The Stars Are Fire

The Stars Are Fire

Adult fiction
"Sparks and embers swirl around Grace. There's chaos in the
streets. She hears cars moving, women screaming. Balls of flame seem
to leap from treetop to treetop, giving the fire a frightening
momentum. A tree catches fire at the top, and the fire races down the
trunk and into a house below. The fire turns tree after tree into
tall torches."
In 1947 coastal Maine had a rainy spring followed by a summer
drought. Plants withered. Dust coated laundry hung outside. Fire
prevention safety directives were issued. There were rumors of
underground fires. People began to plan for a possible evacuation.
Then in October all Hell broke loose. One of the most beautiful,
scenic parts of Maine became a fiery inferno, flames voraciously
devouring everything in sight.
Grace, protagonist of Anita Shreve's The Stars Are Fire, is home
with her very young children that fateful night. Her husband, Eugene,
has gone to the fire line to try to help protect their community. As
darkness falls the western horizon begins to glow. When the
conflagration gets a lot closer Eugene is still missing. Grace flees
with her children, sparks and embers falling around them.
When Grace and her children are rescued the next morning they're
homeless and destitute. Grace is able to hold her family, now
including her mother, together. She secures shelter, learns to drive,
and finds a job. Again life is good.
Unfortunately Grace is about to about to meet a challenge that
will make the ones she's conquered look minor in comparison.
On a purrrsonal note, despite some mugginess the weather has been
fine. I earned myself a Goodwill run (probs Friday) by seeing a
doctor for a consult on getting a cyst removed. As I work on
overcoming my iatrophobia (Latin for fear of doctors) I reward myself
for every step forward. I volunteered at the community garden where
we're enjoying and abundance of riches and anticipating tomatoes. It
was my next to last week for volunteering at the library until vaca
because once school starts my life will be more hectic. Right now my
focus is on getting the backpacks for the kids in the park filled so I
can distribute them next week. (Jules)
I'll miss her when she's in school. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to all who are getting ready for fall
semester.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway


Sent from my iPod