation. She is determined to do her best for her client and really empathises with her. Her problem is to find the right method to influence Gigi. Gigi’s problems stem from love and loyalty. It is hard for her to believe evil of her lover, until the case against him is proved. Will Ariane be able to fulfil her task? Will Gigi marry the right man? Will Ariane be able to forget her disillusionment and find a heavenly romance?