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Fire Colour One
A father and daughter reconnect after a life spent apart to find their mutual love of art isn’t the only thing they share.
Sixteen-year-old Iris itches constantly for the strike of a match. But when she’s caught setting one too many fires, she’s whisked away to London before she can get arrested—at least that’s the story her mother tells. Mounting debt actually drove them out of LA, and it’s greed that brings them to a home Iris doesn’t recognize, where her millionaire father—a man she’s never met—lives. Though not for much longer.
Iris’s father is dying, and her mother is determined to claim his life’s fortune, including his priceless art collection. Forced to live with him as part of an exploitive scheme, Iris soon realizes her father is far different than the man she’s been schooled to hate, and everything she thought she knew—about her father and herself—is suddenly unclear. There may be hidden beauty in Iris’s uncertain past, and future, if only she can see beyond the flames.
Sixteen-year-old Iris itches constantly for the strike of a match. But when she’s caught setting one too many fires, she’s whisked away to London before she can get arrested—at least that’s the story her mother tells. Mounting debt actually drove them out of LA, and it’s greed that brings them to a home Iris doesn’t recognize, where her millionaire father—a man she’s never met—lives. Though not for much longer.
Iris’s father is dying, and her mother is determined to claim his life’s fortune, including his priceless art collection. Forced to live with him as part of an exploitive scheme, Iris soon realizes her father is far different than the man she’s been schooled to hate, and everything she thought she knew—about her father and herself—is suddenly unclear. There may be hidden beauty in Iris’s uncertain past, and future, if only she can see beyond the flames.
256 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2015
50 people are currently reading
1736 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Valentine
38 books181 followersJenny Valentine moved house every two years when she was growing up. She has just moved house again, probably not for the last time. She worked in a wholefood shop in Primrose Hill for fifteen years where she met many extraordinary people and sold more organic loaves than there are words in her first novel. She has also worked as a teaching assistant and a jewellery maker. She studied English Literature at Goldsmiths College, which almost put her off reading but not quite.
Jenny is married to a singer/songwriter and has two children.
In 2007, Jenny won the Guardian Prize for Children's Fiction with her debut novel FINDING VIOLET PARK.
Jenny is married to a singer/songwriter and has two children.
In 2007, Jenny won the Guardian Prize for Children's Fiction with her debut novel FINDING VIOLET PARK.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 388 reviews
July 3, 2015
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins UK, Children's and NetGalley.)
“Haven’t you worked it out yet?” Margot asked him.
“What?”
“Life’s big secret. If a thing’s not dangerous, it’s hardly worth doing.”
This was a bit of a dull story, but it did have some interesting moments, and a mega twist at the end.
I felt quite sorry for Iris, her mother should have been ashamed of herself! She really was a despicable human being, and how someone could be so cruel and selfish was just beyond me. Iris had a weird obsession with fire though, and she really did seem to be a bit of a pyromaniac.
“I wouldn’t trust Iris with anything that hasn’t already burnt down.”
The storyline in this was about how Iris’ father was dying, and her selfish, money-obsessed mother basically saw this as a good thing because Iris’ father was rich!
“I don’t trust any of those women. Gold-diggers, I’m telling you.”
“Well you would know.”
This book did have some good one-liners, but Iris’ fire-obsession was a little unnerving.
“I tried to keep my fires small after we moved back here, small and secret.”
The ending to this was very clever, but also quite sad. I was pleased that Iris’ mother got well and truly screwed over though.
6 out of 10
“Haven’t you worked it out yet?” Margot asked him.
“What?”
“Life’s big secret. If a thing’s not dangerous, it’s hardly worth doing.”
This was a bit of a dull story, but it did have some interesting moments, and a mega twist at the end.
I felt quite sorry for Iris, her mother should have been ashamed of herself! She really was a despicable human being, and how someone could be so cruel and selfish was just beyond me. Iris had a weird obsession with fire though, and she really did seem to be a bit of a pyromaniac.
“I wouldn’t trust Iris with anything that hasn’t already burnt down.”
The storyline in this was about how Iris’ father was dying, and her selfish, money-obsessed mother basically saw this as a good thing because Iris’ father was rich!
“I don’t trust any of those women. Gold-diggers, I’m telling you.”
“Well you would know.”
This book did have some good one-liners, but Iris’ fire-obsession was a little unnerving.
“I tried to keep my fires small after we moved back here, small and secret.”
The ending to this was very clever, but also quite sad. I was pleased that Iris’ mother got well and truly screwed over though.
6 out of 10
May 29, 2018
2.5* this was an okay read but, for me, it wasn’t anything all that special. I didn’t love the writing style and found the story as a whole to be pretty predictable and the characters not all that enjoyable. However, it was a very quick and easy read and I can see why people like it. Unfortunately, for me personally, it just wasn’t my cup of tea or particularly memorable.
TW: body shaming, sexual assault
TW: body shaming, sexual assault
January 26, 2016
Unbelievably good. Seriously, SO GOOD. Based on relationships between family, this book was refreshing to read, and a treasure. I consumed it as fast as fire consumes paper!
May 3, 2015
I read a lot of books, so it means a lot when I say that this is one of the very best books I've read all year. I also don't have time to do much rereading at all, and so when I say that I finished this and immediately turned back to the beginning to read it again, you'll understand how exceptional I think this is.
It's about art, family, love, loss and burning bridges (literally), and it's brief, glorious and lyrical. I'm going to be raving about this one for quite a while. What a book.
It's about art, family, love, loss and burning bridges (literally), and it's brief, glorious and lyrical. I'm going to be raving about this one for quite a while. What a book.
June 19, 2015
I received a copy of Fire Colour One in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins.
When I finished Fire Colour One, I was all set to give it a 4.5 star review. But since finishing it yesterday evening I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Like, not at all. I'm still all feels-y, even now, sitting at work, writing this review. So for that reason I've bumped it up to a five.
The title, Fire Colour One, actually refers to the Yves Klein painting FC1, which is an amazing piece, but the book is actually about a girl, Iris. Iris lives with her disinterested mother, Hannah, and stepfather in America until Hannah announces one day that they are returning to England to see Iris's father, Ernest, who is dying. Hannah is desperate to get her hands on Ernest's art collection and to her Ernest is still alive when they get to England. Gradually, Iris and Ernest start to bond and Iris hears Ernest's side of the story.
This book was just beautiful. Ugh, I'm going to get all gushy now, but bear with me.
Fire Colour One doesn't have a whole lot of plot going on, and for a car-chases-and-casinos kind of girl like me, this would usually be a turn-off. Also, a lot of the plot is told as back story. Again, not something that generally works. Except here it does. It really, really does. It's a beautifully written story about relationships and how and why they go wrong and how we can mend them. The scenes with Iris and Ernest almost had me in tears.
Considering it's a fairly short book, the author builds the characters really well. Iris is a pyromaniac. Like, an actual pyromaniac who loves setting fires and watching stuff burn. She's also troubled and neglected and insecure. Ernest is a very sweet character and I felt so sorry for him by the end, and Iris's mum and stepdad come across as a pound-shop Brangelina.
As well as Iris's relationship with Ernest, the book also explores her relationship with her best friend, Thurston, who she's recently fallen out with on a fairly epic scale. The relationship between Iris and Thurston is kind of ambiguous. They'd been friends for years and I spent a while trying to work out whether they were just friends or if there was anything more going on. The L-word gets mentioned, but was it a platonic L-word, or a romantic L-word? I couldn't tell and actually it was quite nice to be kept wondering and I was glad we didn't have loads of corset-heaving, tortured glances because I think it would have overshadowed the main point of the book, which was Iris and Ernest's relationship.
As for the denouement...it is superb. Absolutely superb. I won't say anything specific about it because I don't do spoilers, but it was good enough to keep me up reading way past my bedtime.
This review and others can be found on my blog: www.bookblogbird.weebly.com
When I finished Fire Colour One, I was all set to give it a 4.5 star review. But since finishing it yesterday evening I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Like, not at all. I'm still all feels-y, even now, sitting at work, writing this review. So for that reason I've bumped it up to a five.
The title, Fire Colour One, actually refers to the Yves Klein painting FC1, which is an amazing piece, but the book is actually about a girl, Iris. Iris lives with her disinterested mother, Hannah, and stepfather in America until Hannah announces one day that they are returning to England to see Iris's father, Ernest, who is dying. Hannah is desperate to get her hands on Ernest's art collection and to her Ernest is still alive when they get to England. Gradually, Iris and Ernest start to bond and Iris hears Ernest's side of the story.
This book was just beautiful. Ugh, I'm going to get all gushy now, but bear with me.
Fire Colour One doesn't have a whole lot of plot going on, and for a car-chases-and-casinos kind of girl like me, this would usually be a turn-off. Also, a lot of the plot is told as back story. Again, not something that generally works. Except here it does. It really, really does. It's a beautifully written story about relationships and how and why they go wrong and how we can mend them. The scenes with Iris and Ernest almost had me in tears.
Considering it's a fairly short book, the author builds the characters really well. Iris is a pyromaniac. Like, an actual pyromaniac who loves setting fires and watching stuff burn. She's also troubled and neglected and insecure. Ernest is a very sweet character and I felt so sorry for him by the end, and Iris's mum and stepdad come across as a pound-shop Brangelina.
As well as Iris's relationship with Ernest, the book also explores her relationship with her best friend, Thurston, who she's recently fallen out with on a fairly epic scale. The relationship between Iris and Thurston is kind of ambiguous. They'd been friends for years and I spent a while trying to work out whether they were just friends or if there was anything more going on. The L-word gets mentioned, but was it a platonic L-word, or a romantic L-word? I couldn't tell and actually it was quite nice to be kept wondering and I was glad we didn't have loads of corset-heaving, tortured glances because I think it would have overshadowed the main point of the book, which was Iris and Ernest's relationship.
As for the denouement...it is superb. Absolutely superb. I won't say anything specific about it because I don't do spoilers, but it was good enough to keep me up reading way past my bedtime.
This review and others can be found on my blog: www.bookblogbird.weebly.com
February 6, 2017
Check out this and other reviews on my young adult book blog, Here's to Happy Endings!
Fire Color One was an interesting little book with a unique plot that combined a teenage pyromaniac, the love for art, and a father and daughter being reunited ahd sharing secrets. It was also one of those books that I had a bit of a hard time connecting to the main character or the story, even though it was definitely an interesting one. It was a really quick read, and I finished it in a few hours. The twist at the end was one that I didn't really see coming at all, so that made the book quite the delight overall.
Fire Color One is one of those that seems to have slipped under the radar for most, and I was really glad that I had the chance to read it (thank you, Penguin Teen!). Before I go through and mention the things I did and didn't care for with Fire Color One, let me start off by talking a little bit about the plot of the book.
Iris has a love for fire. She finds herself setting fires - at first, tiny fires in the park, and eventually it escalates to almost burning down her school. Her mother knows she has a problem, and picks her up and moves her from her home to London, where her estranged father is living. While her mother insists that it is Iris's fault they are moving, in reality, it is because her father is rich and dying, and because her mother and step-father have racked up some much debt, there isn't anything left for them to do.
When Iris's mother takes her to meet her father, Iris isn't sure what to expect. She has spent her life thinking that her father had abandoned her and her mother when she was a baby, and while she doesn't like the person her mother has become over the years, she doesn't think she will be able to face her father, either.
As Iris spends at first a few minutes with her father, and then hours at the dying man's bedside, she learns more about her past than she could have imagined - including the fact that her mother hasn't been very truthful with her at all. While Iris's mother impatiently awaits his death so that she can claim the house, along with all of the valuable artwork and furniture, Iris finds herself wanting just a few more minutes with the man who hadn't been in her life until now. Just a few more minutes to learn about him, her past, and the secrets that they share.
This book seemed kind of short, and while I understand that it might have been written this way to keep the pacing even, I feel like it took away from the ability to really connect with the characters in the story. I didn't have a chance to get to know any of them. To be honest, the only character's name in the whole book I remembered was Iris, because they all just felt sort of bland and not that interesting. I crave a story that's character driven, with plenty of development, personality, and, of course, characters that have dialog that doesn't feel forced, as it did here. I felt nothing for them, and I felt like it made the book unmemorable.
However, the plot was enjoyable - a teenage girl who has a desire to set fires who gets swept away to London in order to visit her dying father, even though it's only a ruse on her mother's account so that she can collect his home and all of his artwork, furniture, and money when he dies. This is new, I haven't read anything like this, and I was pretty excited to dive in. The plot was memorable, enjoyable even. I honestly felt like this book could have been spectacular had the characters been developed a bit more during the story.
Fire Color One has a great twist at the end - not something that I saw coming, so I was pleasantly surprised by it, that's for sure. When I had closed this book, I had to give the ending a round of applause.
The book was a quick read - I read the whole thing in almost a single sitting. I did get rather engrossed in it from time to time, which is why I still gave it three stars. The plot was definitely entertaining and for the most part, really kept me guessing.
Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review - Thank you!
Fire Color One was an interesting little book with a unique plot that combined a teenage pyromaniac, the love for art, and a father and daughter being reunited ahd sharing secrets. It was also one of those books that I had a bit of a hard time connecting to the main character or the story, even though it was definitely an interesting one. It was a really quick read, and I finished it in a few hours. The twist at the end was one that I didn't really see coming at all, so that made the book quite the delight overall.
Fire Color One is one of those that seems to have slipped under the radar for most, and I was really glad that I had the chance to read it (thank you, Penguin Teen!). Before I go through and mention the things I did and didn't care for with Fire Color One, let me start off by talking a little bit about the plot of the book.
"That's the thing about a good fire. It empties your head completely. It razes everything to the ground so there's nothing left. It's the very definition of calm."
Iris has a love for fire. She finds herself setting fires - at first, tiny fires in the park, and eventually it escalates to almost burning down her school. Her mother knows she has a problem, and picks her up and moves her from her home to London, where her estranged father is living. While her mother insists that it is Iris's fault they are moving, in reality, it is because her father is rich and dying, and because her mother and step-father have racked up some much debt, there isn't anything left for them to do.
