Review: Angelology

Title: Angelology
Author: Danielle Trussoni
Publisher: Viking, 2010
Genre/Pages: Fiction/452 pages
Source: library
Grade: A-


With a 5 star rating from S. Krishna, Angelology became my first read in 2011. I enjoy historical fiction, especially when an author chooses parts of the Bible to formulate an interesting story. And this book did not disappoint me.

The novel begins in the 1940's during WWII, as a group of angelologists are examining the body of a dead, but still extraordinarily beautiful angel, in the cave of a remote mountain in Bulgaria.  Then, fast forward to December 1999 to the locations of NYC and a convent in Milton, NY.  We are introduced to the main characters: Evangeline, a young nun at St. Rose Convent, Mr. Verlaine, a Columbia University professor with a special interest in art history, and Percival Grigori, head of a powerful family who are descendants of the angels.  Grigori hires Verlaine, without telling him the real reasons, to find out anything he can about a correspondence between Abigail Rockefeller and the abbess of St. Rose Convent, Mother Innocenta, back in 1943.  Verlanie requests permission at the convent to view files that might pertain to this relationship.  Evangeline receives his request - denies it, but then begins to investigate herself. When Evangeline finds evidence of a relationship between Abi Rockefeller and Mother Innocenta, she is intrigued.  She uncovers much more than she ever imagined.  Her own family is heavily involved in the mystery. And we are lead on an incredible battle between the descendants of angels, the Nephilim, and the angelologists as they are both on a quest to uncover a heavenly object which can lead to the destruction of the world if the object is not destroyed first.  This is an adventurous journey to the very end.

For the last 200 pages, I was unable to put this book down.  I couldn't wait to find out how it would end. But the only drawback to me, was that I didn't have a strong connection to the characters; yes, I desperately wanted to know who would win out in the end, but I didn't really care if one of the characters was eliminated.  However, I will read this author again.