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Falling Angels
In her New York Times bestselling follow-up, Tracy Chevalier once again paints a distant age with a rich and provocative palette of characters. Told through a variety of shifting perspectives- wives and husbands, friends and lovers, masters and their servants, and a gravedigger's son-Falling Angels follows the fortunes of two families in the emerging years of the twentieth century.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
About the author
Tracy Chevalier
65 books12k followersBorn:
19 October 1962 in Washington, DC. Youngest of 3 children. Father was a photographer for The Washington Post.
Childhood:
Nerdy. Spent a lot of time lying on my bed reading. Favorite authors back then: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madeleine L’Engle, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Joan Aiken, Susan Cooper, Lloyd Alexander. Book I would have taken to a desert island: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.
Education:
BA in English, Oberlin College, Ohio, 1984. No one was surprised that I went there; I was made for such a progressive, liberal place.
MA in creative writing, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, 1994. There’s a lot of debate about whether or not you can be taught to write. Why doesn’t anyone ask that of professional singers, painters, dancers? That year forced me to write all the time and take it seriously.
Geography:
Moved to London after graduating from Oberlin in 1984. I had studied for a semester in London and thought it was a great place, so came over for fun, expecting to go back to the US after 6 months to get serious. I’m still in London, and still not entirely serious. Even have dual citizenship – though I keep the American accent intact.
Family:
1 English husband + 1 English son.
Career:
Before writing, was a reference book editor, working on encyclopedias about writers. (Yup, still nerdy.) Learned how to research and how to make sentences better. Eventually I wanted to fix my own sentences rather than others’, so I quit and did the MA.
Writing:
Talked a lot about becoming a writer as a kid, but actual pen to paper contact was minimal. Started writing short stories in my 20s, then began first novel, The Virgin Blue, during the MA year. With Girl With a Pearl Earring (written in 1998), I became a full-time writer.
19 October 1962 in Washington, DC. Youngest of 3 children. Father was a photographer for The Washington Post.
Childhood:
Nerdy. Spent a lot of time lying on my bed reading. Favorite authors back then: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madeleine L’Engle, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Joan Aiken, Susan Cooper, Lloyd Alexander. Book I would have taken to a desert island: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.
Education:
BA in English, Oberlin College, Ohio, 1984. No one was surprised that I went there; I was made for such a progressive, liberal place.
MA in creative writing, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, 1994. There’s a lot of debate about whether or not you can be taught to write. Why doesn’t anyone ask that of professional singers, painters, dancers? That year forced me to write all the time and take it seriously.
Geography:
Moved to London after graduating from Oberlin in 1984. I had studied for a semester in London and thought it was a great place, so came over for fun, expecting to go back to the US after 6 months to get serious. I’m still in London, and still not entirely serious. Even have dual citizenship – though I keep the American accent intact.
Family:
1 English husband + 1 English son.
Career:
Before writing, was a reference book editor, working on encyclopedias about writers. (Yup, still nerdy.) Learned how to research and how to make sentences better. Eventually I wanted to fix my own sentences rather than others’, so I quit and did the MA.
Writing:
Talked a lot about becoming a writer as a kid, but actual pen to paper contact was minimal. Started writing short stories in my 20s, then began first novel, The Virgin Blue, during the MA year. With Girl With a Pearl Earring (written in 1998), I became a full-time writer.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 2, 2019
Beginnend mit dem Tod Königin Victorias 1901 wird eine Geschichte von Umbrüchen erzählt. Nicht nur im Großen, wobei die Suffragetten und ihre Forderungen nach Frauenwahlrecht im Mittelpunkt stehen, sondern auch im Kleinen, indem die Geschichten zweier Familien verfolgt werden. Dabei stehen ebenfalls die Frauen im Mittelpunkt, die gänzlich verschiedene Typen verkörpern. Durch die wechselnde Erzählperspektive kommen alle zu Wort - egal ob Hausherrin oder Dienstmädchen, Ehemann oder Totengräber. Manchmal erinnerte mich das an Tagebucheinträge, manchmal an Verhörprotokolle, aber es hat mir durchweg gut gefallen (auch wenn ich den gewählten Ton nicht immer perfekt fand). Die Geschichte, die ohne Perspektivwechsel vielleicht etwas dünn gewesen wäre, gewinnt eindeutig an Tiefgang, und die Personen werden ebenfalls greifbarer. Dabei wird das soziale Wechselspiel einfühlsam dargestellt.
Friedhöfe üben auch auf mich eine ganz eigene Faszination aus (allerdings eher die historischen, denen man die Spuren der Zeit ansieht). Hinzu kommt hier die Reglementierung von Trauer der viktorianischen Zeit, die im Laufe der Geschichte an Bedeutung verliert. Sowas finde ich interessant, und wenn es gut in eine Geschichte eingebunden ist - um so besser!
Friedhöfe üben auch auf mich eine ganz eigene Faszination aus (allerdings eher die historischen, denen man die Spuren der Zeit ansieht). Hinzu kommt hier die Reglementierung von Trauer der viktorianischen Zeit, die im Laufe der Geschichte an Bedeutung verliert. Sowas finde ich interessant, und wenn es gut in eine Geschichte eingebunden ist - um so besser!
September 28, 2023
Guets feministisches Buech wo ihblick in d‘Afäng vor Frauebewegig git
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews