Tad bounces around in time and watches mankind grow and change. He loves humanity and helping when he can. However, his job isn’t conducive to helping people—he’s an Angel of Death.Doug is a fun-loving drama queen. He’s an amazing drag queen and hairstylist with big dreams, but despite his witty exterior, he has a dark history and is prone to self-destruction.When Tad pushes the boundaries of his … boundaries of his duties too far, his wings are stripped away from him, and he is sent to New York City to live as a human. Lost and alone he ends up meeting Doug, and they start a friendship that shapes them both and may last a lifetime. But nothing is simple when you’re dealing with a former Angel of Death and a Drag Queen. Could these two cause the fabric of our world to collapse or will they manage to keep the future as it should?
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I loved Tad and Doug and this story of their friendship and love. It isn’t easy being the ex-Angel of Death who cared too much for those fragile humans and it isn’t easy being Doug and battling all those interior demons sometimes successfully, sometimes not. This is a lovely story for the holidays. It will remind you there is goodness, love and kindness in the world, and you’ll happy cry for that. Then it will remind you of some things about the fragility of humans and you cry in another way.
I volunteered to listen to this and review it with a profound sense of trepidation. While it’s been 20 years since the events of 9/11, I was worried that they might not be treated with the respect that they deserved. I lost friends and co-workers in the attacks. In fact, if I’d gone into work early that day, I’d not be here now. My office was on the 94th floor of Tower One. All my co-workers that had already gotten to work were lost.
That said, this book uses that event as just an opening event in a whimsical and telling tale about angels and saving lives. It isn’t disrespectful of what happened on that day. In fact, the tale revolves around an “Angel of Death” that is stripped of his wings for lowering the body-count that day. As a result of his punishment, the angel finds himself a homeless man on the streets of NYC. Now it’s a year after the fateful events and this tale revolves around the drag queen that took him in.
Doug is slightly overweight drag queen and hairdresser who takes in this fallen angel, calling him TAD. Though Tad is beautiful, he’s asexual. He has no sexual desire and doesn’t quite understand human desire.
While this is partly an allegory it is also a tale of humanity. With the advantage of being partly from the viewpoint of an innocent, unworldly outsider, one can see and say things about the human condition that we insiders seldom realize. Who’s better to explore what it means to be human than someone who never has been?
In spots this is a poignant portrait of man’s inhumanity to man. In other’s it’s a portrait on just one man’s life. They say that “Fate works in mysterious ways”, but when Fate asks for Doug’s help in this tale, one questions where it will all lead.
This tale out of time lacked some of the cohesiveness of more standard plot-lines. At points it’s confusing, and one feels like it should be better ordered. But then, that’s true of life as well.
This audiobook is narrated by Steve Connor in an upbeat manner that reveals his history as a children’s book narrator. The prose narrative is clear and well paced and the different character voices are distinct without being over-done. Connor’s narration style wouldn’t work for every tale, but it’s perfect for this one. It adds emphasis to the “moral fable” aspects of the story. This Audio-book is outside the norm in a number of ways, and won’t be to all tastes.
I really enjoyed it, and I expect that those for a taste for things outside the norm will as well. It’s one of those books that gives one a fresh perspective and perhaps a deeper understanding of life.
*** Note: I am voluntarily reviewing this after receiving a complimentary copy ***
Witty, tearful and original
MD Neu is a new to me author, so I had no expectations when starting this book.
An over the top drama queen come drag queen and hairdresser, and an Angel of Death (TAD), you shouldn’t be able to dream this up, no idea how the author’s brain works, but I love it.
It had me laughing in parts, and then the tears came, well written and very unique. It has twists that I wasn’t expecting, and overall I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Not only was the author new to me, but so was the narrator. So in total, a very enjoyable read/listen, and I will lookout for more books from both the author and narrator.
Steve Connor was a pleasure to listen to, clean and concise. I did speed up this narration which is usual for me.
TAD
By: M.D. Neu
Narrated by: Steve Connor
Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
Overall
Narration
Story
Read at 1.25 speed on Audible
I received this audiobook for free from GRR at my request. My review is my opinion and an honest review – neither the author nor GRR influenced my opinion.
M.D. Neu has done it again with his latest novel, TAD. Doug, a fun-loving drama queen finds TAD down on his luck and needing a friend. While Doug doesn’t believe his new friend’s story of being a former angel of death, he gives him his new name, an acronym for The Angel of Death.
This is a riveting story of lasting friendship between two people who couldn’t be more different, but it teaches us to be tolerant of others and their lifestyles. Doug and TAD are well-developed characters and are the main focus of the story. This novel will make you smile, laugh, and perhaps even cry by the time you turn the last page. I won’t spoil the story for anyone who wants to read without know what happens, but M.D. has done a brilliant job of putting together an excellent plot and well-written story about life, friends, and death. Grab yourself a copy now!
I went back and forth between rating this 4 or 5 stars so I’ll just say 4.5 rounding up on the higher end.
Note this book isn’t for everyone. It focuses highly on 9/11. So don’t read it if that is a trigger. There are things said that may offend. I don’t know the author but I want to believe that isn’t their opinion and just coming from what the character would say in that situation out of anger and emotion. Including Political matters. This may also not be for everyone because I was a little thrown to realize it isn’t really a romance but rather just best friends and life lessons.
With that being said I loved it. The characters were fantastic and despite not being a couple they were the sweetest together. The plot was interesting and very original. I devoured this in one listen. I’ll definitely be following this author.
TAD is the angel of death. He is too soft for the job and wants to save people instead of just guiding them into the light. On 9/11 he tries to intervene and so his wings are clipped and he is forced to be human again. He is lost and alone and given the tragedy around them when Dough who is a drag queen finds him, he offers to take him in thinking he was hit in the trajedy and lost his memory.
Audio 5 stars
I don’t know who this narrator is but boy was it a pleasure to listen to him. He is a true performer. I could hear all the emotions and was on the edge of my seat totally enthralled by his storytelling. He did wonderful different voices for each of the characters that suited them all perfectly.