Demons and Divas

In this trilogy of short novels—her first new book in six years—Ursule Molinaro draws upon a wealth of sources (including Balzac, Flaubert, and Hildegard of Bingen) to transform the grotesqueries of our time into timeless tales. Angel on Fire presents Clara Corvo, who was born with three peculiarities—a cloven hoof, phenomenal intelligence, and clairvoyance. Her mother finds her unbearable, and to escape her family takes a young student as a lover. When six-year-old Clara matriculates at Ha...