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Dark Angel
Halley's Comet night at Winterscombe in 1910 ends with a violent death which throws a giant shadow over three generations of the Cavendish dynasty. At the centre of events is the beautiful and dangerous Constance, who casts a spell - which may be a curse - on all the sons of the family. Following the destruction of two World Wars - and the passions, deceits and hatreds of the intervening peace - it is the coruscating power of Constance's personality, and the sinister secret at the heart of her life, which will determine if Victoria, last of the Cavendishes, is to inherit happiness or misery.
908 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1990
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1018 people want to read
About the author
Sally Beauman
42 books167 followersaka Vanessa James
Sally Kinsey-Miles graduated from Girton College, Cambridge (MA in English Literature) She married Christopher Beauman an economist. After graduating, she moved with her husband to the USA, where she lived for three years, first in Washington DC, then New York, and travelled extensively. She began her career as a journalist in America, joining the staff of the newly launched New York magazine, of which she became associate editor, and continued to write for it after her return to England. Interviewed Alan Howard for the Telegraph Magazine in 1970 in an article called 'A Fellow of Most Excellent Fancy'. (Daily Telegraph Supplement, May 29th.) Apparently a very long interview. The following year they met again, and the rest is history. After a long partnership Sally and Alan married in 2004. She has one son, James, and one grandchild.
Sally had a distinguished career as a journalist and critic, winning the Catherine Pakenham Award for her writing, and becoming the youngest-ever editor of Queen magazine (now Harper’s & Queen). She has contributed to many leading newspapers and magazines in both the UK and the USA, including the Daily Telegraph ( from 1970-73 and 1976-8 she was Arts Editor of the Sunday Telegraph Magazine), the Sunday Times, Observer, Vogue, the New York Times and the New Yorker. She also wrote nine Mills & Boon romances under the pseudonym Vanessa James, before publishing her block-buster novel Destiny in 1987 under her real name. It was her article about Daphne du Maurier, commissioned by Tina Brown, and published in The New Yorker in November 1993, which first gave her the idea for writing Rebecca de Winter’s version of events at Manderley – an idea that subsequently became the novel, Rebecca’s Tale. In 2000 she was one of the Whitbread Prize judges for the best novel category.
Sally Kinsey-Miles graduated from Girton College, Cambridge (MA in English Literature) She married Christopher Beauman an economist. After graduating, she moved with her husband to the USA, where she lived for three years, first in Washington DC, then New York, and travelled extensively. She began her career as a journalist in America, joining the staff of the newly launched New York magazine, of which she became associate editor, and continued to write for it after her return to England. Interviewed Alan Howard for the Telegraph Magazine in 1970 in an article called 'A Fellow of Most Excellent Fancy'. (Daily Telegraph Supplement, May 29th.) Apparently a very long interview. The following year they met again, and the rest is history. After a long partnership Sally and Alan married in 2004. She has one son, James, and one grandchild.
Sally had a distinguished career as a journalist and critic, winning the Catherine Pakenham Award for her writing, and becoming the youngest-ever editor of Queen magazine (now Harper’s & Queen). She has contributed to many leading newspapers and magazines in both the UK and the USA, including the Daily Telegraph ( from 1970-73 and 1976-8 she was Arts Editor of the Sunday Telegraph Magazine), the Sunday Times, Observer, Vogue, the New York Times and the New Yorker. She also wrote nine Mills & Boon romances under the pseudonym Vanessa James, before publishing her block-buster novel Destiny in 1987 under her real name. It was her article about Daphne du Maurier, commissioned by Tina Brown, and published in The New Yorker in November 1993, which first gave her the idea for writing Rebecca de Winter’s version of events at Manderley – an idea that subsequently became the novel, Rebecca’s Tale. In 2000 she was one of the Whitbread Prize judges for the best novel category.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
December 31, 2016
4.5 stars.
I have never given a book five stars, but I was so tempted to give five stars to this one.
It was absolutely mystifying. I was awestruck by her writing, the country house/shire, the landscapes and the immense depth of each character that she portrayed.
This book would be possible only when you look at it with a psychological depth.
I loved all characters - so stark, so stunning, all shone bright with their own specific traits. I absolutely love Acland, Jane, Wexton, Boy, Gwen and even Constance and Eddie.
Constance, with all her faults, Beauman gives such pathological insight into her character.
I have never encountered a horror thriller-mystery where the mystery is the character.
After a while, you're so engrossed into the novel and their lives, that you forget that there even was a murder - the reason for the murder is given before the murder itself- and yet the ending is something you never see coming.
It was such a brilliant story of love, hate, death, destruction and war : not only in the 1914s but also in your own heart and your actions and ultimately, your self. War within your self, a self destructive, scheming and hasty approach on the war zone of the First World War.
The contents and the story of this novel, will possibly never leave me and I will most certainly ask everyone to read it. It's not just horror or mysterious or magical, it is a beautiful depiction of human beings at war with one another, and themselves.
Definitely reading all her novels now.
I have never given a book five stars, but I was so tempted to give five stars to this one.
It was absolutely mystifying. I was awestruck by her writing, the country house/shire, the landscapes and the immense depth of each character that she portrayed.
This book would be possible only when you look at it with a psychological depth.
I loved all characters - so stark, so stunning, all shone bright with their own specific traits. I absolutely love Acland, Jane, Wexton, Boy, Gwen and even Constance and Eddie.
Constance, with all her faults, Beauman gives such pathological insight into her character.
I have never encountered a horror thriller-mystery where the mystery is the character.
After a while, you're so engrossed into the novel and their lives, that you forget that there even was a murder - the reason for the murder is given before the murder itself- and yet the ending is something you never see coming.
It was such a brilliant story of love, hate, death, destruction and war : not only in the 1914s but also in your own heart and your actions and ultimately, your self. War within your self, a self destructive, scheming and hasty approach on the war zone of the First World War.
The contents and the story of this novel, will possibly never leave me and I will most certainly ask everyone to read it. It's not just horror or mysterious or magical, it is a beautiful depiction of human beings at war with one another, and themselves.
Definitely reading all her novels now.
September 5, 2011
I loved this book - its one of the few I will never give away and read every ten years or so to get my fix of delicious thrilling dark family sagas enjoyed best with a bottle of red and some nibbles over a long rainy weekend. It's the kind of book that makes you wish for rain.
June 29, 2022
This book is difficult to quantify. Constance is the primary character of DARK ANGEL -- yet the narrator, Victoria, is relating her family history to the reader, & that includes Constance's diaries, which Victoria summarizes as necessary. Gaps are filled in by conversations with others, but the reader isn't made aware of when they begin or end, & Victoria herself injects dryly judgmental comments like Charles Dickens, sometimes switching tenses when she speculates on different periods of time.
I mention these devices to warn that it's a long, dense read that often crawls at a snail's pace. Why I loved it so much...who knows. I've quit other books for lesser faults, let alone a brick of this size (& I didn't even like REBECCA'S TALE by this same author). So why *did* I enjoy it?
Constance is awful; she's a fascinating trainwreck, but she consistently refuses any effort to identify with her as good-gone-bad. She's wronged, yes, but she's also a terrible person -- so when does one's early tragedy cease to excuse their terrible behavior? Such is the question Constance forces the reader to ask. Her father, Eddie Shawcross, is a boil upon humanity; there was no redeeming him (nor did the author even try), while Acland, arguably the secondary fulcrum behind Constance, also left me cold. Yet other major characters shine in their imperfections -- I loved Wexton, Freddie, Maud, Steenie, Montague, Jane, & Franz-Jacob -- so the author deliberately chose to make 3 unpleasant people the crux of so many pages. (Indeed, Wexton makes a comment on the way negative personages so frequently hog the audience's attention -- another deliberate lens through which to view this family’s history.)
There's a ton of symbolism, both subtle & overt; you could write a lengthy term paper on Constance's culpability, the Cavendish family issues, & their codependent web o' malfunction. You could dissect the various homages to figures like Lewis Carroll, TS Eliot, & Agatha Christie. You could detail the grotesqueries & hairpin turns that form everyone's sexual identities. But I prefer to say that it's a mosh of different styles & themes: Evelyn Waugh's tragedy of lost generations, Danielle Steel's soapy family sagas, Wilkie Collins multi-POV sensational domestic scandal, & a pinch of gothic mystery.
Like Barbara Erskine & the chick-lit army of 'bookclub gothics,' Beauman definitely has a formula. Scanning other synopses shows similar themes & tropes are explored in her other novels, but taken by itself DARK ANGEL is a masterpiece of literary glitter trash, symbolism, & unreliable narration -- a familial trainwreck bolstered by beautiful prose. Special mention goes to the depiction of newfoundland Bertie, because anyone who's loved & lost a heavy-coated large breed dog will smile to read about Bertie with his ears flapping in the wind, his tail sweeping teapots off the table, & his nose in the air conditioner. Bless you, big hairy dogs the world over. 💕
Squick list: graphic child abuse (also adultery, but compared to father/daughter incest, sleeping around barely registers >:P).
I mention these devices to warn that it's a long, dense read that often crawls at a snail's pace. Why I loved it so much...who knows. I've quit other books for lesser faults, let alone a brick of this size (& I didn't even like REBECCA'S TALE by this same author). So why *did* I enjoy it?
Constance is awful; she's a fascinating trainwreck, but she consistently refuses any effort to identify with her as good-gone-bad. She's wronged, yes, but she's also a terrible person -- so when does one's early tragedy cease to excuse their terrible behavior? Such is the question Constance forces the reader to ask. Her father, Eddie Shawcross, is a boil upon humanity; there was no redeeming him (nor did the author even try), while Acland, arguably the secondary fulcrum behind Constance, also left me cold. Yet other major characters shine in their imperfections -- I loved Wexton, Freddie, Maud, Steenie, Montague, Jane, & Franz-Jacob -- so the author deliberately chose to make 3 unpleasant people the crux of so many pages. (Indeed, Wexton makes a comment on the way negative personages so frequently hog the audience's attention -- another deliberate lens through which to view this family’s history.)
There's a ton of symbolism, both subtle & overt; you could write a lengthy term paper on Constance's culpability, the Cavendish family issues, & their codependent web o' malfunction. You could dissect the various homages to figures like Lewis Carroll, TS Eliot, & Agatha Christie. You could detail the grotesqueries & hairpin turns that form everyone's sexual identities. But I prefer to say that it's a mosh of different styles & themes: Evelyn Waugh's tragedy of lost generations, Danielle Steel's soapy family sagas, Wilkie Collins multi-POV sensational domestic scandal, & a pinch of gothic mystery.
Like Barbara Erskine & the chick-lit army of 'bookclub gothics,' Beauman definitely has a formula. Scanning other synopses shows similar themes & tropes are explored in her other novels, but taken by itself DARK ANGEL is a masterpiece of literary glitter trash, symbolism, & unreliable narration -- a familial trainwreck bolstered by beautiful prose. Special mention goes to the depiction of newfoundland Bertie, because anyone who's loved & lost a heavy-coated large breed dog will smile to read about Bertie with his ears flapping in the wind, his tail sweeping teapots off the table, & his nose in the air conditioner. Bless you, big hairy dogs the world over. 💕
Squick list: graphic child abuse (also adultery, but compared to father/daughter incest, sleeping around barely registers >:P).
November 7, 2012
A haunting, compelling story of a wealthy, English family set in a time and class that is forever lost. This really is the tale of a ten year old girl whose life is forever and completely changed, one starlit evening and the impact of that change on those around her. I warn you that it is at times so very, very dark and disturbing that it can prove difficult to read and impossible to consider! Despite this, it is the very raw and Gothic nature of this essential, naked truth that pulls you forward. Well researched and extremely well written, this story does not disappoint, especially on a rainy day.
