I remember going to a local museum once when I was little. I hardly think I was old enough to truly appreciate the beauty, the simplicity, the complexity and the artistry in any of the pieces. Because I think art contains a mixture of all of that and a lot more.
I loved sketching as a kid. I zoned out during classes a lot and I’m not sure I’ve stopped that even now. But when I manage to recover my wits, I’ll find rather elaborate doodles all over my notebook. The amazing part to me was that they all came out so beautiful, that you’d think it was intentional. But that is one of the beauties of art I came to realize later on. The art lies in the mistakes or the things we perceive as mistakes.
But apart from drawings and paintings which I find rather delightful, I’ve always been left awestruck by sculptures, pottery, metalwork, and most of all glasswork. It’s like watching magic unfold, just from glass and fire, and of course a few other mixtures into something more than magnificence itself. A burst of colours and light all fused. That and more was found in the book:
Born In Fire originally published in 1996 is the first book of the Born Trilogy. It stars Margaret Mary Concannon, a reclusive, stubborn and opinionated woman from a little town in the heart of Ireland. She’s a glassmaker and as the burning flames of the furnace she makes exquisite glass pieces from, so is her fiery spirit and volatile temper. But as the delicateness and fragility of each piece, so is her heart on the inside. Though she doesn’t know that. At least not yet.
In the bustling city of Dublin, however, is gallery and business conglomerate owner, Rogan Sweeney. Rogan happens to stumble on one of Maggie’s glass pieces. Seeing the soul and the unquestionable fire in the piece, he vows to bring her art to the limelight and help her build her career. Maggie, unyielding at first and as expected, finally succumbs.
When he visits her studio, he soon discovers that beyond the hot walls, there’s an attraction that burns just as powerful between him and Maggie. But between Maggie Mae’s insecurities based on her scarred family past and Rogan’s uncompromising blue-bloodedness, their flame may not stand the test of time. Or will it?
The first thing I want to appreciate is Nora’s dexterity in her writing. I think that what makes a writer is not just the fact that she writes but that she reads, she researches, and she goes out of her way to know things. I don’t think you can be successful as a novelist if you don’t dedicate time to discovering things. I’ve read several books of Norah’s and each one isn’t just on one field.
She couldn’t possibly know everything and when I read one of her interviews where she said she spends as much time writing as she spends researching, I immediately could understand the flawlessness in her work. Going out of her way to know the inner workings of glass production is what brought the true magic to the story. Beyond the sizzling love of Maggie and Rogan, the times I read how she made her glass pieces were the highlights of the story for me.
The next part I loved in the story was the protagonist herself. I wouldn’t say she’s my best but I love the fact that she wasn’t portrayed as a sappy, spineless woman but one who knew what she wanted, or in this case, who she wanted and went after him, unabashedly. She’s the kind of woman I’d wish to be. In another life, of course. Lol. The character development was impeccable and the rationale behind why she was the way she was, was clear.
I would say that this book, by all indications, wasn’t a slow-burn. As I’d stated previously, Maggie isn’t one to let the attraction simmer. And that was rather refreshing to me. However, I felt like it wasn’t enough. I do get her part, but the fact that Rogan suddenly just saw her as the love of his life was rather unclear to me. It was like a whole jump and I kept wondering, how did it happen?
Their love didn’t have enough time to build in the way it should have been and that I can say is my only dissatisfaction. Other than that, the book was stellar so I’ll be giving it 4 out of 5 stars. That’s a whopping score in my books and a rather pleasant read. So, I hope you enjoy it. I’m off to read the second and last parts of the trilogy. Till next time.
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Other image is a screenshot from my e-library.
