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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
emotional
tense
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I stumbled upon this book and went in having really no clue what the story was about.
We meet Merit, a 30 something, a wife and mom of two who is returning to work as an architect after a failed attempt as an artist. She interviews with Jane, a badass woman who is a bit older. Jane is intense, gorgeous, poised and confident. Things Merit feels she is not. She gets the job and she and Jane become extremely close.
Merit has been married for 12 years to her college sweetheart and they are raising their two sons, but seem to have drifted a bit. A spark with Jane causes her to reconsider everything she wants in life.
I'd recommend going in blind as I did. I became engrossed in Merit's life and watching her figure out who she is and, more importantly, who she wants to be. The ending surprised me, in a good way!
We meet Merit, a 30 something, a wife and mom of two who is returning to work as an architect after a failed attempt as an artist. She interviews with Jane, a badass woman who is a bit older. Jane is intense, gorgeous, poised and confident. Things Merit feels she is not. She gets the job and she and Jane become extremely close.
Merit has been married for 12 years to her college sweetheart and they are raising their two sons, but seem to have drifted a bit. A spark with Jane causes her to reconsider everything she wants in life.
I'd recommend going in blind as I did. I became engrossed in Merit's life and watching her figure out who she is and, more importantly, who she wants to be. The ending surprised me, in a good way!
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really enjoyed my time with Like a House on Fire even though I don’t think it is likely to stay with me. I thought the depiction of Merit, a woman who has lost herself to the realities of being a stay-at-home mother, and her joy at finding parts of herself when she returned to work were very relatable. The dynamics of Merit and Cory’s marriage was cleverly captured through the banal everyday details. It felt all too real and relatable. The peek inside the working life of an architect concerned with the preservation of historic buildings was a bonus. I enjoy seeing competent career women in action. I also enjoy older women being featured in romance storylines, so this book gets two ticks in that regard. The infidelity trope didn’t bother me, although I know many readers would rather avoid it. My main issue with this book was the big jump between the final chapter and the epilogue. Lots of interesting, messy stuff obviously occurred and I feel a little cheated that it was all off page, not so much for the drama but for exploration of issues which could have resulted.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage