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Fire & Water
Fire & Water is a dark story of passion, family secrets, and the enduring power of friendship. Katherine Murphy, a pediatric surgeon in San Francisco's premier medical center, UCSF is was raised in the ironic protection of her father's Irish pub by a patchwork family formed of misfits and orphans. She is book-brilliant, but unwise in the ways of love and life. When genuine love and deep passion present themselves in the form of Jake Bloom, a renowned "artist of the immediate", she is in far too deep before she discovers his the treacherous dark side of his creative genius. Only her shoot-from-the-lip friend, Mary K sees past Jake's initial charms, but by then Kate's life has been indelibly altered. As Jake spirals into the depths of his mental illness, Kate is faced with previously unthinkable choices that demand her to search her soul and find her own true north.
This is a story that redefines what family really means and proves that love is always a matter of life and death.
Order now to receive this highly reviewed page-turner of a story.
This is a story that redefines what family really means and proves that love is always a matter of life and death.
Order now to receive this highly reviewed page-turner of a story.
416 pages, Paperback
First published February 14, 2013
39 people are currently reading
785 people want to read
About the author
Betsy Graziani Fasbinder
4 books30 followersBetsy Graziani Fasbinder's newest book, Filling Her Shoes: A Memoir of an Inherited Family will launch May 2017. When she was about to become a mother for the first time, Betsy found that none of the stories about motherhood, even step-mothering seemed to describe her circumstances. They talked about pregnancy and baby names, or they spoke of getting along with "the ex". But she wasn't pregnant, and there was no "ex" to contend with. Betsy was becoming a mother by marrying a widower and adopting his young son. There was no child support or custody battle. Instead, her new joy in being a wife and mom was accompanied with the knowledge that her joy was possible only because of a tragic loss of a young mother, taken too soon. This is a simple, sweet-bitter story of how love and loss are not opposites, but cohabitants and how love is the richest of all inheritance.
Betsy's debut novel, Fire & Water, is a dark love story set in San Francisco. This is a story that redefines the word "family", explores the depth of friendship and the damage that secrets can cause. Fire & Water is a story that shows that love is always a matter of life and death.
Fire & Water is a silver medalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards and has received honorable mentions in the Los Angeles and New York Book Festivals.
For other works, Betsy has been awarded the Floyd Salas Award for Fiction, and has been honored with a Jack London award and two East of Eden awards for both fiction and memoir pieces. Four of her works have been produced as Readers’ Theater in the historic Miners' Foundry Theater in Nevada City, California.
Fasbinder is currently working on a collection of personal essays titled Filling Her Shoes: My Love Story of Inherited Motherhood and a new novel set in Northern California's Wine Country.
Betsy lives nestled in the soft hills of Marin County, California with her husband, in their intermittently empty nest. . Her salt and pepper golden doodle, Edgar is her faithful writing companion.
Betsy's debut novel, Fire & Water, is a dark love story set in San Francisco. This is a story that redefines the word "family", explores the depth of friendship and the damage that secrets can cause. Fire & Water is a story that shows that love is always a matter of life and death.
Fire & Water is a silver medalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards and has received honorable mentions in the Los Angeles and New York Book Festivals.
For other works, Betsy has been awarded the Floyd Salas Award for Fiction, and has been honored with a Jack London award and two East of Eden awards for both fiction and memoir pieces. Four of her works have been produced as Readers’ Theater in the historic Miners' Foundry Theater in Nevada City, California.
Fasbinder is currently working on a collection of personal essays titled Filling Her Shoes: My Love Story of Inherited Motherhood and a new novel set in Northern California's Wine Country.
Betsy lives nestled in the soft hills of Marin County, California with her husband, in their intermittently empty nest. . Her salt and pepper golden doodle, Edgar is her faithful writing companion.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
April 21, 2014
I have not stopped thinking about Kat and Jake since I finished this book several weeks ago.
It started off slowly for me, as I associate the somewhat overwrought style of writing with romance novels or soap operas. But what kept me turning the pages was Fasbinder’s unerring instinct for intriguing and well-drawn characters who are flawed in interesting and sympathetic ways. Jake, often gentle and endearing, is a world-class artist with a rather conventional mental illness. Kat, a talented but naïve young surgeon who falls headlong and heedlessly under Jake’s spell, struggles to maintain her own sanity as Jake cycles through the manic and depressive phases of bi-polar disorder.
Fasbinder has written a book in which the jaw-dropping ending is both wholly unexpected and wholly consistent with the characters she has created. Once you start this book, you will not be able to put it down.
It started off slowly for me, as I associate the somewhat overwrought style of writing with romance novels or soap operas. But what kept me turning the pages was Fasbinder’s unerring instinct for intriguing and well-drawn characters who are flawed in interesting and sympathetic ways. Jake, often gentle and endearing, is a world-class artist with a rather conventional mental illness. Kat, a talented but naïve young surgeon who falls headlong and heedlessly under Jake’s spell, struggles to maintain her own sanity as Jake cycles through the manic and depressive phases of bi-polar disorder.
Fasbinder has written a book in which the jaw-dropping ending is both wholly unexpected and wholly consistent with the characters she has created. Once you start this book, you will not be able to put it down.
August 7, 2013
Don't get me wrong. This isn't some fluffy, starry-eyed romance with a syrupy happy ever after. But it's one of the best books I've read this year. In a way, it reminded me of The Time-Traveler's Wife. Even though two people love each other, sometimes that just isn't enough.
February 23, 2013
I had the honor of reading an ARC of this one and providing a blurb for the back cover:
A heart-wrenching journey set against a richly drawn San Francisco Bay Area, Fire & Water deftly explores trust, wealth, family and the way love changes the shape of our hearts. What a beautiful exploration of love and mental illness and family. That I lived in the Bay Area for ten years only enriched my experience of this story. A triumph.
A heart-wrenching journey set against a richly drawn San Francisco Bay Area, Fire & Water deftly explores trust, wealth, family and the way love changes the shape of our hearts. What a beautiful exploration of love and mental illness and family. That I lived in the Bay Area for ten years only enriched my experience of this story. A triumph.
September 21, 2014
***AUDIOBOOK REVIEW***
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The book itself was done well with its cast of characters, but the audiobook brought it to life by giving all of the characters their different voices and accents. The voice actress, Monica McKey, did an awesome job keeping the characters separate. She definitely made this audiobook.
I was listening to this on my commute to work each morning. My husband usually calls me during his break and we talk about what's going on during our day. While listening to this book, it was all I talked about. It did an amazing job of keeping me captivated by the story.
One thing I particularly enjoyed was that it took a subject matter that most books avoid, mental health, and showed the struggles of the people closest to the person affected. In this case you have his wife, child, best friend, father, and his wife's family. It's a fairly large cast of characters, but they were easy to follow along with and each of them served a purpose in the story without being a filler character.
The only real issue I had was there were some parts of the story that the actresses breathing was particularly heavy, without it fitting in to the book, and it was a distraction for me.
I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but I was very pleased with it. This is a story that will stick with me for a long time. 5/5 Platypires
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/f...
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The book itself was done well with its cast of characters, but the audiobook brought it to life by giving all of the characters their different voices and accents. The voice actress, Monica McKey, did an awesome job keeping the characters separate. She definitely made this audiobook.
I was listening to this on my commute to work each morning. My husband usually calls me during his break and we talk about what's going on during our day. While listening to this book, it was all I talked about. It did an amazing job of keeping me captivated by the story.
One thing I particularly enjoyed was that it took a subject matter that most books avoid, mental health, and showed the struggles of the people closest to the person affected. In this case you have his wife, child, best friend, father, and his wife's family. It's a fairly large cast of characters, but they were easy to follow along with and each of them served a purpose in the story without being a filler character.
The only real issue I had was there were some parts of the story that the actresses breathing was particularly heavy, without it fitting in to the book, and it was a distraction for me.
I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but I was very pleased with it. This is a story that will stick with me for a long time. 5/5 Platypires
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/f...
June 14, 2013
This is a book I couldn't put down - a compelling read that mixes romance, extended family, and both the light and the dark of mental illness. Kate's love for Jake, his commitment to his art and to her, and the interwoven stories of the secondary characters, coupled with the San Francisco location which plays its own role, give this story a richness and depth that aren't always easy to find. Fasbinder has done a tremendous job in crafting a tale that made me laugh and cry, unable to turn away. It will keep you up late on a work night - fair warning!
