Beach Town Books Recommendations: 'Little Fires Everywhere' & 'Cold Sassy Tree'
Little Fires Everywhere
by Celeste Ng
Recommended by staff Marlene Mills-Margesson
Who set the house on fire and why? That is the burning question of Celeste Ng’s opening pages in Little Fires Everywhere. The answer is not as straightforward or clear as one might hope.
Focusing on two families – the Richardsons, living the picture-perfect life in a quiet Ohio town, and the Warrens, an artist and unmarried mother, and her teenage daughter, who move to town and take up residence in a Richardson rental, we witness the clash and the comingling of the family members, the heartbreak and the joy of fitting in, and the missed opportunities and well-intentioned but flawed choices that lead to the Richardson’s house literally burning to the ground.
Ng wrote this story from an omniscient point of view – something that gives depth and dimension to its characters and seems fitting while exploring the themes of race and class, family, and maintaining the status quo. I loved it for its flawed but empathetic characters, and the uncomfortable reality that we all have little fires popping up everywhere – and the energy spent to put them out may or may not be worth the sacrifice!
Who would enjoy this book? Anyone who likes to read books that present the characters with all their flaws and foibles – and you like them anyway!
Cold Sassy Tree
by Olive Ann Burns
Recommended by customer Rachel Fitzgerald
I absolutely love this book. I recommended it to one of my junior students back when I was teaching high school. She was a reluctant reader and told me that she had never finished a book before. I introduced her to Cold Sassy Tree and she became a reader! I also read it with my son and two other eighth-graders during his eighth-grade year and they all just loved it. It's poignant.
It’s funny. I love the quote about it from The Washington Post, which says, “Rich with emotion, humor, and tenderness”. And that’s so true! It’s about a boy growing up with a close relationship with his grandfather and the cover says it’s about an old man growing young, and that’s true. There are adventures and you'll end up crying at the end, but it's just beautiful.
Who would enjoy this book? I highly recommend it to anybody who likes historical fiction and just likes stories about relationships!
To purchase any of the above recommendations, come on into Beach Town Books and we can help you find these books - or give us a call on (949) 492-1114.