The Rebel Angels, by Robertson Davies

[Stacey]

I loved Robertson Davies' The Deptford Trilogy: Fifth Business/The Manticore/World of Wonders, read years ago. So I was eager to pick him up again in this enjoyable (but not Deptford Trilogy-level enjoyable), thoroughly dated (on women and gay men) novel published in 1981, which I read for Week 37: a book set in a school or university.

I am happy to note that Davies' special wit and writing style live on. The unique and captivating story is set in a fictional Canadian university called St. John and Holy Ghost, which is lovingly referred to as "Spook", based on Toronto's Trinity College. (The novel is also book one of Davies' Cornish Trilogy.) The story meanders a bit and there's a lot of chit-chat dialogue, so you need to pay a good bit of attention, but it's worth it in the long run. Interesting, off-beat characters, magic, sex, love (magic, sex and love always play a big role in Davies' works), and the complicated will of a recently deceased art collector together make up this unique story. In the background, you've also got Rabelais, John Aubrey and Polish and gypsy culture and lore to provide the novel with even more whimsy and color. Have an open mind and big heart, especially when you discover the definition of those rebel angels.