The first story collection from the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Memory Keeper's Daughter With The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Kim Edwards touched hearts across the nation. In this, her first collection of stories-now with three new stories added-she explores the lives of those who exist on the fringes of society: a fire-eater, an American and his Korean war bride, Madame Curie's maid, and others. Though their tales vary dramatically, each comes up against the barriers of place and circumstance in the most universal of experiences: the quest to discover and understand the elusive mysteries of love. Transporting readers to exotic locations, this beautiful collection reinforces Edwards's presence as an extraordinarily gifted writer.
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"A beautifully written book! Kim is a master at weaving strange ,unsettling tales alive with emotions.Most of the protagonists are women. The first few stories seemed similar, with common themes of death, redemption and loneliness. But as I read on , I felt that that stories kept getting better and better. A thin chord of melancholy runs through the stories ,but Kim's prowess with words helps one brush away the sadness in the stories and plough right on. I haven't read a better collection of stories in a while now. Kim's stories are like a slow, serenading bitter-sweet dance- definitely not something to be read in a hurry. My favourite stories were the one on Marie Curie and"Balance". Truly poignant and highly recommended for all lovers of short stories.."
— Bhargavi (4 out of 5 stars)
" I usully don't like reading short stories, but so far I am enjoying these. "
— Donna, 2/9/2014" Excellent collection of stories with wide ranging settings, themes, and characters: from Indonesia to middle America; varying passions-for gold, for love, for magic; prostitutes to religious fanatics; Marie Curie to deluded expatriates. "
— Barbara, 1/29/2014" I liked the changing short stories. "
— Janet, 1/19/2014" This was a compilation of short stories. Some of them were very gripping, others were hard to get through. "
— Nancy, 1/17/2014" I usually don't like short stories, but this book is absolutely amazing. Every single story holds your attention. "
— April, 1/9/2014" I wasn't a huge fan of The Memory Keepers Daughter, so it was with hesitation that I picked up The Secrets of a Fire King. I was pleasantly surprised. These short stories are engaging and varied. They are set in lots of different places and about very different people. This is important in a book of short stories, in my opinion, especially a slim one such as this. Even though the stories and the book itself is short, I finished it feeling that it was a book of well-rounded and very interesting writing. "
— Lawral, 12/31/2013" I read this book because I had also read The Memory Keeper's daughter and loved the writing. Although I did not think the short stories were written as well I was intrigued by the topics of the short stories. IT makes you wonder where she came up with the ideas. "
— Julie, 12/28/2013" This was an absolutely fantastic collection, more of a 4.5 than a 5, and maybe just a 5. It baffles me how an author can write so well about so many disparate people and places. "
— Jenny, 12/18/2013" These are short stories similiar to the style of those found in Glimmer Train if you are familiar with that publication. Aristotle's Lantern is by far the best story. "
— Stephanie, 12/7/2013" A very good compilation of short stories, quite inventive some of them. "
— Jamie, 12/6/2013" Interesting collection of short stories. These are stories of families in interesting situations, the characters are unique but still recognizable and could be your neighbour or yourself. A great dip into read "
— Sharon, 11/29/2013" Some of the stories were more appealing than others. As I read I realized I had read it before, but it wasn't memorable enough to remember that until I was actually reading it again. "
— Hope, 10/31/2013" I'm not normally a short story reader, but enjoyed this collection. Especially liked the two relating to Marie Curie and radium; also several with Asian story lines. Each story is thoughtful and beautifully written. "
— Kathy, 10/25/2013" I was not overwhelmed by this book, although I did find it entertaining. Liked some of the short stories more than others, but I have to admit I did not finish it. Maybe on a rainy day in the future.. "
— Jenn, 9/13/2013" I read the first 4 stories and descided to not waste any more of my time. They were very well written but I simply didn't like the content. "
— Crystal, 6/11/2013" These are the kind of stories that don't particularly rip your heart out, but leave you wondering where to go, what to do, how to deal with what you've just read. "
— Sam, 1/15/2013" So good. Great collection of shorts. "
