The Secrets of a Fire King: Stories

By: Kim Edwards   List Price: $14.00 Amazon Price: $0.96 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days   Go to Amazon

Book Description:

The first story collection from the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Memory Keeper's Daughter

With The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Kim Edwards touched hearts across the nation. In this, her first collection of stories-now with three new stories added-she explores the lives of those who exist on the fringes of society: a fire-eater, an American and his Korean war bride, Madame Curie's maid, and others. Though their tales vary dramatically, each comes up against the barriers of place and circumstance in the most universal of experiences: the quest to discover and understand the elusive mysteries of love. Transporting readers to exotic locations, this beautiful collection reinforces Edwards's presence as an extraordinarily gifted writer.

Product Details:

• Amazon Sales Rank: 561191
• Date Published: 2007-05-29
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Customer Reviews

Enjoyable and engrossing

I downloaded this audiobook and to be honest when I first started listening to it, I just wasn't sure what I was listening to. I had downloaded it a while back and couldn't remember the basis of the book. I was surprised when I discovered that it was a collection of short stories. Some stories captured my attention immediately, while others didn't seem to speak to me at all, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I found the character development to be well done considering the brevity of the stories.

As always with audio books, I think a lot of the interpretation and appeal of a book can rest heavily on the reader. So kudos to Bernadette Dunne!

I've also read the Memory Keeper's Daughter and enjoyed that as well, but I think I enjoyed this short story collection even better. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Hidden Gems in "Secrets of a Fire King"

I was rummaging through the $5 book bin at Borders a few months ago and I stumbled across this hidden gem. The cover seemed interesting and then I noticed the author, Kim Edwards, the same woman who wrote, "The Memory Keeper's Daughter". I have also purchased that book but still have yet to read it. But I liked how the plot of that book sounded so I figured, why not? It's only $5--let me check this out. I opened it up to reveal soft, thin pages, which, for me, somehow always makes a book more enjoyable to read. I flipped through some of the pages to the middle to read an excerpt. This is my trick to get a quick glimpse of the author's style to determine if it would be something I would be interested in reading. The excerpt that I read seemed delightful. The author had a flair for description and wrote in such a way that when I traipse upon one of these delectable kinds of books, I feel like I am indulging in a guilty pleasure, a kind of expression not often enough incorporated into today's modern works. I was convinced enough to spend the money, so I picked up the book and it was the only thing I purchased that day.

The book spent a few months on my bookshelf as I went through a few other books that I deemed more interesting at the time. Then the time came that I just wanted to clear up some space and read some of the thinner books on my shelf, thereby slowly thinning out my collection. I noticed this book again and said, sure, why not? I sat down with it on my couch and was enraptured. I usually only read the first chapter of a book when I start to get a basic feel for the book. If I can stop then, I know it's nothing too special but if I continue on, I know I have found that rare book that so captures my attention that it will be a quick read and a long memory. I read three stories that first night!

"The Secrets of a Fire King" is a collection of short stories that deal with the human spirit--unknown strengths we never realized we had, or getting in touch with the part of you that you never realized existed and upon discovery, you realize you don't really like. A particularly touching story for me was "Spring Mountain Sea", the second story in the book. In this story, we meet a man who takes a foreigner for a wife and despite wanting to hold on to her traditional values, tries to assimilate into his American culture, only to be betrayed in the end by the people she had come to trust. In the tragic title story, we meet a magician who falls madly in love with a woman whose brother idolizes him and wants to be a magician also. Unfortunately, a betrayal soon occurs which will change the lives of all three of them forever. In "The Way It Felt to Be Falling", we meet a young girl who discovers strength she never knew she had after sky-diving with her boyfriend.

If you are a fan of stories that deviate from the norm to teach a lesson and that are written beautifully in an almost poetic sense, I strongly suggest you pick up this collection by Kim Edwards. One thing is for sure, I will definitely be reading "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" sooner than I expected! Kim Edwards is an excellent story-teller and I can't wait to read more stories from her.

Repetitive and ultimately uninteresting

To publish a book of short stories, the writer usually needs to be very good at storytelling as well as immediate characterization. Short stories collected like this need to be different but should usually aim to have a common thread that gives the reader the impression that the book is even somewhat coherent and lucid. "The Secrets of a Fire King" simply does not hold up to this standard.

Edwards writes in a fairly typical style without introducing any remarkable grace to her writing or particularly inventive characters. As in all collections, some stories are better than others but even the better stories feel rather mediocre. Yes, the story about Marie Curie is interesting but its tone seems no different than the story about the fire-eater. The writing is technically good but lacks punch.

In the end, none of the stories are particularly memorable. The style is repetitive, none of the stories provide vivid and independent characters (all feel cut from the same cloth) and there is little incentive to keep reading. The writing doesn't hint towards better stories near the end and it's very easy to set this book aside. Some readers may like the watered down taste of Edwards' writing and characterization but I found it dull, repetitive and uninteresting. Not recommended.

Good Travel Book

I purchased this book after reading The Memory Keeper's Daughter. It wasn't quite what I expected, because each of the individual stories had very different tones - some of which were much darker than I was initially prepared for.
I'd recommend this book for taking with you on a trip, or for anything else where you'll have quite a few interruptions. You don't have to worry about losing threads of the story since they're so short.
Don't buy this collection of stories if you're looking for a feel-good read, but do if you want a thought provoking read.

Even though I'm not a 'short story fan'.

...this is an exceptional collection.

Ms. Edwards writes with enormous confidence, with grace, with a wonderful command of the language without infringing on the actual reading by going overboard.

Having said that, I have to confess I wasn't often moved by the stories. Maybe this has more to do with my ongoing problems I have with the form.

Regardless, I'm very intrigued about what her novel's like; that's next up.

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