Angel
by Elizabeth Taylor
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Fiction. Literature. HTML:Perhaps every novelist harbors a monster at heart, an irrepressible and utterly irresponsible fantasist, not to mention a born and ingenious liar, without which all her art would go for naught. Angel, at any rate, is the story of such a monster. Angelica Deverell lives above her diligent, drab mother’s grocery shop in a dreary turn-of-the-century English neighborhood, but spends her days dreaming of handsome Paradise House, where her aunt is enthroned as a maid. show more But in Angel’s imagination, she is the mistress of the house, a realm of lavish opulence, of evening gowns and peacocks. Then she begins to write popular novels, and this fantasy becomes her life. And now that she has tasted success, Angel has no intention of letting anyone stand in her way—except, perhaps, herself. show lessTags
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Angel is no angel! Her fantasies of being a wealthy heiress instead of the daughter of a shopkeeper remove her so far from reality that she is alienated from others. Even her teachers believe her writing is plagiarized because of her reputation as a dreamer and pathological liar. Her writing is her means of escape from an ordinary life in early 20th Century England, and she leaves school to spend her days living out her imagination in the overwritten stories she writes in her notebooks.
Lo and behold, she gets a publishing company interested in her novel about Lady Irania, although the editors were uncertain as to whether it was "genius or lunacy" that had one of the wives devouring "every iridescent word." They decide to take a chance show more on an untested 16-year-old writer with an overblown imagination and a penchant for obscure words. Her books sell but for all the wrong reasons. Critics see humor where she intended literary greatness. They become "party pieces" and objects of scorn in the literary world.
Angelica Deverell is one of the most unappealing characters I've come across in many years of reading. Yet the story of her grandiosity and superior attitude is so tantalizing that I read as eagerly as her lowbrow audience gobbled up the gibberish she wrote.
Elizabeth Taylor writes like an angel. I didn't expect to enjoy reading about pitiful characters leading dismal lives as much as I did. I look forward to reading more books by her. show less
Lo and behold, she gets a publishing company interested in her novel about Lady Irania, although the editors were uncertain as to whether it was "genius or lunacy" that had one of the wives devouring "every iridescent word." They decide to take a chance show more on an untested 16-year-old writer with an overblown imagination and a penchant for obscure words. Her books sell but for all the wrong reasons. Critics see humor where she intended literary greatness. They become "party pieces" and objects of scorn in the literary world.
Angelica Deverell is one of the most unappealing characters I've come across in many years of reading. Yet the story of her grandiosity and superior attitude is so tantalizing that I read as eagerly as her lowbrow audience gobbled up the gibberish she wrote.
Elizabeth Taylor writes like an angel. I didn't expect to enjoy reading about pitiful characters leading dismal lives as much as I did. I look forward to reading more books by her. show less
July 2012 (★★★★½)— I absolutely loved this novel about a character whom I couldn't help loving to hate almost from the first. Angel (for Angelica) Deverell has always lived in a fantasy world of her own devising, and while some would have called her a liar as a young girl, she would have retorted that she was simply imagining a better life for herself, and one well within her reach. In the earliest years of the 20th century, we find an adolescent Angel at fifteen being taken to task for using vocabulary in a composition which is seen as being much too sophisticated for her, and she is suspected of plagiarism.
Though she lives above the grocery shop owned and operated by her mother, Angel likes to imagine herself living at the show more grand Paradise House and being waited upon by an army of hired help. Though she's never laid her eyes on the place, and doesn't ever wish to—at the of risk ruining her perfect fantasy of it—the only real information she has about the great house is provided by her aunt Lottie, who has worked there as lady's maid for eighteen years, since "Madam" herself arrived there as a young bride. When she finds out word is getting around that she is telling lies to her schoolmates when she shares her stories, Angel decides her school days are over and she resolves she will become a successful writer by hook or by crook, in spite of the many protestations and remonstrances from her mother and aunt, her aunt having paid for her private school so she could have better opportunities in life. But Angel will not budge from her decision, so aunt Lottie comes back with a job offer from the great house: a position as a lady's maid. Our heroine is outraged, and in characteristic fashion, thoroughly insults her aunt for making such a suggestion. Feigning sickness to buy herself time, Angel pens her first "masterwork", The Lady Irania, a real farce of a novel, florid and utterly lacking in sophistication, thought the story purports to be set among the highest strata of English society. Determined to find a publisher, she sends the manuscript around, undeterred by a string of rejections, until one publisher, Theo Gilbright of Gilbright & Brace, sees a potential moneymaker in what he believes could become a party conversation piece which might either face utter ridicule or become a runaway bestseller. His letter suggests a generous advance is in the offing and invites Angel to a meeting in London. The partners expect to meet a doddering old maid smelling of camphor, and are confronted instead with the humourless young girl, who categorically refuses to make any changes to her book, even though she has someone opening a bottle of champagne with a corkscrew as one of her glaring rookie mistakes in the manuscript. The gamble somehow pays off, and Angel does indeed becomes the fabulously wealthy author she knew she could be, which only encourages her to continue indulging her every whim and vanity.
