Angel on the Square [Library Binding]

Gloria Whelan (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

It is a golden time for the aristocracy of St. Petersburg in the fall of 1914. The daughter of a lady-in-waiting, Katya Ivanova is safe behind palace walls. She takes her vacations on the imperial yacht and her tea with the Tsar's daughters. The royal family feels like her own.

But outside the palace, a devastating war sweeps through Europe, and deep unrest takes root in Russia. As the flame of revolution ignites in a country where the rich have always ruled, Katya's once-certain future dissolves.

National Book Award-winning author Gloria Whelan transports readers to a crumbling, war-torn Russia, where one young woman, growing up in the shadow of a revolution, must take her future into her own hands.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

From the author of the 2000 National Book Award winner, Homeless Bird, comes an evocative glimpse into a chilling period in world history. Gloria Whelan manages to take the fly-on-the-wall approach one step further in her latest piece of historical fiction. In Angel on the Square, a young girl joins Russian Tsar Nikolai II, Empress Alexandra, and their children when her mother becomes one of the empress's ladies-in-waiting. Katya Ivanova, as companion to the Romanov children, has an insider's view of the crumbling of tsarist Russia from 1913 to 1918. Initially, life is lavish and amusing for this young aristocrat, although her friend Misha's revolutionary ideas often battle in her mind with her own loyalty to the tsar. Gradually, though, the world outside begins to enter the palace walls, and Katya's life--along with that of all nobility--changes forever.

Whelan's balanced treatment of both sides of the Russian revolution is remarkably accessible. Katya is an appealing protagonist; readers will hang on her every word as she is transformed from a spoiled, sheltered child into a caring, hard-working adult. Young readers couldn't ask for a better introduction to this terrifying, earthshaking epoch in history. (Ages 10 and older) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Whelan (Homeless Bird) shows both sides of the Russian revolution in a sympathetic light in this absorbing saga of an aristocratic girl. The novel opens in 1913, just before Katya goes to live with Tsar Nikolai II, when her widowed mother becomes lady-in-waiting to the Empress. The royal couple and their children are like a second family to Katya. Still, the heroine cannot completely support the tsar's treatment of his people. Guided by her revolutionist friend, Misha, she witnesses the exploitation of workers in the city. Later, her exposure to country peasants forces her to realize that her own noble family is partially responsible for the peasants' suffering. On the other hand, Katya does not condone the violent reaction to oppression that is sweeping across her beloved country. Tracing each stage of Katya's enlightenment through intimate first-person narrative, Whelan brings immediacy to the historical events, offering well-rounded depictions of characters and vivid descriptions of their surroundings. The author sharply contrasts the luxurious conditions Katya enjoys in her early adolescence with the meagerness of her life five years later at the revolution's end. The book's uncomplicated language and sensitive treatment of political issues make it an excellent, vibrant introduction to the cause and effects of Tsar Nikolai's fall. Ages 10-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Library Binding: 304 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060290315
• ISBN-13: 978-0060290313
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,206,481 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I highly reccomend this wonderful historical novel., August 17, 2001

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Angel on the Square (Hardcover)

Wealthy, twelve-year-old Katya Ivanova and her mother have always lived a luxurious life in their mansion in the city of St. Petersburg, Russia. They spend their summers on their country estate, The Oaks, and Katya's mother is a close friend of Empress Alexandra. When the Empress invites Katya's mother to come live in the palace as a lady-in-waiting and to bring Katya along to be a companion to her youngest daughter, Anastasia, Katya is thrilled. She and Anastasia, or Stana as she is called, become close friends. Katya even gets to accompany the royal family on their elegant yacht. But as the years go by, the world is engulfed by a terrible war. Defeat after defeat lowers the morale of the Russian soldiers, and soon the people are rebelling. Even though she has seen firsthand the poverty that many people live in, the royal family has become a second family to Katya. As revolution changes her once predictable life, Katya must change, too, if she is to survive what is to come. This was a beautifully written historical novel. Over the course of the story, Katya changes from a spoiled little girl to a mature young woman with a greater awareness of the world around her. I highly reccomend this novel to readers who enjoy historical fiction.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A historical fiction masterpiece., March 15, 2002

By 

"shayamorph" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Angel on the Square (Hardcover)

In pre-War Russia, a revolution rages. Katya and her mother, however, live in luxury -- their home is with the Tsar and the Empress, and their four daughters -- Olga, Tatiana, Marie, and Anastasia -- and the ailing Alexei. Katya has never known what it's like to be poor before, because she has always lived with royalties and luxuries. But she does know Misha, a young soldier who knows about the revolution and fights strongly with the army for salvation, and Katya fears he will die in the war. As the years pass by, the luxurious Russia is thrust into the inevitable war that would mark itself in history. Katya knows she is no longer safe, even behind palace walls with her best friend, Anastasia --and finds that she must do something to try to stop the war. Angel On The Square is powerful historical fiction that deals with the wins and losses of revolution, what it means to care, and what maturity is all about.I felt strongly for Katya and for Russia as I read this book, and reading about the Grand Duchesses and their family, mostly Anastasia, through young Katya's eyes, is touching and the descriptive is beautiful. Until its last astounding page, this book was excellent.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An emotional new novel by Gloria Whelan, May 7, 2002

By 

hiphopgirl_1000 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Angel on the Square (Hardcover)

Twelve-year-old Katya Ivanova has everything anyone would want. She lives in St.Petersburg, Russia with her mother who is a close friend to the Empress Alexandra. Katya knows nothing of the turmoil in Russia and of the troubles of the poor. When her mother is asked to be a lady-in-waiting for Empress Alexandra and the Tsar Katya moves in with them and their four daughters---Olga, Tiatiana, Marie, and Anastasia, who Katya quickly befriends and is better known as Stana. To Katya everyday life is great. She is naive to the outside world of the palace. Little does she know of the pheasants who want to overthrow the Tsar. The only worry in her life is Misha, her cousin, who is one who feels strongly about the revolution. As the years pass Russia enters World War I and the turmoil starts. For young Katya it is very hard to bear seeing how mistreated the Tsar is by his own people, who he thought was loyal.

This was another great historical novel by Gloria Whelan. It was very emotional and meant a lot to me. I have always been one interested in Anastasia so I really liked this book.