Falling Angels [Hardcover]

Barbara Gowdy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 14, 1993

The three Field sisters live in the sanitized suburbs of the fifties and sixties, but their plastic world is askew. They are growing up crazy in a very eccentric, often miserable, sometimes hilarious family. Their home is a war zone ruled by an abusive father - a philandering used-car salesman hooked on booze, guns and discipline. And whenever their mother's coffee mug is empty they hurry to refill it with whiskey, for they know she's living precariously in the wake of the strange unspeakable act she once committed against the family.

These falling angels - tough-talking Lou; sensible, sentimental Norma; chic, naïve Sandy - go through rites of passage each in her own way. They turn to drugs, swinging sixties sex, schmaltzy fantasy - and, repeatedly, to one another. And, even after her death, they turn to their mother, and to the bizarre love they discover their father bore her, a love he must commemorate at Niagara Falls--

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After opening on the 1969 funeral of a woman who fell or leaped from a rooftop, this narrative shifts to the 1950s; through her three daughters, we learn that she is an alcoholic who once dropped or threw an infant son over Niagara Falls. "Scrupulously and evocatively wrought, with fully formed characters, it poses but does not quite resolve a mystery rooted in character and fate," said PW.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Disenchanted eccentrics wending their way through eerie situations seem to be the dominant theme in most of the postmodern "new fiction." Troublesome as these forays into nihilism's gloomy landscapes are, an effective work of new fiction is as bracing as a dive into a chilly pond, offering more than a few surprises with its odd meld of quirky characters and wickedly audacious scenes. Gowdy's is one such dark gem of a novel. Through a series of vignettes it charts the lives of the Field family, recounting bouts of alcoholism, neglect, and verbal abuse. A story otherwise laden with sad escapades, Fallen Angels remains lively throughout because of the inventiveness and strength of its main characters: Lou, Norma, and Sandy. These three unfortunate sisters will amaze readers with their ability to endure the many traumas of childhood and adolescence, despite the antics of their even more unfortunate parents. This coming-of-age novel is not likely to appeal to those who wear a shield of optimism.
-Lauren Bielski,"Printing News"
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Random House Value Publishing (June 14, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517108321
• ISBN-13: 978-0517108321
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Snappy Dialogue, richly worded", September 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Falling Angels (Paperback)

I loved this book. The three main charactures of this book are sisters growing up in a very disfunctual family in the 60's. I caught myself laughing out loud so many times, at the authors use of humor during some very un-humorous moments in the book. The characters are real, and reminded me of the different emotions I felt growing up. I think it is a gift for an author to write of shrewd and tragic situations with a sense of humor at the same time. If you enjoy a book that "you cant put down"...this is a book for you. I am excited to read more from this author.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brutal and bizarre, January 12, 2011

By 

Sharlene T (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Falling Angels (Paperback)

Poor Norma, Sandy and Louise. The three Field sisters growing up in 1960s suburban Toronto live in a gloomy, comfortless world. Their father is demanding, difficult, and has dalliances on the side, and their mother, who dropped her baby son over the Niagara Falls many years ago, seeks solace in alcohol. The girls are the ones who take care of her and the house, going for groceries, cooking and cleaning, and trying to stop her from heading for the roof. But one day, one early morning, she does, and they cannot stop her.

Barbara Gowdy seems to like the weird, the eccentric, the crazies. Falling Angelsis a tale of a dysfunctional family, with weird and unexpected events that lurk around every corner. It is a sad life these girls lead, and they each have their own coping mechanisms to deal with their family's problems, resulting in a book that is dark, honest, brutal, a little bizarre and funny at the same time.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rarity!, April 8, 2009

By 

Chris M. Tusa (Baton Rouge) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Falling Angels (Paperback)

Falling Angels is a rare novel. Well-developed characters, wonderfully compact prose, and a simple but interesting premise. If you read one book this year, read this one.