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The Fireman's Wife: A Novel
It’s June 1970. As the low country of South Carolina burns in a seven-month drought, Cassie Johnson longs for both from her husband, Peck, the town’s newly promoted fire chief, who seems more interested in saving everyone else’s life than in living his own, and from the low country marshes where Cassie has never quite felt at home. But as Peck and Cassie drift apart, their teenage daughter, Kelly, finds herself torn between her parents and her desperate need for normalcy. It will take a tumultuous journey back to the North Carolina mountains before Cassie can begin to understand the complicated love that resides, unrecognized, deep in her heart.
From a masterly voice in Southern fiction, The Fireman’s Wife is an emotionally bare and moving novel about one woman’s struggle to do what’s right–for her family, for her love, and for herself.
From a masterly voice in Southern fiction, The Fireman’s Wife is an emotionally bare and moving novel about one woman’s struggle to do what’s right–for her family, for her love, and for herself.
352 pages, Paperback
First published December 8, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
December 29, 2008
This is a book about choices and regrets. It's about not leaving things unsaid. I didn't realize how much I was into this book until about 3/4 of the way through, when the really dramatic thing happens (I'm definitely not going to give it away here). At that point, I realized that I really had developed a connection to the characters, to the point that I was almost in tears reading about their pain.
August 28, 2020
This book didn't excite me until the final third of the book, and I wish the energy that was there at the end of the book was portrayed throughout the entirety of the book.
Cassie and Peck both had their own separate storylines as well as a storyline together, and I found myself longing for more within their shared storyline. I realize that the author's intent was to have Cassie find herself and put her pieces back together, but I could only stand reading Cassie's point of view towards the end. To me, Peck was such a loveable character and I was rooting for him throughout the book, and Cassie was not a character I loved. Also, I wish readers would have seen Kelly's character more developed as well because it was my impression that she would be a more "main" character and in reality, she felt really tossed to the side.
Lastly, while I wanted more from the storyline within this book, the writing itself was amazing. I felt like I was truly in North/South Carolina with Peck and Cassie (even though I have not yet been to either place) and I truly did get the sense of what the characters were feeling.
Cassie and Peck both had their own separate storylines as well as a storyline together, and I found myself longing for more within their shared storyline. I realize that the author's intent was to have Cassie find herself and put her pieces back together, but I could only stand reading Cassie's point of view towards the end. To me, Peck was such a loveable character and I was rooting for him throughout the book, and Cassie was not a character I loved. Also, I wish readers would have seen Kelly's character more developed as well because it was my impression that she would be a more "main" character and in reality, she felt really tossed to the side.
Lastly, while I wanted more from the storyline within this book, the writing itself was amazing. I felt like I was truly in North/South Carolina with Peck and Cassie (even though I have not yet been to either place) and I truly did get the sense of what the characters were feeling.
February 17, 2009
I was surprised to like this book as much as I did, because generally I don’t like these kinds of books (see my review of Haweswater by Sarah Hall). But the book deeply resonated with me in a couple of ways:
This book conveyed an incredible sense of place. Peck is born and bred in the South Carolina low country, and he feels at home nowhere else. He only goes on vacation with Cassie four times during their entire fifteen year marriage to her childhood home in the North Carolina mountains. Cassie has always felt lost and uncomfortable in the dry, hot low country and longs for the lush wetness of home. I have felt exactly like Cassie in the dry heat (and winters) of Colorado. But also like Cassie, after I left Colorado, I sometimes long for the dry air and crisp evenings as I endure the humidity of Louisiana. This book made me think about all the places that I have lived (and will live), and how I will carry those places with me throughout our marriage journey.
Cassie and Peck get married after an unexpected pregnancy in the 1950s. Cassie is rejected by her father, a minister, and gives up her dream of going to college by having the baby. Cassie continues to feel unhappy and unfulfilled throughout their marriage because of her loss of self. Peck is a fireman who is intensely focused on his work, often to the detriment of his family life. Because Riggs alternatively writes the novel from both Cassie and Peck’s points of view, as the reader I intimately identified with both of them, while realizing they were flawed. It made me think about the push/pull of the marriage relationship, and the sacrifices we both make for each other in that relationship. It also reminded me of the utmost importance of communication and compassion for each other.
Jack Riggs won the Georgia Author of the Year Award for his first novel, When the Finch Rises, and I have to admit I am intrigued to read it. While I’m not sure this was a literary masterpiece, it was a good, fairly easy read that will resonate with any Southerner as well as provide some food for thought.
This book conveyed an incredible sense of place. Peck is born and bred in the South Carolina low country, and he feels at home nowhere else. He only goes on vacation with Cassie four times during their entire fifteen year marriage to her childhood home in the North Carolina mountains. Cassie has always felt lost and uncomfortable in the dry, hot low country and longs for the lush wetness of home. I have felt exactly like Cassie in the dry heat (and winters) of Colorado. But also like Cassie, after I left Colorado, I sometimes long for the dry air and crisp evenings as I endure the humidity of Louisiana. This book made me think about all the places that I have lived (and will live), and how I will carry those places with me throughout our marriage journey.
Cassie and Peck get married after an unexpected pregnancy in the 1950s. Cassie is rejected by her father, a minister, and gives up her dream of going to college by having the baby. Cassie continues to feel unhappy and unfulfilled throughout their marriage because of her loss of self. Peck is a fireman who is intensely focused on his work, often to the detriment of his family life. Because Riggs alternatively writes the novel from both Cassie and Peck’s points of view, as the reader I intimately identified with both of them, while realizing they were flawed. It made me think about the push/pull of the marriage relationship, and the sacrifices we both make for each other in that relationship. It also reminded me of the utmost importance of communication and compassion for each other.
Jack Riggs won the Georgia Author of the Year Award for his first novel, When the Finch Rises, and I have to admit I am intrigued to read it. While I’m not sure this was a literary masterpiece, it was a good, fairly easy read that will resonate with any Southerner as well as provide some food for thought.
August 10, 2016
Set in the summer of 1970, this is a story that could easily be set in present-day, as the themes presented are universal and undeniably real. Told in alternating perspectives of husband and wife, it tells the story of a marriage ultimately threatening to fall apart after 15 years of struggle to keep it alive. This novel was easy to read & yet did indeed feel very realistic to me, with nothing seemingly black & white, but taking into account all the complicated feelings associated with a marriage resulting from an unplanned pregnancy and the necessity to do "the right thing", bringing two people together from very different geographical & moral upbringings, ultimately forcing one to make sacrifices in order to make the marriage survive. Though the character of Cassie is difficult to sympathize with, the feelings portrayed by her character are undeniably true-to-life. But not only does this novel explore the marriage relationship between the two main characters, it also explores the role of friendship, work comraderie, and family. Ultimately, I was pleasantly surpised by this novel, especially as it picked up during the last one-third of the book and kept me engaged until the end.
July 3, 2009
A so-so novel, I wasn't crazy about the charaters but the plot was good. I would read the author again!
December 24, 2024
This is a book about choices and regrets. It's about not leaving things unsaid. I didn't realize how much I was into this book until about 3/4 of the way through, when the really dramatic thing happens (I'm definitely not going to give it away here). At that point, I realized that I really had developed a connection to the characters, to the point that I was almost in tears reading about their pain.
December 13, 2020
didn't finish, could not get into this one read synopsis and glad I skipped it
August 4, 2015
The Fireman's Wife is a conflicted love story about two adults going through their own trials in life. The novel began with heavy setting descriptions of the hot summer that took place in North Carolina, June, 1970. The setting did not intrigue me at first, but I soon found out it was very important to the plot of the novel due to the dangers of the heat and dryness. The chapters are written in first person (present tense) and alternate between Cassie's and Peck's, the fireman's wife and the fireman's, points of views. As the author is a male, I found his depiction of Peck to be more honest and accurate. Peck is a man of great valor, responsibility, and love. However, the depiction of Cassie is of a cold-hearted woman who is very selfish. I felt that the author was biased in these depictions, and that the first person point of view didn't work as well for Cassie as it did for Peck. Being a woman myself, this stark contrast and biased characterization was disappointing.
I decided I wanted to finish the novel regardless of the minor irritations I had with the setting and characters. I am glad I did! The plot became more intriguing about 1/3 of the way through. At that point, I was hooked; the initial introduction of the characters became important to the conflicts, and I felt myself identifying with both characters as everything started to come together. Cassie was much more human and humane. When I was done reading the book I wanted more. It was difficult for me to start reading my next novel because I was still living in the world of The Fireman's Wife.
I decided I wanted to finish the novel regardless of the minor irritations I had with the setting and characters. I am glad I did! The plot became more intriguing about 1/3 of the way through. At that point, I was hooked; the initial introduction of the characters became important to the conflicts, and I felt myself identifying with both characters as everything started to come together. Cassie was much more human and humane. When I was done reading the book I wanted more. It was difficult for me to start reading my next novel because I was still living in the world of The Fireman's Wife.
April 7, 2010
I really enjoyed this book, and really, really enjoyed having Jack come to our book club meeting. Hearing him talk about writing the book and his feelings for the characters was fascinating.
The sense of place (Northern edge of the South Carolina low country - the Strand, and up into the mountains of North Carolina) was very real and well researched. Being a map person and somewhat knowledgeable of the areas, I would have loved a map in the beginning of the book however. Without it, at times I found the some of the details a bit sidetracking.
While I did not initially care for the character Cassie, I came to have a better understanding of her. At the end I was rooting for her and could see her making her way as my mom had in the early 70's. Peck was very likable, very stoic, but I could see where his flaws fed the fire that was eating Cassie.
My book club (seven members) universally liked this book. We very rarely all like a book.
The sense of place (Northern edge of the South Carolina low country - the Strand, and up into the mountains of North Carolina) was very real and well researched. Being a map person and somewhat knowledgeable of the areas, I would have loved a map in the beginning of the book however. Without it, at times I found the some of the details a bit sidetracking.
While I did not initially care for the character Cassie, I came to have a better understanding of her. At the end I was rooting for her and could see her making her way as my mom had in the early 70's. Peck was very likable, very stoic, but I could see where his flaws fed the fire that was eating Cassie.
My book club (seven members) universally liked this book. We very rarely all like a book.
June 29, 2011
I had a very hard time getting into Riggs's work and found that while his characters were supposed to be both self interested and sympathetic they, particualrly Cassie, came across as selfish and flat. Through out the setting of the scene, I looked for a reason to like Cassie, but just found myself wanting to be rid of her.[return]The last 100 pages of "The Fireman's Wife" were more enjoyable than the first 200, and predictable enough that I'm not sure you needed to have read the first 2/3 of the book to have seen them coming. While it becomes easier to see the multi-facted natures that would have made the characters intriguing, the plot doesn't provide much in the way of surprise.[return]Riggs has strung together a competent tale of a family that isn't and never can be picture perfect, but it does not extend beyond that to be truly captivating or moving.
April 29, 2011
Cassie, a mountain girl from North Carolina married young. One summer trip to the beaches of South Carolina changed her college plans and her life when she fell in love and became pregnant. Now living in the low country marshes with her fireman husband, Peck and teenage daughter, Kelly - Cassie, always restless, longs to break free and head back to her mountains. The Fireman's Wife is told from the viewpoint of each of three main characters and the pain and confusion in their relationships come through the written word. Although I became angry with Cassie - I also felt sorry for her that she kept searching for more, regretting and thinking she had lost something years ago. Cassie finds out, at great cost and too late, what love truly is. A great reader's guide is included.
December 31, 2009
I'm rarely interested in books where affairs are involved. I know life doesn't come in neat little packages but adultery just doesn't fit into the literary places *I* like to escape.
I gave up trying to give this book a chance when the main character agrees to go away with her boyfriend before even considering what it will do to her teenage daughter. You don't get to be that selfish for the sake of being selfish when you have kids. (There were no signs of abuse up to the point that I quit reading; that would have changed my opinion greatly.)
Life's short and my to-read list is long. I'm moving on to better things.
I gave up trying to give this book a chance when the main character agrees to go away with her boyfriend before even considering what it will do to her teenage daughter. You don't get to be that selfish for the sake of being selfish when you have kids. (There were no signs of abuse up to the point that I quit reading; that would have changed my opinion greatly.)
Life's short and my to-read list is long. I'm moving on to better things.
August 21, 2009
set in the carolinas (juxtaposition between coastal south carolina and the mountains of north carolina) in the 1970s, the fireman's wife centers around a 15-year old shotgun marriage and the husband and wife reevaluating their choices and lives. i appreciated the description of the settings and the firefighting scenes seemed real to me. i don't think the book explores the characters' motivations enough and i was distracted by the subplot regarding an evil developer and the wife's mother's home.
August 1, 2009
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Riggs takes us to a time and place that no longer exists, though reminders n still be found along the Carolina coast or in the mountains. His novel offers no easy answers, yet raises compelling questions about the social and economic forces that shaped the lives of working men and women and reshaped the landscape. His characters are compelling and his prose is a joy to read.
June 14, 2013
This book is terrible! I didn't expect it to be great, but based on the reviews I thought it would be at least tolerable. I made it 50% through the book and couldn't take it anymore. I NEVER stop reading a book, but this one was that bad. The book is poorly written; the character development could've been done by a teenager and the overly frequent repetitiveness in the language drove me crazy. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone!
April 23, 2010
This wasn't too bad at all. The characters were presented well, and pretty realistically. The plot moved along at a good clip, making me want to keep going to find out what happens next. The ending was bittersweet though.
January 27, 2010
Great book. I really liked how the female character had deep heartfelt emotions, especially seeing as the book was written by a man. I indentified with the character Cassie which made the book all that more enjoyable.
March 8, 2010
Jack tugged at heartstrings- perhaps not a pick I would normally make, but thank you for the live readings.
July 16, 2009
Ordinary characters moving through a difficult time in there lives with lots of descriptive writing and analogies. Not recommended reading if your relationship is on a downturn!
August 23, 2009
A very good read, good story, good writing, a page turner.
February 7, 2011
Yes...I ordered this book from Border's last OCTOBER!!! They finally shipped it to me. Can we still discuss it???
May 21, 2016
Felt very cliche. Didn't sympathize or connect with the main character at all. Did like the descriptions of the scenery and really liked the actual fireman.
July 11, 2011
one of the best books I've ever read...through the characters, I felt ever emotion known to mankind, whether I wanted to or not
Want to read
August 20, 2012The author is a close friend of mine, so I feel kind of ashamed to be reading it years after first publication ... Better late than never, though!
February 26, 2012
a woman learns painful lessons about love, loss and how difficult it is to see what we have when we feel so much of what we’ve lost
September 6, 2016
I received an ARC of this, and I really didn't care for it. It never came together for me.
July 3, 2012
This was a good book. It took awhile for me to get into it, but once I did I was hooked.
December 21, 2014
Bonus Book ~ December 2014
September 19, 2010
it made me cry when Peck died! oh i lov this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews