Nice treatment of early 1900's life and the beginnings of the sufferage movement. I was captivated by her characters, all of whom seemed consummately real.

Once again Tracy Chevalier weaves a tale of everyday life in a different time- takes us gently through the customs and mores that define a particular point in hostory. She also allows her characters to unfold, not from one single point of view or from an omnipotent observer, but each from their own perspective. Through her words, they each grow and evolve- even the most shallow of characters shows surprising depth. The descriptive quality, simple prose, multiple perspectives, all help the story unfold.

This period of English history is not one I know that much about, but I found the customs fascinating. (My knowledge of the suffragette movement in England was for a long time limited to the mother in Mary Poppins). I really feel that I learned a great deal about the customs of the time.

I am perhaps an odd duck, because I really like reading the acknowlegdements and afterwards in books. Chevalier made me smile when she wrote in hers:

"The acknowledgements is the only section of a novel that reveals the author's "normal" voice. As a result I wlways read them looking for clues that will shed light on writers and their working methods and lives, as well as their connections with the real world. I suspect some of them are written in code. Alas, however, there are no hidden meanings in this one-just an everyday voice that wants to express gratitude for help in several forms."

I love everything Chevalier has written but this unique story set in Edwardian London has been a particular, long-time favorite. The story focuses on the friendship of two young girls from different backgrounds and includes several perspectives, including that of a gravedigger's son and an ardent suffragette. A well-researched piece of historical fiction and a gripping story.

Emotiva historia (o historias) contadas desde diferentes personajes que giran en torno a la muerte en la Inglaterra victoriana de los últimos años del siglo XIX.
Me pareció una novela original y a la vez muy entretenida, que no puedes dejar de leer. Todo ello escrito de una manera muy bonita y sensible.
Chevalier siempre sorprende y siempre es un acierto.

This was one of those stories that brought tears to my eyes at the end. It's an Edwardian tale of friendship, tragedy, loss, and recovery.

Some people say this book isn't plausible because friendships between a richer yet well-grounded girl, a less-rich but melodramatic girl, and a lowly grave-digger their age is highly unlikely. I would say, things happen when kids are involved. You never know who your friends will be.

I was little jarred when the story line, which is told by the point of view of all of the main characters, abruptly switched to one of the mothers (Kitty Coleman)all of a sudden jumping head-first into the burgeoning suffragette movement. However, it quickly became obvious this storyline was going to be irrevocably entwined in the novel's denouement.

The first night I started reading, I got through 238 pages with no trouble whatsoever. I felt something for all the characters, whether it was sadness, a kindred longing, or slight revulsion. That's my criteria for giving Five Stars -- living with the characters.

Highly recommended.


Lori Anderson

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I had to read this one for school, and surprisingly, I really liked it.

here is part of the essay I wrote about it for school (scroll further down for a less formal review :))

Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier was easy to read - there were short chapters, and the novel was well paced.

In terms of plot, I did not find the story very captivating. The only part that I found thrilling were the deaths of Ivy May and Kitty. However, when it comes to how well the story was executed, it was extremely well done.

In my opinion, the main reason this book is such an interesting read, is the fact that it is told from multiple points of views. This is not a new concept, but it was a well thought out decision when it comes to narration. Multiple perspectives let the reader see the situation from numerous people´s views. It helps the reader get into every character’s head and understand them better. For example, when Kitty turns among others, Edith Coleman´s necklaces into a new one, we get to know what Kitty was thinking when she did this, and we also get to see Richard and Edith´s reaction first hand from their point of view.

Especially in an age such as the time of the suffragette movement, there were many opinions on topics like, for instance, the women´s liberation. Falling Angels has such a diverse cast of characters concerning thoughts on the suffragette movement, and using this format to showcase every single one, was an excellent choice made by Tracy Chevalier.

Furthermore, often, when there is only a single narrator, the reader is forced to automatically be on the narrator’s side, but when a book is told by multiple people, the reader is free to decide for themselves whose side they are on. The reader has more freedom in deciding whether turning family heirlooms into a new necklace is acceptable.

The reason why Falling Angels delt with the theme women´s liberation so well, can again be traced back to the author´s use of multiple perspectives. Letting the reader hear everyone´s opinion is, as I mentioned above, a great way to let every side of the story be known. In this book there are characters that support the suffragette movement so much they become obsessed with it - Kitty Coleman; There are characters that are against the movement and believe that a women´s place is the home - Edith Coleman; There are characters that don´t particularly care about women´s rights and are embarrassed to be associated with it- Gertrude Waterhouse; There are female characters that seek knowledge and want to study at university, but also female characters that love fashion and making mourning etiquettes; There are characters from every class and all kinds of backgrounds - The diversity is what makes all of these perspectives to interesting. Showing every side of the story is very important, and when it comes to serious topics such as women´s liberation, it is no different.

In conclusion, this book would have been nothing special without the multiple perspectives. The story was nothing out of the ordinary, but the multiple points of views made it unique in its genre; it stands out in a sea of historical novels.

A lot less formal review:

You see, I tend to just skim books I have to read for school, but this one I ACTUALLY read. At the beginning I thought "okay. where is the plot.", and I had absolutely no motivation to continue reading after the first 50 pages. But then of course I had to, and I actually started to enjoy it.

The last bit before the ending was the best part. It was brutal, complex, and I was devastated (unfortunately the book didn´t pass the cry test though).

The characters grew on me (most of them at least) and I loved their relationships.

If you´re looking for a book about the suffragette movement, look no more, this is it.

This is the first Tracy Chevalier's book I read. I really enjoyed the style of writing and the different perspectives. The main theme of the book is rather sombre and poignant as it mostly revolves around death and mourning but despite all this, I liked it a lot as it also includes the Victorians' way of thinking when faced with a death of a loved one. A favourite topic of mine - the suffragettes, is also mentioned quite frequently during the latter half of the novel. Although, it does not form part of the main plot, the novel gives some insight to this struggle and the opposition surrounding it.

The novel was quite fast-paced and easy to read. I look forward to reading 'The Girl with a Pearl Earring', the author's much more acclaimed novel.

I loved the way this book was written/designed. Each character is broken down into their own chapters. I loved it. Maybe it was because I'm getting old but I knew who was talking and what was going on without confusion. Thank you Tracy Chevalier. PS the story was great too.

سقوط فرشتگان از آن کتاب هاییست که نمی توانم تصمیم بگیرم دوستش دارم یا نه.
داستان با مرگ ملکه ویکتوریا در سال 1901 شروع می شود و به مدت نه سال (سال های سلطنت ادوارد هفتم) سرنوشت دو خانواده را دنبال می کند.
نثر کتاب نثر مخصوص و دوست داشتنی تریسی شوالیه است. نثری روان با همان توصیف ها و جزئیات دقیق که در «دختری با گوشواره مروارید» هم استفاده شده و این بار مخاطب را به ابتدای قرن بیستم و آغاز تغییرات در انگلستان ویکتوریایی می برد. تریسی شوالیه در این کتاب از چندین راوی اول شخص استفاده کرده بود و تقریبا به همه شخصیت های داستانش فرصت داده بود تا بخشی از داستان را از زاویه دید خود روایت کنند. اما بخش اصلی کتاب از زبان زنان کتاب روایت می شود و با توجه به سیر اتفاقات می توان گفت «سقوط فرشتگان» کتابی درباره زنان در اغاز قرن بیستم است.
«سقوط فرشتگان» بر خلاف «دختری با گوشواره مروارید» (که از سرشار رنگ های درخشان و حس خوب هنر و نقاشی بود)، بوی مرگ میداد. کتاب با یک مرگ شروع (ملکه ویکتوریا) و با یک مرگ پایان یافت (پادشاه ادوارد هفتم). در طول داستان هم مرگ بر بخش های مختلف داستان سایه انداخته بود. (قبرستان، گورکن ها، فرشته ها و ظرف های خاکستر، تشریفات خاکسپاری و عزاداری و...)
مشکل اصلی در مورد این داستان این بود که من تا صد صفحه اول داستان سردرگم بود که داستان چه مسیری را در پیش گرفته و هدف نویسنده و شخصیت ها چیست و قرار است به کجا برسند. و اضافه شدن این مسئله به جزئی گری نویسنده باعث شد حس کنم در لندن قرن بیستم گم شده ام. مشکل بعدی رفتار غیر قابل درک بعضی از شخصیت ها به خصوص کیتی کولمن بود. که حتی روایت بخشی از داستان از زبان خودش توجیهی بر رفتار های عجیب و غریبش نبود.
انتظاری که از تریسی شوالیه داشتم در این کتاب براورده نشد و با توجه به همه مسائل امتیاز من به این کتاب بین سه و چهار است.

read in school, kind of cozy but kind of boring.

If you read Kate Chopin's "The Awakening" in school and enjoyed it, then this book is for you. Set at the beginning of the 20th century, it deals with women's rights, growing up, control, class differences, and other changes in people's lives. The only disconcerting thing about the book is that it is told from different characters' perspectives, and it takes some time to get used to that. Definitely a good read!

Interesting style with several of the characters telling the story sometimes saying only a few sentences but mostly a few pages. It’s about 2 middle class families in the early years of the 20th century, it has one or two very surprising moments which stopped me in my tracks. The story about the suffragettes is interesting but just ends, I read about it on the 100th anniversary of votes for women 6th Feb 2018.