"In this charming listen, narrator Therese Plummer portrays Cassie Hanwell--a confident, talented firefighter whose solitary life is upended when her estranged mother asks her to relocate to Boston...A wonderful story of forgiveness, friendship, love, and hope." — AudioFile From the New York Times bestselling author of How to Walk Away comes a stunning new audiobook about courage, hope, and learning to love against all odds. Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she's seen her fair share of them, and she's a total pro at other people's tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to give up her whole life and move to Boston, Cassie suddenly has an emergency of her own. The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie's old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding, and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren't exactly thrilled to have a "lady" on the crew—even one as competent and smart as Cassie. Except for the infatuation-inspiring rookie, who doesn't seem to mind having Cassie around. But she can't think about that. Because love is girly, and it’s not her thing. And don’t forget the advice her old captain gave her: Never date firefighters. Cassie can feel her resolve slipping...and it means risking it all—the only job she’s ever loved, and the hero she’s worked like hell to become. Katherine Center's Things You Save in a Fire is a heartfelt and healing tour-de-force about the strength of vulnerability, the nourishing magic of forgiveness, and the life-changing power of defining courage, at last, for yourself. Praise for Things You Save in a Fire: "Oh, how I love Katherine Center’s writing…and her newest novel is a gem...a story that reminds us that the word emergency has, at its heart, a new beginning. Just read it, and thank me later.” - Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author “...a sharp and witty exploration of love and forgiveness that is at once insightful, entertaining, and thoroughly addictive.” - Kirkus, starred review
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"I hadn’t read or listened to Katherine Center before this book came to my attention at my local library, and because the title intrigued me, I read it and enjoyed it immensely. Between giving me sweaty palms and a butterfly stomach because I can identify with Cassie’s nerves as she is about to make a speech, or feeling ironically-humorous empathy for the hunky rookie who faints at the sight of blood, not to mention causing me to anxiously hold my breath from being inside a fire that feels all too real, this story definitely rises to the level can’t-put-it-down! And knowing that her husband is a firefighter lends a degree of authenticity that left me wondering just how fictitious the firehouse shenanigans really are. Duct tape will never be the same.
Shortly after reading Things You Save in a Fire, I added the book to my AudiobookStore library. I must say, Thérèse Plummer’s vocal and interpretive skills plus Centers’ genius for making space for complex and often juxtapositional emotions are the perfect combination for a great story.
The only drawback to this audiobook is the production. Occasionally, when listening to an audio book, we will notice a change in the quality of the narrator's, voice that I attribute to the production team having to dub in a change to the book. In this book, there is one such dub; however, whoever was responsible for editing the recording, did a sloppy job because they left too much of the “leading in” text so that an entire portion just repeats itself, which is like watching a movie in which the editor repeats a scene. It’s distracting.
A second example of poor production quality occurs at the end of the book when Thérèse Plummer suggests continuing to listen for an excerpt from Katherine Center’s latest book—wait for it: Things You Save in a Fire. Hello? Did the person in charge of this part of the audio book not understand they were actually working on Things You Save in a Fire? Why would I want to relisten to chapter 1 of the very book I’d just finished listening to?
Are these production glitches enough to stop me from adding this book to my list of favorites that I’ll listen to many more times? No. In fact, I have listened to Things You Save in a Fire several times because, first, quite simply, it’s a great story, and second, Thérèse Plummer is an excellent narrator! I absolutely recommend getting this audio book—despite the production glitches! "
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Carol (4 out of 5 stars)