Reviews

Invitation to a Bonfire by Adrienne Celt

minilove's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. It was very poetic in it's word choices, which made for very well rounded characters with very distinct personalities (something I personally love). The main character Zoya is someone you come to understand more than feel sympathy for, and wrestles with some very deep questions which I enjoyed exploring with her. Definitely worth the read!

fluffy1st's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

3ofclubs's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A reimagining of the life of Vladimir Nabokov, told from the perspective of a Russian orphan, Zoya. As I read, I think I kept expecting the book to get into some boring literary analysis, since the beginning was a bit slow, but the plot kept developing and getting more interesting, and the book kept me guessing in the second half. Note: having read Nabokov is not a prerequisite to reading this book! I haven't and I didn't know anything about the real life author and I still liked it.

Incidentally I think this would make a great TV show and I'm sad that AMC cancelled their adaptation.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder and Sexual content

Minor: Stalking

raloveridge's review against another edition

5.0

This was as haunting and suspenseful as it was beautifully written: the perfect winter read!

bluemoons's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

lydia_hennessy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

meenalgarg's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

vickytx's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

alishabenson's review against another edition

Far too slow-paced for my personal taste. I felt like nothing at all happened and couldn’t bring myself to continue despite the largely positive reviews. 

elissacsweet's review against another edition

5.0

Adrienne Celt’s INVITATION TO A BONFIRE tells the story of a great novelist, his wife and his mistress and was partly inspired by the famous Nabokov marriage. The story swept me up and kept me guessing, and I can heartily recommend it to all types of readers, whether you are a fan of Nabokov or his biggest critic. For those who love thrillers, this is a murder mystery that keeps the reader guessing until the last page. For those who love literary fiction, Celt captures Nabokov’s letters and writing in a fascinating way. And for people who just want a good story, the sexy love triangle and compelling characters—especially the women—will keep you reading. If you love MIKHAIL AND MARGARITA or historical fiction in general, you’ll devour this book.