Anthony Trollope

Ayala's Angel (1881). By Anthony Trollope

Ayala's Angel is a novel written by English author Anthony Trollope, between 25 April and 24 September 1878, although it was not published for two years. It was written as a stand-alone novel rather than as part of a series, though several of the minor characters appear in other novels by Trollope. The plot focuses on two orphaned sisters, Lucy and Ayala Dormer, Ayala especially, and their trials, with first their relatives, and then of the heart, though as in most Trollope novels, pages are given over to subplots related to the main plot. Due to a lack of success in his immediately preceding novels, Trollope had difficulty publishing Ayala's Angel. It was first published in the United States, in the periodical Cincinnati Commercial, which, as was the usual custom for novels at the time, released it in increments, probably of four chapters per issue, between 6 November 1880 and 23 July 1881, for which illustrations were drawn, which were left out of the British publication, released in May 1882.... Anthony Trollope ( 24 April 1815 - 6 December 1882) was an English novelist of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, which revolves around the imaginary county of Barsetshire. He also wrote novels on political, social, and gender issues, and other topical matters. Trollope's literary reputation dipped somewhat during the last years of his life, but he had regained the esteem of critics by the mid-20th century.