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, 11/29/2013Kim 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.