— Reagan, 9/24/2012" I enjoyed the vast majority of these stories, they all varied in content though not so much in style. Not as attention grabbing as The Memory Keeper's Daughter but a good collection in itself "
— Katrina, 3/25/2012" Starting reading didn't keep my attention... "
— Nakieta, 12/12/2011" Really enjoyed this book, felt it went on forever. Stories were completely captivating. "
— Erin, 9/10/2011" Interesting, this wasn't what I expected. It was a whole bunch of short stories without any clear endings. I thought they would all tie back together, but they didn't. It was ok. "
— Mari, 8/10/2011" I was very disappointed by this book, especially since I really enjoyed "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by the same author. I thought the stories didn't flow well and it was difficult with some to determine what point the author was trying to make. "
— Suzanne, 7/16/2011" Really enjoyed reading these stories during a camping trip at the beach. These stories take place in different cultures and different periods of time, which was interesting to me. "
— Kathleen, 5/11/2011" Kim Edwards writes gorgeous, vivid prose but her short stories depressed the bejeezus out of me! <br/> <br/>Was relieved when I got to the end of this..on to happier reading I hope! "
— Mira, 5/8/2011" Each short story has its own different uniqueness. Two of my favourites are Spring, Mountain, Sea and A Gleaming in the Darkness "
— Mia, 4/12/2011" I liked how each story was connected in some way to the one before. "
— Emma, 4/7/2011" I just dont love short stories. I dont know why I try. I guess it was because I wanted to try another book by this author, but Im over it. "
— Heather, 4/3/2011" These short stories were the kind you cannot just continue onto the next. You must give credit to the beautiful prose by stopping to think about what you have just read. Kim Edwards has a very special style that I can really appreciate!! "
— Christina, 3/23/2011" Its was another sad book. I liked it though. "
— Tatiana, 3/10/2011" I was disappointed when this turned out to be a collection of short stories. I did not finish the book. Most of the stories in my opinion did not have a conclusion. <br/> <br/> <br/> "
— Anothertag, 2/20/2011" This described situations in a variety of relationships. I did not always get the point. I enjoyed some of the stories like the cleaning woman in Madame Curie's workplace & several others were very good. "
— Jeanette, 2/15/2011" Not quite up to the expectations one has following <em>The Memory Keeper's Daughter</em>, plus it is short stories rather than a novel which makes a difference to some. "
— Peggy, 1/10/2011" Very good, particularly the first six and the last one. The downside was that there were some stories in the middle that were well written, but didn't seem to go anywhere. <br/>Lovely, even when parts of them were bitter. I'll look up more by this author. "
— Rachel, 12/16/2010" So good. Great collection of shorts. "
— Reagan, 11/14/2010" I am not a fan of short stories and after reading this it convinced me more so. "
— Stan, 10/28/2010" Quite good as long as short stories go. I didn't know this was a book of them and probably wouldn't have bothered otherwise, just because I'm not generally a fan. Quite in-depth though with well written characters throughout and deep and meaningful endings to ponder over. "
— Jade, 9/23/2010" Short stories, so as I would have expected, I enjoyed some of them more than others. Most of them had interesting characters, and overall was a great collection. "
— Kyria, 9/17/2010" This is awesome so far and I am on the last story. "
— Christine, 9/16/2010" Amazing! This book is a collection of short stories, none of which are at all alike but somehow just blend together so well. One of those books that you find yourself truly lost it! The stories stirred up so many emotions about life and of the joy and sadness of love. "
— Candice, 8/23/2010Kim Edwards has won numerous awards for her writing, including a Whiting Award, the Nelson Algren Award, and most recently the Kentucky Literary Award for fiction. She is the author of a collection of short stories, The Secrets of a Fire King, which was an alternate for the PEN/Hemingway Award. Her stories and essays have appeared in Ploughshares, Zoetrope, Anteaus, Story, and Paris Review and have received a National Magazine Award for Excellence in Fiction and a Pushcart Prize. A graduate of the Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop, she currently teaches writing at the University of Kentucky. She lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with her husband and daughters.
Bernadette Dunne is the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and has twice been nominated for the prestigious Audie Award. She studied at the Royal National Theatre in London and the Studio Theater in Washington, DC, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center and off Broadway.