Burning Bright

Tracy Chevalier

Summary:

London 1792. The Kellaways move from familiar rural Dorset to the tumult of a cramped, unforgiving city.

Against the backdrop of a city jittery over the increasingly bloody French Revolution, a surprising bond forms between Jem, the youngest Kellaway boy, and streetwise Londoner Maggie Butterfield. Their friendship takes a dramatic turn when they become entangled in the life of their neighbour, the printer, poet and radical, William Blake. He is a guiding spirit as Jem and Maggie navigate the unpredictable, exhilarating passage from innocence to experience. Their journey influences one of Blake’s most entrancing works.

In One Word: Atmospheric

Plot:

I must admit, I didn’t love this storyline, but I only realised that afterwards, when I really started to think about it. The writing is so good that I almost didn’t notice that the plot was a little mediocre. I love writing like this, that stays simple, but is still rich enough to create atmosphere. The ending was a little inconclusive to me, I would’ve liked to know what happens next, but I know some people might like the ending as it is. Some parts were also a little predictable. I loved the setting and the historical aspect of the book, but I felt like the story could’ve been better.

Characters:

I liked the characters, especially Jem and Maggie, as well as William Blake. I didn’t like Blake because he was written about accurately (we didn’t know him, we don’t know what would be accurate), but just as a character in a story, who happens to be based on a real person. Jem and Maggie have great chemistry, and they’re great opposites (but still similar...this is  a reference....read the book). However, I wasn’t emotionally connected to the characters.

Who should read this:

13+, there is some sexual content, although no language that I can remember. The violence is also very mild. The story might not interest younger readers. If you’ve read ‘the Girl with the Pearl Earring’ and liked it, you might like this one as well. If you want something with an incredible story and characters I don’t suggest this.

My rating:

I loved the writing, liked the characters, and didn’t notice that I didn’t really like the story until I finished the book. So 3/5.

Quote:

This is not exactly a quote, but more an idea that fascinated me when I read about it in this book: ‘Opposites all have something in common’.