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jar7709's review
4.0
Wow. I wish we could give half stars because for me this was *almost* a perfect book. If you like tidy plots and and clear-cut good guys and neatly wrapped conclusions, this might not be your first choice, because it is a little messy and complicated. Just as in life and all questions of business vs. environment and how that plays out in small towns and the larger public sphere, this novel's fully-realized characters don't know exactly what's happening (no one in the story does). No matter which "side" they are on, and even though the characters are not wart free, I found most of them still sympathetic. This novel could be marketed as a "ripped from the headlines" tale about fracking in small town Pennsylvania, but I'm glad the advertising I've seen hasn't been so trite as that, because that would be an injustice to this extremely well written and nuanced story that is also about much more than just that.
booknrrd's review
3.0
A solid 3.5 stars.
Heat & Light follows the people in a small economically depressed Pennsylvania town when a fracking company move in. I was worried that I was going to find it preachy, and I didn't, but then again maybe I'm in the choir?
Heat & Light follows the people in a small economically depressed Pennsylvania town when a fracking company move in. I was worried that I was going to find it preachy, and I didn't, but then again maybe I'm in the choir?
robinsolomon's review
5.0
Jennifer Haigh is one of my favorite authors and Heat & Light does not disappoint. It is an outstanding story about the people in a small rural town in western Pennsylvania. The characters deal with addiction, infidelity, domestic abuse, divorce, environmental activism, personal injury lawyers, etc., in a town that has been targeted for natural gas drilling. Many thanks to Gayle for introducing me to Haigh's books!
runoutofpages's review
3.0
Something about this story just didn't click for me. There were a ton of characters and in the end I couldn't really connect or even like any of them. I enjoyed the authors writing style and liked how she handled the science that was discussed.
robinhigdon's review against another edition
4.0
a good story but also a good insight into fracking which i knew nothing about.
sadieruin's review against another edition
3.0
Set in rural Pennsylvania this novel follows several families as they navigate their way through the conundrum of fracking. Told from multiple perspectives spanning decades it manages to not come off as contrived. The characters have depth and the story is overall well written and researched. A solid summer read or beach book.
lonelytourist's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5