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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Not my usual book genre - which may be why it is a mediocre book for me. The timeline of the book was a bit confusing to me, it would skip back and forward and it didn't seem very fluid. But overall the topic was interesting.
informative
medium-paced
mysterious
Living in an a rural part of California that is eerily similar to Accomack county, from the family names that go back many generations to the volunteer fire departments, and the adjusting economy to the one bar that every one in the area seems to go to, made this book really hit close to home. These are people with very similar backstories to a lot of people I know and that made them so much more human to me. It was a fascinating outsider's perspective on something I experience every day and that's the decline or at least changing of rural communities and the ways they are surviving but not really growing, but it's also a love story, and a very real one. Maybe most don't end up going to the extremes that this couple did to deal with the stressors and strains on their relationships, but I think everyone, especially if you've lived in a small town with fewer romantic options, has seen this kind of crazy love that eventually turns toxic. The only thing I wish Ms. Hesse had been able to give more insight into was Tonya's perspective but since the subject wouldn't talk to her it's not so much the author's fault, it just felt a little bit one sided or unfinished.
mysterious
fast-paced
I enjoyed this book about a rash of fires in a Accomack County of Virginia, set by a couple as a way to keep the romance alive. Hesse goes into the history of the area, how it has changed over the centuries and decades, and what led to the large amount of abandoned buildings, ripe for arson.
The toll it took on the volunteer fire departments who had to respond night after night was interesting, although I kind of wish she had gone into a little more detail about that, recounting more specific fires than just a few. The arrest and subsequent trial of Tonya Bundick was fascinating. Charlie Smith, her paramour and part of a volunteer fire dept, was a tragic figure. I also wish she had delved into Tonya's earlier life and her relationship with her sister just a little bit deeper.
Luckily, no one was lost in any of the fires.
The toll it took on the volunteer fire departments who had to respond night after night was interesting, although I kind of wish she had gone into a little more detail about that, recounting more specific fires than just a few. The arrest and subsequent trial of Tonya Bundick was fascinating. Charlie Smith, her paramour and part of a volunteer fire dept, was a tragic figure. I also wish she had delved into Tonya's earlier life and her relationship with her sister just a little bit deeper.
Luckily, no one was lost in any of the fires.
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
mysterious
medium-paced
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.
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.