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Angeline
Stunned by the blistering heat, the noise, the sea of faces crowding in upon her in the teeming Egyptian market, Angeline cannot believe that she is being sold as a slave to one of the great princes in Cairo. Only a short time ago she left her small village in France to follow Stephen, a shepherd boy whose vision led him to mount a children's Crusade to the Holy Land. But they were decieved by those who offered to help. Now it seems they are doomed to a life of slavery in a foreign land and even Stephen has lost all hope.
Somehow, Angeline mist find the strength to survive, as well as to help Stephen overcome his despair. But first she must learn to understand and respect the ways of a culture so very different from her own.
Somehow, Angeline mist find the strength to survive, as well as to help Stephen overcome his despair. But first she must learn to understand and respect the ways of a culture so very different from her own.
181 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 9, 2013
I'm kind of surprised by now much I actually enjoyed this novel in the end. We I first initially began Angeline I wasn't at all interested in the whiny protagonist's religious and racial prejudices nor her decision to be a stubborn little idiot and refuse to cooperate with her masters. urg by the 65-75% mark I was surprised to realize I had developed some amount of feeling for the characters and their predicaments. Angeline's plight actually got to me for a few moments, and even though it was quickly overshadowed by her continual stupidity and naive personality, did have me actually liking her as a protagonist. Personally if the ending hadn't been so quickly realized I might've ended up liking the novel or Angeline herself
Angeline is an interesting novel in terms of its themes and historical background. Set in the end of the crusades, and revolving around what is now known as the Children's Crusade, the story is essentially about the idea of tolerance and acceptance between two of the main religions in this part of the Middle Ages: Islam and Christianity. Which is kind of important for our own concerns about religious freedom in this day and age. The book is, thankfully, not completely forceful about its themes, though it does feel like it beats you over the head with the characters' revelations concerning religious freedoms.
OMG Angeline Muslims aren't terrible people? NO WAY?!
On the more positive side of things, in spite of Angeline's religious theme, characters, and historical background, the novel is never religious to the degree it can be qualified as Christian fiction, and therefore is a good fit for any reader with or without a religious background.
It's fairly typical in terms of its characterization; Stephen and the priest as well as Angeline's mistress being some of the most prominently stereotypical with their dark secrets, religious prejudices, and manipulative personalities respectively. Angeline herself did acquire some depth, but never really to the degree that I felt she became a complex character. Like I hinted at before, there is a reason she made my whiny heroine list, though it does say something that she didn't make my stupid character one when she easily could've at the beginning.
The writing is nothing really to write home about, but it does get the job done in a fairly timely manner with a good balance of description and limited 1st person narrative. One word of advice for those wanting to buy the ebook: it isn't quite formatted correctly and quite a few words are squashed together. It's never too much of a bother or makes the story confusing, but its something to be noted.
All in all, Angeline is a nice book. Not terrible, not brilliant, but normal and sadly unmemorable. A good novel for youngsters who are interested in religion or history. 2-2.5/5
Angeline is an interesting novel in terms of its themes and historical background. Set in the end of the crusades, and revolving around what is now known as the Children's Crusade, the story is essentially about the idea of tolerance and acceptance between two of the main religions in this part of the Middle Ages: Islam and Christianity. Which is kind of important for our own concerns about religious freedom in this day and age. The book is, thankfully, not completely forceful about its themes, though it does feel like it beats you over the head with the characters' revelations concerning religious freedoms.
OMG Angeline Muslims aren't terrible people? NO WAY?!
On the more positive side of things, in spite of Angeline's religious theme, characters, and historical background, the novel is never religious to the degree it can be qualified as Christian fiction, and therefore is a good fit for any reader with or without a religious background.
It's fairly typical in terms of its characterization; Stephen and the priest as well as Angeline's mistress being some of the most prominently stereotypical with their dark secrets, religious prejudices, and manipulative personalities respectively. Angeline herself did acquire some depth, but never really to the degree that I felt she became a complex character. Like I hinted at before, there is a reason she made my whiny heroine list, though it does say something that she didn't make my stupid character one when she easily could've at the beginning.
The writing is nothing really to write home about, but it does get the job done in a fairly timely manner with a good balance of description and limited 1st person narrative. One word of advice for those wanting to buy the ebook: it isn't quite formatted correctly and quite a few words are squashed together. It's never too much of a bother or makes the story confusing, but its something to be noted.