January 10, 2015
Wow.
I could leave this review at that and you'd know all you needed too. To try and re-tell the tale would lessen it's impact to a new reader; to simply describe it as a multi-generational family saga full of dark and destructive secrets and lies would do it an injustice. This isn't a wild romp; it's a complex, uncomfortable, compelling journey.
Told in a series of flashbacks, the story mainly takes place between 1910 and 1930. A richly flawed supporting cast and an old sprawling country estate sets the scene, but at its heart is the enigmatic Constance. A victim of the cruellest childhood, she projects her troubles onto all those around her, bewitching at first, and then twisting, hurting, destroying. When her charismatic poison finally catches up with her many years later, she knows it's time to stop, but there's only one way to do that: go back to the beginning.....
I could leave this review at that and you'd know all you needed too. To try and re-tell the tale would lessen it's impact to a new reader; to simply describe it as a multi-generational family saga full of dark and destructive secrets and lies would do it an injustice. This isn't a wild romp; it's a complex, uncomfortable, compelling journey.
Told in a series of flashbacks, the story mainly takes place between 1910 and 1930. A richly flawed supporting cast and an old sprawling country estate sets the scene, but at its heart is the enigmatic Constance. A victim of the cruellest childhood, she projects her troubles onto all those around her, bewitching at first, and then twisting, hurting, destroying. When her charismatic poison finally catches up with her many years later, she knows it's time to stop, but there's only one way to do that: go back to the beginning.....
February 11, 2014
I love Agatha Christie mysteries. After mastering the adventurous Hardy Boys and the magical Holmes, I fell in love as a child with the cool, considering Poirot and the keen, canny Miss Marple. As an adult, I love Christie’s mysteries not only for their entertainment but for how she writes about class and English society. Her novels are little slices of a time that no longer (if ever it did) exist, one populated by quaint country houses that host massive parties culminating, alas, in murder.
I mention Christie because one of the simplest ways to approach Dark Angel is to think of it as a mystery quite similar to Christie’s fare. Sally Beauman challenges the reader to consider an incident in 1910, at a party to watch Halley’s Comet. Eddie Shawcross, lover the mistress of Winterscombe, meets an untimely end in a man-trap while walking through the forest in the dark. Was it really all an accident? Or did someone set the trap and lead him into it from some dark motive of hatred and revenge?
Dark Angel is much like Winterscombe, the English estate where much of the book takes place: it’s a big, sprawling, somewhat ramshackle tale of interconnected spaces and dark, dimly-lit rooms. Beauman is ambitious in the scope and purpose of her narrative, for she aims not just to tell a single story but really chronicle the tangled web of multiple lifetimes across the two World Wars, from England to North America.
Ostensibly, the main narrative is Victoria’s recreation of the past based on her godmother’s journals and conversations with people who were actually there. Her godmother is Constance, Eddie’s daughter, who was ten years old at the time of Eddie’s death. Victoria is the granddaughter of Eddie’s lover and thus heir to Winterscombe, but by now it is far past its prime. Having been raised by Constance in the United States following her parents’ death, Victoria is looking for answers. Constance prevented her marriage to the man she thought she loved, and after a silence of eight years, the only thing Constance offers are these journals.
With this Beauman begins to show us what kind of person Constance is. It’s not just that she is manipulative, mercurial, capricious. She is a dangerous mixture of self-absorption, selfishness, and guilt. She can’t stand to be loved, but wants to be loved. She wants order from her life—as shown by her choice of career of interior decorator—but she feels uncomfortable with happiness, hers or others. Constance thrives on strife and scandal, because she feels it is what she deserves.
So it behoves both Victoria and the reader to take Constance’s journals with a healthy side of salt. Yes, the unreliable narrator is one of Dark Angel’s most attractive conceits. Multiple murderers surface with plausible motives and opportunities, creating a postmodern sensibility that any or all of these people could have been responsible. In the end, Beauman offers a resolution that is simple, shocking, and sad … yet, owing to Constance’s unreliability, it’s still possibly untrue. And perhaps that would be even sadder.
Beauman’s storytelling is second to none as Victoria unspools the lives of her grandparents, her uncles and aunts, and her own father and mother (whose identities are not revealed right away but instead hinted and gradually made clear). It’s the perfect kind of story for a long weekend or a rainy afternoon when you want to become involved, to start guessing and thinking about the clues the author offers up. Though the mystery is the hook, there is far more to this book than a simple whodunnit. The psychology of Beauman’s characters is complex and fascinating, with their thoughts and desires exposed to us for comment and, ultimately, even judgement.
Dark Angel is a rich and deep mystery. Like all good mysteries, it explores the dark drives that lurk within us, the desires and needs that can cause us to hurt ourselves or those around us. In this respect, murder is simply a symptom rather than the problem itself. By branching out beyond the mystery to chronicle a generation of characters, Beauman manages to tell a story far more interesting and complex.
I mention Christie because one of the simplest ways to approach Dark Angel is to think of it as a mystery quite similar to Christie’s fare. Sally Beauman challenges the reader to consider an incident in 1910, at a party to watch Halley’s Comet. Eddie Shawcross, lover the mistress of Winterscombe, meets an untimely end in a man-trap while walking through the forest in the dark. Was it really all an accident? Or did someone set the trap and lead him into it from some dark motive of hatred and revenge?
Dark Angel is much like Winterscombe, the English estate where much of the book takes place: it’s a big, sprawling, somewhat ramshackle tale of interconnected spaces and dark, dimly-lit rooms. Beauman is ambitious in the scope and purpose of her narrative, for she aims not just to tell a single story but really chronicle the tangled web of multiple lifetimes across the two World Wars, from England to North America.
