Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Thanks and thoughts on Falling Angels...

Awww, you guys are so sweet! Glad you liked the pics :-)

Now, onto Falling Angels. Though it's Tracy Chevalier's second book, I read the others (Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Virgin Blue and The Lady and the Unicorn) first. This one was totally different, but just as good. Set in turn of the century London (20th C), it follows the lives of two very different families, connected by the friendship of two girls. They first meet in the cemetary, where the family plots are side by side, on the day of Queen Victoria's death. While the main focus of the book is on their relationship, we meet a whole cast of characters, from the young grave-digger who befriends the girls, to a housemaid, to the matriarch of the Coleman family who disapproves of her daughter-in-law. Over the course of ten years we experience the ups and downs of Maude and Lavinia's lives, as seen through their eyes and those of the people around them.

What impressed me the most was Ms. Chevalier's ability to create distinct voices for each of her many narrators. Not many authors could pull off such a unique method of telling a story, but she did with aplomb. I also loved her historical detail and pacing, which might explain why I basically read the book in one sitting. Yes, I know I listed it as my current read for about a week, my evenings kept getting away from me, so I didn't settle down with it till Saturday afternoon and finished it that evening.

The author's next book, featuring William Blake, is due out in January and I can hardly wait!!

Teresa

Currently Reading: The Sunshine Coast News by Kate Austin
Link of the Day: Legends

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