"Sometimes you think you know someone, but maybe it's impossible to really know everything about a person, even someone you love. Maybe good people---the very best people---are just better at keeping secrets."
-Gillian's father, from the novel
Another Amazon Prime First Read and the second historical fiction in a row! I'm not sure I would have read it immediately after Along the Broken Bay if I had realized the similarity of the two but it was quite interesting to compare and contrast the two novels. Both were WWII era---this one about Hitler's threat to England and the other, the Japanese takeover of the Philippines. Both novels featured female characters working for the Allied resistance in undercover roles requiring great personal risk and even the sacrifice of leaving a young child behind. Coincidentally both of the protagonists were or had been songstresses entertaining military personnel.
A Fire Sparkling begins with Gillian Gibbons and her father's discovery of old photographs hidden away in a dusty sea chest in the attic. The photographs show Gillian's grandmother, Vivian, as a young woman apparently in love with a Nazi officer. Gillian and her father Edward are blown away by this revelation as they had no knowledge of such an episode in 96-year-old Vivian's life. When Vivian is confronted with the photographs and a few questions, the flashbacks begin: back to 1939 London. The intricate plot woven as Vivian's story makes for a real page-turner.
I was not familiar with this author possibly because she is considered a romance writer and I'm not drawn to that genre. I would not label this novel "romance" however, since it lacked any overt sex or syrupy love scenes which I would expect from such a label. There was definitely romantic tension though, which I thought added to the character development and offered a secondary plot.
The Good Reads description ends with "perfect for fans of The Nightingale and Beneath a Scarlet Sky." I've read and enjoyed them both! I'm giving A Fire Sparkling a 5 rating. It is a compelling story of love, betrayal and courage with family secrets unfolding one by one.
No comments:
Post a Comment