Ostensibly, the main narrative is Victoria’s recreation of the past based on her godmother’s journals and conversations with people who were actually there. Her godmother is Constance, Eddie’s daughter, who was ten years old at the time of Eddie’s death. Victoria is the granddaughter of Eddie’s lover and thus heir to Winterscombe, but by now it is far past its prime. Having been raised by Constance in the United States following her parents’ death, Victoria is looking for answers. Constance prevented her marriage to the man she thought she loved, and after a silence of eight years, the only thing Constance offers are these journals.
With this Beauman begins to show us what kind of person Constance is. It’s not just that she is manipulative, mercurial, capricious. She is a dangerous mixture of self-absorption, selfishness, and guilt. She can’t stand to be loved, but wants to be loved. She wants order from her life—as shown by her choice of career of interior decorator—but she feels uncomfortable with happiness, hers or others. Constance thrives on strife and scandal, because she feels it is what she deserves.
So it behoves both Victoria and the reader to take Constance’s journals with a healthy side of salt. Yes, the unreliable narrator is one of Dark Angel’s most attractive conceits. Multiple murderers surface with plausible motives and opportunities, creating a postmodern sensibility that any or all of these people could have been responsible. In the end, Beauman offers a resolution that is simple, shocking, and sad … yet, owing to Constance’s unreliability, it’s still possibly untrue. And perhaps that would be even sadder.
Beauman’s storytelling is second to none as Victoria unspools the lives of her grandparents, her uncles and aunts, and her own father and mother (whose identities are not revealed right away but instead hinted and gradually made clear). It’s the perfect kind of story for a long weekend or a rainy afternoon when you want to become involved, to start guessing and thinking about the clues the author offers up. Though the mystery is the hook, there is far more to this book than a simple whodunnit. The psychology of Beauman’s characters is complex and fascinating, with their thoughts and desires exposed to us for comment and, ultimately, even judgement.
Dark Angel is a rich and deep mystery. Like all good mysteries, it explores the dark drives that lurk within us, the desires and needs that can cause us to hurt ourselves or those around us. In this respect, murder is simply a symptom rather than the problem itself. By branching out beyond the mystery to chronicle a generation of characters, Beauman manages to tell a story far more interesting and complex.
November 25, 2011
I read this book some years ago after I had read Rebecca's Tale which I loved. I liked Dark Angel but not one for my favourites list.
December 26, 2013
I have read this book several times and I love it every time. I takes you on a journey through time spanning decades, and the author writes in such a way that you can see everything as if watching a movie. It is an indepth look into the lives of a wealthy family, you get to see the good, the bad and the deep dark secrets. It's a breathtaking and surprising look at the things you usually don't get a chance to see unless you're part of the family.
November 21, 2010
It has been a long time since I had read a book that completely took me in so that it was difficult to stop reading and return to the "real" world. This was such a book.
I loved every minute of it and was sorry when it was over. Set largely in an English country estate with a time period of World War I to the present, it has rich characters, plot twists and good writing. Recommended for everyone who likes a good story.
I loved every minute of it and was sorry when it was over. Set largely in an English country estate with a time period of World War I to the present, it has rich characters, plot twists and good writing. Recommended for everyone who likes a good story.
March 5, 2015
I was very disappointed with Dark Angel after reading reviews. But, that seems to happen more often than not with Goodreads reviews for some reason. The book starts out interesting enough, interesting plot and multidimensional characters, but started falling flat too soon after it was fairly obvious who committed the murder early on. Then I just wanted it to hurry and be done with. Too much dialog, too much time passing, just got boring after a while.
July 12, 2015
Don't let the title fool you. This novel is not some trashy romance. I found this book at a thrift store. The dustcover was very dated; mine, in particular, was red with a coiled snake on the front and spine. It looked and sounded like...well...like a mawkish romance. Despite the cover and title, I decided to read the excerpt and was pretty hooked. One of my most recent complaints about Downton Abbey was the poor execution of several of its characters and the whodunit scenario involving Anne's rapist. This book fixes all of them.
The novel is about an aristocratic family and a fateful event that occurred the night of Haley's Comet. Constance, our "Dark Angel," tells her story through her godchild and through her many journals. I felt the author used the plot device of journals very well, weaving them in and out of third person narrative, using them to hide and subvert obvious mystery tropes.
There was much I liked about this novel, but it was about halfway through when I realized something, this was (in some ways) a retelling of Gone with the Wind. Now, this novel is definitely stand alone, but once I noticed it, I couldn't shake that impression. Still, like Gone with the Wind, all of the characters have flaws, motives, and moments of redemption. I really felt like these people could have existed. It was very refreshing to read.
In my opinion, the way it seemed like Gone with the Wind was the following:
The author did a great job keeping the suspension going by adding new mysteries and interesting characters. It was really these well-timed revelations that kept me going through the whole 800-page novel.
My only complaint is that though the author includes gay characters and condemns racism, she is very obviously of the camp that faith = good. In other words, theists = virtuous, atheists = corrupted, evil, damaged. This is further cemented with faithful Jane, the good woman and wife who gets the guy, being compared with Constance, a liar who was abused as a child. Puh-lease. Spare me. I thought we would avoid this stereotype with Acland, but even he seems to have "seen the light" in the end.
The novel is about an aristocratic family and a fateful event that occurred the night of Haley's Comet. Constance, our "Dark Angel," tells her story through her godchild and through her many journals. I felt the author used the plot device of journals very well, weaving them in and out of third person narrative, using them to hide and subvert obvious mystery tropes.
There was much I liked about this novel, but it was about halfway through when I realized something, this was (in some ways) a retelling of Gone with the Wind. Now, this novel is definitely stand alone, but once I noticed it, I couldn't shake that impression. Still, like Gone with the Wind, all of the characters have flaws, motives, and moments of redemption. I really felt like these people could have existed. It was very refreshing to read.
In my opinion, the way it seemed like Gone with the Wind was the following:
The author did a great job keeping the suspension going by adding new mysteries and interesting characters. It was really these well-timed revelations that kept me going through the whole 800-page novel.
