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Angel Island
Five men are shipwrecked on a remote South Sea island inhabited by beautiful winged women.
351 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1914
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February 12, 2017Referenced in The Secret History of Wonder Woman:
...Inez Haynes Gillmore, who had helped Maud Wood Park found the National College Equal Suffrage League and who was also a member of Heterodoxy, published a novel called Angel Island. Its plot involves five American men who are shipwrecked on a desert island that turns out to be inhabited by "super-humanly beautiful" women with wings, "their bodies just short of heroic size, deep-bosomed, broad-waisted, long-limbed; their arms round like a woman's and strong like a man's." The men, overcome with desire, capture the women, tie them up, and cut off their wings, leaving them utterly helpless because, although the women have feet, they have never used them before and cannot walk. Eventually, the strongest of them leads the other women in waging a revolution: she learns to walk "with the splendid, swinging gait of an Amazon."
(p 86, Lepore)
July 12, 2017
I stumbled upon this book when it was mentioned in The Secret History of Wonder Woman as an early feminist story. I found it for free as an Amazon classic download and really enjoyed this very interesting telling of the battle of the sexes, and sadly can say that not much has changed.
June 24, 2025
The prologue by Ursula Le Guin, featured in the 1980s reprint, is worth reading alone, but this Radium Age feminist fantasy, about a group of men marooned on a tropical island who are being stalked by mysterious winged women they call "angels", should be in the TBR for fans of vintage sci-fi.
The novel opens with some of the most brutal shipwreck imagery I've ever read, with bodies twisted and floating among the flotsam and jetsom while we get flashbacks to passengers staring in awe at a giant wave about to swamp their cruise liner, mothers holding their child's face away while lovers stare into each others' eyes for the last time before they are struck. That's powerful.
Unfortunately, the only survivors are five neckbeards. But they do okay. Life seems about as harmonious as it can be as they hunker down for the months-long wait for rescue, if they are ever saved at all. They live out of primitive shelters and off fish caught in the ocean and the canned food from the ship's stores. They even have plenty changes of clothes, but don't bother getting out of their tattered rags. In essence, they live like slobs, and are happy for it. Until they start hearing women's laughter somewhere in the distance.
The narrative slows down a bit as the men try to figure out if they are alone on the island or not, and then comes to a crawl when they make first contact. But I didn't mind at all. For as ridiculous as an undiscovered race of winged women seems to be, the author really grounds this book in realism. She takes the time to draw out the mystery of who these women are, and whether they are friendly or not. Also, this is where the plot takes a breath to let us learn about the different personalities of the five men, who are all unique and bring a different element to the later drama. Finally, it is also where the main themes start coming into play.
After both parties become aware of each other, there ensues months of the Angels trying to get sneak peaks at the men, and buzzing around their camp as though to tease them. This changes the dynamics of the relationship between the men. They set to work replacing their lean-to shacks with more sophisticated log cabins, forge razors with which to shave, and ditch their dirty clothes. They also become more testy with one another.
The author means to evoke the engrained mating behavior of animals. I'm reminded of the bowerbird--the males of the species build elaborate towers decorated with flowers, colorful pebbles, bones, and shells, for no other purpose than to attract a mate. These little structures tell the female everything they need to know about the genetic map of the male. They are strong enough to carry these objects from the riverbed, they are resourceful enough to do it while avoiding predators, etc. It reminds us that human behavior is no different. All our nice cars and tattoos and sport trophies all are part of laying out our potential as an attractive mate.
And it works both ways, as the angels go about dancing in the skies in front of their admiring male audience. But their wings are representative of their freedom. In order to join the world of the men, they must come down to earth.
This is where the book completely changes POV from the men to the angels, and I'll stop giving the plot and urge you to read the book for yourself. From here on out is where this novel really packs a punch. It's beautiful and brutal, tragic and clever.
This book was written during a time when women were still not allowed to vote. Inez Gilmore Hayes was a remarkable person who was a prolific writer and advocate for women's rights, and so this book can be seen as representing to the public the potential of women to soar. The author married twice, and both times she chose to be with a man who would not clip her wings.
But the plot does not fall into the trap of being preachy or self-righteous or demeaning. Today, you can hardly watch a commercial about something as mundane as laundry detergent without a straight male being depicted as belonging in a total-care institution. This book does not attempt to elevate a group of people by diminishing the other. As I said, this is fantasy, but it is grounded. So the book approaches the disharmony between the sexes in a practical way, examines the real barriers not just in society but in the neurobiology of both sexes. It also recognizes that everyone is a unique individual, whether male or female, so the author is careful to never lump all women and all men into the same mold. She recognizes that the love language of one woman may be service, and their greatest joy to raise a family, while other women may fall on the less maternal and more male side of the spectrum. Some men feel they need to conquer and control women, while others are capable of true partnerships. So the book is a plea to choose your partner wisely, and advises women not to fly before they first learn to walk.
Some modern readers may be critical of the author's balanced and thoughtful approach, perhaps because they expect a work of feminist literature to be about girl bosses socking it to the Man. But what we get here is much more thoughtful, daresay even wise, especially for its intended audience during the time it was written. She really seems to have had the pulse on how people really thought a century ago, and her insights are so spot on that we can see ourselves accurately reflected even today.
This book challenges the people of today's society to look truthfully at themselves. You may take for granted that what you think you know now. You may be perfectly comfortable raging against the patriarchy today. Would you have felt that way in 1918 when this book was written? The honest answer is that likely you wouldn't, because today you don't have the context of what it was like to live in an era where it was more of a sociocultural norm, if not a survival necessity, to have the gender roles of the time. And for all the complaints some may have about society today, there were genuine and serious risks to having ideas back then that now don't even raise an eyebrow. That's what makes the life of this author so incredible, and it is what makes her writing so important and powerful.
For a fantastic summer read that will make you think, this book receives my highest recommendation.
SCORE: 5 fallen angels out of 5
The novel opens with some of the most brutal shipwreck imagery I've ever read, with bodies twisted and floating among the flotsam and jetsom while we get flashbacks to passengers staring in awe at a giant wave about to swamp their cruise liner, mothers holding their child's face away while lovers stare into each others' eyes for the last time before they are struck. That's powerful.
Unfortunately, the only survivors are five neckbeards. But they do okay. Life seems about as harmonious as it can be as they hunker down for the months-long wait for rescue, if they are ever saved at all. They live out of primitive shelters and off fish caught in the ocean and the canned food from the ship's stores. They even have plenty changes of clothes, but don't bother getting out of their tattered rags. In essence, they live like slobs, and are happy for it. Until they start hearing women's laughter somewhere in the distance.
The narrative slows down a bit as the men try to figure out if they are alone on the island or not, and then comes to a crawl when they make first contact. But I didn't mind at all. For as ridiculous as an undiscovered race of winged women seems to be, the author really grounds this book in realism. She takes the time to draw out the mystery of who these women are, and whether they are friendly or not. Also, this is where the plot takes a breath to let us learn about the different personalities of the five men, who are all unique and bring a different element to the later drama. Finally, it is also where the main themes start coming into play.
After both parties become aware of each other, there ensues months of the Angels trying to get sneak peaks at the men, and buzzing around their camp as though to tease them. This changes the dynamics of the relationship between the men. They set to work replacing their lean-to shacks with more sophisticated log cabins, forge razors with which to shave, and ditch their dirty clothes. They also become more testy with one another.
The author means to evoke the engrained mating behavior of animals. I'm reminded of the bowerbird--the males of the species build elaborate towers decorated with flowers, colorful pebbles, bones, and shells, for no other purpose than to attract a mate. These little structures tell the female everything they need to know about the genetic map of the male. They are strong enough to carry these objects from the riverbed, they are resourceful enough to do it while avoiding predators, etc. It reminds us that human behavior is no different. All our nice cars and tattoos and sport trophies all are part of laying out our potential as an attractive mate.
And it works both ways, as the angels go about dancing in the skies in front of their admiring male audience. But their wings are representative of their freedom. In order to join the world of the men, they must come down to earth.
