Smouldering Fires

by Anya Seton

Anya Seton, whose many novels won her world-wide acclaim, wrote, for her last book, a fast-paced novel that explores the subconscious mind of a young girl whose troubled dream life parallels that of another girl who lived over 200 years earlier. A shy high school senior, Amy Delatour is a misfit in the well-to-do community in which she lives with her widowed mother and French-Canadian grandfather. Amy’s passion is for the 19th-century poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, whom she sees as a romantic and tragic figure. Her immersion in the poet’s life and writings is partly fueled by her grandfather’s tales of his ancestors and of the injustice of “le grand dérangement,” when the French Acadians were expelled from their home in Nova Scotia in 1775. Amy has steeped herself in the lore of the period, and the efforts of a young English teacher to draw her out through hypnosis brings unexpected results. What begins as an unauthorized attempt to free Amy from her frightening visions of the past ends with intimations of reincarnation or, at least, genetic memory. Anya Seton’s many fans will not be disappointed in this closely researched and deeply engrossing novel--nor will readers new to her finely crafted historical fiction.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Historical, Novels, Fantasy, Historical Romance

159 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Anya Seton (January 23, 1904 (although the year is often misstated to be 1906 or 1916) - November 8, 1990) was the pen name of the American author of historical romances, Ann Seton.

Ann Seton was born in New York, and died in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. She was the daughter of English-born naturalist and pioneer of the Boy Scouts of America, Ernest Thompson Seton and Grace Gallatin Seton-Thompson. She is interred at Putnam Cemetery in Greenwich.

Her historical novels were noted for how extensively she researched the historical facts, and some of them were best-sellers.[citation needed] Dragonwyck (1941) and Foxfire (1950) were both made into Hollywood films. Two of her books are classics in their genre and continue in their popularity to the present; Katherine, the story of Katherine Swynford, the mistress and eventual wife of John of Gaunt, and their children, who eventually became the basis for the Tudor and Stuart families of England, and Green Darkness, the story of a modern couple plagued by their past life incarnations. Most of her novels have been recently republished, several with forewords by Philippa Gregory.

Her novel Devil Water concerns James, the luckless Earl of Derwentwater and his involvement with the Jacobite rising of 1715. She also narrates the story of his brother Charles, beheaded after the 1745 rebellion, the last man to die for the cause. The action of the novel moves back and forth between Northumberland, Tyneside, London and America.

Anya Seton stated that the book developed out of her love for Northumberland. Anya certainly visited her Snowdon cousins at Felton. Billy Pigg, the celebrated Northumbrian piper played 'Derwentwater's Farewell' especially for her. The novel shows her typical thorough research of events and places, though the accents are a little wayward. Anya Seton said that her greatest debt of all was to Miss Amy Flagg of Westoe Village in South Shields, her father's birthplace.

Reviews

[Sarah Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Smouldering Fires is sometimes filed as Young Adult, but it bears little resemblance to contemporary YA fiction.

The novel revolves around Amy Delatour's connection to her ancestor named Ange-Marie. Amy is a shy & lonely girl who accidentally trains herself to 'dream true' -- that is, she regularly relives Ange-Marie's emotional attachment to her then-lover Paul Delatour. But Ange-Marie's love for Paul is tied to an unpleasant end in a fiery inferno -- consequently Amy is plagued by pyrophobia & obsession with Longfellow's poem Evangeline. Amy's mother offers little help, & as their uneasy parent-daughter relationship deteriorates, Amy's teacher & confessor-of-sorts (Martin) decides to try hypnosis. Suddenly Amy begins speaking in French dialects, praying to saints, seeing past scenery imposed over the present, etc., so Martin & his ex-girlfriend Claire try to help Amy/Ange-Marie confront her fiery death & free Amy from her visions.

There's a mild sexual tension between Amy & Martin, but it's not taken seriously by either one. Martin is alarmed by their possible attraction & quickly transfers his loneliness to Claire -- or were the fires between them already smouldering? Likewise, did sharing memories with Ange-Marie really change Amy so much, or was she always waiting for an excuse to become more confident & assured?

Not brilliant, & rather slow at times -- but I've read much worse.

[☆Ruth☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those books that are totally forgettable. It just scraped a 3 because there's nothing wrong with the writing but it was a shallow plot with very little character development. Disappointing.

