Beth's review
Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier
I was eager to read Burning Bright, as I loved Girl with a Pearl Earring and The Lady and the Unicorn. Chevalier's latest, however, was a disappointment. Though the historical details were reliably lively and interesting, the plot dragged. Seventy-five pages into the book, I was still waiting for the story to get started, and I didn't care about the main characters as much as I felt I should. William Blake's appearances seemed contrived; unlike the historical figures in Chevalier's previous works, Blake never seems to become integral to the plot. A creative, misunderstood dreamer, he lacks the complexity that would make him more real. He seems instead to provide a convenient and often heavy-handed device for communicating the themes of the book.
I do appreciate the way Chevalier takes each of her characters on a journey, and that all of them c
I do appreciate the way Chevalier takes each of her characters on a journey, and that all of them c
