How to Start a Fire, Lisa Lutz
How to Start a Fire, Lisa Lutz
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How to Start a Fire

Author: Lisa Lutz

Narrator: Tavia Gilbert

Unabridged: 10 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/12/2015

Synopsis

From a New York Times bestselling author comes a story of unexpected friendship—three women thrown together in college who grow to adulthood united and divided by secrets, lies, and a single night that shaped all of them.When UC Santa Cruz roommates Anna and Kate find passed-out Georgianna Leoni on a lawn one night, they wheel her to their dorm in a shopping cart. Twenty years later, they gather around a campfire on the lawn of a New England mansion. What happens in between—the web of wild adventures, unspoken jealousies, and sudden tragedies that alter the course of their lives—is charted with sharp wit and aching sadness in this meticulously constructed novel.Anna, the de facto leader, is fearless and restless—moving fast to stay one step ahead of her demons. Quirky, contemplative Kate is a natural sidekick but a terrible wingman (“If you go home with him, might I suggest breathing through your mouth”). And then there’s George: the most desired woman in any room, and the one most likely to leave with the worst man.Shot through with the crackling dialogue, irresistible characters, and propulsive narrative drive that make Lutz’s books so beloved, How to Start a Fire pulls us deep into Anna, Kate, and George’s complicated bond and pays homage to the abiding, irrational love we share with the family we choose.

About Lisa Lutz

Lisa Lutz is the New York Times bestselling, Alex Award-winning author of the Spellman Files series and The Swallows, among other novels. She has also written for film and TV, including HBO's The Deuce.

About Tavia Gilbert

Tavia Gilbert is a producer, narrator, writer, and stage and film actor. A six-time Audie nominee and multiple Earphones and Parents' Choice Award winner, she has narrated more than 350 multi-cast and single-voice audiobooks.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Barbara on January 16, 2022

Unlike Lisa Lutz's comic novels about the Spellman family, this novel focuses on three women who become friends in college and remain in each other's lives for decades. Anna, Kate, and George (short for Georgiana) meet at the University of California at Santa Cruz and become roommates. Like many col......more

Goodreads review by Alisha Marie on May 03, 2015

I wanted to love this book so, so bad. Here's the thing: I LOVED Lisa Lutz's Spellman Files series. While some were better than others, The Spellman Files never failed to make me feel better about life and made me laugh so hard along the way. I assumed that How to Start a Fire would be just as good......more

Goodreads review by (NurseLisa) Square Granny on July 15, 2015

Title: "How to Start a Fire" Author: Lisa Lutz Format: ebook via Samsung Galaxy Nook ereader. Release info.: newly released, May, 2015. Genre: fiction, adult fiction, chick-lit, drama, changing POV, female MC's, strong female MC(s), includes swearing, some sexual situations & adult themes. Read: May 12-......more

Goodreads review by Barbara on June 24, 2015

3.5 bumped to 4 because I LOVE Lutz I’ve read all of Lisa Lutz’s books. I am a big fan of her writing skills. Lutz writes hilarious dialogue and uses that skill in “How to Start a Fire”. This novel is a departure from her previous works, especially the Spellman Files, but not a departure in the wit......more

Goodreads review by Nicole D. on March 22, 2015

I loved the Spellman Files, and I think Lutz could have had a lucrative career if she did nothing but those. Obviously she realized she had more in her, and I'm glad she did for a lot of reasons. (One of them being I don't continue on with series that long, and one of them being this book.) This is......more

Quotes

“A tale of female friendship and the families we choose for ourselves, How to Start a Fire will keep you captivated from beginning to end.” Town & Country, One of the Best Beach Reads for 2015

“The story delivers staggering insights into the consequences of choice, no matter how insignificant a moment may seem at the time, as well as the meaning of forgiveness and the ways in which friends can become more like family than our own blood relations—for better or for worse.” Globe & Mail (Toronto)

“A great choice for fans of women’s lit and anyone who enjoys books about female friendship.” Pensacola News Journal

“[A] glorious exploration of friendship…The author portrays three fully drawn, flawed, and compelling women with fresh insight into the mysterious terrain of female friendships—a mix of shared experiences, affection, empathy, jealousy, anger, and love.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The characters are marvelous—each woman, despite having some over-the-top peculiarities about her, is relatable and fully dimensional.” Booklist (starred review)

“Delivered in short chapters that move between the present and the past, the book shows readers results before actions, building a sense of intrigue up to the singular event that changed everything. The main characters are developed through vignettes in various stages of their lives, showing that they are as realistically flawed as they are emotionally engaging.” Library Journal (starred review)

“In this funny and keenly observed novel, Lutz shows a deft hand for capturing female friendship and its blend of fierce devotion, jealousy, and acceptance.” BookPage

“As she skillfully juggles the voices of three central characters, Tavia Gilbert adds this title to her long list of excellent performances. She creates a bold Anna, a childlike Kate, and a languid George and then leads the listener through their experiences together at a headlong pace…Gilbert’s delivery is often hilarious; sometimes the characters’ voices just spark with humor and life…[an] entertaining and well-performed production.” AudioFile

“Few books have so expertly captured the intricacies and complexities of female friendship. Whip smart and cunning, deeply funny and profoundly moving, Lisa Lutz’s How to Start a Fire is a knockout.” Megan Abbott, Edgar Award–winning author

Awards

  • BookPage Top Pick
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