[Mela]

Perhaps for someone who doesn't know the best novels by Anya Seton, this one could be enjoyable. Or if I hadn't just recently reread her Katherine, this story wouldn't have been so odd. I did read Seton's good, but not brilliant novels, e.g. Foxfire or The Turquoise, too. Yet, Smouldering Fires had too many "no" for me, to want to read/finish it.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Anya Seton. Especially love The Winthrop Woman and Katherine. This book however is almost a Harlequin romance. And although Ms Seton seems to do an admirable job of research for her historical fiction, she really missed the mark in writing a contemporary novel. Seton was in her early 70s when she wrote this and obviously very out of touch with modern life. It is about a high school senior at Greenwich High School in 1973. I was a high school senior at GHS that year so feel qualified to comment. Let's start with the student-teacher relationship which begins with a teacher offering a student a ride home and then inviting her into his apartment. Although there is no sexual component to the relationship, still way out of line Amy, the high school senior, is finally asked on a date to a hockey game by one of the in crowd jocks. Admitting that she isn't sure what to wear, she chooses a velvet dress with a lace collar. I can not believe that anyone was that out of touch. Claire, who lives in Manhattan and is in her mid 20s, is invited on a picnic. She wears a blue pantsuit. They pick up take out Chinese food and drink a bottle of sherry for a picnic at the beach. Later Claire arrives at a friend's apartment to cook dinner and is described as wearing a green suit and using a dish towel for an apron. I had a flash of The Dick Van Dyke Show. Maybe if Clare had been in her 40s but not for a 20 something in 1973. Read Seton's other books but skip this one.

[Marilyn Mansfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing work by one of favorite authors. Interesting concept about a young girl who becomes obsesses with Longfellow's poem Evangeline but way too short on background and character.

[Art the Turtle of Amazing Girth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

Mixed bag here, need to think on my review a bit

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amy Delatour is a dowdy, lonely, but very smart high school girl in Greenwich Connecticut. She lives in a small apartment with her domineering Yankee mother and loving French grandfather in the 1970’s. Amy has periods of “dreaming true” where she has visions of Greenwich as it appeared in the 1700’s and of a life in which she is a French Arcadian searching for her long lost love Paul, after the “grand derangement” of Arcadians by the British from Canada during the French and Indian war. Amy has come to believe that these visions are of the “true” Evangeline of Longfellow’s famous poem.

Amy finds a sympathetic ear in her new English teacher, Martin Stone. Martin has an interest in psychology and with the help of his girlfriend Claire; he is able to help Amy deal with her past life images and strange fear of fire.

I would classify Smouldering Fires as a young adult novel, almost a Green Darkness “light”. It deals a lot with Amy’s teen angst and inability to belong in society because of her special problem. Amy tries to find love and even her love life is tinged with problems from her past life.

I enjoyed the novel, but I must admit that I was a bit disappointed that it was very light on history. Unlike previous Seton novels, Smouldering Fires does not go into depth on the history of the Arcadian people and Amy’s past life experience. It is an interesting piece of history that I was previously unaware of, and it would be fascinating to learn more about.

See http://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2010/... for the complete review.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

All her life, high school senior Amy Delatour has had "dreaming true" sequences, moments or dreams in which she seems to be channeling scenes from a previous lifetime. Her new English teacher, Mr. Stone, is interested in using hypnosis to dig deep into her subconscious in order to determine the source of and possibly resolve Amy's past inner conflict.

I was engaged in this short novel for the first half, but then it simply became uninteresting. Everything was resolved just a bit too pat for my tastes. Definitely not one of Seton's better works.

[Jenalyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

poorly written. disappointed me, ms. seton!

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute and a bit dated.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed many of Anya Seton' s books, Katherine and The Winthrop Woman being my favorites. Smouldering Fires, according to the book jacket, is Seton' s last and i guess she didn't finish her literary career with a bang. However, I think this short novel is acceptable as a young adult growing up story and I liked it for what it is, a simple story not too deep. Having lived near Greenwich CT for most of my life, and worked on Steamboat Rd where the teacher Martin Stone lived, I could relate to the familiar locations mentioned in the story. I thought that the relationship between Martin and Claire changed a little too abruptly and the plot for them to go to Louisiana to marry in a rush and bring Amy and her grandfather along was just a little too convenient and contrived. I give it 4 stars, the book doesn't measure up to Seton's best, meatier novels, but it was fine as a light and quick read

[Robin Loisch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was strange. Amy, an awkward high schooler, has weird flashbacks to her supposed previous life centuries before. A male school teacher gets involved in trying to help her, taking liberties that would have gotten him fired even during the 70s when this book was written. The ending really doesn't resolve anything that has happened. The flashbacks just stop and "The End."

