Burning Bright

By: Tracy Chevalier

Narrated by: Jill Tanner

From the author of the international bestseller Girl With a Pearl Earring and At the Edge of the Orchard, comes a stirring eighteenth-century coming-of-age tale

In the waning days of eighteenth-century London, poet, artist, and printer William Blake works in obscurity as England is rocked by the shock waves of the French Revolution. Next door, the Kellaway family has just moved in, and country boy Jem Kellaway strikes up a tentative friendship with street-savvy Maggie Butterfield. As their stories intertwine with Blake's, the two children navigate the confusing and exhilarating path to adolescence, and inspire the poet to create the work that enshrined his genius.©2007 Tracy Chevalier; (P)2007 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

Praise for Tracy Chevalier

"Evokes entire landscapes...a master of voices."
—New York Times Book Review (on Falling Angels)

"Absorbing...[Chevalier] creates a world reminiscent of a Vermeer interior: suspended in a particular moment, it transcends its time and place."
—The New Yorker (on Girl With a Pearl Earring)

“Chevalier admirably weaves historical figures and actual events into a compelling narrative.”
—San Francisco Chronicle (on Remarkable Creatures)

"Chevalier's signature talent lies in bringing alive the ordinary day-to-dayness of the past...lovingly evoked."
—Elle (on Burning Bright)

"Chevalier's ringing prose is as radiantly efficient as well-tended silver."
—Entertainment Weekly (on Falling Angels)

Wendy

Like other reviewers, I wanted to like this book, having completely enjoyed the author's other books. Unfortunately, it failed to produced the same quality of read. The setting and essential conflict had promise, but the characters and the development of the plot were uninspired and in the end quite boring.

Not Chevalier’s best, but still a great story

Well developed characters and a very good look into life during this period with a nice intro to William Blake who I will be reading next.

Characters who enter your heart, never to leave

By the last word I felt I could never love a story more-even though it is the same with Remarkable Creatures. I have read most of Chevalier’s books and find them variably uplifting, intoxicating, deeply stirring, gripping, mirthful and intriguing. But this one, I fell in love. It was every bit as good listening as when I read it years ago. Excellent narration and voice acting for each character! Here, Chevalier treats serious matters with a light, poetic touch, allowing the audience to peek through the veils of true life mystery to grasp their own meaning. Truth is often captured best through the voices of children and this is no exception. Her imagining of William Blake and his wife, and their relationship, is no less compelling, told through the eyes of the youngsters. And mid-eighteenth century London a flamboyant character of its own, containing a motley mix of fully fleshed-out and believable working class Londoners. A thorough cultural experience. Wonderful, priceless!

Excellent

I truly enjoyed this book, great writer, kept the reader going back for more. Excellently read. good with the accents! Thank you

very enjoyable

Entertaining story with the historical figure of William Blake thrown in, it might help to read his poetry and bio first if you are not familiar with his work. The main characters were likeable and the story sweet. The reader is excellent.