Down at Angel's — Sharon Chmielarz

In this bittersweet tale of hard times in a small Midwestern town, two sisters and a lonesome Bulgarian immigrant offer one another consolation. . . . Angel's eccentricities attract the girls: his home, his artistic carpentry, his passion for opera. And he cements their friendship with his genuine kindness . . . Chmielarz's prose is consistently ripe . . . With successive readings, this book's shine will deepen into a gratifying patina. -- Publishers Weekly