When the Angels Left the Old Country

By: Sacha Lamb

Narrated by: Donald Corren

Length: 9 hrs

Publisher's summary

In publishing-speak, here's what we at the LQ office sometimes describe as the Queer lovechild of Sholem Aleichem and Philip Roth: Uriel the angel and Little Ash (short for Ashmedai) are the only two supernatural creatures in their shtetl (which is so tiny, it doesn't have a name other than Shtetl). The angel and the demon have been studying together for centuries, but pogroms and the search for a new life have drawn all the young people from their village to America. When one of those young emigrants goes missing, Uriel and Little Ash set off to find her.

Along the way, the angel and demon encounter humans in need of their help, including Rose Cohen, whose best friend (and the love of her life) has abandoned her to marry a man, and Malke Shulman, whose father died mysteriously on his way to America. But there are obstacles ahead of them as difficult as what they've left behind. Medical exams (and demons) at Ellis Island. Corrupt officials, cruel mob bosses, murderers, poverty. The streets are far from paved with gold.

With cinematic sweep and tender observation, Sacha Lamb presents a totally original drama about individual purpose, the fluid nature of identity, and the power of love to change and endure.

©2022 Sacha Lamb (P)2022 Recorded Books

loved this

So compelling with characters that you fall deeply in love with. I've listened more than once and loved every minute. ❤️ The mythology and the history are so well rendered.

I loved it!

What a wonderful book! I was captivated from the very first, and hung on every word through all the adventures of Little Ash the demon and Uriel the angel. All of the characters were so interesting, and I was cheering for them throughout. From the old country, to the steamship, to New York City, the plot moved along at a brisk pace, and I never wanted to stop listening. I’m not Jewish, but I loved all the Jewish mysticism present in the story. And the ending was absolutely perfect! A delightful historical fantasy, with a refreshing Jewish perspective.

The narrator wasn’t bad, though I did have problems sometimes differentiating between Little Ash and Uriel when they were speaking. But otherwise I thought he was able to give the book a Yiddish feel in his inflections and speech patterns, that made the book feel authentic.

A grand adventure on many levels.

I was charmed by the characters, intrigued by the episodic adventure, and touched by the search for identity.

Captivating

What an utterly charming story. I was a little apprehensive to start reading it in case sad, bad things happen to people, but despite sad, bad things happening at times, it remains wonderful and uplifting and at times very funny.

Fabulous story!

The reading was a little flat, but the story is fantastic! I loved the dynamic between Little Ash and The Angel. The story didn’t drag at any point, and I wanted more when it was over.

A Jewish “Good Omens”

A fun story with a lively narration. Starts a little slow so give it a few chapters.

A Beautiful story!

This book captured me from the first line, and kept me engaged throughout the book.

Focusing on an Angel and a Demon from a nice little Shtetl in Europe, we find ourselves taken on a journey with the two supernatural creatures as they seek out a daughter from the Shtetl, and find themselves in a whole new World, with challenges, corruption, and the fight between good and evil on a not-so cosmic scale.

I would love to see a sequel to this book!

Not the same as Good Omen but entertaining

I picked the book because the synopsis sounded similar to Good Omen by Terry Pratchet and Neil Gaimen. The Good Omen follows more of a Christian story with the story of the Antichrist, When angels left the old country has some Jewish mysticism. It is an enjoyable story.

I listen to the audio version and found the story entertaining while doing chores and cooking.

An unexpected delight

I wasn’t convinced when I first started listening to this but it didn’t take long to become hooked.

It doesn’t take long to start feeling invested in the characters and their development.

If I had to describe the story, I would call it a mixture of a large portion of Neil Gaiman, another of Jim Butcher, and a sprinkling of Yiddish and Jewish folklore and they all meld together to create a very intriguing adventure.

I learned quite a few Yiddish words since I didn’t really know any going in.