A New York Times bestsellerFrom the author of the international bestseller Girl With A Pearl Earring and At the Edge of the Orchard, Tracy Chevalier once again paints a distant age with a rich and provocative palette of characters. Falling Angels follows the fortunes of two families in the emerging years of the twentieth century in England, while the Queen’s death reverberates through a changing … while the Queen’s death reverberates through a changing nation. Told through a variety of shifting perspectives—wives and husbands, friends and lovers, masters and their servants, and a gravedigger’s son—Falling Angels is graced with the luminous imagery that distinguished Girl With a Pearl Earring, Falling Angels is another dazzling tour de force from this “master of voices” (The New York Times Book Review).
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This is such an unusual and fascinating book, encompassing the time span of the Edwardian period, beginning with the death of Queen Victoria and ending with the death of King Edward VII. There are lots of different viewpoints which I found engrossing, especially a few which appeared like cameos and added an extra layer of understanding. Most of the interaction between the characters revolves around a cemetery where two young girls, Maude and Lavinia, become friends whilst their fathers disagree over the ornaments encroaching over their respective family graves (in the end cricket smooths over any ill feeling!). Not only do the girls become friends with each other, but they also become acquainted with a gravedigger’s son, Simon, whom Lavinia Waterhouse gives the label ‘naughty boy’. I love what he teaches them about the world he inhabits; the dangers and superstitions; the snippets of graveside etiquette and the proper way to mourn. Simon’s attitude towards his lot in life and his devotion to the girls is delightful. Maude Coleman provides the more sensible voice of the two girls and the prickly relationship with her mother, Kitty, is sad. Although I felt for the beautiful Kitty with her lack of love and purpose, I couldn’t quite forgive her for her treatment of Maude although, perhaps Maude blossoms into the woman she becomes because of it. Lavinia’s early outlook on life and what she finds important is funny and a provides a great foil to Maude’s pragmatic approach. Ivy May is a splendid character – I love her wisdom and her subtle undermining of her sister.
I learnt a lot about graveyards, gravedigging and the incredible burdens women faced in society, but I like how Chevalier doesn’t paint all Suffragettes as martyrs. There is much humour to be found in Ivy May and Kitty’s ghastly mother-in-law, Edith, but there is also a lot of tragedy and the knot in my stomach increased with each page. I also think Simon is a marvellous character – I am sure he will have fulfilled his promise to Ivy May after the fateful Suffragette march.
I couldn’t work out what was going to happen in the story, but I had a sense of foreboding whilst reading. From the opening bedroom scene, Chevalier implies that, despite appearances, there are always complications going on under the surface. This is a dark coming of age story embedded in the strange stifling Edwardian world where graveyards are definitely places for the living.
I like T. Chevaliers writings. Different story and situations, almost always interesting.
Another great story with great writing.
If you enjoyed ”Girl with the pearl earring”, you will like this.
Sometimes a good book is just a good story! I enjoyed the characters, the setting and story!
Doesn’t compare to her other books..
I started but didn’t like it
Couldn’t get into it. Characters not appealing
I’ve read many of her books. This one is probably my least favorite.
Good book club book
She’s a wonderful storyteller. Always very strong women characters.
Tracy Chevalier’s Falling Angels opens with the death of Queen Victoria, which sends families across Britain into cemeteries to mourn her passing. It is in one such cemetery that the Colemans and Waterhouses find themselves, and where the daughters, Maude and Lavinia, become fast friends. The mothers, in particular, are uneasy about this friendship, as the Colemans are the Waterhouses “betters.” Despite the firm class strictures in Edwardian England, the girls remain steadfast friends through the years, often including the gravedigger’s son, Simon, in their hijinks.
While the story is written from multiple viewpoints (the mothers, the daughters, the husbands, the servants, and even Simon all have their say), Kitty Coleman is the true protagonist around whom the core storylines spin. In an era in which women were supposed to be content simply to be content, Kitty Coleman has never been content, not since she was made to stay at home while her brother went off to school. Having become a wife and mother out of obligations to her class and gender, she neither excels at nor enjoys either role, moving blandly through each day. Dissatisfied and, frankly, depressed, she gambles heavily on friendship with the manager of the local cemetery as well as on the women’s suffrage movement. The consequences of these decisions unspool, unexpectedly and rather disastrously, throughout the last half of the novel.
I found the constant change in narration to be distracting at first; this was a hard book to get into and to feel any affinity for the characters. Ultimately, I was won over, though, and not only by the characters. The plot is well thought out, and I was especially taken with Chevalier’s research and writing about the suffrage movement in the early years. Sylvia Pankhurst makes the expected appearance, but it’s the day-to-day scenes of sewing banners and distributing pamphlets that bring the movement alive. If the plot is not quite as original as At the Edge of the Orchard, it is close, and in the end, I found I could not turn the pages and read the ending fast enough.
(This review was originally published at http://www.thisyearinbooks.com/2018/08/falling-angels.html)
It speaks to womens issues in the Victorian era.
A fascinating look at 2 families and the people they interact with, starting with the death of Queen Victoria and ending with that of her son. England is on the cusp of more freedom for women. And a look into the different characters mindsets is intriguing. Excellently plotted. When it ended, I wished I could continue following through more years.
Great audible book
The book was ok- I finished it, but I never really became invested in the story line. I’ve read better from this author.
Didn’t like the subject matter or timeframe. We’ll written though.
Very original composition. Very unique in a good way!
It was fun to read the chapters all narrated by different characters. I enjoy reading fiction set in different times, to see how the historical events affect the characters. I felt the ending was a bit abrupt.
The story stayed in my mind long after I finished the book.