This was my second novel by Elizabeth Taylor, and it made me want to get my hands on everything else she's ever written, although I'm assured by various readers that this novel is not typical of her work. All the same, this is a wickedly entertaining little book which I have no doubt I'll be reading again. My NYRB edition features an introduction by Hilary Mantel; I wisely kept it for the end which definitely helped to prolong the pleasure. show less
Though she lives above the grocery shop owned and operated by her mother, Angel likes to imagine herself living at the show more grand Paradise House and being waited upon by an army of hired help. Though she's never laid her eyes on the place, and doesn't ever wish to—at the of risk ruining her perfect fantasy of it—the only real information she has about the great house is provided by her aunt Lottie, who has worked there as lady's maid for eighteen years, since "Madam" herself arrived there as a young bride. When she finds out word is getting around that she is telling lies to her schoolmates when she shares her stories, Angel decides her school days are over and she resolves she will become a successful writer by hook or by crook, in spite of the many protestations and remonstrances from her mother and aunt, her aunt having paid for her private school so she could have better opportunities in life. But Angel will not budge from her decision, so aunt Lottie comes back with a job offer from the great house: a position as a lady's maid. Our heroine is outraged, and in characteristic fashion, thoroughly insults her aunt for making such a suggestion. Feigning sickness to buy herself time, Angel pens her first "masterwork", The Lady Irania, a real farce of a novel, florid and utterly lacking in sophistication, thought the story purports to be set among the highest strata of English society. Determined to find a publisher, she sends the manuscript around, undeterred by a string of rejections, until one publisher, Theo Gilbright of Gilbright & Brace, sees a potential moneymaker in what he believes could become a party conversation piece which might either face utter ridicule or become a runaway bestseller. His letter suggests a generous advance is in the offing and invites Angel to a meeting in London. The partners expect to meet a doddering old maid smelling of camphor, and are confronted instead with the humourless young girl, who categorically refuses to make any changes to her book, even though she has someone opening a bottle of champagne with a corkscrew as one of her glaring rookie mistakes in the manuscript. The gamble somehow pays off, and Angel does indeed becomes the fabulously wealthy author she knew she could be, which only encourages her to continue indulging her every whim and vanity.
This was my second novel by Elizabeth Taylor, and it made me want to get my hands on everything else she's ever written, although I'm assured by various readers that this novel is not typical of her work. All the same, this is a wickedly entertaining little book which I have no doubt I'll be reading again. My NYRB edition features an introduction by Hilary Mantel; I wisely kept it for the end which definitely helped to prolong the pleasure. show less
When this was written and published in 1957, it was a different world. It wasn't until the late 20th century that we began to hear and learn about things like ADHD, PTSD, and many assorted other mental health challenges and brain neurodivergencies. Thus, as I was reading about Angel, I couldn't help but wonder if her character wasn't perhaps autistic.
Angel was, in many ways, ridiculous as well as ridiculed. Yet her badly written novels made her rich and famous. Not too ridiculous, that.
Taylor didn't take the low road and ridicule Angel too, though. Rather, she depicted her as driven, loyal, and single-mindedly energetic. She also depicted her humorless, lacking curiosity, and cold to those she should have loved better. That show more realistically maddening complex mix kept my interest. I cared about Angel in spite of how so much was off-putting about her. I was intrigued how her life played out and her reaction to her circumstances. Both the good and the tragic.
I loved the way the end was written. It was lyrical and apt.
Elizabeth Taylor deserves more reading. show less
Angel was, in many ways, ridiculous as well as ridiculed. Yet her badly written novels made her rich and famous. Not too ridiculous, that.
Taylor didn't take the low road and ridicule Angel too, though. Rather, she depicted her as driven, loyal, and single-mindedly energetic. She also depicted her humorless, lacking curiosity, and cold to those she should have loved better. That show more realistically maddening complex mix kept my interest. I cared about Angel in spite of how so much was off-putting about her. I was intrigued how her life played out and her reaction to her circumstances. Both the good and the tragic.
I loved the way the end was written. It was lyrical and apt.
Elizabeth Taylor deserves more reading. show less
This book, about a writer’s life from around 1900 through the 1960s, started off as great fun and grew more serious as it went on. But all of it was good. As an introduction to Elizabeth Taylor it’s certainly made me want to read more by her.
The best comparison I can make is that Angel starts like a female, teenage version of Hadrian the Seventh, that wonderfully self-indulgent catholic fan-fic written by Frederick Rolfe: that one, too, deals with an impossibly smug writer convinced of their natural superiority and utterly unwilling to compromise. Angellica Deverell (to give Angel her full name) is a confident teenager who is bored with her and her timid mother’s bland life above a shop they keep for someone else, and decides show more randomly to start writing a novel. The end product reflects Angel’s values: great flights of fancy, purple prose and a firm conviction that her imagination is a superior substitute to real life -- in short: over-wrought romance among the upper classes.Her manuscript sees print on a lark, by a publisher who laughed themselves silly at Angel’s so-bad-it’s-hilarious efforts . In later sections of the book Angel will become a wealthy, highly successful author whose career and emotional life will see the impact of the events of the 20th century.
I have a penchant for books about what I call magnificent megalomaniacs, larger than life characters who take their obsessions so seriously they become absurd. And that is definitely what Angellica Deverell is: she goes all the way and pursues her (petty and ridiculous) goals with a seriousness that commands respect. And in many ways, that is how this book feels on a meta level, too: Elizabeth Taylor definitely sees the funny side of Angel, tongue firmly in cheek, and she makes sure that at least a few of the other characters are prone to snarkiness and eager to egg things on just to see how far they will go. But Taylor herself does not relent in supporting Angel all the way: any meanness in the humour is entirely the characters’. Like any good parent, Taylor stands by her creation and insists on seeing them develop on their own terms, socially awkward though they may be. That is the space in which this novel develops, and Taylor did a masterful job of being fair to all sides.
In all, I think this was a lovely character study of a slightly absurd, magnificently megalomaniacal writer. A very charming surprise, but a book I loved and one which I recommend warmly! show less
The best comparison I can make is that Angel starts like a female, teenage version of Hadrian the Seventh, that wonderfully self-indulgent catholic fan-fic written by Frederick Rolfe: that one, too, deals with an impossibly smug writer convinced of their natural superiority and utterly unwilling to compromise. Angellica Deverell (to give Angel her full name) is a confident teenager who is bored with her and her timid mother’s bland life above a shop they keep for someone else, and decides show more randomly to start writing a novel. The end product reflects Angel’s values: great flights of fancy, purple prose and a firm conviction that her imagination is a superior substitute to real life -- in short: over-wrought romance among the upper classes.
I have a penchant for books about what I call magnificent megalomaniacs, larger than life characters who take their obsessions so seriously they become absurd. And that is definitely what Angellica Deverell is: she goes all the way and pursues her (petty and ridiculous) goals with a seriousness that commands respect. And in many ways, that is how this book feels on a meta level, too: Elizabeth Taylor definitely sees the funny side of Angel, tongue firmly in cheek, and she makes sure that at least a few of the other characters are prone to snarkiness and eager to egg things on just to see how far they will go. But Taylor herself does not relent in supporting Angel all the way: any meanness in the humour is entirely the characters’. Like any good parent, Taylor stands by her creation and insists on seeing them develop on their own terms, socially awkward though they may be. That is the space in which this novel develops, and Taylor did a masterful job of being fair to all sides.
In all, I think this was a lovely character study of a slightly absurd, magnificently megalomaniacal writer. A very charming surprise, but a book I loved and one which I recommend warmly! show less
I read Elizabeth Taylor's Angel and I have to ask how in the world did Taylor create such a completely unlikable character in a book I ended up loving? Doesn't make sense. I should've hated this book because well, Angel is absolutely toxic. But Taylor's writing is so gobsmacking beautiful and descriptive that it's hard to get beyond that. Plus it's her genius, I think, that could create a character that's so repellent while being so absolutely fascinating. I won't soon forget her.
"At that first meeting, long ago in London, she had seemed to need his protection while warning him not to offer it: arrogant and absurd she had been and had remained: she had warded off friendship and stayed lonely and made such fortifications within her own show more mind that the truth could not pierce it. At the slightest air of censure in the world about her, up had gone the barricades, the strenuous resistance begun by which she was preserved in her own imagination, beautiful, clever, successful and beloved." show less
"At that first meeting, long ago in London, she had seemed to need his protection while warning him not to offer it: arrogant and absurd she had been and had remained: she had warded off friendship and stayed lonely and made such fortifications within her own show more mind that the truth could not pierce it. At the slightest air of censure in the world about her, up had gone the barricades, the strenuous resistance begun by which she was preserved in her own imagination, beautiful, clever, successful and beloved." show less
This is a rather uncharacteristic book for Taylor, but it is based on her usual mix of sharp humour and comfortable pessimism. It's an extravagant, satirical fantasy about an appallingly bad and very successful popular Edwardian novelist. The only one of Taylor's books to be set in part outside her own lifetime, it opens in 1900 and ends sometime in the 1940s. Although the fictional Angel Deverell's life and work seem to bear more than a passing resemblance to those of the real (but still gloriously improbable) novelist Marie Corelli, Taylor is obviously also doing a "there but for the grace of God..." thing, weaving in elements from her own experience as a beginning novelist and imagining how she might have ended up if she had been show more born without a sense of humour and the self-protective instinct to hide herself in conformity. Both of these lacks leave the unfortunate Angel extremely vulnerable to being hurt by the people she comes across, and it's paradoxically this very vulnerability that also makes it possible for a few people in her life to love her. It's a gloriously funny book, but also a surprisingly touching and sad one. Not to be missed! show less
This book was, in a roundabout fashion, my introduction to the fiction of Elizabeth Taylor – or rather, I learnt of her writing thanks to this book. Well, thanks to François Ozon’s adaptation of it, starring Romola Garai, which I reviewed many years ago for videovista.net. I liked the film so much, I kept an eye open in charity shops for books by Taylor… and it’s taken till now before I finally stumbled across a copy of Angel (after first finding and reading Blaming and A Wreath of Roses). And the first thing I noted about Angel the novel was its differences to the film adaptation. The plots are pretty much identical – opening in the last years of Queen Victoria’s reign, working-class teeenager Angelica Devereux, Angel, show more writes a florid romance novel, publisher takes a chance on it, book is a success, Angel goes onto become a successful – if critically mocked – writer, falls in love with Esmé, an impoverished upper-class painter, who marries her for her money but cheats on her, he is wounded in WWI and dies in an accident soon after, her books are by then no longer popular, and she lingers on in poverty… The film has Esmé’s work re-evaluated after his death, so he becomes critically lauded, while Angel’s books continue to be seen as trashy potboilers. The film also makes Angel more of a figure of fun, and so more sympathetic, than the novel, although they make use of the same events. In that respect, in that Angel is an unsympathetic character, and not played for light laughs, the book is a tougher read than the film is a viewing. But Taylor’s prose is so very good, reading it is never a hardship (which is not say Ozon’s direction is bad, although he does film it in a very artificial, almost pantomime, style, which suits his treatment of the material). I’ve now read Angel, but I’ll continue to keep an eye open for Taylor’s novels – and I have her Complete Short Stories on the TBR… show less
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- Canonical title
- Angel
- Original title
- Angel
- Original publication date
- 1957
- People/Characters
- Angelica Deverell; Emmie Deverell; Aunt Lottie; Theo Gilbright; Hermione Gilbright; Nora Howe-Nevinson (show all 8); Esmé Howe-Nevinson; William Marvell
- Important places
- Paradise House, England, UK (fictional); London, England, UK; Norley, Cheshire, England, UK; Alderhurst, England, UK (fictional)
- Related movies
- Angel (2007/I | IMDb)
- Dedication
- To Patience Ross
- First words
- "'into the vast vacuity of the empyrean,'" Miss Dawson read.
"You ought to get married, Miss Sylvia," said old Jeffcott, the head gardener, with a wag of his hoary beard. (Introduction) - Quotations
- Gilbright and Brace had been divided, as their readers' reports had been. Willie Brace had worn his guts thin with laughing, he said. The Lady Irania was his favourite party-piece and he mocked at his partner's defence... (show all) of it in his own version of Angel's language.
"Kindly raise your coruscating beard from those iridescent pages of shimmering tosh and permit your mordant thoughts to dwell for one mordant moment on us perishing in the coruscating workhouse, which is where we shall without a doubt find ourselves, among the so-called denizens of deep-fraught penury. Ask yourself - nay, go so far as to enquire of yourself - how do we stand by such brilliant balderdash and live, nay, not only live, but exist too..."
"You overdo those 'nays'," said Theo Gilbright. "She does not."
"There's a 'nay' on every page. M'wife counted them."
Even if she had felt a need to renew contact with life, a funeral was a strange way of doing so: and she felt no such need: at sixteen, experience was an unnecessary and usually baffling obstacle to her imagination. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)There is nothing left to get used to, he thought, as he took up the empty basket and went out.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Only Never-Never Land - where half-indignant, hal-appealing looks are as common as beards that wag commiseratingly - could ever live up to the expectations of Angelica Deverell. (Introduction) - Blurbers
- Waters, Sarah; Bowen, Elizabeth
- Original language
- English
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