Product Description

Nadine, a sixteen-year-old runaway new to London, is set up in a decaying Georgian house by her Finnish lover, Kai. Slowly, she begins to suspect that Kai’s plans for her have little to do with love. ‘Be careful,’ warns Enid, the elderly sitting tenant in the house, who knows all about survival and secrets. And when Nadine discovers Kai’s true intentions, Enid’s warning takes on a terrible and prophetic quality.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #42795 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-27
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Review
A story of terrible innocence...with openings of unexpected love and grace worthy of Graham Greene (The Independent on Sunday )

Burning Bright is a beautifully constructed and thought-provoking novel, with a freshness that makes it outstanding (Sunday Telegraph )

Helen Dunmore beautifully fulfils the highest function of a storyteller - to make you wonder what will happen next...one goes on addressing the problems of evil which Dunmore raises, long after one has finished her electrifying book (Sunday Times )

From the Back Cover
`Dunmore's darkest rainbow' Independent

`A story of terrible innocence' Independent on Sunday

`A seductive narrative illuminated with instants of visionary clarity' Guardian

About the Author
Helen Dunmore has published nine novels with Penguin: Zennor in Darkness, which won the McKitterick Prize; Burning Bright; A Spell of Winter, which won the Orange Prize; Talking to the Dead; Your Blue-Eyed Boy; With Your Crooked Heart; The Siege, which was shortlisted for the 2001 Whitbread Novel of the Year Award and for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2002; Mourning Ruby and House of Orphans. She is also a poet, children’s novelist and short-story writer.

Customer Reviews

A darkly beautiful modern fairytale
'Burning Bright' is one of the most riveting, imaginative novels I have ever read. The characters are skilfully crafted and highly believable, and the plot unwraps itself in a natural, subtle way. The language used is hypnotic, the words locking together on the page and creating new ideas from ordinary events. I have yet to come across another writer whose prose is so captivating and fluid, who can touch the reader without gushing sentimentally. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Briiliant
This is simply a brilliant and unique book by an extremely talented writer. On one level, it's a thriller, but on another, more important level, it's simply wonderful literature. Once begun, it is difficult to put down.

Deeply riveting...
The first of HD's novels I've read, I found it utterly absorbing and extremely well written. The prose is hypnotic and there's a definate air of sinister tension throughout the first half of the book as you slowly uncurl two different threads of a tale. The story of Nadine and her elder lover, Kai, his business associate Tony and what they have planned for Nadine is one thread. Enid, a sitting tenant in their home, is the key to the second thread - who are Sukey and Caro and what happened to them? And what is the connection between Enid and an eminent politician?
The book is melodious in it's narrative and it's characterisation is clever. I do, however, have one criticism; Nadine is 16, yet has the emotoional dexterity of a woman much older. I didn't feel that her thought processes were akin to that of a teenager, albeit an intelligent one, and this spoiled the flow for me somewhat. Though it is clear that Nadine has had an interesting upbringing, I did feel that this still did not allow for such astute and creative observations.
This aside, I am sure you will appreciate this novel for what it is. I know I'll be searching out more of HD's work...