The Revolt of the Angels [Hardcover]

Anatole - Illustrated By France Pape France (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1928

The works of Anatole France in English

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: John Lane The Bodley Head / Dodd Mead; 2nd Impression edition (1928)
• ISBN-10: 1399719238
• ISBN-13: 978-1399719230
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your ordinary plot, January 16, 1999

By 

James Hercules Sutton (Des Moines, IA (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Revolt of the Angels (Textbook Binding)

The book tells the story of an archbishop's guardian angel who starts reading the bishop's books on Theology and becomes an atheist. The angel moves to Paris, meets a woman, has his wings fall off & takes up the harp to make a living, since he can't handle harmony. Then he meets the Devil. This is a very funny book, by the world's greatest ironist. A wonderful read for those who smile at people who pray on TV while squinting. Elegant prose even in English, better in French; a quintessential skeptic at his best.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heavenly Coup, July 13, 2006

By 

lee freke "journalist" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Revolt of the Angels (Paperback)

Yes, Anatole France was a Nobel Prize laureate; No, that is part reason enough to read him (Who can name six laureates). If you need to be convinced, try The Revolt of the Angels.

An angel, Arcade, leaves heaven, comes to earth, uses his invisibility to steal books from a library, after which he joins a host of fallen brethren with plans to overthrow god. Fantastic? Think again. In the hands of France, the plot is a mere jot; he is more interested in expressing his contrarian view of the universe.

His knowledge of history and religious texts is amply demonstrated; however the main draw is his cynical philosophy and his virtuosity in descriptions. When one of the angels delivers a tirade, the lifespan of the universe is captured in paragraphs: Original sin is a fable concocted by god, the Reformation was started Luther "all swollen with beer and theology," and god's thunderbolt was stolen by Franklin. According to France, god foresees everything, yet is surprised by the most probable event. France is not interested in orthodoxy, this is not religious satire to make you laugh; this is one that causes you to painfully shake your head and smile.

The conclusion is obvious, but it brings us back to reality - nothing will change. By the end of this impressive work of literature we discover only one angel is in revolt and it is not Arcade. It is Anatole France.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Revolt of the French?, May 29, 2006

By 

wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Revolt of the Angels (Paperback)

There's a lot to work with in this idea. Angels exist on earth, lots of them, including many assigned duties as guardian angels. God's in his heaven, and all's right with the world.

But, at the hands of master satirist France, all is not right with the world. The god in this story is a petty, tinhorn tyrant. He has arrogated himself power of life and death over this world's little beings, but with no true understanding of the clockwork perfection of even his assigned corner of this universe. Many of those angels on earth have defected, and are plotting an insurrection against that god's dictatorial rule. They secure funding, they stockpile bombs of horrific power, and they brace themselves for the struggle ahead.

I'm no scholar of the French revolution, but one point of similarity leaps out: the rebels' near-total lack of plan for what happens after the current in-crowd is outed. And, once the angels take on some features of earthly flesh, they fall victim to many of the ills that human flesh is heir to. Those include love of money, love of women, and love of the anarchic plotting in itself.

There's a lot to like in this novel by Nobel winner France, but also a few things that didn't work for me. France move his plot forward using an alternation of many viewpoints - a technique that works poorly for maintaining cohesion in a story. This translation, from 1914, is generally readable and enjoyable, but a few of its phrases seemed stilted by today's standards. And, although I enjoyed the narrative, I was not always sure how the family story of the d'Esparvieus matched the larger story around it. France makes up for any failings, of course, in his repartee, including some well-place barbs at America and Americans.

//wiredweird