When Iris's mother takes her to meet her father, Iris isn't sure what to expect. She has spent her life thinking that her father had abandoned her and her mother when she was a baby, and while she doesn't like the person her mother has become over the years, she doesn't think she will be able to face her father, either.
As Iris spends at first a few minutes with her father, and then hours at the dying man's bedside, she learns more about her past than she could have imagined - including the fact that her mother hasn't been very truthful with her at all. While Iris's mother impatiently awaits his death so that she can claim the house, along with all of the valuable artwork and furniture, Iris finds herself wanting just a few more minutes with the man who hadn't been in her life until now. Just a few more minutes to learn about him, her past, and the secrets that they share.
This book seemed kind of short, and while I understand that it might have been written this way to keep the pacing even, I feel like it took away from the ability to really connect with the characters in the story. I didn't have a chance to get to know any of them. To be honest, the only character's name in the whole book I remembered was Iris, because they all just felt sort of bland and not that interesting. I crave a story that's character driven, with plenty of development, personality, and, of course, characters that have dialog that doesn't feel forced, as it did here. I felt nothing for them, and I felt like it made the book unmemorable.
However, the plot was enjoyable - a teenage girl who has a desire to set fires who gets swept away to London in order to visit her dying father, even though it's only a ruse on her mother's account so that she can collect his home and all of his artwork, furniture, and money when he dies. This is new, I haven't read anything like this, and I was pretty excited to dive in. The plot was memorable, enjoyable even. I honestly felt like this book could have been spectacular had the characters been developed a bit more during the story.
Fire Color One has a great twist at the end - not something that I saw coming, so I was pleasantly surprised by it, that's for sure. When I had closed this book, I had to give the ending a round of applause.
The book was a quick read - I read the whole thing in almost a single sitting. I did get rather engrossed in it from time to time, which is why I still gave it three stars. The plot was definitely entertaining and for the most part, really kept me guessing.
Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review - Thank you!
October 14, 2015
*3.5 stars* Just a quick review as I don't have too much to say!
This book was good and I'm glad I read it. With saying that, something was just missing.
I feel like the whole story line was mushed into the last two chapters and I was left with a lot of questions and no understanding of certain things. Thurston's character confused me a little, I didn't fully understand what his part in the story really was apart from the fact that he was the one thing that Iris looked forward to and made her happy.
To me this book was some what relatable though. I could understand Iris much better based off of her family life and understood her reasoning more.
It was a good book but I didn't love it. It actually reminded me a lot of the film 'The Forger' starring Josh Hutcherson near the end. I don't know, I might have missed something with this book as a lot of people seem to rave about it but for me it was just okay.
This book was good and I'm glad I read it. With saying that, something was just missing.
I feel like the whole story line was mushed into the last two chapters and I was left with a lot of questions and no understanding of certain things. Thurston's character confused me a little, I didn't fully understand what his part in the story really was apart from the fact that he was the one thing that Iris looked forward to and made her happy.
To me this book was some what relatable though. I could understand Iris much better based off of her family life and understood her reasoning more.
It was a good book but I didn't love it. It actually reminded me a lot of the film 'The Forger' starring Josh Hutcherson near the end. I don't know, I might have missed something with this book as a lot of people seem to rave about it but for me it was just okay.
July 30, 2017
Interesting. I may have teared up at the end.
July 3, 2015
ah, eso fue satisfactorio
Original de: El Extraño Gato del Cuento
La sinopsis es cortita pero creo que de todas maneras como le baja un poco de emoción al libro, mi recomendación por eso siempre será: tu cita con un libro de ser a ciegas. Si eres de los que gusta vivir al límite, claro.
Yo no sabía que Jenny Valentine era una escritora bastante importante y querida en el mundo Young Adult hasta que empecé a leer Fire Colour One, creo que es algo así como Morgan Matson, solo ciertos grupos la conocen y aman. Al menos eso espero, me gustó bastante Fire Colour One y quiero seguir leyendo sus libros, tengo la esperanza de no decepcionarme con ellos.
Esta historia es sobre que las cosas nunca son lo que parecen, que lo bonito por fuera no siempre será igual de bonito por dentro. Sinceramente no tenía planeado terminarme el libro de una sola sentada, es más, ni siquiera tenía planeado leerme este libro en Junio, estaba completamente segura que su publicación era en Octubre (ni idea por qué), pero me llegó un email de la editorial hace unas semanas y no pude sacarme el título del libro de la cabeza. De la misma manera que me fue imposible olvidar el nombre, me fue imposible parar de leer.
Fire Colour One es una novela Young Adult diferente ¿En qué? No es tanto sobre la historia de Iris, sino de sus padres. No hay exactamente romance pero no puedes dejar de emocionarte a la mención de un nombre.
Hace poco fue el día del padre, y creo que no hay mejor fecha para leer un libro como este. Ernest es un tipo que me conmovió mucho, no quiero decir que sentí lástima por él, sino que al terminar el libro sentí mucho cariño y admiración por él. Su problema en el inicio de su vida fue que se obsesionó con lo bonito y brillante equivocado... hasta que llegó lo que realmente valía y su vida tuvo realmente sentido. Hasta que dejó de tenerlo.
Muy pocas veces llegó realmente a desarrollar un enorme desagrado por un personaje, hasta que conocí a Hannah. Su relación con Ernest, es la razón por las que huyo de todo tipo de compromiso, la sola idea de terminar con alguien que no le importe las cosas que haga, por muy malas que sean, tan solo para que me quede a su lado, me aterra. El amor ciego es mi más grande terror.
Cada vez que Hannah aparecía en escena todo lo que podía pensar era:
Fire Colour One está desarrollado de una manera en que no podrás parar de leer, además de tener uno de los finales más satisfactorios que hay sentido hasta ahora. Ese final es una completa catarsis. De esas lecturas que relajan.
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Original de: El Extraño Gato del Cuento
La sinopsis es cortita pero creo que de todas maneras como le baja un poco de emoción al libro, mi recomendación por eso siempre será: tu cita con un libro de ser a ciegas. Si eres de los que gusta vivir al límite, claro.
Yo no sabía que Jenny Valentine era una escritora bastante importante y querida en el mundo Young Adult hasta que empecé a leer Fire Colour One, creo que es algo así como Morgan Matson, solo ciertos grupos la conocen y aman. Al menos eso espero, me gustó bastante Fire Colour One y quiero seguir leyendo sus libros, tengo la esperanza de no decepcionarme con ellos.
Esta historia es sobre que las cosas nunca son lo que parecen, que lo bonito por fuera no siempre será igual de bonito por dentro. Sinceramente no tenía planeado terminarme el libro de una sola sentada, es más, ni siquiera tenía planeado leerme este libro en Junio, estaba completamente segura que su publicación era en Octubre (ni idea por qué), pero me llegó un email de la editorial hace unas semanas y no pude sacarme el título del libro de la cabeza. De la misma manera que me fue imposible olvidar el nombre, me fue imposible parar de leer.
Fire Colour One es una novela Young Adult diferente ¿En qué? No es tanto sobre la historia de Iris, sino de sus padres. No hay exactamente romance pero no puedes dejar de emocionarte a la mención de un nombre.
Hace poco fue el día del padre, y creo que no hay mejor fecha para leer un libro como este. Ernest es un tipo que me conmovió mucho, no quiero decir que sentí lástima por él, sino que al terminar el libro sentí mucho cariño y admiración por él. Su problema en el inicio de su vida fue que se obsesionó con lo bonito y brillante equivocado... hasta que llegó lo que realmente valía y su vida tuvo realmente sentido. Hasta que dejó de tenerlo.
Muy pocas veces llegó realmente a desarrollar un enorme desagrado por un personaje, hasta que conocí a Hannah. Su relación con Ernest, es la razón por las que huyo de todo tipo de compromiso, la sola idea de terminar con alguien que no le importe las cosas que haga, por muy malas que sean, tan solo para que me quede a su lado, me aterra. El amor ciego es mi más grande terror.
Sometimes it’s the impossibility of a thing that makes it irresistible.
Cada vez que Hannah aparecía en escena todo lo que podía pensar era:
Fire Colour One está desarrollado de una manera en que no podrás parar de leer, además de tener uno de los finales más satisfactorios que hay sentido hasta ahora. Ese final es una completa catarsis. De esas lecturas que relajan.
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April 5, 2017
***This review has also been posted on Xpresso Reads
Fire Color One is usually not the kind of novel I would find myself enjoying but I was thoroughly swept away by it. I love character development but I don’t really tend to enjoy books that are solely character driven. Fire Color One is primarily character driven. There is definitely a plot but it revolves around character revelations. Not around actual happenings. Yet it somehow managed to sweep me away till I had somehow run out of pages to read (*shakes fist at book for not being longer*)
This is a novel about grief, about relationships and a little bit about some revenge (and I am totes petty so I am all about the revenge life.) I think part of the magic of this book comes from how well the relationships are written. Iris’s budding relationship with her ‘new found’ father is magical and made me wish I could hang with my fam. I felt the warmth-ness of it and I loved how different they were yet how they found all these things in common and could find ways to be together even though he lay in his death bed and they had a timer on how much time they could spend together. I love that even though Iris’s mother was a shitty human being there was even a second layer to her. She wasn’t just a caricature (although she was still hella terrible.)
I kind of wish art was a bigger part of this book but I do enjoyed watching Iris and her father connect through art and over art. It was by no means the basis of their relationship but it was part of what made them such a great father/daughter pair.
This book features no romance which was really refreshing. I loved that through flashbacks we also got to meet her best friend and enjoy their relationship. There were some romantic vibes I think but it didn’t matter one way or another.
Iris is my other fav thing about this book. She is a formidable character. I love how complicated she is. I love her reluctance. I love her angst and I love her character arc. She is flawed, neither likeable or unlikable. She just is. She is frustrated and unhappy with her family and she doesn’t really know where she belongs in the larger scheme of things. #same
I also really like the author’s writing style. We open with a prologue set in present time and then dive back into the past in a way where we are also very aware of the happenings of the presents. I feel like there is a word for this sort of narration style but I am not smart enough to know these things (even though I am a lit major.) We are taken on a journey where we are aware of the end but where we need to piece together bits of the present to really understand the epic finale of the novel.
I love the emotional journey the book takes the readers on and I love that it is dispersed with bits of mystery and intrigue. There is something so compelling about the way the book is written that it leave you wanting more yet thoroughly satisfied. I would definitely recommend this to lovers of contemporary lit that will take you on a ride.
Note that I received an advanced copy of this book for review.
Fire Color One is usually not the kind of novel I would find myself enjoying but I was thoroughly swept away by it. I love character development but I don’t really tend to enjoy books that are solely character driven. Fire Color One is primarily character driven. There is definitely a plot but it revolves around character revelations. Not around actual happenings. Yet it somehow managed to sweep me away till I had somehow run out of pages to read (*shakes fist at book for not being longer*)
This is a novel about grief, about relationships and a little bit about some revenge (and I am totes petty so I am all about the revenge life.) I think part of the magic of this book comes from how well the relationships are written. Iris’s budding relationship with her ‘new found’ father is magical and made me wish I could hang with my fam. I felt the warmth-ness of it and I loved how different they were yet how they found all these things in common and could find ways to be together even though he lay in his death bed and they had a timer on how much time they could spend together. I love that even though Iris’s mother was a shitty human being there was even a second layer to her. She wasn’t just a caricature (although she was still hella terrible.)
I kind of wish art was a bigger part of this book but I do enjoyed watching Iris and her father connect through art and over art. It was by no means the basis of their relationship but it was part of what made them such a great father/daughter pair.
This book features no romance which was really refreshing. I loved that through flashbacks we also got to meet her best friend and enjoy their relationship. There were some romantic vibes I think but it didn’t matter one way or another.
Iris is my other fav thing about this book. She is a formidable character. I love how complicated she is. I love her reluctance. I love her angst and I love her character arc. She is flawed, neither likeable or unlikable. She just is. She is frustrated and unhappy with her family and she doesn’t really know where she belongs in the larger scheme of things. #same
I also really like the author’s writing style. We open with a prologue set in present time and then dive back into the past in a way where we are also very aware of the happenings of the presents. I feel like there is a word for this sort of narration style but I am not smart enough to know these things (even though I am a lit major.) We are taken on a journey where we are aware of the end but where we need to piece together bits of the present to really understand the epic finale of the novel.
I love the emotional journey the book takes the readers on and I love that it is dispersed with bits of mystery and intrigue. There is something so compelling about the way the book is written that it leave you wanting more yet thoroughly satisfied. I would definitely recommend this to lovers of contemporary lit that will take you on a ride.
Note that I received an advanced copy of this book for review.
February 6, 2017
Con una parola posso descrivere questo libro: strano.
"Color fuoco" è la storia di Iris che, diciamocelo chiaramente, è una piromane. Non ha mai fatto del male a nessuno, ma solo nel fuoco e dando fuoco alle cose riesce a trovare una specie di tranquillità interiore.
Cresciuta in una famiglia che di famiglia ha ben poco, con una madre ed un patrigno che l'hanno sempre trattata come un peso, come un qualcosa che gli è toccato avere, ma che avrebbero di gran lunga preferito abbandonare per strada.
Nonostante questo, la storia che hanno sempre raccontato ad Iris è stata quella in cui suo padre la abbandonava e decideva di non vederla mai più.
Un giorno però una telefonata cambia tutto: Iris scopre che suo padre sta morendo e che vorrebbe rivederla. La madre, che non ha mai divorziato, diventa la personificazione della gioia: il padre di Iris è un uomo molto ricco e, morendo, lascerà a lei tutte le fortune.
O almeno è questo che spera.
Ora arriviamo alla parte in cui vi spiego perché ho definito questo libro strano, tranquilli.
L'intero libro ruota intorno a Iris, alla storia che fa capire perché si è allontanata da suo padre e a chi sono veramente sua madre e il compagno.
Quasi mi permetto di dire che è una storia che voleva solo lanciare un messaggio, ovvero che alla fine tutti i nodi vengono al pettine ed i buoni vincono sui cattivi.
Però, in tutto ciò, ho sempre avuto una strana sensazione leggendo e mi chiedevo se questa storia fosse necessaria.
Non avete mai letto un libro e poi pensato alla fine "ma che senso ha?"
Sapete quanti libri leggo senza pretese? Quanti libri definiti storielle se paragonati a grandi classici della letteratura? Eppure non mi capita mai di pensare che avrei potuto fare a meno di passare il tempo in determinate pagine... tranne questa volta.
Questa volta purtroppo l'ho pensato.
E se da una parte sono convinta che il libro sia ben scritto e che abbia degli ottimi personaggi, dall'altra purtroppo mi rendo conto che dovete davvero leggerlo se avete voglia di un libro che ha lo stesso identico stile di un racconto breve.
Sono poche pagine, duecento circa, perciò è davvero una storia che la inizi e la finisci.
Stop, non c'è altro.
Nonostante questo mi sento di dare comunque tre stelline, anche perché, ripeto, è ben scritto e i personaggi mi stavano molto simpatici.
"Color fuoco" è la storia di Iris che, diciamocelo chiaramente, è una piromane. Non ha mai fatto del male a nessuno, ma solo nel fuoco e dando fuoco alle cose riesce a trovare una specie di tranquillità interiore.
Cresciuta in una famiglia che di famiglia ha ben poco, con una madre ed un patrigno che l'hanno sempre trattata come un peso, come un qualcosa che gli è toccato avere, ma che avrebbero di gran lunga preferito abbandonare per strada.
Nonostante questo, la storia che hanno sempre raccontato ad Iris è stata quella in cui suo padre la abbandonava e decideva di non vederla mai più.
Un giorno però una telefonata cambia tutto: Iris scopre che suo padre sta morendo e che vorrebbe rivederla. La madre, che non ha mai divorziato, diventa la personificazione della gioia: il padre di Iris è un uomo molto ricco e, morendo, lascerà a lei tutte le fortune.
O almeno è questo che spera.
Ora arriviamo alla parte in cui vi spiego perché ho definito questo libro strano, tranquilli.
L'intero libro ruota intorno a Iris, alla storia che fa capire perché si è allontanata da suo padre e a chi sono veramente sua madre e il compagno.
Quasi mi permetto di dire che è una storia che voleva solo lanciare un messaggio, ovvero che alla fine tutti i nodi vengono al pettine ed i buoni vincono sui cattivi.
Però, in tutto ciò, ho sempre avuto una strana sensazione leggendo e mi chiedevo se questa storia fosse necessaria.
Non avete mai letto un libro e poi pensato alla fine "ma che senso ha?"
Sapete quanti libri leggo senza pretese? Quanti libri definiti storielle se paragonati a grandi classici della letteratura? Eppure non mi capita mai di pensare che avrei potuto fare a meno di passare il tempo in determinate pagine... tranne questa volta.
Questa volta purtroppo l'ho pensato.
E se da una parte sono convinta che il libro sia ben scritto e che abbia degli ottimi personaggi, dall'altra purtroppo mi rendo conto che dovete davvero leggerlo se avete voglia di un libro che ha lo stesso identico stile di un racconto breve.
Sono poche pagine, duecento circa, perciò è davvero una storia che la inizi e la finisci.
Stop, non c'è altro.
Nonostante questo mi sento di dare comunque tre stelline, anche perché, ripeto, è ben scritto e i personaggi mi stavano molto simpatici.
July 23, 2015
I received this book for free by the book's publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Iris has no recollections of her Dad other than what her mother, Hannah, has told her. She has grown up with the knowledge her father wants nothing to do with her. Hannah and partner Lowell don't seemt to want to either. Thurston however, is her best friend and the only person who understands her love and desperate need of fire to calm herself in the midst of the chaos in her life. But has Hannah been telling Iris the truth? The power one of phone call can truly change everything...
This was a very unusual book to say the least, but one I found myself enjoying immensly. Iris is a likeable narrator and at times I felt a strong need for her to just be protected and loved. Valentine has created intricate chacters and I loved how different they were from practically everything else I've ever read. Discovering and revealing more about Ernest, Iris' father, is well paced and intriguing. His past comes to reveal even more about Isis, and in turn also Hannah...
An enjoyable and definitely different holiday read which is relatively short and relaxing to read. Uncovering Isis' life is a fun journey with ups and down and equally sorrow and joy. A good read if you enjoy mystery, family, drama and maybe just a little bit of arson... As I said, it's definitely different!
Iris has no recollections of her Dad other than what her mother, Hannah, has told her. She has grown up with the knowledge her father wants nothing to do with her. Hannah and partner Lowell don't seemt to want to either. Thurston however, is her best friend and the only person who understands her love and desperate need of fire to calm herself in the midst of the chaos in her life. But has Hannah been telling Iris the truth? The power one of phone call can truly change everything...
This was a very unusual book to say the least, but one I found myself enjoying immensly. Iris is a likeable narrator and at times I felt a strong need for her to just be protected and loved. Valentine has created intricate chacters and I loved how different they were from practically everything else I've ever read. Discovering and revealing more about Ernest, Iris' father, is well paced and intriguing. His past comes to reveal even more about Isis, and in turn also Hannah...
An enjoyable and definitely different holiday read which is relatively short and relaxing to read. Uncovering Isis' life is a fun journey with ups and down and equally sorrow and joy. A good read if you enjoy mystery, family, drama and maybe just a little bit of arson... As I said, it's definitely different!
May 19, 2017
If it wasn't for the ending I would have given this book a lower rating. The characters were all really messed up. Revenge is such a beautiful thing at times though.
October 7, 2018
Iris vindt haar ouders niet echt geweldig en voelt veelal minachting voor hen. Haar moeder is een levende barbiepop en haar stiefvader is al jaren een soapacteur in wording. Toen Iris vier was is haar echte vader uit haar leven verdwenen en haar moeder spreekt geen goed woord over hem. Een onverwacht bericht brengt hen toch weer samen: haar vader Ernest ligt op sterven en wil Iris graag nog een keer zien. Iris’ moeder gaat op het geld af, maar weet, net als Iris op dat moment, de waarheid niet.
Tijdens een bezoek aan de bieb zag ik dit boek liggen. De dikte stond mij in een drukke periode wel aan, het is namelijk een boek van nog geen 200 pagina’s. Ook had ik over dit boek een aantal goede verhalen gehoord. Jenny Valentine heeft een prettige schrijfstijl waardoor de eerste en tevens korte hoofdstukken vlot weglezen. Daarbij is ook gekozen voor een prettig lettertype en fijne regelafstand. Ik begrijp wel waarom dit boek was genomineerd voor de Diorapthe Literatuurprijs in 2017.
Emoties en gedrag weet de schrijfster goed op te schrijven en personages zijn daardoor ook goed uitgewerkt. Toch legde ik op een gegeven moment het boek na één hoofdstuk steeds weer weg. Bij sommige zinnen moest ik mijn aandacht echt erbij houden terwijl het toch niet moeilijk geschreven is. In het begin vond ik Iris’ familie nog een beetje onduidelijk, maar ook over de situatie in het algemeen en dat was eerst verwarrend. Dit trekt gelukkig wel weg, omdat je geleidelijk meer informatie krijgt.
Je leest het hele verhaal vanuit Iris, maar toch miste ik soms wat diepgang in het verhaal waardoor sommige dingen los van elkaar bleven staan of onafgewerkt zijn. Ze mist haar goede vriend Thurston en ook merk je dat ze in die paar dagen bij haar vader, een goede band met hem heeft opgebouwd. Je weet als lezer dat er een nauwe band ontstaat, maar toch voelde het voor mij alsof die band ineens er was, daarin mis ik een stuk opbouw. Los daarvan is het mooi om te lezen dat Ernest bepaalde dingen herkent in zijn overleden zus en dat ze samen herinneringen ophalen. Daarnaast blijkt ze, net als haar vader, een passie voor kunst te hebben. Kunst blijkt uiteindelijk een grotere rol te spelen in het verhaal dan van tevoren bekend, een leuke toevoeging.
Het einde van dit boek is misschien wel redelijk voorspelbaar, maar ik vond het mooi en vooral passend bij de verhaallijn. Ernest blijkt niet zo’n verschrikkelijke man te zijn zoals Iris’ moeder heeft gezegd en het geheim van Ernest vond ik beter dan andere voorspelbare geheimen in boeken.
Hier en daar miste ik wat diepgang, maar in het algemeen was het toch een fijn te lezen boek en dat is toch het belangrijkste!
Tijdens een bezoek aan de bieb zag ik dit boek liggen. De dikte stond mij in een drukke periode wel aan, het is namelijk een boek van nog geen 200 pagina’s. Ook had ik over dit boek een aantal goede verhalen gehoord. Jenny Valentine heeft een prettige schrijfstijl waardoor de eerste en tevens korte hoofdstukken vlot weglezen. Daarbij is ook gekozen voor een prettig lettertype en fijne regelafstand. Ik begrijp wel waarom dit boek was genomineerd voor de Diorapthe Literatuurprijs in 2017.
Emoties en gedrag weet de schrijfster goed op te schrijven en personages zijn daardoor ook goed uitgewerkt. Toch legde ik op een gegeven moment het boek na één hoofdstuk steeds weer weg. Bij sommige zinnen moest ik mijn aandacht echt erbij houden terwijl het toch niet moeilijk geschreven is. In het begin vond ik Iris’ familie nog een beetje onduidelijk, maar ook over de situatie in het algemeen en dat was eerst verwarrend. Dit trekt gelukkig wel weg, omdat je geleidelijk meer informatie krijgt.
Je leest het hele verhaal vanuit Iris, maar toch miste ik soms wat diepgang in het verhaal waardoor sommige dingen los van elkaar bleven staan of onafgewerkt zijn. Ze mist haar goede vriend Thurston en ook merk je dat ze in die paar dagen bij haar vader, een goede band met hem heeft opgebouwd. Je weet als lezer dat er een nauwe band ontstaat, maar toch voelde het voor mij alsof die band ineens er was, daarin mis ik een stuk opbouw. Los daarvan is het mooi om te lezen dat Ernest bepaalde dingen herkent in zijn overleden zus en dat ze samen herinneringen ophalen. Daarnaast blijkt ze, net als haar vader, een passie voor kunst te hebben. Kunst blijkt uiteindelijk een grotere rol te spelen in het verhaal dan van tevoren bekend, een leuke toevoeging.
Het einde van dit boek is misschien wel redelijk voorspelbaar, maar ik vond het mooi en vooral passend bij de verhaallijn. Ernest blijkt niet zo’n verschrikkelijke man te zijn zoals Iris’ moeder heeft gezegd en het geheim van Ernest vond ik beter dan andere voorspelbare geheimen in boeken.
Hier en daar miste ik wat diepgang, maar in het algemeen was het toch een fijn te lezen boek en dat is toch het belangrijkste!
January 31, 2024
This is simply a very good young adult book about Iris whose mum and stepdad don’t care about her and only dream of a career in Hollywood, meeting famous people and endless partying. Money is always an issue, or actually the lack of it. This turns out favorable for Iris: she is re-united with her dying father in England. This somehow hit the right chord in me. Iris got to know the real story behind all the lies and managed to bond with her father in the short time they had together. The plot twist at the end was a little bit over the top, but I forgive it! ;)
December 20, 2018
I would definitely recommend Fire Color One by Jenny Valentine to a friend because this book was refreshing to read and beautifully written. Something that worked well in the text was the plot and how it was mostly told as a backstory however seamlessly goes back to current moments in time. I loved how well the author built the characters personalities, and making them all so impactful on the reader considering how short this book is. I also found it amusing because I was able to really connect with Iris the main character considering she is an actual pyromaniac. I sometimes would like set fire to my school or mother's closet (which she actually did). The author made Iris’s compulsive fire setting very relatable and I actually became quite jealous at points when she could make something as simple as setting a fire release all her frustrations, worries, and regrets. One thing I feel could be better about this book is the slow beginning and less eventful parts however I do feel it was intended because the ending escalates quickly and definitely pays off for the author. Overall I really enjoyed this book.
August 22, 2017
Door het vuur maakt kans op de Diorapthe Literatourprijs. Is dit terecht? Je leest het in mijn recensie!
http://nerdygeekyfanboy.com/recensie/...
http://nerdygeekyfanboy.com/recensie/...
March 15, 2017
My god, I loved this book. Favorite of the year, so far.
March 19, 2022
Gods! This story is so sad and so viciously triumphant! I love the complication of Iris and Ernest and Thurston all tangled up and looking at the details of things.
Hannah is SUCH a piece of work and I love how it sets her up to get her comeuppance. Just delightful!
Hannah is SUCH a piece of work and I love how it sets her up to get her comeuppance. Just delightful!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2019
Iris father, a man she hasn’t met since she was a child, doesn’t have much time left. Together Iris, her mother Hanna and her stepfather Lowell takes off to visit him. But knowing that her father left them and that he haven’t had any interest in her for so long makes everything difficult. When Iris realizes that Hannah only took her to meet her father so she could take his money, and secrets are brought into the light, she doesn’t know which side she stands on anymore.
This book is very unique and has family and the different relationships that comes with it in focus. I really enjoyed that there wasn’t an evident romance in “Fire Colour One” even though I do believe that Iris might have had some romantic feelings for Thurston?
I did really enjoy this book and would very much recommend it. It was a refreshing and quite quick read, plus the ending gave me the chills! I really enjoyed Valentine’s writing style and look forward to read more by her.
⭐️ “Fire Colour One” by Jenny Valentine gets 3.5/5 stars from me. I never give books .5 ratings but this book is really between a 3 & a 4 for me.
❤️You can find this review + a creative picture with the book included over at my Instagram: @sannareads
This book is very unique and has family and the different relationships that comes with it in focus. I really enjoyed that there wasn’t an evident romance in “Fire Colour One” even though I do believe that Iris might have had some romantic feelings for Thurston?
I did really enjoy this book and would very much recommend it. It was a refreshing and quite quick read, plus the ending gave me the chills! I really enjoyed Valentine’s writing style and look forward to read more by her.
⭐️ “Fire Colour One” by Jenny Valentine gets 3.5/5 stars from me. I never give books .5 ratings but this book is really between a 3 & a 4 for me.
❤️You can find this review + a creative picture with the book included over at my Instagram: @sannareads
March 5, 2018
A woman in my book club described this as "feeling like it's abridged even though it's not," and I think that's an apt characterization. The book is not very long, which is fine, but it also feels as if nothing much actually happens. A lot of time is spent on backstory that isn't incredibly important, and most of the characters start out unlikable and remain so without much of an arc. Although I am not someone who needs characters to be "likeable" to enjoy a book, I need them to at least be interesting or relateable, and the characters in this story failed on that front, too. This is a story about money-grabbing family members as a wealthy man faces the end of his life, a theme that was tackled very well in "We Were Liars" but which is much less compelling here. I often felt as though I was reading "V.C. Andrews lite," since the family dysfunction in the face of great wealth reminded me of the driving force in a lot of her books. But, minus the incest.
There is a bit of a twist at the end, but it's not enough of a jaw-dropper to make slogging through the rest of the story worthwhile. Three stars for decent writing and characters that felt real even if I didn't care to spend time with them.
There is a bit of a twist at the end, but it's not enough of a jaw-dropper to make slogging through the rest of the story worthwhile. Three stars for decent writing and characters that felt real even if I didn't care to spend time with them.
January 7, 2017
LOVED this Carnegie finalist YA about young arsonist, Iris, who never knew much about her rich dad, except what her horrid, selfish, gold-digger-now-that-he's-dying mother has told her. Mother drags daughter to dad's death bed, where father and daughter begin getting to know and like each other. Had me by page four where this dad-daughter interchange cracked me up:
"Do you want a song played?" I'd asked him. "When the curtains close, when your coffin goes through. Do you want a hymn or something?"
He thought about it for one waterlogged, morphine-soft moment.
"Howard Melvin and the Blue Notes," he said, and his voice sat like pea gravel in his mouth, sounded like mice scampering in a faraway attic. It took an age for the words to come out into the air. "'If You Don't Know Me by Now.'"
"You will never, never, never, never know me," I sang, somewhere between laughter and tears.
--which is exactly where Fire Color One left me. Sooooo recommended, especially for father-daughter story and art lovers.
"Do you want a song played?" I'd asked him. "When the curtains close, when your coffin goes through. Do you want a hymn or something?"
He thought about it for one waterlogged, morphine-soft moment.
"Howard Melvin and the Blue Notes," he said, and his voice sat like pea gravel in his mouth, sounded like mice scampering in a faraway attic. It took an age for the words to come out into the air. "'If You Don't Know Me by Now.'"
"You will never, never, never, never know me," I sang, somewhere between laughter and tears.
--which is exactly where Fire Color One left me. Sooooo recommended, especially for father-daughter story and art lovers.
June 23, 2016
This was marvellous and surreal, scattered and clever, very enjoyable read. Thank you Alice for the rec.
A set of colourful characters, including the teenage narrator with her paradoxical similes, is shown in glimpses of their lives as she remembers them at the deathbed of her father, and in her father's words she is retelling. She never knew him and is losing him when they only just met.
Despite the sad setting, the book is fun and optimistic. And it ends with a just-and-proper fairytale style payback for the greedystep-mother and narcissistic step-motherfather.
Recommended as an example of original good writing that leaves you feel good.
A set of colourful characters, including the teenage narrator with her paradoxical similes, is shown in glimpses of their lives as she remembers them at the deathbed of her father, and in her father's words she is retelling. She never knew him and is losing him when they only just met.
Despite the sad setting, the book is fun and optimistic. And it ends with a just-and-proper fairytale style payback for the greedy
Recommended as an example of original good writing that leaves you feel good.
December 17, 2015
I received my copy from Netgalley and read this novel in one sitting and loved it so much I went straight out and bought myself a copy. Fire Colour One sits nicely along side Jandy Nelson's 'I'll give you the Sun' and some of Sarah Dessen's books, for her use of art in her writing. Her descriptions knocked my socks off and although at times almost too much (like Nelson's) I still loved it. The story is so refreshing and original and very easy to visualise. The ending was top notch and I will read it again and recommend it to others. I will be putting this on my Carnegie longlist.
July 16, 2015
This one has been getting loads of great reviews so I think I'm in the minority when I say this was wasn't for me. Whilst I appreciated the cleverness of the ending I felt nothing for any of the characters and therefore was not fully engaged with the story. My biggest gripe was with the mother and step father. They were so bad they were caricatures. I love a flawed character, but they have to be human. These folk were so one dimensional they were downright unbelievable.
June 16, 2015
*I received a free ARC of Fire Colour One from Harper-Collins UK via Netgalley in exchange of an honest and unbiased review*
Fire Colour One is a strange, sad and slightly twisted tale in which Iris finally meets her father, and her whole past kind of falls into place just at the moment when she needs it the most.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
Fire Colour One is a strange, sad and slightly twisted tale in which Iris finally meets her father, and her whole past kind of falls into place just at the moment when she needs it the most.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
February 27, 2017
This was interesting. I really enjoyed some aspects, and others were rather perplexing. The way the author dealt with grief was quite apt, so it's getting a 4 from me.
December 10, 2018
For the book, fire color one I think that the author did a great job by setting a plot and the time setting which is set around the late 2000’s. In this book it jumps back and forth to things that mainly happened in her life, and how she finally got in contact with her father within years of not having him around. She was told that her father was a wealthy man and lived on his own, since her mother has been in dept she decided to find him and call him after years of not speaking to him. Come to find out that her father is close to death and there is only a little amount of time for him to be here. Hannah, Iris mother wants him to die soon so that she can get his money in order pay her over due bills.
In this story it is from the perspective of Iris and how she is telling a story about her life which I did like because it was mainly about her point of view, and how people in her life affected her and also the reason as to why did the things she’s done. Personally there are things in this book that I could relate to and others my age or any age could’ve related to and that is mainly why I enjoy this book, kind of like how Thurston reminds me of a friend that I have and how he likes people that have something different about them. But there are some things that she has done that I don't quite understand why she chose to do those things evolving around anger, on chapter 180, she talks about how she is “going crazy” so she starts going on about how she stole the keys to a storage closet and she then started a fire in the closet with all the lights off with her matches. The reasoning as to why she made a fire in the closet was because she couldn’t control the fact that she wanted to talk to Thurston again but couldn’t because she was the one who told him to leave her alone after what he did to her. Before she made the fire Thurston was trying to prove a point to her about how much she is cared for, even though she doesn’t really think she is. He made a shrine for her downtown on hill street, by a church when she got there there was many people standing all around the flickering lights of candles all around it. She saw people with “So loved and get your brave on” shirts that people were wearing, people even gave souvenirs and gave their best wishes to her shrine. They were praising her shrine but they were also mourning her fake death. Iris thought it was an “It’s a joke. It’s a bad joke” and thought it was a horrible idea because she “didn’t want people to see me, not like that”. I think that some people could relate to this book with the fact that Iris dad wasn't around for most of her life. And the reason ended up being because her mom lied to her saying he never cared for her but he always did, also because she moved away and they all changed their names making Ernest not able to find them. Hannah thought that Lowell at the time was going to end up with more money because he was wealthy at the time. This story showed much emotion through the character through the way they present themselves to others around them, like the way Hannah treats Iris and how Hannah talks to Ernest, or how Iris talks to her dad and how Thurston shows how much he cares about Iris. By the way Thurston shows how much he cares for Iris honestly makes me feel as he is one of the best and caring characters in this book, but there are some things that he thought Iris would like, but ended up not and maybe he should work on himself by thinking what Iris would think first.
There is some upsetting situations added to this book that I think anyone would get upset about or wonder about. Iris was lied to, her whole life by her own mother and how she never got to have a bond with her dad, by making her believe that her dad never wanted her, and how actually searched for her her whole life. I don’t know why someone would lie to their own child about who their father is and why would you want to keep that type of relationship from them just because you were a gold digger and only wanted him for money, but he was truly in love with her because that was the mother of his child. At least at the end before her father died she got to relate to him and find the truth. She finally after years of not having him around got to meet him and know who was lying the whole time. I think that Ernest was a very clever person even though he may have done illegal things like copy paintings and sell them for money, he got pay back to hannah for all the things she took from him. I personally think that this was a brilliant book and the plot could be very related to young adults or even teens. But I think I could say that this could be one of my favorite books, and I think that this author did a great job coming up with this story.
In this story it is from the perspective of Iris and how she is telling a story about her life which I did like because it was mainly about her point of view, and how people in her life affected her and also the reason as to why did the things she’s done. Personally there are things in this book that I could relate to and others my age or any age could’ve related to and that is mainly why I enjoy this book, kind of like how Thurston reminds me of a friend that I have and how he likes people that have something different about them. But there are some things that she has done that I don't quite understand why she chose to do those things evolving around anger, on chapter 180, she talks about how she is “going crazy” so she starts going on about how she stole the keys to a storage closet and she then started a fire in the closet with all the lights off with her matches. The reasoning as to why she made a fire in the closet was because she couldn’t control the fact that she wanted to talk to Thurston again but couldn’t because she was the one who told him to leave her alone after what he did to her. Before she made the fire Thurston was trying to prove a point to her about how much she is cared for, even though she doesn’t really think she is. He made a shrine for her downtown on hill street, by a church when she got there there was many people standing all around the flickering lights of candles all around it. She saw people with “So loved and get your brave on” shirts that people were wearing, people even gave souvenirs and gave their best wishes to her shrine. They were praising her shrine but they were also mourning her fake death. Iris thought it was an “It’s a joke. It’s a bad joke” and thought it was a horrible idea because she “didn’t want people to see me, not like that”. I think that some people could relate to this book with the fact that Iris dad wasn't around for most of her life. And the reason ended up being because her mom lied to her saying he never cared for her but he always did, also because she moved away and they all changed their names making Ernest not able to find them. Hannah thought that Lowell at the time was going to end up with more money because he was wealthy at the time. This story showed much emotion through the character through the way they present themselves to others around them, like the way Hannah treats Iris and how Hannah talks to Ernest, or how Iris talks to her dad and how Thurston shows how much he cares about Iris. By the way Thurston shows how much he cares for Iris honestly makes me feel as he is one of the best and caring characters in this book, but there are some things that he thought Iris would like, but ended up not and maybe he should work on himself by thinking what Iris would think first.
There is some upsetting situations added to this book that I think anyone would get upset about or wonder about. Iris was lied to, her whole life by her own mother and how she never got to have a bond with her dad, by making her believe that her dad never wanted her, and how actually searched for her her whole life. I don’t know why someone would lie to their own child about who their father is and why would you want to keep that type of relationship from them just because you were a gold digger and only wanted him for money, but he was truly in love with her because that was the mother of his child. At least at the end before her father died she got to relate to him and find the truth. She finally after years of not having him around got to meet him and know who was lying the whole time. I think that Ernest was a very clever person even though he may have done illegal things like copy paintings and sell them for money, he got pay back to hannah for all the things she took from him. I personally think that this was a brilliant book and the plot could be very related to young adults or even teens. But I think I could say that this could be one of my favorite books, and I think that this author did a great job coming up with this story.
October 20, 2017
Where do I start? I was hoping this book would be a captivating story about a young girl, who is creative yet slowly become depressed and insane enough to push her to the brink of becoming an arsonist, and her struggle with that + mental issues.
And I got that! For the first three pages.
After that this book became a wreck. I ended up hating Iris, so cold, so unlovable. My sympathy for her and her situation faded quickly.
The book also took God’s name in vain several times and had some swearing, which irks me to no end, STOP IT. Should I congratulate you for being able to swear like any other fruitcake? I don't think so.
There were several things that didn’t add up, one of the character’s dresses as a girl, and tricks Iris’s parents that he is an actress, whilst wearing a tight skirt and shirt. But later he is described as “broad”, I WAS ALREADY IN DOUBT, BUT THERE IS JUST NO WAY. Plus, did he shave his legs in order to wear that skirt? So many questions…
Ernest creeped me out. I got stranger danger vibes. #nope
Iris sets things on fire to feel in control of her life, and this fact could’ve made this book SO GOOD. But it’s never the focus, in fact it’s barely touched on at all.
One thing I did like was the sad light this book showed alcohol abuse in, it was beautiful and honestly deep. "...the way she drinks and thinks of everything as a fight, and grabs hold of the day like it's a sheer drop and if she doesn't dig her nails right in, she'll fall." (pg. 28)
In the end, despite this book’s breathtaking cover, amazing and alluring blurb, and cool idea, it just fell flat… sweet and sad in some parts, I’ll give it that, but it was like drinking a glass of soda only to discover it warm--disappointing. Almost enjoyable, but so dull.
And I got that! For the first three pages.
After that this book became a wreck. I ended up hating Iris, so cold, so unlovable. My sympathy for her and her situation faded quickly.
The book also took God’s name in vain several times and had some swearing, which irks me to no end, STOP IT. Should I congratulate you for being able to swear like any other fruitcake? I don't think so.
There were several things that didn’t add up, one of the character’s dresses as a girl, and tricks Iris’s parents that he is an actress, whilst wearing a tight skirt and shirt. But later he is described as “broad”, I WAS ALREADY IN DOUBT, BUT THERE IS JUST NO WAY. Plus, did he shave his legs in order to wear that skirt? So many questions…
Ernest creeped me out. I got stranger danger vibes. #nope
Iris sets things on fire to feel in control of her life, and this fact could’ve made this book SO GOOD. But it’s never the focus, in fact it’s barely touched on at all.
One thing I did like was the sad light this book showed alcohol abuse in, it was beautiful and honestly deep. "...the way she drinks and thinks of everything as a fight, and grabs hold of the day like it's a sheer drop and if she doesn't dig her nails right in, she'll fall." (pg. 28)
In the end, despite this book’s breathtaking cover, amazing and alluring blurb, and cool idea, it just fell flat… sweet and sad in some parts, I’ll give it that, but it was like drinking a glass of soda only to discover it warm--disappointing. Almost enjoyable, but so dull.
May 20, 2017
I liked this book. The mum was a total cow and I found myself wondering how Iris managed to grow up with the more grounded attitude that shes has. She clearly didn't come out unscathed with all that arson stuff...I did find it a little disappointing that it didn't end as it started....with the end I know it was implied but I just would have likes one sentence at the end to go full circle. The art stuff was great.
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