This is where the book completely changes POV from the men to the angels, and I'll stop giving the plot and urge you to read the book for yourself. From here on out is where this novel really packs a punch. It's beautiful and brutal, tragic and clever.
This book was written during a time when women were still not allowed to vote. Inez Gilmore Hayes was a remarkable person who was a prolific writer and advocate for women's rights, and so this book can be seen as representing to the public the potential of women to soar. The author married twice, and both times she chose to be with a man who would not clip her wings.
But the plot does not fall into the trap of being preachy or self-righteous or demeaning. Today, you can hardly watch a commercial about something as mundane as laundry detergent without a straight male being depicted as belonging in a total-care institution. This book does not attempt to elevate a group of people by diminishing the other. As I said, this is fantasy, but it is grounded. So the book approaches the disharmony between the sexes in a practical way, examines the real barriers not just in society but in the neurobiology of both sexes. It also recognizes that everyone is a unique individual, whether male or female, so the author is careful to never lump all women and all men into the same mold. She recognizes that the love language of one woman may be service, and their greatest joy to raise a family, while other women may fall on the less maternal and more male side of the spectrum. Some men feel they need to conquer and control women, while others are capable of true partnerships. So the book is a plea to choose your partner wisely, and advises women not to fly before they first learn to walk.
Some modern readers may be critical of the author's balanced and thoughtful approach, perhaps because they expect a work of feminist literature to be about girl bosses socking it to the Man. But what we get here is much more thoughtful, daresay even wise, especially for its intended audience during the time it was written. She really seems to have had the pulse on how people really thought a century ago, and her insights are so spot on that we can see ourselves accurately reflected even today.
This book challenges the people of today's society to look truthfully at themselves. You may take for granted that what you think you know now. You may be perfectly comfortable raging against the patriarchy today. Would you have felt that way in 1918 when this book was written? The honest answer is that likely you wouldn't, because today you don't have the context of what it was like to live in an era where it was more of a sociocultural norm, if not a survival necessity, to have the gender roles of the time. And for all the complaints some may have about society today, there were genuine and serious risks to having ideas back then that now don't even raise an eyebrow. That's what makes the life of this author so incredible, and it is what makes her writing so important and powerful.
For a fantastic summer read that will make you think, this book receives my highest recommendation.
SCORE: 5 fallen angels out of 5
August 28, 2018
This book... it's been days after and I'm still filled with emotion as this book as been labeled a feminist, early feminist work of the early part of this century, and I fail to see how one moment in the entire book makes this so. I fail to understand how people can talk about this in a positive light. I fail to understand how people were not angry at this set of characters; not a single one can be considered good or bad, or even somewhat relatable.
I believe I'm more angry at what I read than the fictional women who this was dealt to so some merit will be given to Gillmore for that fact that this kind of reaction happened. A book that can provoke this much emotion must be merited to some extent but this has put me off from wanting to read any more from the author.
I give this 2 stars - one for the book and another for the provocation.
Read the full review at Mariaku Reads
I believe I'm more angry at what I read than the fictional women who this was dealt to so some merit will be given to Gillmore for that fact that this kind of reaction happened. A book that can provoke this much emotion must be merited to some extent but this has put me off from wanting to read any more from the author.
I give this 2 stars - one for the book and another for the provocation.
Read the full review at Mariaku Reads
January 22, 2011
Great feminist science fiction book. I read it in college and it really got me thinking about the middle ground between the sexes and the idea that since gender is a social construction what is the best way to really define it.
October 4, 2015
A very interesting story about 5 men who are shipwrecked on an island and find 5 women who have wings who visit them regularly. The women become enamored of them men and the men determine to capture them and make them their wives. The men cut off their wings in a scene somewhat reminiscent of the scene in Malificent where Stephan takes her wings to gain power in the kingdom. The women in Angel Island have never had to walk so they are uable to. The men soon tire of having to carry them every place and the women become tired of waiting to be taken and realizing they did not have control of their own lives let alone the lives of their children. Unlike Malificent, the wings in this story would grow back and the men would keep cutting them off. This book was published in 1914, and in every way reinforces the typical male female stereotypes of the time. It was great when the women rose up and demanded their rights.
