This historical novel, set in 1750's London, has two stories. One traces the efforts of young Agnes Trussel to conceal her unwanted pregnancy while struggling with feelings of guilt over her theft of gold coins from a dead neighbor's house. A naïve country girl, Agnes uses the money to fund her escape to London, so that she will not bring shame upon her family.

Of far more interest is the story of Robert Blacklock, the maker of fireworks whom Agnes encounters in London and who hires her as an apprentice and general household help. We see him through Agnes's eyes and experience her increasing fascination with the fireworks she is learning to create. The relationship between these two is built on obsession, not romance.

I found the story interesting and the characters convincing. All the details of daily life in that time are so carefully outlined that the period just comes to life and drags you in.

The book is not without flaws, but they are all classic first-novel issues. A little too much description occasionally slows the story; the heroine sometimes thinks at a level of prose that is clearly the author, and not the character, speaking; and there a few subplot threads that wander off and are never resolved.

For a reader there is nothing quite like the excitement of finding a good first novel by a new author. "The Book of Fires" was a terrific start for this author, and I look forward to reading more of her work. ( )

There was a lot to enjoy with this historical novel: the colorful characters, interesting plot, somewhat-gothic mood, 18th Century English countryside and London, and the making of fireworks. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

I read an uncorrected proof, and I assume some of the rough edges will be corrected. There was some awkwardness at times in the writing, and it continually bothered me that a young woman who is late in her pregnancy would actually think that people were not noticing that she was pregnant because she was hiding herself with a shawl. The ending of the book was a little weak because the author seemed to resolve a lot of loose ends in just a few pages. However, overall, I think it was a very good book, and I hope to read more by this author. ( )

Agnes Trussel is a surprisingly innocent young woman for having grown up in the country with parents who produce new offspring nearly every year. She is half seduced, half raped by the village bully, and when she discovers that he has made her pregnant she considers her options and, given heart by an unexpected windfall, chooses to leave home and travel to London rather than be forced into marrying her child's father. She finds herself at the door of a maker of fireworks, begging for the job of housekeeper, but hired on as his assistant instead. And from that moment, a world of new ideas is opened to her.

If I have one quibble with the book it's that Agnes is a bit too wonderful -- she exists on the thin, sharp edge of being a Mary Sue -- a beautiful young woman who doesn't realize she's beautiful, who is smart and resourceful, and who has a mot juste for every occasion. Borodale does manage to balance these qualities with some interesting flaws, including a stunning emotional obtuseness. And yet in spite of both her flaws and her good qualities, Agnes is interesting enough as a character to carry the story. However, for me, the most interesting character of the lot is John Blacklock, who in many ways remains a mystery, even to Agnes. His emotional life becomes clearer and deeper as the story progresses, and yet we can never quite come to know him. He is, like his fireworks, a flame that burns brilliantly but all-too-quickly. And as he says of the pyrotechnics themselves, the silence they carry within them is their true beauty.

Both Agnes and John are working to bring something new into the world. This is the story of how they each go about their work, together and yet always in the end, isolated from the rest of the world and even from each other. In fact, most of the books' characters are complex and interesting, though it's not always immediately apparent. They require patience, too, as does a plot which never quite becomes a romance or mystery, or strays into any other literary genre. It can sometimes be slow, sometimes even difficult, but I found it eminently worth the time, and in fact read the book in two long sittings.

And yes, it made me cry. That doesn't happen often, and I'm not going to say why it did for fear of spoiling the reader. Let me just say that it touched a deep and resonant chord in me with its slow sadness, and ultimate reaffirmation of life. ( )

A really excellent read!

The characters and settings are evocatively described, with even the 'minor' characters having depth: there are no 'good' or 'bad' people in this story; all have subtlety and convincing motivations.

I was surprised to discover how historically late the development of 'coloured fire' was; I'd rather expected it to be something that the alchemists would have discovered centuries earlier. But that's one of the charms of this book: it's history as well as story, and both are very well handled.

I'm eagerly awaiting Borodale's second book! ( )

The descriptive passages allow the reader to live in this time (1752) - see the sights, and even smell the distinctive odours of London long gone. Good story of a pregnant girl, alone, but strong and with great initiative. Liked it a lot. ( )