Quick Look
A young girl's nightly conversations with her favourite doll Angel give her a new perspective on her terminal illness, including the question of life after death.
Description
This is the moving story of a young girl battling leukemia who realizes she is going to die. She receives hope and comfort through nightly conversations with her favourite doll, Angel, who helps her to embrace a new perspective on dying, and the possibility that consciousness could survive after death. Her fear of death is ultimately lifted by her new-found spiritual wisdom and by the account of a near-death experience told to her by a young companion.
Evelyn Elsaesser-Valarino's extensive knowledge of near-death experiences informs this astonishing book. It will be of great benefit and comfort to those facing their own death, or for parents and carers of those with serious illnesses. It will also enrich anyone who is reflecting on this essential aspect of life.
Reviews
"With her vast knowledge of NDEs, Elsaesser-Valarino has succeeded in demonstrating how NDEs can be helpful to those facing death. Although sad at times, this book highlights the spiritual growth that can be achieved as a result of contemplating one's own mortality. A lovely book, useful for those facing a life-threatening illness, and also for their carers, nurses and doctors."
--Dr Penny Sartori, Intensive Therapy Unit Nurse, in De Numine: newsletter of the Alister Hardy Society, Lampeter University
"Talking with Angel'... is one of the most compelling, gripping books of all time. It grabs at your heart strings and doesn't let go...A MUST READ for anyone interested in knowing more about the here after.'
--Natalie Smith-Blakeslee, Near Death Experiencer, Professional Medium to Bereaved Moms and Dads and bereaved Mother herself. August 2006
'Talking with Angel is a courageous book that forces us to confront our worst fears. In the end, however, Evelyn provides us with a sense of hope, a peace of mind, and an invitation into a realm of possibilities that is more beautiful than we can even imagine. Talking with Angel is a triumph for the human spirit.'
-- Dr Allan Botkin, author of Induced After Death Communication: A New Therapy for Healing Grief and Trauma
'I enjoyed this book enormously. I found the way Evelyn dealt so tenderly and openly with the subject of death very reassuring. It will be of interest to everyone, whether they are confronting death or not. It can provide lessons for life.'
-- Alison Westwood, Kindling, Autumn 2005
'Talking with Angel provides an experiential rollercoaster. Reflection on completion of the book enables me fully to appreciate the journey taken by the reader and the spiritual awakening it provoked. This book is for anyone with questions about the fairness of who lives and who dies, or about life after death. It is also for health professionals wishing to engender hope in people who are faced with death. This book will provide valuable insight and wisdom long after it is put back on the shelf.'
-- Susanne Becker, Lecturer in School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of South Australia, Contemporary Nurse journal
'I consider Talking with Angel one of the most powerful and helpful books I have ever read. I am sure it will help countless numbers of people understand and accept their eventual journeys to that wonderful "new dimension" of life that awaits us all.'
-- Rev Richard Southworth, Austin, Texas
'It is written as a novel [...] this format could be a good way to reach people who are having to come face to face with illness and death.'
-- Christian Parapsychologist, December 2005
'Evelyn Elsaesser-Valarino has written a beautiful book that I will recommend to my colleagues and, when appropriate, to clients. It is not only well written, but the content is insightful and education. At one point it brought tears to my eyes. I'm confident it will be heartily welcomed by many professionals and non-professionals alike.'
-- Louis E. LaGrand, PhD, CT, Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at the State University of New York
'Gripping reading. The only other book that it calls to mind is Tolstoy's Death of Ivan Ilyich, although Ivan does not achieve the wisdom displayed in this book. The format is a tour de force. The simplicity of the narrative structure provides the vehicle through which spiritual wisdom is formulated and transmitted in an eminently palatable fashion. Once you read this book you will understand why human life is such a gift and can be passed on to those in need.'
-- David Lorimer, Scientific and Medical Network Review, December 2005
'The description of an NDE is very impressive and very complete. A very good and important book.'
-- Pim van Lommel, author of Near Death Experience In Survivors of Cardiac Arrest: A Prospective Study in the Netherlands, The Lancet
'Talking With Angel is a powerful story of a young girl who becomes a woman during her intense struggle with a life-threatening illness. I recommend this book highly to every-one who values personal growth and spiritual transformation.'
-- Bill Guggenheim, author of Hello From Heaven
'A most poignant and heart-tugging read. This will be an invaluable and comforting book to all who are facing sickness or who are tending somebody. This insights are, however, of universal application. Recommended.'
-- Michael Taylor, New Vision, November 2005
'So intimate that you feel yourself "inside" the girl, caring what she thinks, feels, during crucial moments. The description of the near-death experience is among the most riveting accounts I have yet read about the phenomenon and its aftereffects. The book is simply incredible! Highly recommended for older children, parents, and anyone coming to grips with life and death issues -- regardless of age.'
-- P. M. H. Atwater, author of The New Children and Near-Death Experiences and Beyond the Indigo Children
'From her acknowledged position as one of the world's most well-known researchers and writers on the near-death experience, Evelyn Elsaesser-Valarino produces an evocative and moving story about dying. Elsaesser-Valarino's triumph is in providing a genuine resource -- not simply for all children and parents desiring education about death and dying, but as one of the few books in the world one can put into the hands of a child who is facing a life-threatening illness.'
-- Dr Allan Kellehear, Professor of Palliative Care, La Trobe University, Melbourne
'Honestly, I was very moved by the story's emotional power and the depth of the teachings it conveys. I found the story gripping from the very beginning, but I think what hit me the most was the account Evelyn Elsaesser-Valarino wrote, in epistolary form, of James' near-death experience. It is simply one of the best and richest accounts (even if it is fiction) of an NDE I've ever come across. I don't think it is saying too much to claim that in itself this bit of writing is a masterpiece.'
-- Dr Kenneth Ring, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Connecticut
'The author has woven a tapestry that deals with illness, grief, guilt, purpose, physical death and survival, drawing from insights gained from the author's extensive research of near-death experience ... Is this book another example of the convergence of spirituality and science? Will this book bring comfort to the bereaved and the curious? I think that the answer is a resounding yes.'
-- Bob Ginseng, Signs of Life, Autumn/Winter 2007
'A mere review cannot do justice to the depth and wisdom of this book. From the initial distress, we progress into ever richer fields of hope. Talking with Angel can surely offer much help and comfort to anyone dealing with the question of death.'
-- Paul King, Invisible News
Author
Evelyn Elsaesser-Valarino was born in Switzerland in 1954. She has studied Near-Death Experiences for over twenty years and collaborated with Kenneth Ring on Lessons from the Light: What we can learn from the near-death experience (2000). She is also the author of On the Other Side of Life: Exploring the phenomenon of Near-Death Experience (1997). She works at the University of Geneva and is a coordinator for the Scientific and Medical Network.
You can also visit the author's own website at www.elsaesser-valarino.com
Links
Floris also publishes other books dealing with death and dying:
When Death Enters Life by John Baum
Though You Die: Death and Life Beyond Death by Stanley Drake
Letters from the Living by Kazumi Yumoto. Fiction for 12-15 year olds about death and suicide.
Experiences with the Dying and the Dead by Claire Blatchford