August 23, 2013
I started this book not knowing what to expect. Like other reviewers I couldn't put it down! The title says it all...ART, LOVE, PASSION & MADNESS. A well written story. My heart went out to each of the characters. Mental illness can be such a debilitating disease, and the people that love them suffer just as much if not more. I laughed, I cried & sobbed,(my eyes were swollen shut this morning). I fell in love with all. I am GREATLY surprised how this book affected me. Very good. Fire & Water: A suspense-filled story of Art, Love, Passion, and Madness.
January 28, 2014
This book surprised me. I really did not know what to expect. I hadn't even read the "back cover." So I got sucked into the love story and the total mystery of where the story was going. The title is perfect. Each word is intregal to the story. That's all that should be said without giving away the story.
July 29, 2013
I loved this book and its take on mental illness. I've never dealt with bipolar disorder personally, but the way it is presented here brings a small bit of understanding. The writing flowed well, and the imagery was beautiful and frightening.
March 4, 2013
Powerful, moving and beautifully written.
March 20, 2017
I couldn't put this down! What was coming next?
The beginning was a little slow for me, but once I got involved with the characters and their story, I could not put this down!
The beginning was a little slow for me, but once I got involved with the characters and their story, I could not put this down!
June 2, 2014
This book was recently entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
FEEDBACK
Author: Fire & Water
Title: Betsy Graziani Fasbinder
COVER: 10/10
The readers thought the cover was excellent and the comments on the back well-written, enticing them to read the book. A number of them felt it was by far the best cover in the awards this year with a strong, central image and fun, easy-to-read fonts. One reader put in his feedback: ‘I must say, the cover is excellent. I am a graphic designer myself and I would have been proud to design this.’
CONTENT 9/10
Our readers very much enjoyed thenovel. They thought it was insightful, dark and unputdownable! They loved the San Francisco setting (many of them have never been so it was particularly interesting) and the many subjects the novel looks at: artistic creativity, death, love and mental illness. One reader put in her feedback, ‘Wow! This book is amazing. It is so rare to find a novel which looks at mental illness in such an honest and powerful way. The author should be proud.’
They thought that the characters in the story were interesting to follow, in particular Kat and Jack who, they thought, were well constructed and were flawed in such ways as to make the reader root for them.
The only criticism was a small number of the male readers thought the beginning was a little slow. But even they felt that, when it got going, it was a fascinating read and had a powerful ending. One reader put, ‘When I started this book I thought, God, it’s slow, then, at around page 50, it picked up and never stopped till the powerful ending. I don’t normally enjoy this genre but this was excellent. It even upset me a little, but in a good way; that way when a film or a novel is so powerful it just gets to you.’
EDITING 10/10
The readers thought the book was well edited and discovered no glaring problems with grammar, punctuation or spelling. One reader wrote, ‘I did find the odd typo but now I can’t remember where. I was too engrossed in the story to care.’
STYLE 10/10
The readers thought the author's writing style was wonderful. The story had pace (except for a slightly slow beginning) and your ability to describe characters/setting was well developed. They also thought the author dealt well with dialogue, writing it in a ‘relaxed, realistic and easy-to-follow’ way. One reader put, ‘There are so many books out there right now, particularly on Kindle, that are so badly written, it’s depressing. This is not one of them.’
STATS
Of the 23 readers:
23 finished the book.
16 felt the central characters were the best part of the book.
6 thought the way the author worked with dialogue was the best part of the book.
1 felt the author's descriptive style was the best part of the book.
23 loved the cover and blurb; many thought it was the best cover in the awards this year.
23 would like to read another book by this author.
‘A wonderfully insightful and moving story. Highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Awards
FEEDBACK
Author: Fire & Water
Title: Betsy Graziani Fasbinder
COVER: 10/10
The readers thought the cover was excellent and the comments on the back well-written, enticing them to read the book. A number of them felt it was by far the best cover in the awards this year with a strong, central image and fun, easy-to-read fonts. One reader put in his feedback: ‘I must say, the cover is excellent. I am a graphic designer myself and I would have been proud to design this.’
CONTENT 9/10
Our readers very much enjoyed thenovel. They thought it was insightful, dark and unputdownable! They loved the San Francisco setting (many of them have never been so it was particularly interesting) and the many subjects the novel looks at: artistic creativity, death, love and mental illness. One reader put in her feedback, ‘Wow! This book is amazing. It is so rare to find a novel which looks at mental illness in such an honest and powerful way. The author should be proud.’
