Angel and Apostle
by Deborah Noyes
List Price: $14.95
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 1932961291
Publisher: Unbridled Books
At the end of Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel, The Scarlet Letter, we know that Pearl, the elf-child daughter of Hester Prynne, is somewhere in Europe, comfortable, well set, and a mother herself now. But it could not have been easy for to arrive at such a place when she begins life as the bastard child of a woman publicly humiliated, again and again, in an unrelentingly judgmental Puritan world.
With a brilliant and authentic sense of that time and place, Deborah Noyes envisions the path Pearl takes to make herself whole and to carve her place in the New World. Beautifully written with boundless compassion, Angel and Apostle is a heart rending and imaginative debut in which Noyes masterfully makes Hawthorne's character her own.
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1. Pearl is the narrator of this novel, and she has a very distinctive voice. She tells the tale in a language full of authentic expressions and phrases from the period in which the novel is set. Does her voice enhance or detract from your enjoyment of the story? How?
2. Religion is the predominant force in Pearl's early life, yet she responds far more deeply to nature. Only in the woods, where the other children fear to go, does she feel safe. What does her affinity with nature add to your understanding of the story?
3. Stark historical settings provide the backdrop to this story: Puritan New England, the London of Cromwell and the Restoration. How do these historical times and places shape the way characters behave?
4. Angel and Apostle examines the relationship between mothers and daughters. In what ways does Pearl's life mirror her mother's? Does she ever realize this? To what extent does she manage to transcend her mother's experiences? Will Abigail ever manage to unpuzzle her own mother?
5. Pearl has been a friend of Simon's since childhood, and her letters show that they care deeply about one another. So why do you think she chooses to marry Nehemiah?
6. Pearl acts as Simon's eyes—yet in many ways he is far more perceptive than she. How would the story differ if told from his point of view?
7. Pearl is told many times throughout the novel that her father is the devil. To what extent does this foreshadow the truth about her father's identity?
8. Daniel Devlin gives Pearl a set of notebooks containing a "spidery, half familiar tale that was neither truth nor a lie". What motivated him to write down a version of these events? How do you think Daniel Devlin's account might differ from Pearl's?
9. The letter A is significant throughout Pearl's story. What manifestations does it take? And how does each one impact on her?
10. This novel is a reimagining or alternative telling of Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic The Scarlet Letter. Did this affect how you read it? If you have read the original, how does this novel differ from it? Which qualities remain the same? If you haven't read it, does it inspire you to do so?
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"Angel and Apostle is an accomplished novel, stylistically sharp and metaphorically keen. Noyes commands a thorough knowledge of the 17th Century world of Hester and Pearl, both in New England and in England, where mother and daughter flee to escape the social wrath visited upon Hester.... Noyes chooses the language of the mid-17th Century, the same language used by Hawthorne, to craft her multifaceted tale. The verisimilitude of style and tone envelop the reader; Noyes has perfect pitch for the era and a keen sense of the charged atmosphere of isolation, dread and trenchant desire that surrounds both women.... [Noyes'] deft telling provides a thoroughly engaging story with an utterly stunning ending that affords the reader much to ponder."
—The Chicago Tribune
"In language nearly as beautiful and powerful as Hawthorne's, Noyes tackles passion and Puritanism in a riveting historical tale with timeless overtones."
—Library Journal
"Noyes engages with atmospheric charms of time and place, and...delivers an ending revelation that would surprise Hawthorne himself."
—Publishers Weekly
"Echoes of Hawthorne abound in vivid scenes and authentic language in this masterfully re-imagined tale, not a retelling but an alternative telling that sweeps one along beyond the point Hawthorne chose to stop and embroiders new characters on the fabric of time. A captivating achievement that teases recollection and delights fancy."
—Susan Vreeland, Girl in Hyacinth Blue
"[A] worthy successor to Hawthorne's classic, breathing life and sympathy into an enigmatic child."
—Curled Up With a Good Book.com
"Noyes' lyrical debut tells the story of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and beyond from the vantage point of Pearl, Hester Prynne's wild, elfin child....Noyes does a remarkable job of capturing Puritan New England and the spirit and willfulness of Pearl, who is a compelling, sympathetic character in her own right."
—Booklist
"With quietly savage prose, Deborah Noyes takes Pearl to adulthood, marriage, motherhood. We experience her life in America and England, the blossoming of love, and the heartbreak borne of passion and loss. Readers smell the sea, the bite of chill air, and live the very heartbeats of each character. This book is a literary classic and highly recommended."
—Midwest Book Review
"Deborah Noyes has given us a wonderful gift with Angel and Apostle... enjoyed every page of this debut novel. The ending surprised me, but that's the beauty of good storytelling. Ms. Noyes captures the heart of the time period, and I think Mr. Hawthorne would have liked this story, too."
—Susan Zabolotny, Historical Novels Review
"While Deborah Noyes's research has imbued this story of a very contemporary-seeming young woman with the speech and the experiences of another era, Pearl resonates with feelings not bound by time or place."
—Magill Book Reviews
"...Written as Deborah Noyes envisions Nathaniel Hawthorne writing it, this small saga reads larger than its 304 pages. While a dark tale, sad and poignant, it is a tale of ultimate enlightenment."
—bookreporter.com
