Sunday, January 3, 2010

Burning Bright


Written by the author of Girl with a Pearl Earring, this is the story of a chair-making family who move to London in 1792 to work for the circus. The children in the story, Maisie, Jem, and their new friend Maggie, are adventurous and endearing, and we silently cheer them along, particularly Maggie, who is outspoken but loveable. Interactions with their neighbour, the poet, William Blake, provide them with a philosophical view of life, and encourage their journey from innocence to experience.

I chose this book off the cheap rack at a newsagency because it has a great looking cover (well, it does!), and also because I had read the Girl with the Pearl Earring and thought it was beautifully written. While not quite as spellbounding as that book, this story portrays the late 18th century streets of London vividly, and explores the literary, political and economic situations of the times, including the French Revolution, the printing press and poverty. Amusing, romantic and sometimes heart-wrenching, the lure of the story is to find out if Jem and Maggie's friendship develops into romance.

My rating:
****

3 comments:

  1. i like the sound of the last three books Wendy ..will have to ask Kelly at my second hand book shop that opened in Kingsmeadows earlier last year 09 to look out for them for me..(she used to go to St Leonards Primary with Chelsea and Jonathon ..Kelly Smith) she will always look out for stuff for me and keep it aside..so i am lucky...but right now i have no time to sit and read..packing and culling ..that is my life for the next 6 weeks ....but after then...woo hoo..relax and read...

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  2. Oh thanks so much for letting me know about your blog, it's great, I will be looking for a new book soon and will make sure to pick this up!
    Sophie x

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  3. Hi there, thought I'd leave a comment as I recently finished this book. It was an easy, whimsical read but I found it lacking a real story line. For me there was no real build up to anything, although your comment regarding the Jem and Maggie's relationship is on the money. I would say it was an enjoyable book, but not rave worthy. It was an easy read, given my attention deficit disorder (otherwise known as Lily!). Love ya xx

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