I have heard of this author before, and I had hoped this book would be good, but it was disappointing. Maybe I'll try another someday to see if it is any better.

[Janice Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was Anya Seton's last book and she was 71 years old when it was published. She obviously didn't have it any longer and shouldn't have even attempted this book, as it's a black spot on her legacy. Those of us who are Seton fans know this. I'm addressing those for whom this is the first Seton book they've read---please do not judge her by this! Her other books are far, far better, head and shoulders above "Smouldering Fires", with "Katherine" being a true classic masterpiece.

[Sue Lauzon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was actually better than I was expecting. Story of a girl who lives a past life during her dreams and also manages to manifest some of what she dreams into her current life. She is helped by one of her teachers, who puts her under hypnosis and a friend of his.

[Natacha Pavlov · Rating 2 out of 5]

When the cheesy cover is as misleading as the tagline xD

Since Anya Seton's novels are generally longer, I wanted to begin with her short (and later) "Smouldering Fires." The synopsis of a young girl troubled by dreams and fantasies which parallel the life of another girl who lived over two hundred years before caught my attention—but was ultimately highly disappointing. 
In short, its assigned description as a 'spellbinding novel of psychic possession' is sensationalized for what it is. However, I did appreciate the glimpse into the overlooked French-speaking people of North America.
The plus side is that it should be up from here with the other renown titles, like 'Green Darkness' and 'Devil Water.'

[Peta Steyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her books may be written over 60 years ago but they are still a joy to read to this day and I would highly recommend them ALL!

[Lynette Lark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Past lives.

[Romantic Soul · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book went nowhere.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was expecting more of a historical romance when I picked this up but I was pleasantly surprised with the story regardless.

[Sandy Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Takes place in Greenwich, CT. Not as good as other Anya Seton books.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was Anya Seton’s last book, and if you are looking for another meaty historical novel, you won’t find it here. In little more than 150 pages we meet Amy, the grand-daughter of a French-Canadian who tells her stories of his Acadian ancestors who were forced to leave Nova Scotia in the 1700’s. Amy’s identification with these stories brings to light the historical fact that some of these Acadians settled in Greenwich, Connecticut, the setting of the story and the home of Anya Seton. When compared with Seton’s other novels, it is interesting to wonder how different this little book could have been.

[Muriel Schwenck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember reading this in highschool after I had read almost everything else by Seton.
Reading this as a teenager should have made it a sure winner for me, but I was disappointed. I thought it wasn't up to Seton's usual standard, and not as well written. I thought she was cranking out "just one more". Maybe I just didn't like the modern portion of the story. But I do love Evangeline!
That said, just because it is different from her usual output, it's still an interesting story.
DEfinitely worth a read, especially if you are a Seton "completist" like I was in my youth. :-)

[Isobel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across this book as a young teenager in the young adult section of the local library and absolutely loved it. It was so atmospheric and unlike anything I'd read before. I'm not sure I'd want to re-read it with my adult sensibilities as I think it might spoil the memory of it. It was one of those books that helped develop my love of reading.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book - really, I did. It just didn't flow right, and everything was in the wrong place. Besides, I thought the book would be more interesting, but instead I got a poorly written book.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spellbinding novel of psychic suspense. I've read it several time. I'm not typically into paranormal or time travel, however Anya Seton tells a compelling tale, leaving you wondering... Was Amy haunted by a lover who lived 200 years ago... she had lived and loved in another time... or did she?

[Constance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read... Finished cover to cover one lazy Saturday morning. Very interesting book. More psychic suspense than romance. This is the second Anya Seton book I've read. Definitely will read more of her work.

[Payten · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting so much more from this book. This is the 4th Anya Seton book that I've picked up so far, and I LOVED the other ones, but this one definitely missed the mark. Also, it feels kind of like a repeat of Green Darkness to me.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read of reincarnation/genetic memory.

[SuzanneG · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second Anya Seton this summer! Usually I only read one! Shorter novel for Seton. Liked it!

[anieva · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars