The Lake on Fire, Rosellen Brown
The Lake on Fire, Rosellen Brown
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

The Lake on Fire

Author: Rosellen Brown

Narrator: Emily Lawrence

Unabridged: 15 hr 14 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/20/2018


Synopsis

The Lake on Fire is an epic narrative that begins among nineteenth-century Jewish immigrants on a failing Wisconsin farm. Dazzled by lore of the American dream, Chaya and her strange, brilliant, young brother Asher stow away to Chicago; what they discover there, however, is a Gilded Age as empty a façade as the beautiful Columbian Exposition luring thousands to Lake Michigan's shore. The pair scrapes together a meager living—Chaya in a cigar factory; Asher, roaming the city and stealing books and jewelry to share with the poor, until they find different paths of escape. An examination of family, love, and revolution, this profound tale resonates eerily with today's current events and tumultuous social landscape. The Lake on Fire is robust, gleaming, and grimy all at once, proving that celebrated author Rosellen Brown is back with a story as luminous as ever.

About Rosellen Brown

Rosellen Brown is the author of the novels Civil Wars, Half a Heart, Tender Mercies, and Before and After. Her stories have appeared frequently in O. Henry Prize Stories, Best American Short Stories, and Best Short Stories of the Century. She now teaches in the MFA in Writing Program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and lives in Mr. Obama's neighborhood, overlooking Lake Michigan.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Lauren on January 27, 2019

First of, I do not know why Rosellen Brown is not more well known. To me, she is in line with writers like Margaret Atwood and Toni Morrison - a new novel from her is a major cause of celebration. nothing against Sarabande but this should have come out on a major house imprint and with some publicit......more

Goodreads review by Robert on June 05, 2019

There is so much narrative description and summary of events, so little dialogue, the novel reads more like non-fiction. I've never realized how important dialogue is. Without it, the characters never come to life. Conversations reveal character. The writing style was needlessly complex, and frequen......more

Goodreads review by Carol on November 14, 2018

I have followed Rosellen Brown's career for many years. The Lake on Fire is her first book in 18 years, and I was excited to see it appear. Her books are all unique, incisive stories about characters who struggle with serious problems. They are so well-written that they are hard to put down. In The L......more

Goodreads review by Chris on April 08, 2019

I found Ms. Brown's writing rather negative. First, she trashes Wisconsin in the beginning of the book. I imagine Chaya, who didn't want to be there may grouse, but the author had nothing kind to say about the state of Wisconsin. Asher's obsession with books (and authors who always have to write ab......more

Goodreads review by Jessica DeLucia on November 16, 2018

I really want to give this 3.5 stars because it is beautifully written. And hey I love socialism and stories about rich people being terrible and poor people being brave, but I’m sorry it’s boring. Yes i bet Chicago WAS miserable at the turn of the century. The Worlds Fair WAS awesome i read devil i......more