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There are currently 41 member reviews
for A Fireproof Home for the Bride
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Mary M. (Dallas, TX)
Family Secrets
At first "A Fireproof Home for the Bride" seems like a well developed straight forward coming of age story about a young girl growing up a small Michigan farming community until she begins to question the path her mother has chosen for her and in the process uncovers the family's
past. There is something in this book for every reader though I am afraid it will probably be considered "women's lit."
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Catherine H. (Nashua, NH)
No, it's not "Love Story", nor "Romeo & Juliet"
Don't let the book's title mislead you, this book is not a love story to the traditional sense.
This book is about Emmy and her sister Birdie raised by a very strict Lutheran family in 1958 Minnesota. Emmy's path crosses with a Catholic boy and this is a beginning of a chain reaction and the discovery of bigotry, racism intolerance and that sometimes, families and loved ones are not what they appear to be.
As for the title, you will have to wait for almost the end to fully understanding it.
A great read.
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Anna R. (Oak Ridge, TN)
Hard too put down
This is one of those books that I just couldn't stop reading. The plot was riveting, and the characters real. I enjoyed this book and will recommend it to my book club. It is a "must read."
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Sue H. (Wooster, OH)
The '50s revisited
As a "woman of a certain age," I thoroughly enjoyed this glimpse into a decade in which I was just beginning life. It illustrates clearly that, tho' we have advanced in many ways, there are still many cultural carry-overs we experience today. The author draws characters that the reader cares for and also establishes a great sense of place. I finished this book in an afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed every moment. I will be recommending this one to my book club; I'm dying to discuss it.
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Dorothy M. (Maynard, MA)
The title understates the complexity of this story
I was totally captivated by Amy Sheibe's A Fireproof Home for the Bride which - unlike the romantic image the title presents - is the story of a young woman raised in the 1950s in a severely religious home by a mother that substituted rigid rules for the love she couldn't provide. As Emmy Nelson reaches adulthood she realizes that the life that her mother has planned for her is not a life she wants. As she struggles to become independent, she stumbles across information about her family that is devastating. On a larger scale, this is a book about the difficulty created when people are forced into molds they don't fit. While this is a book I would certainly put in the fiction category, there is enough suspense to attract mystery and thriller fans. Highly recommended.
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Dawn C. (Meridian, ID)
A Fireproof Home for a Bride by Amy Schiebe
Wow, I actually grew up in southern Minnesota, and was born in the late 50's, so this really resonated with me. I was surprised about the KKK being alive and well in the area. I liked reading about the 50's, and her take on racism and immigration. Great book!
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Susan M. (New Holland, PA)
A Fireproof Home for the Bride
The intriguing title motivated me to read this book as I was curious to discover its meaning. Fire does figure into the plot but not focused on arson or some other type of house fire as I had assumed. Instead the book deals with bigotry, fear mongering, political ambition and even the evil deeds of the Ku Klux Klan.
Farm country in 1950s Minnesota is the setting and the main characters and their relationships with each other are well drawn. The Norwegian Nelson family with a strictly religious mother in charge wants an arranged marriage between her daughter, Emmy, and the boy next door, Ambrose, who is 28 years old to Emmy's 18.
The two of them have been childhood pals despite the age difference but Emmy has doubts about the imminent marriage wishing to live a more independent, fulfilling life than that of a farmer's wife.
You will be surprised at the many secrets revealed concerning these families and the ending is the biggest surprise of all.
I recommend this book to any who like a good plot blended with the historical events of its time. Why not find out the meaning of the title and meet the rest of the cast of characters in this book by picking it up today!