They thought that the characters in the story were interesting to follow, in particular Kat and Jack who, they thought, were well constructed and were flawed in such ways as to make the reader root for them.
The only criticism was a small number of the male readers thought the beginning was a little slow. But even they felt that, when it got going, it was a fascinating read and had a powerful ending. One reader put, ‘When I started this book I thought, God, it’s slow, then, at around page 50, it picked up and never stopped till the powerful ending. I don’t normally enjoy this genre but this was excellent. It even upset me a little, but in a good way; that way when a film or a novel is so powerful it just gets to you.’
EDITING 10/10
The readers thought the book was well edited and discovered no glaring problems with grammar, punctuation or spelling. One reader wrote, ‘I did find the odd typo but now I can’t remember where. I was too engrossed in the story to care.’
STYLE 10/10
The readers thought the author's writing style was wonderful. The story had pace (except for a slightly slow beginning) and your ability to describe characters/setting was well developed. They also thought the author dealt well with dialogue, writing it in a ‘relaxed, realistic and easy-to-follow’ way. One reader put, ‘There are so many books out there right now, particularly on Kindle, that are so badly written, it’s depressing. This is not one of them.’
STATS
Of the 23 readers:
23 finished the book.
16 felt the central characters were the best part of the book.
6 thought the way the author worked with dialogue was the best part of the book.
1 felt the author's descriptive style was the best part of the book.
23 loved the cover and blurb; many thought it was the best cover in the awards this year.
23 would like to read another book by this author.
‘A wonderfully insightful and moving story. Highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Awards
March 4, 2015
High Ratings NOT an exaggeration!
The many reviewers that have rated this book 4- and 5-stars are not exaggerating their ratings. I am skeptical when a book or audio book receives an incredibly disproportionate number of high ratings, but this book earned them! I volunteered to listen to this audio book for review through Audiobook Jukebox with the agreement of providing a honest review. I will keep this review spoiler-free. If you are interested in a book summary, please refer to the book blurb or the reviews of other readers that are not spoiler-free.
This love story is a bit dark. Fire & Water took me by surprise, because even though I had read the book blurb, I hadn't read other reviews of this book, so, I went in knowing little about the story. I was unprepared for the harsh moments of love to a manic depressive. Ms. Fasbinder has a wonderful way with words, poetic in description, tender in close moments, harsh in darker moments. When the title includes "art, love passion and madness", how can your interest not be touched?
While I would consider this novel a woman's novel, I wouldn't call it chick-lit because when I think of chick-lit, I think of a light-hearted story, typically with a HEA and easily resolved conflicts. This is not that. This is a well-written easy-to-read character novel that will bring you to heights of love and unanticipated depths of love as well. It will bring you from the euphoria a new love to the heart-breaking reality of how a broken person affects all of those who love him, sinking loved one by blind sided heart ache. This is not an ordinary, easily forgotten novel. This is not a quick lunch at the nearby fast-food joint, but a multi-course epicurean gourmet for the senses at a fine five-star restaurant. The nuances of each layer of flavor will catch you by pleasant surprise.
Monica McKey narrated the audio book, about 12 and a half hours in length for the slightly more than 400-page book. She did a superb job giving distinctive voices and relevant accents to each character and adding the emotion called for by the scene to her voice. Her reading pace was good. Unfortunately, the recording had a empty-room hollowness about it. Also, there were many and long portions of the story in which the reader had heavy breathing in her reading, which was uncalled-for by the scenes, or her mid-sentence pauses were unusually long (chapter-change long, not comma-pause long), or the reader had dry-mouth, audible mouth noises. While I have high regard for both narrators and audio book production teams that make you forget you are listening to a production, in this case, one is often pulled out of the story because of these distractions.
I would recommend this book, but know that Ms Fasbinder will play with your emotions, tugging, pushing, pulling, leaving you unexpectedly moved.
The many reviewers that have rated this book 4- and 5-stars are not exaggerating their ratings. I am skeptical when a book or audio book receives an incredibly disproportionate number of high ratings, but this book earned them! I volunteered to listen to this audio book for review through Audiobook Jukebox with the agreement of providing a honest review. I will keep this review spoiler-free. If you are interested in a book summary, please refer to the book blurb or the reviews of other readers that are not spoiler-free.
This love story is a bit dark. Fire & Water took me by surprise, because even though I had read the book blurb, I hadn't read other reviews of this book, so, I went in knowing little about the story. I was unprepared for the harsh moments of love to a manic depressive. Ms. Fasbinder has a wonderful way with words, poetic in description, tender in close moments, harsh in darker moments. When the title includes "art, love passion and madness", how can your interest not be touched?
While I would consider this novel a woman's novel, I wouldn't call it chick-lit because when I think of chick-lit, I think of a light-hearted story, typically with a HEA and easily resolved conflicts. This is not that. This is a well-written easy-to-read character novel that will bring you to heights of love and unanticipated depths of love as well. It will bring you from the euphoria a new love to the heart-breaking reality of how a broken person affects all of those who love him, sinking loved one by blind sided heart ache. This is not an ordinary, easily forgotten novel. This is not a quick lunch at the nearby fast-food joint, but a multi-course epicurean gourmet for the senses at a fine five-star restaurant. The nuances of each layer of flavor will catch you by pleasant surprise.
Monica McKey narrated the audio book, about 12 and a half hours in length for the slightly more than 400-page book. She did a superb job giving distinctive voices and relevant accents to each character and adding the emotion called for by the scene to her voice. Her reading pace was good. Unfortunately, the recording had a empty-room hollowness about it. Also, there were many and long portions of the story in which the reader had heavy breathing in her reading, which was uncalled-for by the scenes, or her mid-sentence pauses were unusually long (chapter-change long, not comma-pause long), or the reader had dry-mouth, audible mouth noises. While I have high regard for both narrators and audio book production teams that make you forget you are listening to a production, in this case, one is often pulled out of the story because of these distractions.
I would recommend this book, but know that Ms Fasbinder will play with your emotions, tugging, pushing, pulling, leaving you unexpectedly moved.
June 1, 2015
So happy to be adding this book to my current reads--when it arrives! Thanks First Reads for choosing this book for me.
Fire & Water arrived today along with a very gracious note from author, Betsy Graziani Fasbinder
Love and Art are right up my alley, I love San Francisco and this looks like the perfect summer read for me.
Wow, I was only about halfway through Fire & Water and stayed up last night and finished it!
I found ending to the book so disheartening that Jake had everything going for him, brilliant creativity, a wife and child he adored and who adored him, a best friend and partner who had his back, yet his Bipolar Disorder robbed him of everything valuable in his life. His wife, Kate, a surgeon can fix bodies that are broken, but has no idea how to combat Jake's psychotic episodes.
I was fascinated in his installation artwork and recognized early on that it was in the style of Andy Goldsworthy. Having seen the documentary "Rivers and Stones, " owning several books of photographs of Goldsworthy's art, and having the opportunity to see his sculpture, "Wichita Arch" several times a month on the Wichita State University campus, I would say I am quite familiar with it.
One thing that bothered me in the book is that Andy Goldsworthy is a very gentle soul. Especially the last installation in Central Park shows that Jake is NOT Andy. Has Andy Goldsworthy had any response to this book?
Needless to say, if I stayed up half the night last night to finish Fire & Water, I was defintely engaged!
Fire & Water arrived today along with a very gracious note from author, Betsy Graziani Fasbinder
Love and Art are right up my alley, I love San Francisco and this looks like the perfect summer read for me.
Wow, I was only about halfway through Fire & Water and stayed up last night and finished it!
I found ending to the book so disheartening that Jake had everything going for him, brilliant creativity, a wife and child he adored and who adored him, a best friend and partner who had his back, yet his Bipolar Disorder robbed him of everything valuable in his life. His wife, Kate, a surgeon can fix bodies that are broken, but has no idea how to combat Jake's psychotic episodes.
I was fascinated in his installation artwork and recognized early on that it was in the style of Andy Goldsworthy. Having seen the documentary "Rivers and Stones, " owning several books of photographs of Goldsworthy's art, and having the opportunity to see his sculpture, "Wichita Arch" several times a month on the Wichita State University campus, I would say I am quite familiar with it.
