Falling Angels

Whispers Beneath Marbled Stones

In Falling Angels, Tracy Chevalier invites readers into the shadowed lanes of Victorian London, where the opening of the illustrious Brookwood Cemetery becomes the catalyst for transformation and upheaval. Young Lavinia Hargreaves arrives in the quiet village of Woking with dreams of art and adventure, only to find herself ensnared by family obligations and the rigid conventions of her time. Alongside her cousin Emmeline, Lavinia navigates the dusty catacombs and grand mausoleums of Brookwood, where whispered secrets and half-glimpsed visions hint at dangers far more earthly. As stone angels weep and the toll of mortality looms, the two cousins discover that beneath the marble serenity lies a restless world brimming with ambition, passion, and rebellion.

A Society on the Brink

Set against the backdrop of 1860s England, the novel captures a society teetering between tradition and modernity. Emmeline’s restless spirit and Lavinia’s artistic aspirations collide with the expectations of debutante balls, prim garden parties, and the relentless gaze of chaperones. When Lavinia falls under the mentorship of a talented sculptor, her world expands beyond the parlor, igniting jealousies and forging unexpected alliances. Meanwhile, Emmeline’s fascination with photography and the new science of image-making pulls her toward forbidden encounters and uncharted freedoms. Through these intertwining journeys, Chevalier masterfully illuminates the shifting roles of women, the dawning of technological progress, and the fractures in a class-bound society.

Love, Loss, and Liberation

At its heart, Falling Angels is a tale of awakening—romantic, artistic, and spiritual. As Lavinia chisels visions from stone and Emmeline captures souls in silver nitrate, both cousins confront the fragility of love and the permanence of legacy. Tragedy strikes in the hush of moonlit catacombs, testing their courage and reshaping their definitions of loyalty and desire. With evocative prose and richly drawn historical detail, Tracy Chevalier weaves a narrative that celebrates the power of creativity to transcend sorrow and the strength required to break free from the bonds of convention.

Tracy Chevalier is an acclaimed author known for her vivid historical fiction, where richly imagined settings and compelling heroines bring bygone eras to life. With Falling Angels, she offers a haunting and deeply human exploration of art, mortality, and the courage to reshape one’s destiny.