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There are currently 34 member reviews
for The Stars Are Fire
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Christine P. (Gig Harbor, WA)
Tempered by Fire
At first glance, you would think this novel is a snapshot of domestic life in the 1940s. As you travel deeper into the novel, it becomes the tale of a complicated marriage, both partners unsatisfied with the life they have. Then literally all hell breaks loose. The author uses The Great Maine Fire of 1947 as a catalyst for courage and the will to do what's best for the main character and her children. While this is not as good as some of Anita Shreve's previous novels, it did keep me up until 3am reading. You can sympathize with its characters and you do get a small piece of Maine history
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Celia A. (Takoma Park, MD)
Disappointed
I've read most, maybe even all, of Anita Shreve's previous books, so I really wanted to like this more than I did. I had trouble getting into the story, but the pace picked up some after the fire. I enjoyed the story well enough, but the extremely short sections, many only one paragraph long, within each chapter made the narrative feel very jerky. I was glad whenever I saw a slightly more extended scene with dialogue. The book jacket described the book as suspenseful, but I didn't really feel the suspense at all. Shreve has a long-enough track record of books I enjoyed that I will still be willing to give her chance in the future, but I don't think this ranks with her better books.
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Eileen F. (Drexel Hill, PA)
Choices
This was a quick entertaining read but I found the story superficial. I would have enjoyed more information about the fires and their aftermath. I couldn't understand many of the choices Grace made before and after the fires. Good read for he beach.
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DHW
Easy read, rather formulaic...
This is a book I would classify as a "beach read". While holding my interest throughout the story, the characters and general plot were rather predictable, and somewhat disappointing. I was hoping that there would be an unusual or mystery twist, however that never happened.
Generally speaking, I tend to finish a book that I've started; I could have put this one down and walked away at any point in the story. I've found this true of authors who tend to punch out several novels.
Maybe I set my expectations too high, as I had just finished reading a Dickens novel. Oh well...
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Shirley L. (Norco, LA)
Not Shreve's Best But Still Enjoyable
I'm a fan of Anita Shreve and although this was not my favorite of her works it was still solid and very readable. It is set in the state of Maine in the late 1940s. Women were viewed by a certain type of man as little more than property and society reinforced this view in both subtle and obvious ways. It was horrifying to be reminded of the lack of freedom married women had, even this recently. The story was rather predictable and characters were fairly flat - horrible or wonderful. The ending was satisfying. An enjoyable, easy read but nothing memorable.
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Rose N. (Saginaw, MI)
A romance Novel?
With "The Stars Are Fire", I felt like I was reading the kind of novel referred to as a 'romance'. For example, after experiencing the apparent loss of her husband in a tragic fire, the main character effortlessly falls in love with a stranger who is camping in her home and, when he must leave her, she imagines a possible love relationship with the doctor for whom she works. Finally, her husband, as if rising from the dead, returns as a damaged man, and destroys the pleasant life she had without him. A happy ending is then manufactured. The story seemed too contrived and full of questions for me. I have read other Anita Shreve novels and very much enjoyed them but was dissatisfied with this effort.
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