One thing that bothered me in the book is that Andy Goldsworthy is a very gentle soul. Especially the last installation in Central Park shows that Jake is NOT Andy. Has Andy Goldsworthy had any response to this book?
Needless to say, if I stayed up half the night last night to finish Fire & Water, I was defintely engaged!
April 3, 2014
In rare times, I read a book that gets me stopping halfway in tears & leaving me speechless when trying to write the review. This is one such book.
Jake Bloom, the eccentric artist who is the centre piece, is a marvel. He is a master genius in art & seems to know everything about everything. Kate Murphy is Bloom's wife & is an excellent surgeon herself. Their whirlwind romance when they first meet leads them to soon conceive & get married. In the midst of the perfect life (a but too perfect at times) Jake's dark secret rears it's extremely ugly yet painful head.
Surrounded by good friends & family at Murphy's pub, best friends in Burt & Mary K too, Jake & Kate live in extremes from one day to the next. The sad ending to the tale is the pinnacle & anti-climatical (I just made that up) climax perfectly suited for this story. I shed a tear or two.
This is a book about a soul struggling w/ bipolar disorder & how the condition reverberates in the lives of others. If you want to know what living w/ &/or caring for a loved one w/ mental illness would be like, read this book. If, like me, you are partial to mental illness or just looking for a touching story, read this book.
One of the saddest yet most revealing books I've been through recently.
Jake Bloom, the eccentric artist who is the centre piece, is a marvel. He is a master genius in art & seems to know everything about everything. Kate Murphy is Bloom's wife & is an excellent surgeon herself. Their whirlwind romance when they first meet leads them to soon conceive & get married. In the midst of the perfect life (a but too perfect at times) Jake's dark secret rears it's extremely ugly yet painful head.
Surrounded by good friends & family at Murphy's pub, best friends in Burt & Mary K too, Jake & Kate live in extremes from one day to the next. The sad ending to the tale is the pinnacle & anti-climatical (I just made that up) climax perfectly suited for this story. I shed a tear or two.
This is a book about a soul struggling w/ bipolar disorder & how the condition reverberates in the lives of others. If you want to know what living w/ &/or caring for a loved one w/ mental illness would be like, read this book. If, like me, you are partial to mental illness or just looking for a touching story, read this book.
One of the saddest yet most revealing books I've been through recently.
August 12, 2013
At first I felt this was a take-off on a theme of Shades of Gray, a woman quickly obsessed with a man. Not so. Katherine quickly falls for exciting and phenomenal artist, Jake. He is her knight in shining armor until several years after their marriage, he goes berserk when he doesn't get his artistic way. She then learns from Jake's manager and best friend, that Jake is bi-polar, manic depressive. His depressive moments threaten the lives of her and her child.
Finally, she can take no more and he must present one last piece of art.
It's a thrilling, upsetting conclusion to an engrossing story.
Finally, she can take no more and he must present one last piece of art.
It's a thrilling, upsetting conclusion to an engrossing story.
March 20, 2013
This beautiful story gave me an entirely new perspective on mental illness.
It took a couple of chapters to really feel invested, but once I did, I couldn't put the book down. I fell in love with every character.
You can't help but sympathize with Kate but at the same time want strangle her for her choices.
Growing up in the San Francisco bay area makes me appreciate how the city and surrounding areas are described. I will forever see the Golden Gate Bridge in an new light.
I would recommend this book to anyone who can appreciate unconditional love.
It took a couple of chapters to really feel invested, but once I did, I couldn't put the book down. I fell in love with every character.
You can't help but sympathize with Kate but at the same time want strangle her for her choices.
Growing up in the San Francisco bay area makes me appreciate how the city and surrounding areas are described. I will forever see the Golden Gate Bridge in an new light.
I would recommend this book to anyone who can appreciate unconditional love.
April 18, 2015
I'm not a romance reader, or at least I didn't think I was. The story isn't an idealised relationship; instead, it's a depiction of the struggles that face people. Wow this is so hard to describe in a way that's appropriate! I found the story very engaging, and like so many good books I found myself thinking about the characters long after I'd finished reading. To be honest, I'm not sure I like the ending, but that may be because it isn't the ending I'd hoped for. And I did have hopes for the characters; they came alive for me. Well worth the read.
