Abandoned as a baby, Carlotta was found and adopted by an Italian family, becoming their fifth member. The oldest, Alfonso wants nothing to do with her but she shares a kinship with Luca, her other brother. When push comes to shove, Carlotta must choose where her loyalties lie regardless of the price to be paid.
βShe understood now that there was never a choice made that did not cost something.β
Greetings, dear reader! ππ½
I hope you are doing well and taking good care of yourself.
Welcome to another edition of this spectacular newsletter.
Fires to Come is the fourth book in the Blaze Collection, a collection of historical fiction with each story taking readers back in time with strong female characters breaking barriers and paving the way for other women. Even though itβs a short story and the book is only 40 pages long, it reads like a novel. It is the authorβs third book, published in February 2024.
Set in the 1920s and spanning about two decades, we see Carlotta struggle to fit in with her community as the only Black person. Even when she finds a community and meets a man who falls in love with her in Harlem, she still does not feel like she belongs; most likely because she hadnβt found herself first. She had always seen herself through the eyes of others.
βHere, she wasnβt a colored woman. She was just a woman. She smiled more. She laughed more. She let men buy her drinks and put their hands on her knee, which would have given her mother a stroke.β
The short story explores themes of love, family ties, and betrayal. It was an okay read for me, something to wind down in the evening or during the weekend.
Have you read this book? What did you think about it? Kindly leave a comment.
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Iβve read a few stories in the Blaze collection. Reading them helps me decide if I want to read the authorsβ longer work. Iβve liked the ones Iβve read so far - Fires to Come, Tune in Tomorrow and Fallen Grace.