Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #162702 in Books
• Published on: 1983-01-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 336 pages

From Library Journal
Frederick Davidson reads this multi-layered book with more or less success. On one level, Davies's novel is "about" four academics: Maria Theotoky, the brilliant, beautiful graduate student; her adviser, the ascetic Dr. Hollier; Simon Darcourt, the bon vivant priest; and Parlabane, once an outstanding scholar, now sycophant to his former classmates. Then there is the basic plot theme: Who will end up with the girl? Standard stuff. Yet the real focus here is on the spiritual and/or mystical personal explorations of the main characters. Unfortunately the story's lack of organizational coherence has a negative effect on the apparent striving for deeper meaning. In addition, while Davidson is an extremely competent reader of male voices, he makes the supposedly alluring Maria sound almost maternal. For all its imperfections, this book is a compelling performance. Recommended for moderate to large literature collections.?I. Pour-El, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
The Rebel Angels is Canadian novelist Robertson Davies's sometimes philosophical tale of academic life at the College of St. John. Frederick Davidson tells us a story of peculiar events and characters whose lives are entwined through scholarly passions of one type or another. He accomplishes the task of preserving this restless story with a flowing narration. He modulates the voice of Maria, a graduate student, separating her from male companions with expressive accuracy. His slight English accent and dry, earthy elocution soundly stir this fiction to its concluding moment. B.J.L. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

A wonderful, witty book
Robertson Davies is a Candian literary icon. His genius imbues all his writing - this most of all. With a wonderful narrative told from three characters perspectives, he weaves a story of the banality of academia (it reminded me of Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum in this manner) along with characters that are both lovable and disgusting somehow.

Except for Maria. She is the beauty of the story, the woman who must endure the silly old academic men, but who herself needs to learn about who she is and to find her identity in the midst of insanity. Davies does not fully create a completely believeable female character in my opinion, but he comes close.

His humour is unmatched. Davies writes with a biting wit that cuts with razor sharpness. He uses an ironic narrative that will always not only make one laugh, but laugh thoughtfully. He makes us think of life and love. You can't help but be made to think.

This is one of Davies best, from one of the best writers Canada has ever produced.

Read and Enjoy!

animal house of the mind
It's rare for a novel to be both thoughtful and rather light and frivolously entertaining--"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" comes to mind, and this book's got the same sort of attitude. At root it's a funny, erudite, gross and at times mean satire of academia as only an ex-academic could produce--the style is (I'm sure purposefully) reminiscent of Rabelais, who's mentioned herein so frequently. On the other hand, it's a charmingly not-too-serious meditation on the variety of paths to wisdom and ways of knowing. I was rather amused by the observation of one character that (I paraphrase) medieval thinking was a mix of muddled religion, folk belief and superstition, while modern thinking is a mix of muddled science, folk belief and superstition. Perhaps the best aspect of the book is the sheer wildness of its imagination, what with Gypsy instrument-stealers and all; it's not at all surprising that Davies was a theater ham as well (there's an indulgent nod to someone I presume is a real-life actor pal of his in here).

On the personal level, I think if I'd read this book at around age 18 it would've had enormous impact on me, both for the academic satire and for the gaining-wisdom thing; I would have taken both aspects far too seriously and probably have been obscurely burdened by the whole experience. Now it's just mostly good unclean fun.--J.Ruch

The Perfect Novel?
The Rebel Angels immediately entered my personal canon of favorite works of literature. Could it be the perfect novel? It features astounding characters, well defined and memorable (especially the unforgettable John Parlabane, almost as singular a character as Liesl in Davies' Deptford Trilogy). It features a page turning plot. I was initially hoping for a literary mystery, along the lines of Eco, when the "lost manuscript" is introduced. The plot doesn't exactly lead that way, but creates its own twists and turns, both comic and tragic.

Davies' fine novel is an erudite display of knowledge, philosophy, emotion. There are no blacks and whites, nor even shades of grey. Each character is peppered alternately both black and white...each an incredibly real person encompassing friendship and selfishness, good and evil.

This is the kind of novel you feel better for having read. It impressed me on each page; a great work of literature as well as a very enjoyable read.