Scan barcode
greg_m's review
5.0
A fascinating story about how two people burned down a county in a fit of pent-up stress and unfaltering love (at least for one of them). Hesse does a fine job of making a story out of a true event with a lot of moving pieces; everyone involved was well rounded and felt like a character out of a novel.
Books like this remind me why I should I like true crime books so much.
Books like this remind me why I should I like true crime books so much.
kim_j_dare's review
5.0
Riveting and unputdownable. Hesse's journalistic background is evident in the detail. That, combined with her talent for true storytelling, makes for a compelling read that not only covers the months of arson along Virginia's Eastern Shore, but also delves into the desperation that shaped Charlie and Tonya. I have never sought out true crime stories, but I'm so glad I picked this one up.
cakehatwombat's review
3.5
I think I might just be less interested in this kind of writing than i used to be? It's well-written and a quick read for the train.
zachnachazel's review
4.0
People are crazy. I just couldn’t set this one down. While I already knew the story from a podcast it was Hesse does an incredible job painting the picture of the small town and the people who were impacted by these fires.
laura_corsi's review
4.0
American Fire is the kind of book that I would love to write. Having spent a little time on the Eastern Shore and in Maryland, I have a little bit of an understanding of the geography of the place the author is writing about. Ms. Hesse does a wonderful job of evoking the people of Accomack County and the interconnectedness of the people and the land. I found her narration of Tonya and Charlie's love story to be humane and compassionate. American Fire makes one feel that one can never really know not just another person completely but that one can never really know oneself completely. If you were in Tonya and Charlie's shoes and had lived their life what would you have done? Not one of us can ever say with certainty or judge too harshly this tragic hero and his lady.