A Time of Angels

The story line, taking place during the influenza pandemic of 1917-18, is grippingly realistic -- entire neighborhoods are nearly wiped out by the dreaded disease, and panic-stricken residents don't really know how to deal with the enormous problem. Meanwhile, Hannah and her two younger sisters are left in Boston with an aunt, since her mother is trapped in WWI Russia caring for relatives and her father is off fighting in the war -- and neither have been heard from.

When influenza tears Hannah's family apart, circumstances take her far away where she ends up in the care of a gruff old farmer who has been isolated from other townsfolk because of his German heritage. The relationship that forms between the two of them is sweet and tender, and Hesse crafts it beautifully.

Truly, Hesse's characterizations and descriptions make this book nearly magical to read. She weaves in bits and pieces of Jewish culture, American history, and wonderful mystical interludes with an angel who saves Hannah's life more than once.

Boring? Don't believe it. This is a book you shouldn't miss!


Read this book   February 20, 2003
 1 out of 12 found this review helpful

I read the book called A Time Of Angels by Karen Hesse. This is a historical fiction book.
This book is about this girl named Hannah that gets separated from her parents and has to move to her Aunts house in West Boston. After she got there she started working in a store to help her Aunt with food & clothes.
Weeks later she got the flu and got real sick. The flu had killed ten thousand people so far. After she gets her energy back. Tanta Rose and her went to try to get her family together. After month of hard work she got her family together.
I didn't like this book because it was boring. It barley had any action. If you are boring and like boring things you should you should read this book.


A view from a future teacher   April 23, 2002
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I truly enjoyed this book by Karen Hesse. As a future teacher I will add this to my list of historical fiction in teaching social studies and language arts. I had no idea so many people died of the flu in 1918 - nearl two and one half times the number that died during WWI! Karen Hesse does an excellent job of placing ourselves into the life of a young Jewish girl named Hannah. She and her two sisters must live with her two aunts in a crowded Boston apartment because their father is fighting in the war, and their mother is trapped in Russia. She must eventually leave Boston alone because the flu is ravishing the city and her loved ones. She gets lost and is also stricken with the deadly flu. She is nursed back to health by a German farmer and a beautiful friendship develops. She eventually returns to Boston with the help of an angel to find the fate of her family. This is a must read book!


GrEat bOok   April 20, 2002
 1 out of 4 found this review helpful

I got this book at a school event where we could choose one book (for free) to take home. I chose this one because I thought it sounded interesting, and although that was over a year ago I still read it. The author has a beautiful way of writing the story so that you can imagine what you would feel like in Hannah's shoes.


Open your mind and heart to the enemy....   March 7, 2002
 4 out of 7 found this review helpful

With all of the recent events our country has been through I believe this book should be read in classrooms everywhere. Taking place during WW2 you are drawn into the difficult, poor and often painful life of a young girl. As she loses loved ones to the plague, she herself is spared and she believes she may have seen an angel. Circumstances lead this young jewish girl to live with an old German man who the town shuns, but she learns to love. I learned that every war has two sides, and tolerance is the key. The young girl ends up happy in the end through small bits of fate in her favor, but I believe there were many different endings that would have worked for the girl - just like us.