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Liked It “Engrossing story. Loved the use of photography as an insight into human nature.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Engrossing story. Loved the use of photography as an insight into human nature. ”
Lauren B wrote this review Wednesday, January 16, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Really charming book!”
Linda Carroll wrote this review Thursday, November 10, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I love this author and I loved this book. ”
Ayca RC wrote this review Friday, October 8, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Author :David Almond.
HA V wrote this review Sunday, May 30, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The main Character in this book is Bobby Burn. His father is maybe seriously ill. He started to work for a corrupting school; he came not as a teacher but a mentally ill fire eater. There that is when the crisis start to begin. He isn’t rich he is a lower class, he lived on the shore of Keely Bay in England, it is also a hard life he is living. Example where boys are train to be tough and hard as stone, outsider are treated in a suspicion and treated cruel and violent. Of course there is the time good thing that happened to Bobby Burn, and he value it and wouldn’t miss it for anything. But his father is taking his tests in the hospital to check his sickness. Also because of the war between the Russians and the Americans, he is worried that the good time will be taken away.
I think this book isn’t very interesting in the begging, I think its boring and hard to understand. Though the farther I read the book the better I think it is. It have a lot of meaning and a very sad ending.
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“excellent for group discussion.”
Samplerweaver wrote this review Saturday, August 29, 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Bobby Burns knows he’s a lucky lad. Growing up in sleepy Keely Bay, Bobby is exposed to all manner of wondrous things: stars reflecting off the icy sea, a friend that can heal injured fawns with her dreams, a man who can eat fire. But darkness seems to be approaching Bobby’s life from all sides. Bobby’s new school is a cold, cruel place. His father is suffering from a mysterious illness that threatens to tear his family apart. And the USA and USSR are testing nuclear missiles and creeping closer and closer to a world-engulfing war. Together with his wonder-working friend, Ailsa Spink, and the fire-eating illusionist McNulty, Bobby will learn to believe in miracles that will save the people and place he loves.
Deb wrote this review Friday, August 28, 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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“Picturesque, poetic descriptions set the mood of the slow-paced town and the various troubles weighing on the townspeople. The story meanders in the way the town life does.
Salsabrarian wrote this review Tuesday, March 3, 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Bobby Burns lives in a small coal-mining town in England. He counts among his friends the rough 16-year-old Joseph; Ailsa, whose family plumbs coal from the sea; and assorted schoolmates. As the world is on the verge of a possible nuclear war (1962), Bobby meets and is intrigued by McNulty, a homeless street performer who also served in the war with Bobby's father. Bobby also meets Daniel, a new boy at school and a son of intellectuals. Their family is so different from struggling families of Keely Bay but it is Daniel who challenges the bullying school discipline of Mr. Todd. Bobby's father is also suffering from a mysterious ailment and Bobby worriedly prays for his recovery.”“A story about Bobby, during his teenage years, learning to believe in miracles, learning to deal with changes in his life, in the world.”
Anita B wrote this review Tuesday, July 29, 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“In the last days of summer, 1962, Bobby Burns first saw McNulty, the Fire-Eater. He could wriggle free of binding chains, or stick a skewer through one cheek and out the other, so it stretched the span of his mouth. Or McNulty could breath fire, so that you couldn’t tell where the man ended and the fire began. McNulty’s past is dark and full of violence, but Bobby cannot stop thinking about him. As he begins his first days at a new school, as he worries about his father’s hacking cough, as he waits outside of the new boy’s house and peers through the windows, Bobby is always thinking of McNulty. Even as his family watches the Cuban Missile Crisis unfold on their television, Bobby wonder what McNulty could teach him, and what the strong man hears as the ocean crashes on their beach. The Fire-Eaters feels somewhat disjointed throughout the first half of the book. Almond introduces several different characters and issues for Bobby: class, power, war, death, religion, civil rights, and personal heritage. This makes the book a slow read, though it picks up nicely towards the end, connecting and resolving several of the issues. The moments in the book that stand out the most are those with McNulty, the fire-eater. He is a mystic character that brings those scenes to life, whereas others sometimes fall flat. The historical issues that Almond addresses are particularly relevant and allow the reader to view a world crisis beyond the perspective of Americans.”
Bonnie S wrote this review Monday, October 4, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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