Plot Summary

The Stars are Fire

Anita Shreve
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The Stars are Fire

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2017

Book Brief

Anita Shreve

The Stars are Fire

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2017
Book Details
Pages

525

Format

Novel • Fiction

Genre
Mystery & Crime Fiction

Historical Fiction

Romance
Setting

Maine • 1940s

Theme
Family
Topic
World History
Publication Year

2017

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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Super Short Summary

The Stars are Fire by Anita Shreve follows Grace Holland, a housewife in post-World War II Hunts Beach, Maine, who loses her home in a massive fire and must navigate new challenges as she rebuilds her life. Her journey of personal growth and independence unfolds as she faces hardships, finds work, and forms a new relationship, ultimately seeking a better future for herself and her children. The book addresses themes of domestic violence and miscarriage.

Melancholic

Emotional

Dark

Challenging

Hopeful

Reviews & Readership

4.1

54,737 ratings

73%

Loved it

22%

Mixed feelings

5%

Not a fan

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Review Roundup

Anita Shreve's The Stars are Fire captivates with its evocative prose and the raw resilience of its protagonist amidst a historic fire's devastation. Readers appreciate the historical fiction's emotional depth, though some find its pacing uneven. Overall, Shreve's storytelling offers a gripping portrayal of survival and renewal, though it occasionally falters in momentum.

Who should read this

Who Should Read The Stars are Fire?

Fans of character-driven drama and historical fiction will savor Anita Shreve's The Stars are Fire. Readers who enjoyed The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah or Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline will appreciate this tale of resilience and transformation set against the backdrop of the 1947 Maine fires.

4.1

54,737 ratings

73%

Loved it

22%

Mixed feelings

5%

Not a fan

Fun Facts

Anita Shreve used real historical events as inspiration for The Stars are Fire, particularly the catastrophic Maine fires of 1947 which devastated over 200,000 acres and left many homeless.

The Stars are Fire was one of the last books published by Anita Shreve before her passing in 2018, adding a poignant layer of legacy to her vast collection of literary works.

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The novel explores themes of resilience and survival, reflecting Shreve’s interest in strong, resilient female protagonists confronting extraordinary circumstances.

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Book Details
Pages

525

Format

Novel • Fiction

Genre
Mystery & Crime Fiction

Historical Fiction

Romance
Setting

Maine • 1940s

Theme
Family
Topic
World History
Publication Year

2017

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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