My only complaint is that though the author includes gay characters and condemns racism, she is very obviously of the camp that faith = good. In other words, theists = virtuous, atheists = corrupted, evil, damaged. This is further cemented with faithful Jane, the good woman and wife who gets the guy, being compared with Constance, a liar who was abused as a child. Puh-lease. Spare me. I thought we would avoid this stereotype with Acland, but even he seems to have "seen the light" in the end.
March 22, 2014
I ultimately liked this book and I am glad I read it but it is very uneven. This is the type of book I usually eat up: a family saga about a crazy, wealthy dysfunctional family that spans the years 1910-1986 and includes murder, dark family secrets/scandals and dramatic historical events. This book is structurally ungainly: the time jumps are awkward and characters from the large ensemble cast seem to drift in and out of the story arbitrarily. Minor events are over described and pivotal character/relationship moments are underdeveloped.
All that being said, I was intrigued enough by the story to forgive these flaws for a lot of the book. The section of the book that runs from 1910 to the end of WWI in particular is pretty awesome. The tortured interpersonal dynamics of the Cavendish family as well as Constance and Eddie Shawcross are fun to read about. There is some twisted, compelling stuff here and the characters are pretty vivid. Despite the ramshackle plot and inelegant character entries and exits I was really with this book for a while.
However parts of this book are a real slog. This book has a multi-level framing device: Victoria, Constance's goddaughter and blood relation of the Cavendishes, is searching for Constance/reading her diaries. This is a weak framing device and having to battle through it contributed to a real sense of fatigue with this book. Victoria is boring and other character's when seen through Victoria's eyes or involved with Victoria's plot are rendered boring. This book wore me out and seemed narratively aimless whenever the focus shifted to Victoria. The last quarter of the book was particularly undermined by this focus on her.
Beauman's reach definitely exceeded her grasp with this one. Shorn of some of the unnecessary time jumps and with some pruning of the cast of characters this book could have been awesome. There is enough good here to justify the time spent reading it, but be prepared for some tedium and clumsiness in plotting and execution.
All that being said, I was intrigued enough by the story to forgive these flaws for a lot of the book. The section of the book that runs from 1910 to the end of WWI in particular is pretty awesome. The tortured interpersonal dynamics of the Cavendish family as well as Constance and Eddie Shawcross are fun to read about. There is some twisted, compelling stuff here and the characters are pretty vivid. Despite the ramshackle plot and inelegant character entries and exits I was really with this book for a while.
However parts of this book are a real slog. This book has a multi-level framing device: Victoria, Constance's goddaughter and blood relation of the Cavendishes, is searching for Constance/reading her diaries. This is a weak framing device and having to battle through it contributed to a real sense of fatigue with this book. Victoria is boring and other character's when seen through Victoria's eyes or involved with Victoria's plot are rendered boring. This book wore me out and seemed narratively aimless whenever the focus shifted to Victoria. The last quarter of the book was particularly undermined by this focus on her.
Beauman's reach definitely exceeded her grasp with this one. Shorn of some of the unnecessary time jumps and with some pruning of the cast of characters this book could have been awesome. There is enough good here to justify the time spent reading it, but be prepared for some tedium and clumsiness in plotting and execution.
February 11, 2011
Dark Angel is a compelling and fascinating novel. It is a family saga, but not only, it is also a coming-of-age story, if this term is apt since we are talking about a woman well in her thirties. It's the story of Constance, a charming and disturbing person, the story of an era giving way to modernity, and a novel on war. By means of a "story-within-the-story" structure and organized on three different temporal levels, Dark Angel is also a crime and a love story. Its only flaw is a certain slowness in some parts of the narration, but it is absolutely a minor flaw. The characters are exquisitely portrayed, even because Beauman uses a much appreciated literary device: when the novel goes back to 1910, the reader already knows something about Victoria's childhood in Winterscombe and about her parents, but not enough to understand which one of the Cavendish brothers is her father, and if the mother is already there. So the reader is forced to make acquaintance with the characters anew, without prejudices. The psychological deepening and development of characters is incredible. It is quite impossible to split them in likable and unlikable characters, since they are truer than truth: too much complex. With its involving and deeply affecting plot, Dark Angel is bound to win your heart.
February 26, 2019
I got completely sucked into this epic saga the characters were interesting and done well. Constance was a piece of work but you can’t help but feel sorry for her with what was done to her and then in turn what she did to herself. Very dark and alarming in places.
February 26, 2019
I enjoyed this family saga that revolved around Constance. Some places in the story rip the heart out but it really helps you to understand the woman better. The end of Constances story was well done and fitted the dark mood of the book but I also enjoyed the way the afterword ended rather fittingly and much lighter with the next coming of the comet.
July 27, 2020
Outstanding. Best book I've read in years. I'll be reading more from Ms. Beauman.
October 20, 2020
Wow! lots of twists and turns in this hefty tome. I recommend. The narration goes back and forth between 1980s Victoria and 1910 Constance and her diaries. Once one gets used to the switch between them, it becomes very readable.
August 5, 2015
Review originally published on Rebel Angel
Okay, so here’s a book that has 5 stars and 100% deserves them – this has got to be the best book I’ve read recently. It wasn’t technically part of our book club, but Charley recommended it and now I’m forcing it on the rest of book club, it was that good. Unfortunately, it’s not terribly easy to describe! The plot is loosely based around a death at Winterscombe, a sprawling estate on the night of Halley’s comet passing in 1910, but doesn’t focus on this as a traditional murder mystery would. Instead we follow the course of the life of an intriguing character: Constance. She is one of the most confusing, contrasting and occasionally disgusting characters I’ve come across but is so fascinating. While I normally don’t particularly like books that don’t have a proper “storyline” like this one, I LOVED this.
