Knowledge of Angels [Paperback]

Jill Paton Walsh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 1998

It is, perhaps, the fifteenth century and the ordered tranquillity of a Mediterranean island is about to be shattered by the appearance of two outsiders: one, a castaway, plucked from the sea by fishermen, whose beliefs represent a challenge to the established order; the other, a child abandoned by her mother and suckled by wolves, who knows nothing of the precarious relationship between Church and State but whose innocence will become the subject of a dangerous experiment. But the arrival of the Inquisition on the island creates a darker, more threatening force which will transform what has been a philosophical game of chess into a matter of life and death...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set on a fictive Mediterranean island in medieval Europe, Walsh's dark philosophical religious fable moves through two intersecting subplots. Amara, who was abandoned as an infant and raised by wolves, is captured by shepherds. Unable to speak or walk upright, she is sent to a convent where she becomes the object of an experiment to determine whether knowledge of God is innate. The other plot strand involves Palinor, an atheistic humanist prince and castaway who seeks refuge on the island but is persecuted by the Catholic Church. Beneditx, a pious scholar, attempts to persuade the unyielding Palinor that God exists. With the arrival of a special inquisitor from Rome, the clash between secular and conservative ecclesiastical values moves inexorably toward a gruesome climax. Walsh, a prolific author of young-adult books, tackles large questions in her first serious religious parable for adults: How can one reconcile the existence of evil with faith in a beneficent God? Why does religion spawn intolerance and violence? Sonorous prose, a polyphonic interweaving of themes and a diverse cast of characters from all rungs of society leaven an often didactic tale which addresses timeless issues.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-A gripping, grim morality tale that's hard to put down and even harder to forget. It is set during a time of religious fervor on a Mediterranean island peopled with a wide variety of well-developed characters, including a lost prince, a child raised by wolves, and the priestly ruler. The island's proximity and ties to Rome are evident in the lives of the townspeople, clerics, nuns, monks, and even the servants. Christianity in its narrowest guise predominates, and the two islanders who are "unknown," the wolf-child and the lost prince, are ultimately judged by these constricting standards. There are many likable characters, and there is much theological philosophy discussed in intriguing detail, mostly by a monk who contemplates what angels know and how they know it. There is also, however, a captivating plot. Be aware that this is far different from the spate of angel "stuff" that is out today, a darker but more encompassing description of "the knowledge of angels." Although the ending is slightly disappointing, getting there is a compelling and thought-provoking journey, and well worth the trip.
Susan H. Woodcock, King's Park Library, Burke, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 289 pages
• Publisher: Black Swan (January 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0552997803
• ISBN-13: 978-0552997805
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #510,687 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tour de Force, November 30, 2003

By 

Avid Reader (Franklin, Tn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Knowledge of Angels (Paperback)

This book cries out for a different rating system - perhaps a 1-10 scale. Even then one would have to reward an "11" for this magnificent tome. I could not find a single flaw in the entire reading - character development and portrayal was realistic yet unforgettable, the setting mesmerizing (one is instantly transported back to the time of the Inquisition and the faith-filled, simple lives of the city dwellers) and the plot was perfect.

I have read criticism that the tale was not realistic or made suppositions and assumptions that are not exactly correct in the historical sense. But what one should remember is that this tale is an allegory, not a documentary. The fictional city is in Spain and the Inquisition is at its high point when a stranger appears. He is intelligent, interesting, and friendly but an unbeliever. He tells of a land in which belief is arbitrary and where one can change their religion - or choose to have no religion at all. This is too much for Church officials for in their eyes murder, torture and lying can be forgiven but also blessed. A trial of sorts is proposed.

Now we have the second story and the joy is how the two are seemlessly weaved into one arc. A child found among the wolves is being raised by nuns. She is not to be given any religious instruction and if she comes to a belief in a Supreme Being the visitor will be found guilty, otherwise he will be judged to be innocent.

The battle is not between atheist and believer. It is a civil war between two schools of thought within Catholicism - the plain folk and their local leaders and a grand inquisitor who employs "unusual" methods for "protecting the faith". The wolf-girl finally is made to make a statement that can be interpreted as belief and Palindo, the visitor, is tortured to confession. When he refuses to follow this up with another confession (which would then validate the previous "confession") he is sentenced to be burned alive at the stake. A lowly follower trades all her material goods for a balm that will bring instant death upon being heated.

The aftermath is a short but appealing denouement. The bishop's assistant announces he cannot believe in a God that seeks obedience through torture. The wolf-girl returns to her solitary mountain home but not before catching a glimpse of a vast naval armada from the foreign land streaming toward the city that burned its citizen. The rewards of sin...

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A highly intelligent fable of ideas, April 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Knowledge of Angels (Paperback)

Jill Paton Walsh's "Knowledge of Angels" should havewon the Booker Prize. It is arguably the most outstanding yetaccessible of the five novels that made the shortlist in 1994. Set in the medievial ages, KOA is a brilliant and highly intelligent fable of ideas. Controversial perhaps, but timeless. Even today, we continue to debate the question of whether the concept of God is innate to man or acquired through the intellect and the socialisation process. In the middle ages, certainly during the times of the infamous Spanish Inquisition, it was heretical to espouse the creed of atheism. The crime was punishable by torture and death. The story of Amara (the wolf child), brought up and suckled by wolves before being returned to human society, was to be the great experiment by which learned scholars of the day sought to prove the existence of God. Palinor, the castaway who hails from a world where people live by the principles of humanism, finds his life endangered when his unconventional ideas threaten the orthodoxy of the day. Paton Walsh's novel isn't even specifically about religion or humanism. It is about the need for human society in its search for truth to understand the confining nature of paradigms, to continually challenge conventional wisdoms and reinvent itself, and to practice tolerance if the search for truth is to be served. Astonishing, yet not. "Knowledge of Angels" is a beautifully crafted and highly entertaining novel of ideas that should be read by those who love good literature. I can't recommend it highly enough. END

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knowledge of Angles, October 21, 2001

By 

Liz and Sruthi (Gorham, NH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Knowledge of Angels (Paperback)

Knowledge of Angles by Jill Paton Walsh is one of the best books of our time. Its richly illustrated plot was truly unique. We read this book for a high school English class and both agreed that it was one of the best books we've ever read. The story of a wolf-girl slowly interwines with that of a man unjustly persecuted because of his beliefs. A young girl, raised by wolves, is captured by men and brought into the human society. A kindly boy finds help from the Cardinal who in turn decides to perform a religious experiment with her. She is brought to a secluded cloister where she is to be kept without any mention of God in her presence. In this way, the Cardinal tries to find out if there is actually a high spirit, that seems to guide you. This careful experiment soon leads to surprises, that would best have been left unknown. The story of a wrongly persucuted man makes "The Knowledge of Angles" even more amazing. Palinor, a king from an unknown "perfect world" fell off a boat and swam to a nearby island. He is immediatly thought to be an athiest because he neither knows that God exists, or knows that He doesn't. Palinor was put into prison, then released and taken to talk to the Cardinal. His arguments are so convincing that he even has the Cardinal somewhat doubting his faith. The two stories come together to create a very important theme, one of love, hate, God, and sympathy.