All in all, Angeline is a nice book. Not terrible, not brilliant, but normal and sadly unmemorable. A good novel for youngsters who are interested in religion or history. 2-2.5/5
April 8, 2014
This is another one of my re-reads from my childhood. When I first read it, I was (oddly enough) actually in the target age group for Angeline and enjoyed it immensely. But now that I’m long out of the target age group of tweens and young teens, how did I find the book?
Not bad, actually. For a book aimed at tweens Angeline explores some pretty heavy issues like religion, discrimination and slavery. Does Karleen Bradford go into as much depth as I would have liked? No, but considering her target age group she never goes so far as to speak down to her readers. Things like sex are alluded to and you’d have to know some history to truly appreciate references to the Coptic church and such but it doesn’t feel like the author is writing down to her readers. She doesn’t go and blurt out the message of the book, instead allowing her readers to come to their own conclusions. That’s very rare in middle grade fiction.
One thing I appreciated far more this time around was Karleen Bradford’s representation of Islam. I grew up in a very whitewashed community of Roman Catholics so it was in Angeline that I had my first real exposure to Islam. She doesn’t hold it or any other religion as superior but instead represents both Christianity and Islam well. Now that I’m actually more conscious of other cultures and religions, that was definitely something I could appreciate.
This time around I found myself getting a little bit frustrated with Angeline and her woe-is-me attitude but then again if I found myself sold into slavery in a strange culture and land I’d probably do a heck of a lot more whining. She does eventually grow as a character and makes the best of her circumstances but I can see where readers would get frustrated with her for the first half of the book. As she grows to accept her situation, so too does Stephen, the visionary child crusader. It’s interesting to see how he slowly regains his faith after such a devastating outcome to his supposed grand vision. All of the characters involved are well fleshed-out and have believable character arcs.
I wouldn’t say the plot is fast-paced, but it’s not boring either. It’s the kind of book that you read as a child, re-read and remember fondly. Of course it doesn’t seem as good as when I first read it but it’s still a very good book. If you or someone you know has a daughter from age 10-12ish this book would be an excellent gift.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Not bad, actually. For a book aimed at tweens Angeline explores some pretty heavy issues like religion, discrimination and slavery. Does Karleen Bradford go into as much depth as I would have liked? No, but considering her target age group she never goes so far as to speak down to her readers. Things like sex are alluded to and you’d have to know some history to truly appreciate references to the Coptic church and such but it doesn’t feel like the author is writing down to her readers. She doesn’t go and blurt out the message of the book, instead allowing her readers to come to their own conclusions. That’s very rare in middle grade fiction.
One thing I appreciated far more this time around was Karleen Bradford’s representation of Islam. I grew up in a very whitewashed community of Roman Catholics so it was in Angeline that I had my first real exposure to Islam. She doesn’t hold it or any other religion as superior but instead represents both Christianity and Islam well. Now that I’m actually more conscious of other cultures and religions, that was definitely something I could appreciate.
This time around I found myself getting a little bit frustrated with Angeline and her woe-is-me attitude but then again if I found myself sold into slavery in a strange culture and land I’d probably do a heck of a lot more whining. She does eventually grow as a character and makes the best of her circumstances but I can see where readers would get frustrated with her for the first half of the book. As she grows to accept her situation, so too does Stephen, the visionary child crusader. It’s interesting to see how he slowly regains his faith after such a devastating outcome to his supposed grand vision. All of the characters involved are well fleshed-out and have believable character arcs.
I wouldn’t say the plot is fast-paced, but it’s not boring either. It’s the kind of book that you read as a child, re-read and remember fondly. Of course it doesn’t seem as good as when I first read it but it’s still a very good book. If you or someone you know has a daughter from age 10-12ish this book would be an excellent gift.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
February 2, 2016
This was quite a thrilling story now from Angeline's point of view and experiences as the slave of the Emir's favourite concubine. The only unfortunate aspect was that the novel didn't last any longer. But wow, I was transported to another time and place and was presented with many surprises (like the ending!) Very much enjoyed this read!
July 8, 2015
I read this book years ago and every now and then I find myself thinking of it. I'll need to read it again though since I can't pinpoint exact moments that made me love it but it definitely made a great, lasting impression.
April 27, 2012
I enjoyed the book, but felt the history in it was not enough. But then again, I like history-rich books!
October 27, 2012
I thought this was a wonderful book of faith and survival. really good.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews