Download PDF When We Caught Fire Anna Godbersen Books
Download As PDF : When We Caught Fire Anna Godbersen Books
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Luxe series comes a lush, romantic novel about the love triangle that started Chicago’s infamous Great Fire.
It’s 1871, and Emmeline Carter is poised to take Chicago’s high society by storm. Between her father’s sudden rise to wealth and her recent engagement to Chicago’s most eligible bachelor, Emmeline has it all. But she can’t stop thinking about the life she left behind, including her childhood sweetheart, Anders Magnuson.
Fiona Byrne, Emmeline’s childhood best friend, is delighted by her friend’s sudden rise to prominence, especially since it means Fiona is free to pursue Anders herself. But when Emmeline risks everything for one final fling with Anders, Fiona feels completely betrayed.
As the summer turns to fall, the city is at a tipping point friendships are tested, hearts are broken, and the tiniest spark might set everything ablaze.
Sweeping, soapy, and romantic, this is a story about an epic love triangle—one that will literally set the city ablaze and change the lives of three childhood friends forever.
Download PDF When We Caught Fire Anna Godbersen Books
"Really enjoyed the entire story - couldn't put it down!"
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Tags : When We Caught Fire (9780062679833) Anna Godbersen Books,Anna Godbersen,When We Caught Fire,HarperTeen,006267983X,JUVENILE,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile Grades 10-12 Ages 15+,YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Historical / United States / 19th Century,YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Romance / Historical,YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Social Themes / Class Differences,Young Adult Fiction/Historical - United States - 19th Century,Young Adult Fiction/Social Themes - Class Differences
When We Caught Fire Anna Godbersen Books Reviews :
When We Caught Fire Anna Godbersen Books Reviews
- Really enjoyed the entire story - couldn't put it down!
- A love triange set against the Great Fire of Chicago in 1871, When We Caught Fire overdoes the passion and heads straight into angst. Going into the book, I was prepared for high society politics, class struggle or something like that, with three friends stuck in between, but this was more a case of teenage angst raging hotter than the fire. Barely into a quarter of the book, I was prepared to DNF it, but I somehow carried on till the end, mostly by skimming the long and at times superfluous descriptions.
The plot of this book revolves around Emmeline (as the the first page itself declares) and her selfishness. For two years, she and her childhood best friend have groomed themselves into a young elite woman and her maid, respectively, and the foremer has already snagged a rich scion for a fiance. Now, on the last week before her wedding, she starts to remember her other childhood best friend and first love, Anders, and sends Fiona (who has been nursing a crush on him all this time) to rekindle contact. As expected, she falls for him again and is prepared to elope with him, even if he hasn’t been very enthusiastic or anything about it. Their plans fail when she has cold feet to her cold feet at the last moment, and jealousy leads to a devastating fire.
Firstly, the fact that I did not like or care about the characters was a big sign that I would not like the book. Emmeline is selfish, flighty and naive – even though she comes from a poor background, she has no sense of money or pragmatism. She foolishly plans her elopement as if it was a lavish adventure, not realizing it is a matter of life and death for Anders. The flimsy reasons in the plot for these characters to even go forth with this plan had me rolling my eyes throughout like half the book. The only remotely likeable character was Fiona, and probably Mr Carter who redeems himself somewhat towards the end. Emmy, meanwhile, is the cause of much grief in the plot, and I couldn’t forgive her, even accounting for her relatively young age of 18. The domestic abuse angle felt placed just to have us empathize with her character or something, and Georgie felt like wasted potential. The plot overall lacked any excitement and with so much angst and romance, I was way more invested in the actual fire parts. Those parts only made this feel like a historical novel, and it seemed well researched on that front. As for the rest of it, it is just a hormonal mess.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Harper Teen, via Edelweiss. - Chicago, 1871 Emmeline Carter is about to blast her way into Chicago's high society, helping her father make good on his rise to wealth with her engagement to Chicago's most eligible bachelor.
Living in luxury and the envy of so many society debutantes should be enough for Emmeline. It isn't. Instead, as her engagement looms, Emmeline can't stop thinking about her carefree days she used to share with her best friend Fiona Byrne and her sweetheart Anders Magnuson. Now Fiona is Emmeline's maid and Anders a distant memory.
Fiona hopes that Emmeline's engagement will bring her friend everything she wants--and allow Fiona to pursue Ander's herself without guilt. Then Emmeline surprises everyone by risking everything she has gained to see Anders one last time.
As friendships are tested and bonds are broken, even the smallest spark might change everything for these three friends and the city they all call home inWhen We Caught Fire (2018) by Anna Godbersen.
This standalone novel plays out over the course of the summer as Emmeline, Fiona, and Anders move toward the cataclysmic Great Fire. The novel alternates between chapters following Emmeline and Fiona's points of view.
Godbersen once again brings the past to life with evocative descriptions of the city (and, of course, the fashions) of the time. While the main focus is on the Great Fire, When We Caught Fire also explores the inequality and corruption that ran rampant through the Gilded Age.
At its core, When We Caught Fire is a story about a friendship and a love triangle. The relationships between the three characters remain the driving force of the story even as the events of the fire play out in the novel's explosive final act.
An open ending and nuanced characters allow readers to draw their own conclusions while fleshing out the story. When We Caught Fire is frothy, slightly sensational, and utterly entertaining. Recommended for readers who want their historical fiction filled with all the gory details and juicy parts.
Possible Pairings A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper, Alex and Eliza by Melissa de la Cruz, Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher, Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl, Vixenby Jillian Larkin, Cinders and Sapphires by Leila Rasheed
