Fire Color One
Written by Jenny Valentine
Narrated by Gemma Dawson
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
Iris's father is dying, and her self-interested 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 quickly realizes her father is far different from the man she's been schooled to hate, and everything she thought she knew-about her father and herself-is suddenly unclear. But there may be hidden beauty in Iris's uncertain past and hopeful future, if only she can see beyond the flames.
Jenny Valentine
Jenny Valentine worked in a food shop for fifteen years, where she met many extraordinary people and sold more organic bread than there are words in her first book. She studied English literature at Goldsmith's College, which almost made her stop reading but not quite. Her debut novel, Me, the Missing, and the Dead, won the prestigious Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in the UK under the title Finding Violet Park. Jenny is married to a singer/songwriter and has two children. She lives in Hay on Wye, England.
More audiobooks from Jenny Valentine
Me, the Missing, and the Dead Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hello Now Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
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Reviews for Fire Color One
26 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Another of those books that I enjoyed while I was reading, but, upon having time to reflect, left me with a lot of questions that affect my final impressions of the book.
1.) Iris is a pyromaniac. Iris's mother is awful. Iris sets her mother's closet on fire. Why does the mother not press charges or at least send Iris to therapy? Iris also sets fire to a supply closet at her school. Still, no charges, no therapy, no nothing. How does no one see a pattern here? How does Iris keep getting away with arson and facing no consequences?
2.) Ernest supposedly couldn't find Iris and Hannah and Lowell because Hannah and Lowell changed their names. These were not smart people. They did not manage to assume completely new identities. At best, they had their names legally changed. At worst, they registered their performance names with SAG. Either way, the expensive and supposedly excellent private investigators Ernest hired should have been able to find them. The only way a simple name change would have been enough to hide them is if the book were set in a pre-internet age, which it is not.
3.) Why is Thurston, Iris's best friend, obsessed with the rites and rituals surrounding death? And, that being the case, why does he not have some over-the-top reaction to Ernest's death?
4.) This is the big one and it's a bit of a spoiler. (Okay, kind of a huge spoiler.) What kind of asshole is Ernest to leave his hose to Iris, but leave her no funds on which to live. He tied up all her funds to purchase one painting for her—a painting which she loves above all other paintings and will never sell—and there is no other money left. So, basically, Iris has a huge house which she needs to maintain, not to mention needing to eat, and no money. She's a minor, who's still dependent on her mother (who is saddled with enormous debt) and has no skills with which to find a job. She has one painting and a house and nothing else and this is supposed to be some amazing, generous bequest that Ernest left her? Nope. Sorry. Ernest is actually a bit of an asshole for managing things this way. This is the thing that pretty much completely destroyed my enjoyment of this book. it's well-written and has characters I liked in spite of their many, criminal flaws, but this ending was bullshit.
There is a lot to like about this book, just don't think about it too much. Pretend there aren't giant, gaping plot holes and improbabilities and the characters and prose may be enough to sweep you along. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5"Fire, Colour, One" was terribly slow and the storyline never won me over. Iris was a disturbed young protagonist whose secret fascination for starting fires I found quite concerning. Her family was horribly dis functional, especially her cold, heartless, greedy mother and step-father. The only character whom I had any sympathy for was Iris' dying father. This was a novel about lies, secrets and families, but I have read much better books by this author.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A daughter meets her dying father after being separated from him at a young age. Her mother kept her away from him so the girl has no bond with her father. The short time they do spend together is enough to change that despite her mother's efforts. There are glorious metaphors and similes offering rich imagery. A recommended read.