Like I said, it’s so difficult to describe if you haven’t read it, but believe me, this is a really good read. It’s quite long and has a sprawling narrative, like the estate it focuses around, but is worth the read. A word of warning, the first 5% or so don’t seem particularly interesting (being told from a fairly flat character’s point of view), but it slowly evolves into an addictive read. The beauty of it is that things tie together neatly throughout the tale, so that things that were seemingly unimportant previously, characters you ignored, become some of the most important details and people. Honestly, just read it, do it.
Okay, so here’s a book that has 5 stars and 100% deserves them – this has got to be the best book I’ve read recently. It wasn’t technically part of our book club, but Charley recommended it and now I’m forcing it on the rest of book club, it was that good. Unfortunately, it’s not terribly easy to describe! The plot is loosely based around a death at Winterscombe, a sprawling estate on the night of Halley’s comet passing in 1910, but doesn’t focus on this as a traditional murder mystery would. Instead we follow the course of the life of an intriguing character: Constance. She is one of the most confusing, contrasting and occasionally disgusting characters I’ve come across but is so fascinating. While I normally don’t particularly like books that don’t have a proper “storyline” like this one, I LOVED this.
Like I said, it’s so difficult to describe if you haven’t read it, but believe me, this is a really good read. It’s quite long and has a sprawling narrative, like the estate it focuses around, but is worth the read. A word of warning, the first 5% or so don’t seem particularly interesting (being told from a fairly flat character’s point of view), but it slowly evolves into an addictive read. The beauty of it is that things tie together neatly throughout the tale, so that things that were seemingly unimportant previously, characters you ignored, become some of the most important details and people. Honestly, just read it, do it.
July 20, 2015
This book captured my attention right from the beginning and held me riveted throughout.
It has everything, murder mystery, family drama, family secrets, gothic house, war, love affairs, and scandal.
The characters in this story were so well written that each affected me in some way, whether it be pity, revulsion or intrigue.
The book seamlessly jumps from the past to the present day, taking you on a journey through time.
I loved this book, and I will definitely be looking for other books by this author.
It has everything, murder mystery, family drama, family secrets, gothic house, war, love affairs, and scandal.
The characters in this story were so well written that each affected me in some way, whether it be pity, revulsion or intrigue.
The book seamlessly jumps from the past to the present day, taking you on a journey through time.
I loved this book, and I will definitely be looking for other books by this author.
January 26, 2010
This is a REALLY good book! It is so twisted and complicated and addictive! Yall should definately give this one a try! Some parts are hard to read (you'll see when you do read it what Im talking about) but it is well worth it! The beginning chapters are a lil stagnant but once you are past them, its a rollar coaster and you better hold on! Good ole Constance....
May 17, 2021
My aunt gave this to me and I was a little overwhelmed by the length. It's not typically my type of book but I really enjoyed it.
Thought all the characters were pretty well rounded. I did figure out some of the twists but still kept me interested
Thought all the characters were pretty well rounded. I did figure out some of the twists but still kept me interested
September 8, 2024
How do I love thee? - Let me count the editions. I have this book in every format available because I love it.
I've made some damn good reading decisions this year. Re-reading Dark Angel by Sally Beauman may be the best of them.
For years I regarded this as my favourite book of all time. I do struggle to justify a singular favourite now. I've read too many amazing books to put only one on a podium. However when it comes to the reading milestones of one's life, the top ten books of all time, that list of books you will continue to read throughout your life until they are buried with you - this incredible book is on that list. This was my third time reading Dark Angel and it absolutely justified its place in my mind as a masterpiece. If I was banished forthwith from the Kingdom of Rohan and could take only one book with me, there are serious odds on it being this one. Of all the books I adore (with perhaps the exception of King's IT and The Pillars of the Earth) there is no other book that matches the sheer scope of this story. That scope, and the sumptuous quality of Sally Beauman's writing may just give this book the edge over all others.
The most commonly available edition of Dark Angel is the Sphere publishing paperback. It's 791 pages long. The text is small. There are 12 significant recurring characters and numerous supporting characters. The book spans a time period from the year 1910 to the year 1986 and the action takes place across 3 countries spanning two world wars. The story is vast. The "Dark Angel" of the title is one of the greatest fictional characters I've ever read. An outstanding literary creation who grows from child to adult before our eyes. Sally Beauman writes many characters as both children and adults here. She does so with incredible skill. The adult characters convey the children they used to be. Their speech and actions have a ring of truth because she has established their personalities over the course of the story. They feel real and believable and compelling. It's spectacular writing.
There are some books that are a labour to read. They take work and concentration. I have many beloved books that required effort to yield their reward. I can often love a book but can only read a handful of pages before I need to stop, reset, and carry on. These books make me think of running. Sometimes, no matter how fit you are, no matter how often you've run that distance, or that route, you cannot find your rhythm. It's a slog. Your breathing doesn't feel quite right. You know you'll make it, but you also know it's going to be hard work. Many books have made me feel like I'm going to hit the wall 5 miles from home. Not Dark Angel. Reading this book is, for me, akin to being "in the zone" on your weekly long run. You feel strong. You're moving with a rhythm like some other force is in control. Your pace is no longer important. You're quick. You're focused only on the feeling of running in the present moment. Stats no longer matter. It's as close to a complete disconnection as is possible. That's the headspace that long books with a story of this scope require. That's the headspace that Sally Beauman's writing gives me when I read Dark Angel. Her writing is gorgeous. It is just so bloody readable. I can read this for hours without interruption. It is both effortless and pure joy. Page numbers become meaningless. Self-imposed deadlines are abandoned. The pages become the road and I just want to chase the horizon. This is an epic story of family, love, obsession, manipulation, abuse, sex, war, regret, and murder. It will forever be one of my all time greats and a constellation of stars would not adequately rate it.
Sally Beauman died in 2016, that year of unmitigated shit that was the gift that keeps on taking. Her books absolutely deserve more attention. In reading terms this is a Marathon Personal Best and an endorphin high like no other. I feel lucky to have discovered it and to have enjoyed it 3 times. It will not be the last time. I'd love for you to read it and then come talk with me about it. It's worth the distance and every mile is spectacular.
