When Angels Play Poker - Softcover

O’Leary, Maura

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1462412130 ISBN 13: 9781462412136

Publisher: InspiringVoices, 2017

Synopsis

A seasoned con-artist named Jimmy lands himself in a new high-end senior living complex, and is looking forward to hanging out with a hot chick he meets the first weekend there, when he suddenly drops dead of a heart attack, and arrives in Heaven.

While adjusting to the shock of his new situation, Jimmy meets his elder angel guide Norm, and is assigned to watch over a woman on earth he never knew before. He finds out the woman, Maura, is his brother’s girlfriend and he learns from Norm that he’ll play a critical role in helping Maura through the relationship.

As time goes by though, Jimmy realizes Maura’s life is much less exciting than his was on Earth. He finally approaches Norm, and tells him how bored he is. That’s when he is told that sometimes while waiting for events to unfold on earth, even Angels get to play poker in Heaven....

If you’re wondering what Angels do all day, immerse yourself in a charming, inspirational story about the adventures in Heaven when an ordinary couple go about their lives on earth, while being watched over, prayed for, and loved every day.

About this title

Review:

Pacific Book Review 

 

When Angels Play Poker is a delightful novel about how angels can help people in the most unlikely ways.  Author Maura O’Leary has written a funny and inspirational novel, which I believe readers will love, as it has left me with an indelible appreciation for living and an enjoyable interaction with my faith.

When Angels Play Poker is the story of Jimmy, a smooth talking con man who dies while he’s in a nursing home.  When he wakes up in Heaven, he’s given an assignment by his angel supervisor, Norm.  Norm tells Jimmy to become the guardian angel to Maura, the lovelorn girlfriend of his brother, Bob. Soon Jimmy is let into an exclusive poker game in Heaven to win Maura’s soul and help her find happiness.  However, as the paths of Jimmy and Maura cross, the lines between Heaven and Earth get more and more blurred. This book many intriguing characters that readers will identify with as they page through the novel.  Jimmy is a woman-chasing deviant, but he also has empathy and heart when he watches over Maura.  Norm is the patient angel guide who puts up with Jimmy’s foul mouth and selfish ways as he tries to make Jimmy a model angel.  Maura is the most sympathetic character in the novel who wants to be loved, but doesn’t feel worthy enough to earn love after surviving a traumatic childhood.  Maura’s transformation as she interacts with Jimmy leads to her growth as a character.  O’Leary’s writing is so quick-witted and emotional; readers will be amused by the quips and jokes in the book.  Jimmy’s wisecracks about being a heathen in Heaven add levity to When Angels Play Poker. However, the novel also has spiritual aspects to the story, which add depth to the book.  O’Leary’s writing about Heaven and angels will make readers think about the possible unseen forces guiding their lives.  When Angels Play Poker is great for readers who want to read books, which are spiritual, but also light-hearted and funny.  O’Leary’s book would be perfect for fans of Mitch Albom’s The Five People You Meet in Heaven and other inspirational books about spirituality.  When Angels Play Poker is also ideal for readers who believe in guardian angels and an afterlife.  Even readers who aren’t spiritual will be inspired by this uplifting and moving story.  Given its storyline, character development, wit and wisdom, O’Leary has written a novel, which is just as enlightening as it is entertaining.  When Angels Play Poker is an endearing novel that will certainly bring a smile to readers’ faces.  

 

KIRKUS REVIEW

 

 

An imaginative tale of redemption after death.

 

 

 

In this debut fantasy novella, a reprobate dies unexpectedly and finds heaven to be a surprising and challenging place.

 

Self-confessed con man Jimmy, a 64-year-old whose motto is to “look and be cool,” congratulates himself on securing a spot in a high-class retirement home. While having lascivious thoughts about his brother’s girlfriend, he’s struck down by a heart attack. The next thing that Jimmy knows, he’s in heaven, where he’s greeted by old friends and beloved relatives. Soon after his arrival, he’s whisked away for a rest in a “cloud cube” before embarking on a series of assignments designed to elevate his angel status. As he adjusts to the bright, beautiful landscape of his new home, he’s annoyed to learn that his first task is to become the guardian angel of the last person he was thinking about when he died: Maura, the love of his brother’s life. Nonetheless, he begins to overcome his own selfishness to help others find happiness. Soon, he learns that the poker games that he plays with other angels to pass the time are about far more than meets the eye. In the acknowledgements section at the end of the book, O’Leary traces the development of her story as stemming from her own spirituality and a Guideposts magazine publication about angels. The resulting narrative is engagingly written, although the language is somewhat repetitive at times—Jimmy’s constant desire to “hang with” his angel friends and family, for instance, becomes distracting. The details of O’Leary’s heaven are whimsical and quirky: many angels wear backpacks; they “snooze-doze” on puffy cloud-beds; they rarely converse; and although God is mentioned, he appears to play a relatively minor role in their existences. One can’t help but wish that the book were a little longer, in order to more completely develop the author’s vision of the afterlife and the angels who live there.

About this edition

• Publisher: InspiringVoices
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1462412130
• ISBN 13: 9781462412136
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 122