January 12, 2015
This book was a rough one! It wasn't tough to read through but tough to get through emotionally intact. The writing was beautiful and haunting and lasting. It is an amazing account of Love, mental illness and how these characters navigated the waters in between. I loved each and every person in the book even though (and because) they were all flawed in the most beautifully human ways. I cried like a weepy old fart for nearly the entire book and even though it was gut wrenching to live it alongside them, I loved every minute of it.
June 22, 2014
Outstanding novel. It has it all, and the author, wrote a book, IMO, on par with The Goldfinch. At times, the story is serious, whimsical, suspenseful, funny, and brimming with heart in each chapter. Great writing. Wonderfully fresh to read about two smart women interns/surgeons (one, a lesbian) behaving not so emotionally intelligent. Fasbinder portrays complex friendships, lends insight to the pros and cons of keeping family secrets, and shows in brilliant detail an artist struggling with his genius and mental illness.
August 12, 2014
This woman can spin a yarn. It was so great to read a book with a real story! My habit is to read each night before I go to sleep, and over the last week I literally could not wait to open my Kindle and find out what happened to Kate. The mental health portrayal rang true - something I unfortunately feel qualified to assess since I have a close loved one who suffers from depression. But more than that, it was the storytelling. It is such a great summer read, and I say that not at all using the term 'summer read' as a pejorative. I mean a page-turner in every sense of the word.
September 7, 2014
This book was a rough one! It wasn't tough to read through but tough to get through emotionally intact. The writing was beautiful and haunting and lasting. It is an amazing account of Love, mental illness and how these characters navigated the waters in between. I loved each and every person in the book even though (and because) they were all flawed in the most beautifully human ways. I cried like a weepy old fart for nearly the entire book and even though it was gut wrenching to live it alongside them, I loved every minute of it.
June 28, 2016
An incredibly fast paced story especially since it falls into the romance genre. I typically don't read this type of book but since I live in the Bay area and the author resides in the same county I thought I'd give it a shot. I enjoyed much of the story and its paced nearly like a spy or thriller resulting in a very fast read. The characters are believable and the dialog as well, though due to my lack of interest in love stories, it didn't have the meat I like in unusual, unpredictable books. She's a good writer and am sure will continue her success.
August 14, 2013
Thought this story has some inappropriate language and a bit of explicit sex, I loved the story. It was a story of an incredibly, talented, artistic man and the woman he falls in love with. Their love is so strong and touching. The characters in this book are rich. I fell in love with them and I grieved for three days after reading this book before I could pick up another book to read. This story gripped my heart and challenged my mind. I highly recommend this book to mature adults.
August 27, 2013
This was a really great book. Very firmly in the chic-lit genre, but not fluffy like the other rubbish out there. It deals with the relationship between the protagonist and a genius artist with bi-polar. I particularly enjoyed it for the realism of his condition. The book was a bit of an emotional roller-coaster to be honest, and at times it was a struggle to get through! Very well written and worth a read. But maybe for a rainy day holiday, it's a little too intense for the beach!
February 23, 2014
Fire & Water had a slow build at first allowing me to settle into the location and characters. I enjoyed how the author tested (and proved) the definition of "family" according to each character's needs & what love meant to them. A stimulating, yet heartbreaking journey I recommend other readers to experience!
August 17, 2013
An engrossing story of a young woman who falls in love with (and marries) a creative genius who turns out to be manic-depressive. A beautifully crafted first novel by this author. I will be looking for more books by her.
August 26, 2013
Surprise thriller: the summary did not sound like something that would draw me in. However, the characters were so well developed that I couldn't put it down. Would have loved to see the Art exhibits, other than the last 2....very impressive ideas.
January 9, 2015
Fire and Water is a riveting read and Betsy, besides writing a wonderful book also gives her time to aspiring writers helping them speak and present better.
Hear what Betsy has to say about her work with author on Newbie Writers Podcast 11/7/14 ITunes (I forgot the episode number, sorry!)
Hear what Betsy has to say about her work with author on Newbie Writers Podcast 11/7/14 ITunes (I forgot the episode number, sorry!)
January 4, 2016
Betsy Fasbinder has perfectly captured pub culture. I highly recommend this read to fans of Joyce Carol Oats' We Were the Mulvaneys. It is ripping, funny, and often raw. Were it a stage play or film, I would want front row seats!
August 8, 2013
Excellent but heartwrenching read
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