I've made some damn good reading decisions this year. Re-reading Dark Angel by Sally Beauman may be the best of them.
For years I regarded this as my favourite book of all time. I do struggle to justify a singular favourite now. I've read too many amazing books to put only one on a podium. However when it comes to the reading milestones of one's life, the top ten books of all time, that list of books you will continue to read throughout your life until they are buried with you - this incredible book is on that list. This was my third time reading Dark Angel and it absolutely justified its place in my mind as a masterpiece. If I was banished forthwith from the Kingdom of Rohan and could take only one book with me, there are serious odds on it being this one. Of all the books I adore (with perhaps the exception of King's IT and The Pillars of the Earth) there is no other book that matches the sheer scope of this story. That scope, and the sumptuous quality of Sally Beauman's writing may just give this book the edge over all others.
The most commonly available edition of Dark Angel is the Sphere publishing paperback. It's 791 pages long. The text is small. There are 12 significant recurring characters and numerous supporting characters. The book spans a time period from the year 1910 to the year 1986 and the action takes place across 3 countries spanning two world wars. The story is vast. The "Dark Angel" of the title is one of the greatest fictional characters I've ever read. An outstanding literary creation who grows from child to adult before our eyes. Sally Beauman writes many characters as both children and adults here. She does so with incredible skill. The adult characters convey the children they used to be. Their speech and actions have a ring of truth because she has established their personalities over the course of the story. They feel real and believable and compelling. It's spectacular writing.
There are some books that are a labour to read. They take work and concentration. I have many beloved books that required effort to yield their reward. I can often love a book but can only read a handful of pages before I need to stop, reset, and carry on. These books make me think of running. Sometimes, no matter how fit you are, no matter how often you've run that distance, or that route, you cannot find your rhythm. It's a slog. Your breathing doesn't feel quite right. You know you'll make it, but you also know it's going to be hard work. Many books have made me feel like I'm going to hit the wall 5 miles from home. Not Dark Angel. Reading this book is, for me, akin to being "in the zone" on your weekly long run. You feel strong. You're moving with a rhythm like some other force is in control. Your pace is no longer important. You're quick. You're focused only on the feeling of running in the present moment. Stats no longer matter. It's as close to a complete disconnection as is possible. That's the headspace that long books with a story of this scope require. That's the headspace that Sally Beauman's writing gives me when I read Dark Angel. Her writing is gorgeous. It is just so bloody readable. I can read this for hours without interruption. It is both effortless and pure joy. Page numbers become meaningless. Self-imposed deadlines are abandoned. The pages become the road and I just want to chase the horizon. This is an epic story of family, love, obsession, manipulation, abuse, sex, war, regret, and murder. It will forever be one of my all time greats and a constellation of stars would not adequately rate it.
Sally Beauman died in 2016, that year of unmitigated shit that was the gift that keeps on taking. Her books absolutely deserve more attention. In reading terms this is a Marathon Personal Best and an endorphin high like no other. I feel lucky to have discovered it and to have enjoyed it 3 times. It will not be the last time. I'd love for you to read it and then come talk with me about it. It's worth the distance and every mile is spectacular.
February 13, 2013
I have read a previous book, Rebecca's Tale by Sally Beauman, and really enjoyed it although I wasn't sure if this was just due to the fact that it was written as a sequel to Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca.
This book was equally good, if not better. The plot was intriguing with multiple, sometimes complex characters, with the character of Constance at the centre. It is had to say much about Constance because she has different angles to her and these change throughout the story.
The book is predominantly set in a large English country house at the beginning of the last century and then moves onto post war America. There are long narratives about things that may appear trivial however they become more meaningful as the book progresses.
The blurb on the back of the book alludes to a murder and whilst this is the case it is not a book solely focused on the murder, there are many other tributary relationships between the different characters examined.
I would recommend this book to anyone - don't be put off by the 800 pages - they will go too fast!
This book was equally good, if not better. The plot was intriguing with multiple, sometimes complex characters, with the character of Constance at the centre. It is had to say much about Constance because she has different angles to her and these change throughout the story.
The book is predominantly set in a large English country house at the beginning of the last century and then moves onto post war America. There are long narratives about things that may appear trivial however they become more meaningful as the book progresses.
The blurb on the back of the book alludes to a murder and whilst this is the case it is not a book solely focused on the murder, there are many other tributary relationships between the different characters examined.
I would recommend this book to anyone - don't be put off by the 800 pages - they will go too fast!
July 2, 2019
There was a lot to enjoy about reading this, including the settings, and fair chunks of it were quite engrossing if you could just spend a whole rainy weekend doing nothing but reading. But honestly it was just needlessly far far far too long! Especially as it wasn’t all action-packed or moving the plot along; there were a lot of chapters that could be considered filler. The novel has a large cast of characters but I felt some were sorely underdeveloped. Victoria was pretty uninteresting and of no real consequence for most of the book. Meanwhile Constance dominated but I really disliked her character - although not in a way that was simultaneously fascinating, more in a way that meant she became quite tedious. The novel could have done with a tougher editor and a more rounded approach to the “ensemble cast”.
November 11, 2020
This book is a lengthy read covering a span of 80 years from a 1910 country house party in England to a return the the property in the late 1980s. There are a dozen or more key characters who enter and leave the story and did I mention the book is over 1,000 pages?!! The plot is intricate, the writing well done but the main character whose touch runs from beginning to end is the title character, the dark angel. She is not a sympathetic character as she sees life as a game she can only win at the expense of others. And 1000 pages is too much time to spend in her company!!
August 11, 2009
I could not put this book down and read it within 3 days! The story had me wondering what would happen next and had so many twists and turns in the plot that I could never have guessed how it would end.
