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Angel and Apostle

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At the end of Nathaniel Hawthorne's timeless novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne's daughter Pearl has been born, raised, and lives in Europe. Angel and Apostle begins when Pearl is a child in Massachusetts and follows her life through adulthood. Ms. Noyes weaves an enthralling account of what Pearl's life might have been in the mid-to-late 17th century. The character
and plot development are first rate as Noyes captures the true essence of Pearl's personality, life, and times.

Life has been difficult for Pearl and her outcast mother. Townfolk shun the dignified adulterous woman who wears the letter "A" over her heart like a badge of courage. These same merciless Puritans call Pearl "the devil's spawn." Their only kindness and support comes from a frail, gentle hearted
minister. Pearl is a precocious child blessed with a vivid imagination and her father's restless spirit. She loves the forests and seashore, the wild animals, and spends her days exploring the area around her cottage. One day she ventures near the home of a wealthy shipping family, the Miltons, and
meets their youngest son, Simon. Simon is blind. His older brother, Nehemiah, loves Simon but has always considered him a burden. Reluctantly, he allows Pearl to introduce Simon to the natural world she loves. The relationship between Pearl and the Miltons grows over time, and in the process changes the lives of everyone around them.

With quietly savage prose, Deborah Noyes takes Pearl to adulthood, marriage, and 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.

This is Pearl's story.

You may remember Pearl, the elfish daughter of Hester Prynne in Hawthorne's classic The Scarlet Letter. If not, don't worry you do not need to be well read in the classics to read Angel and Apostle. Pearl is strong enough to stand on her own.
I love that teh author offers us a great insight into this fascinating time in history. Historical fiction is a favorite genre and I really think that this is one of the best I've read. The story begins when she meets a neighboring youth, Simon. Pearls passionate approach to life and the world around her brings these two and their families into a life long relationship that will stay with you long after you finish this book. I work in a bookstore and was lucky enough to read a review copy.. I am telling all to read this book!

enjoy!

Noyes' novel, a post-The Scarlet Letter treatment of Hester Prynne's years raising her illegitimate daughter, Pearl, mirrors the arcane verbiage of the era, which begins, in this case, in 1649 New England. At that time, Pearl is a child of about seven years, half fairy sprite and half human, taking her cues from the righteous adults around her, who are given to stoning the less fortunate members of a society ruled by excessively rigid standards. Poor Hester is a shadow of her former self, living with Pearl in an isolated cottage, doing needlework for her betters and rushing to and fro to comfort the sick. Rather than teach her daughter the same independence that allowed her to rebel against a repressive society, Hester instructs the girl in the ways of the sinner, ever cautioning against spirit, imagination and individualism. It is hard to believe that this woman, now faded as a country mouse, ever had the passion to confront her own desires.

Early on, Pearl fastens her attentions on Simon Milton, a blind boy whose dying mother is attended by Hester. Simon's older brother, Nehemiah, allows Pearl to take Simon on outings, but when she fails to properly care for him, Pearl is banished in disgrace. She is, after all, only a child. Later, Prynne and her daughter are taken to England by the Milton's, where Hester walks freely without her badge of sin, the tattered red "A" that adorns her clothing in New England. Their lot is not much improved, as Hester places herself in bondage for the next seven years to a Milton family member. Even in England, mother and daughter are pursued by the enigmatic Doctor Devlin, a man Hester avoids but Pearl is drawn to, as he lurks menacingly through Pearl's youth in New England.

As a child, Pearl is far too precocious for her years, her language too sophisticated, hindering my appreciation of the novel at the beginning. But as Pearl matures, her thoughts turn to less maudlin persuasions, the opposite sex now of particular interest. At last perception meets reality and the character matches her rich vocabulary. Now that her fate is more her own, although still dictated by the prevailing religious intolerance, Pearl makes her own willful mistakes. However, as confused as an adult as she was as a child, Pearl is forever tangled in her mother's past, haunted by her father's identity, bound to the ghostly remnants of life in New England, a victim of the self-righteous, Bible-quoting individuals originally penned by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

It is always risky to write a sequel to a classic, a tale that stands because of the author's clarity and profound observations of cultural hypocrisy. Noyes does a more than adequate job of capturing the sounds and images of time and place, but in writing Angel and Apostle, Hester Prynne is robbed of her spirit and iconic status, left in the dust by a daughter who is the product of a confusing moral stasis that denies humanity in its rush to glorify the word of God. Perhaps that is Prynne's inevitable fate. Pearl must seek her own voice, find release from the morass she has created in her life and understand the meaning of forgiveness, for herself and others; more importantly, she must take on the burdens of motherhood to know the true heart of her own mother. What is even more frightening is Noyes prescience in crafting a modern morality tale, couched in Puritan New England, that fits just as well in the confusing moral stew of modern society. For this reason alone, centuries later, Angel and Apostle is chilling. Luan Gaines/2005.