February 1, 2024
Show don’t tell narrative technique is a widely accepted norm and a golden rule in which reader is allowed to experience the story and draw its own conclusions. After all, you would rather look at the painting yourself instead of having someone describing to you what that painting looks like.
However, this book, in certain aspects, breaks that norm, with Inez proving how if done right, you most definitely can successfully tell – or to say more accurately, do most of the telling but by doing so not crippling the showing – without letting author’s exposition and analysis influence the reader. Or worse: bore them.
The reason why it works here are the five male characters, which by then and today’s standards of modern society, act completely irrationally. However, Inez, deliberately pushes their characters to an extreme rationale, to prove her point, however without that analysis of each and one of their characters, I believe her point would be lost or misinterpreted.
Her point isn’t to show us the tale of five shipwrecked men on an island trying to survive by hunting, gathering, building lodges, then meeting some fantastical flying creatures that happen to have bodies of women and then together they fight off some big evil that threatens them all etc.
Oh no. Her point is to show us, with absolute zero subtlety, complete decadency of a man when cut out from civilization and all of its rules and norms.
Now, there’s plentiful of showing of it in this book, but in this case, and this case alone, I’m happy to say how the book is much richer with all that analysis and all that exposition that comes along.
“They have passed through two distinct psychological changes since the sea spewed them up. It was as though mentally they slavered. But every phrase, however confused and inept, voiced their panic and terrific final struggle.
‘What are our chances, how do we get off?’
This was the first question anybody has asked. It added its infinitesimal weight to the wave of normality which was settling over them all.”
However, this book, in certain aspects, breaks that norm, with Inez proving how if done right, you most definitely can successfully tell – or to say more accurately, do most of the telling but by doing so not crippling the showing – without letting author’s exposition and analysis influence the reader. Or worse: bore them.
The reason why it works here are the five male characters, which by then and today’s standards of modern society, act completely irrationally. However, Inez, deliberately pushes their characters to an extreme rationale, to prove her point, however without that analysis of each and one of their characters, I believe her point would be lost or misinterpreted.
Her point isn’t to show us the tale of five shipwrecked men on an island trying to survive by hunting, gathering, building lodges, then meeting some fantastical flying creatures that happen to have bodies of women and then together they fight off some big evil that threatens them all etc.
Oh no. Her point is to show us, with absolute zero subtlety, complete decadency of a man when cut out from civilization and all of its rules and norms.
Now, there’s plentiful of showing of it in this book, but in this case, and this case alone, I’m happy to say how the book is much richer with all that analysis and all that exposition that comes along.
“They have passed through two distinct psychological changes since the sea spewed them up. It was as though mentally they slavered. But every phrase, however confused and inept, voiced their panic and terrific final struggle.
‘What are our chances, how do we get off?’
This was the first question anybody has asked. It added its infinitesimal weight to the wave of normality which was settling over them all.”
October 8, 2024
This is a feminist fiction book written in the early-1900s while women were fighting for the right to vote in America. Although the author does a good job in writing the story, I do not agree with feminism, even the early kind, because it is based off of a spirit of rebellion which shows toward the end of this book. All of the characters in this book are pretty much the same. They are all worldly-wise in various shades of character. The women are all portrayed as voluptuous and sensual while at the same time being thought of by the men as delicate and innocent. The men all have one thought in their mind even before they see the women and after they see the women, all they want to do is conquer them. The men all lord themselves over their wives and the women submit themselves to their husbands in their actions while their hearts rebel and complain against their husbands constantly. None of the men truly love their wives by sacrificing themselves to help build their wives up instead they neglect them and treat them as pets or objects to be admired. None of the women truly submits to her husband by respecting him completely and doing all she can to please him out of love for him, her children, and her Lord. This book was a very one-sided affair and plays on the reader's heartstrings to make people sympathetic to what the author considers to be the plight of women. I know many women who are happy and satisfied and find their freedom in loving and serving their families and managing their homes well. And each of these women have husbands who love and cherish and protect them in many ways and do all they can to help build their wife up and to allow her the freedom to serve her family and others well. It is very sad that it appears that Ms. Irwin did not.
July 21, 2025
Published in 1914, “Angel Island” might better be classified as fantasy than as science fiction. Five men survive a shipwreck on a rather benign island. They begin to be visited by five women with large wings and “residual” feet. The men first meet these women with awe but, as time passes, the men feel they have every right to capture the women—to protect them from the risks they take flying. The women obviously are frivolous and incapable of making good decisions. The men succeed and furthermore cut off the women’s wings. Gradually the women become domesticated, and each, except one, Julia, marries one of the males and produce offspring. When one births a female with wings, and the father intends to cut off that child’s wings at maturity. Julia, the wisest of the women, helps organize a revolt that results in concessions from the men. This novel was a bit of a slog, part of my endeavor to read gender-related science fiction. While it is quite dated, and I wouldn’t generally recommend it, historically it is of note. The author was a suffragette and the book at the time was likely pushing some boundaries.
August 20, 2020
This is a tough one to review - it's considered a landmark feminist work, but it's a pile of poop when seen through a modern lens. It presents as sci-fi/fantasy, with its lovely island of cryptozoological winged humans, utopianism, and social commentary - but the allegory is simply too transparent, the battle of the sexes too literal. I read plenty of books with political and social themes from this period (and far earlier) but this one just didn't woo me.
January 9, 2024
An allegory for the ages. Initially published in 1914, this rediscovered classic is a fantastical battle of the sexes. The story opens with 5 men found shipwrecked on a remote island. They soon discover winged women and (of course) decide to capture them. The first half of the book is told by the men, the second by the women. The themes are all relevant today and I encourage you to check this out!
March 3, 2020
Hidden gem of early feminist literature. Some weak points, but the impact remains.
April 9, 2021
Frustrating to read just how little the men thought of the women. Sad but true that this is how many see others that are not like them.
January 3, 2024
Really good story! I'm not usually one for "adventure" stories, but this one was engaging and kept me interested
January 15, 2026
Epic book about women's rights woven into an adventure story.
January 22, 2018
This is an intriguing feminist work from the early part of this century. While a little dated, it is still very enjoyable. The first part is a bit slow–five men are shipwrecked on a tropical island, and they play talking heads about their situation and their view of women. Finally the plot starts taking shape when they discover that they are being watched by some very unusual creatures. They debate what to do, and make their move about halfway through the book in what has to be one of the more shocking events that I’ve read in a book in quite a while. From there, the plot gets even more pointed, and it ends on quite a redeeming note. I’m sorry I I can’t go into more detail, but you really should read it yourself. Beware the edition that Jill gave me, however; there’s an introduction by Ursula LeGuin that gives away some plot bits. I was reading it before the book, but got an intimation that she was talking much more about the plot than I cared to know before reading the book, confirmed after I read it once finishing the book.
September 27, 2014
Fascinating period piece by an early 19th century feminist and suffragist.
Reads awkwardly, characterizations are a bit OTT, but as an example of turn of the 20th century feminist fiction, it's intriguing. Cited by Jill Lepore as an influence on the Paradise Island origins of Wonder Woman.
Reads awkwardly, characterizations are a bit OTT, but as an example of turn of the 20th century feminist fiction, it's intriguing. Cited by Jill Lepore as an influence on the Paradise Island origins of Wonder Woman.
August 31, 2023
I enjoyed this book, although it left me wanting to know more, where it ended felt like where the story was just getting going.
I love the idea of 4 different valkaries/Angels
I would have liked more romance in this story as the men where so in love with the Angels.
I love the idea of 4 different valkaries/Angels
I would have liked more romance in this story as the men where so in love with the Angels.
February 18, 2016
I enjoyed this book very much. The descriptions of the winged women were gorgeous. The plot was interesting. The feminist theme was well-developed. A very creative endeavor that is undated.
January 22, 2017
Loved the message!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews