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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
“We could all drive ourselves mad thinking about what could have been. But life happens the way it happens, and there’s no point wishing the past was any different. It will always be what it was, and there’s not a damn thing we can do about it.”
Amazon’s First Reads choices are usually hit or miss. A couple have been amazing, and others not so much. This book happened to be a part of the “amazing” category for me. Historical fiction isn’t the first genre I look to, especially WWII novels, because I feel like they’re overdone, but this was a wonderful surprise. I was drawn into this story instantly. As I read, I felt like I was living in 1940’s London right alongside the characters. This novel has love, loss, family, friendships, secrets, and revelations. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Amazon’s First Reads choices are usually hit or miss. A couple have been amazing, and others not so much. This book happened to be a part of the “amazing” category for me. Historical fiction isn’t the first genre I look to, especially WWII novels, because I feel like they’re overdone, but this was a wonderful surprise. I was drawn into this story instantly. As I read, I felt like I was living in 1940’s London right alongside the characters. This novel has love, loss, family, friendships, secrets, and revelations. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
I enjoyed the idea of the story more than the actual book. I found it to be too predictable.
3.5/5 stars
This isn't a book that I would ordinarily pick up for myself, but I'm glad I did. I learned a lot about aspects of WW2 that I wasn't previously familiar with, like the relationship between England and Germany, and England's part in the war. I really enjoyed the parts of the book set in 40s and loved reading from the perspective of Vivian and her sister April. They were both great, strong female leads and their stories are ones that will stick with me for a long time. That being said, I really wish I could have rated this book higher. One of the reasons for the rating I'm giving it is I felt like this novel smashed together 3 different stories: two set in the past (that compliment each other nicely, but could have been woven together a little differently), and one in the future/modern day. Each story follows a different protagonist who have different character and story arcs. Being pulled back and forth between those protagonists took me out of the novel and I didn't feel I was full able to submerse myself in the story. I feel that Gillian's story/character arc could have been left out entirely. I liked the purpose her character served, especially at the end of the novel when she is trying to uncover the truth, but could have done without the level of attention and detail her personal life was given. That being said, I really did enjoy reading this book. It left me with a lot of feelings and I haven't felt so mournful over a set of characters in a really long time. Highly recommend.
This isn't a book that I would ordinarily pick up for myself, but I'm glad I did. I learned a lot about aspects of WW2 that I wasn't previously familiar with, like the relationship between England and Germany, and England's part in the war. I really enjoyed the parts of the book set in 40s and loved reading from the perspective of Vivian and her sister April. They were both great, strong female leads and their stories are ones that will stick with me for a long time. That being said, I really wish I could have rated this book higher. One of the reasons for the rating I'm giving it is I felt like this novel smashed together 3 different stories: two set in the past (that compliment each other nicely, but could have been woven together a little differently), and one in the future/modern day. Each story follows a different protagonist who have different character and story arcs. Being pulled back and forth between those protagonists took me out of the novel and I didn't feel I was full able to submerse myself in the story. I feel that Gillian's story/character arc could have been left out entirely. I liked the purpose her character served, especially at the end of the novel when she is trying to uncover the truth, but could have done without the level of attention and detail her personal life was given. That being said, I really did enjoy reading this book. It left me with a lot of feelings and I haven't felt so mournful over a set of characters in a really long time. Highly recommend.
A Fire Sparkling by Julianne MacLean is a touching, gripping novel about love, loss, and family. While far from perfect I thoroughly enjoyed the 80% of the book that takes place during World War Two. I didn't much enjoy the present day material except for a twist at the end. The author does a great job creating a complicated plot that makes sense and is thrilling. Overall, a very pleasant read.
Wow. I did not expect to love this book as much as I did; I knew nothing about it other than it was a WWII story and the cover was beautiful.
What a ride - I’m emotionally drained and I want to get on a plane to Europe right now so I can visit all the places referenced in the book.
Damn. I’m so sad this one is over.
Read it.
*i will say that there were a few lines in it that came across as a bit trite; they threw me off momentarily, but the story itself was so good that I was able to get past them.
What a ride - I’m emotionally drained and I want to get on a plane to Europe right now so I can visit all the places referenced in the book.
Damn. I’m so sad this one is over.
Read it.
*i will say that there were a few lines in it that came across as a bit trite; they threw me off momentarily, but the story itself was so good that I was able to get past them.
I adored this book! I literally couldn’t put it down. I found myself picking up my kindle at every chance I got, and even used the kindle app on my phone when I didn’t have my kindle with me just so I could keep reading. I haven’t had a book capture me so fully like this in a while. I never thought I was a big fan of historical fiction, but boy did this one change my mind!
I did see the first “twist” coming because I had recently read basically the same thing in a different book a few months ago, but the book was so great that I didn’t even care about that similarity.
I loved the dual timelines and POVs. The writing and storyline were fantastic and I can’t wait to read more like this one.
I did see the first “twist” coming because I had recently read basically the same thing in a different book a few months ago, but the book was so great that I didn’t even care about that similarity.
I loved the dual timelines and POVs. The writing and storyline were fantastic and I can’t wait to read more like this one.
The storyline was interesting enough for me to keep reading to the end, but the writing itself was terrible at times. And the current part of the storyline felt mostly like useless fluff that I wanted to skim quickly to get to the historical part.