November 14, 2015
Intricate tale that spans two world wars. Has a plot contrivance that is overused and felt like a cop-out. Constance is a femme fatale worth of consideration however. Not much substance, but riveting until the disappointing end.
February 7, 2013
I loved this book and all it's characters. Sally Beaumans characterisation is detailed and her writing absorbing. The pace was maintained throughout and never lost my interest. This is definitely a book I will return to again.
September 28, 2024
Three stars for the parts of this book that were good. It was a decent read up to the point where it cycles back to Victoria and her relationship with Frank.
There's a lot of characters to keep track of, but the star of the book is the emotionally damaged Constance Shawcross. The other characters revolve around her and while there's some side excursions into the lives of the others, it all circles back to her.
And I'm torn on her character. On one hand, she was interesting and rather compelling with all her tragedies and fictions. You could never believe anything she said and she was pretty twisted. On the other hand, she was a little too much and sometimes became a caricature of herself.
Victoria, who is telling the story as Constance's goddaughter, is rather bland. When the book cycled to her part towards the end, I just couldn't get into it. I think had Beauman just left Victoria out and focused only on Constance, it might've been better. The narrative framing still would've worked as third person omniscient view. The back-and-forth between Victoria's timeline and Constance's timeline was sometimes a bit hard to get past.
There's also a ton of twists in this. Most are emotional, but at the heart of the book is a murder mystery. It's pretty easy to figure out who the killer is by the midway point in the book, but it's still a pretty intriguing plot point.
Beauman did a good job of presenting a good sense of time and place, save for Victoria's sections. She depicts the WWI years accurately. Her overall writing style is rather fantastic, although at times she did wander into too much purple prose. I think a lot of the book could've been edited down for clarity's sake, plus some of the characters (including Victoria) could've been dispensed with, but still, it wasn't a bad read.
There's a lot of characters to keep track of, but the star of the book is the emotionally damaged Constance Shawcross. The other characters revolve around her and while there's some side excursions into the lives of the others, it all circles back to her.
And I'm torn on her character. On one hand, she was interesting and rather compelling with all her tragedies and fictions. You could never believe anything she said and she was pretty twisted. On the other hand, she was a little too much and sometimes became a caricature of herself.
Victoria, who is telling the story as Constance's goddaughter, is rather bland. When the book cycled to her part towards the end, I just couldn't get into it. I think had Beauman just left Victoria out and focused only on Constance, it might've been better. The narrative framing still would've worked as third person omniscient view. The back-and-forth between Victoria's timeline and Constance's timeline was sometimes a bit hard to get past.
There's also a ton of twists in this. Most are emotional, but at the heart of the book is a murder mystery. It's pretty easy to figure out who the killer is by the midway point in the book, but it's still a pretty intriguing plot point.
Beauman did a good job of presenting a good sense of time and place, save for Victoria's sections. She depicts the WWI years accurately. Her overall writing style is rather fantastic, although at times she did wander into too much purple prose. I think a lot of the book could've been edited down for clarity's sake, plus some of the characters (including Victoria) could've been dispensed with, but still, it wasn't a bad read.
August 23, 2017
4.5 stars
I tend to judge books by covers. I don't really apologize for that and think publishers need to think long and hard about the aesthetic they're showcasing. If you value your book, give it a presentation that matters. In looking at the various covers that have been plastered on Dark Angel, it's no wonder this novel is floundering in sub-1000 ratings territory. Not a single one of those covers would, by itself, make me look twice at Dark Angel.
Yet here we are. Dark Angel, by the hitherto unknown to me Sally Beauman, is a marvelous journey. It's a journey that a mere summary-style paragraph cannot do justice to. I can talk about the mystery, the characters, the smoky passion that underscores much of the text--but none of that really pegs Dark Angel. I can talk about the way I fall in and out (and back in) love with characters. I can talk about how Beauman does just enough foreshadowing to properly highlight the types of things to pay attention to, to solve the mystery with, yet the narrative still delicately dances a few steps ahead. I could talk about the way reading Dark Angel is like finding home--in all the messy awkwardness that a real home entails. But none of that is helpful.
None of that can explain how, when I try to describe my reaction to reading Dark Angel, the only phrase I can really come up with is, "I am pleased."
(I keep waffling between 4 stars and 5 stars to reflect my 4.5 rating--which largely hinges on the "pleased" factor, although also keeps an eye on Beauman's lovely prose. She falters a bit with plot consistency, although considering the length of the book (nearly 800 pages!) and the number of eras and characters it's trying to track, it does a good job of tying up lose ends. Regardless, it's good.)
I tend to judge books by covers. I don't really apologize for that and think publishers need to think long and hard about the aesthetic they're showcasing. If you value your book, give it a presentation that matters. In looking at the various covers that have been plastered on Dark Angel, it's no wonder this novel is floundering in sub-1000 ratings territory. Not a single one of those covers would, by itself, make me look twice at Dark Angel.
Yet here we are. Dark Angel, by the hitherto unknown to me Sally Beauman, is a marvelous journey. It's a journey that a mere summary-style paragraph cannot do justice to. I can talk about the mystery, the characters, the smoky passion that underscores much of the text--but none of that really pegs Dark Angel. I can talk about the way I fall in and out (and back in) love with characters. I can talk about how Beauman does just enough foreshadowing to properly highlight the types of things to pay attention to, to solve the mystery with, yet the narrative still delicately dances a few steps ahead. I could talk about the way reading Dark Angel is like finding home--in all the messy awkwardness that a real home entails. But none of that is helpful.
None of that can explain how, when I try to describe my reaction to reading Dark Angel, the only phrase I can really come up with is, "I am pleased."
(I keep waffling between 4 stars and 5 stars to reflect my 4.5 rating--which largely hinges on the "pleased" factor, although also keeps an eye on Beauman's lovely prose. She falters a bit with plot consistency, although considering the length of the book (nearly 800 pages!) and the number of eras and characters it's trying to track, it does a good job of tying up lose ends. Regardless, it's good.)
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