"It was days before Mother finally answered my questions: 'Did I love you then? I loved no one, Pearl. No soul on earth.'"

Hester Prynne, scorned woman of THE SCARLET LETTER, speaks these words to her daughter at the beginning of ANGEL AND APOSTLE. She dutifully wears her "A," branding her an adulteress, forever atoning for a sin she did not commit. She wears it with something almost akin to a haughty pride. She is not one to make excuses, for she wants her child to understand the ways of the world. It is an unjust age Pearl is born to.

But how does a mother love this child, this unwanted child, who reminds her constantly of a shame that she will bear to her grave? A wild young thing, willful and sassy, a hard child to love in the best of times. It takes a while, but she does. She finally does.

Pearl narrates the story as she grows awkwardly through her adolescence. Fortunately, she has a fine and peculiar friend named Simon, a blind lad whose world Pearl falls into. They form a tender bond, fragile and strong at the same time. Their friendship, if that is all it truly is, sees them through many years --- and is the cause of many tears.

ANGEL AND APOSTLE is a journey through a harsh time when men kept a host of mistresses with society's tacit sanction, yet a woman would be in the stocks for one night's dalliance with a lover. A fallen woman, Pearl's mother carries her past heavily, while Pearl struggles reluctantly to womanhood. The daughter bounces between contempt and love for her mother, until at last she appreciates the injustices her mother endured, as she becomes a wife herself.

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.


--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers

Having had to read and discuss 'The Scarlet Letter' in high school English class it was sort of cool to see this book and I jumped at the chance for a review copy. This book did not disappoint, I truly love it. I wish I could have had it to read after 'The Scarlet Letter' in high school.


The one thing that truly held me captivated was the detail of each character's life. I got to know each character while reading, it's like when you are acquaintances with your neighbor, you know a bit about them but don't truly know them, then you invite them for tea and truly get to meet them and spend time with them. I think I just met some of these characters briefly in high school and just now got to truly make friends with them.


I loved getting to see little Pearl grow up, I loved learning a bit more about Hester and I loved seeing the whole world and times that these characters lived in. Ms. Noyes gave this story a new life, now I am going to go back and re-read 'The Scarlet Letter' with adult eyes and see if it feels differently.

With the story of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter serving as her inspiration, Deborah Noyes recreates the life of Pearl, the "elf-child" of Hester Prynne and a father Hester has refused to identify. Meticulously reproducing the cadence and speech of the period (and of Hawthorne's novel), Noyes imbues her debut novel with energy and literary weight, continuing Pearl's story while remaining faithful to the original. Her inclusion of period detail and recreation of the religious beliefs and practices of the period give additional credence to her story, and the character of Pearl is free-spirited enough to strike a chord with modern readers.

Focusing on Pearl, not Hester Prynne, who plays only a marginal role here, Noyes reminds the reader in the first third of the novel of some of the key events from The Scarlet Letter. Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale is not mentioned by name here, though he is referred to as "Arthur" once early in the novel, and Roger Chillingworth, Hester's missing husband in The Scarlet Letter, becomes Dr. Daniel Devlin here, still Evil and trying to ingratiate himself with Pearl.

Noyes does more than simply update the Hawthorne story, however. Pearl, a free spirited child in a very repressed society, develops a strong relationship with Simon Milton, a blind boy a few years older, who delights in her company and in her desire to give him a more normal life as she explores the world with him. Pearl's irresponsibility on one occasion, however, eventually causes a rift, both with Simon and with his older brother Nehemiah, who has entrusted Simon to Pearl. The lives of Hester and Pearl change significantly when they accept passage on one of the Miltons' ships to England, where they remain till Pearl reaches adulthood and marries.

Investigating what constitutes a good life and dealing with the subjects of life and death, and salvation and sin, the novel explores universal themes within the colonial setting, but its focus on the passion of love and its aftermath give it a modern context. When Pearl begins to relive her mother's life within her own, the themes begun in Hawthorne's novel come full circle. Noyes's pacing and her exploration of behavior as a series of good acts vs. acts inspired by the Devil are consistent with Hawthorne. Lovers of literary novels will admire Noyes's careful reconstruction of a period and its beliefs, her care in reproducing the language and style of the period, and her development of the character of Pearl, a free spirit who grows up in a repressive theocracy. n Mary Whipple

I had just finished reading "The Scarlet Letter" for the third time when I saw the review for this book, a follow-up telling the fate of Pearl. I immediately bought it(though it was hard to find..no local bookstore carried it, so I had to buy it on-line). Anyway, enthusiastically as I approached it, I found it very slow going. The author seems to take a lot of liberties with the original story (though, in her defense, she also seems to try to explain away these inconsistancies at the end of her book). I really struggled to make it through the whole thing. I did, and it was not without its rewards, but the parts were definitely better than the whole. Still, I will definitely read the author's next book. She's very insightful and serious and an excellent stylist.

I challenged myself to reread Hawthorne's book last year, and although I frequently find enjoyment in
escaping into the 19th century through its books, I found in the case of The Scarlet Letter, that I had
trouble putting aside my modern sensibilities, and could not overcome my impatience with its characters. I abandoned the book with the final chapters unread, which is unfortunate, as the final chapters are the best.

Remembering it some months later, I wondered if any good fan fiction had been written, and searched.
Only one adequate ficlet satisfied and piqued my interest again, and I then looked for a possible sequel,
and came across this expertly crafted book. It is a keeper, and one I intend to reread.

As a blind person myself, I enjoyed Simon, and seeing how he experienced the world.

I did not revisit Hawthorne's pages before delving into Deborah Noyes's book, and therefore spent the
whole of my reading time wondering why she'd changed Roger Chillingworth's name to Daniel Devlin!

Both books will be read again, and scrutinized, now that I *think* I understand what she has done--and
done brilliantly.

Here's the key:
"And who, by your favour, Sir, may be the
father of yonder babe--it is some three or four months old, I
should judge--which Mistress Prynne is holding in her arms?"
"Of a truth, friend, that matter remaineth a riddle; and the
Daniel who shall expound it is yet a-wanting," answered the
townsman. "Madame Hester absolutely refuseth to speak, and the
magistrates have laid their heads together in vain." - The Scarlet Letter

Noyes did not change the name of Roger Chillingworth, after all, to Daniel Devlin!

This Daniel is never again mentioned in TSL, and I count it as genius to have pulled that tiny thread from
Hester's tale, and used it to unravel Pearl's story, unmaking the fabric of what appeared to be sewn up
since TSL's publication--the question of Pearl's paternity.

Every reviewer here has missed the key...or maybe I have? I need to read it again.

Deborah Noyes has a second book out now, with equally beautiful writing. I will happily read anything with her name on it, in the future.

I have to admit that I'm not a huge Scarlet Letter fan. I've only read it once so that might have colored my opinion a little. But I mostly found this book tedious. It meanders through plot and character. The conflict seems elusive: is it with Pearl's mother? father? friend? husband? herself? The story seemed to be a muddled effort to tell a tale and a historical novel.

The one saving grace-the author has a most mysterious way with words. She crafts some very beautiful prose so then when reading you suddenly find yourself 50 pages down the line. The reading can be very easy and smooth like that for a while. But not for the entire story. Her eloquence is fleeting and you find yourself trying to get through confusing dialogue and half explained situations.

*I recieved this book as an ARC and did not pay for it, though that did not influence my opinion

First let me confess that I'm not a huge fan of The Scarlet Letter nor of Nathaniel Hawthorne. I've read it multiple times for multiple classes and the novel has always left me cold. I could never find anything to relate to with regard to Hester Prynne other than a vague admiration for her stubbornness. Beyond that the whole thing always felt to me like An Important Book You Should Read and I just never really liked it.

Having said that, I enjoyed Angel and Apostle, Deborah Noyes' debut novel. She manages to capture the flavor of Hawthorne's writing without being enslaved to it and it was fun to see how someone thought Pearl, the impish symbol of a child from the original, might turn out.

The character of Pearl is fleshed out here as we follow her through her friendship with Simon, a blind boy with whom she explores the world. Less about the nature of sin and more about what constitutes a good life in a colonial setting this was a well-written, well-imagined book.