A Fierce Radiance, by Lauren Belfer
Harper Collins – June 15, 2010 – Hardcover – 544 pages
Source: Review Copy
Claire Shipley is a divorced working mother a, photographer working for Life magazine. Once an adventurous photographer, she has settled into assignments closer to home so that she can be around to take care of her young son, Charlie. Claire is already haunted by the death of her daughter Emily, so when she photographs a story on the development of penicillin, a drug that coud have saved her daughter from death, she takes a keen interest, and is invested in developing the story long after her publication has pulled the plug. The plot thickens as penicillin proves to be a lifesaver, and big industry will stop at nothing to bring it under control, even murder.
Belfer’s novel immediately caught my attention as I turned the pages and was drawn into Claire’s suffering at the loss of her daughter, her struggle to work and balance life with her remaining child, and the ups and the downs that comprised the high stakes world of penicillin production. Penicillin was a very temperamental drug to research and grow, and many lives that could have been saved were lost as it was being developed, mainly because there was never enough of the product to go around. The stakes changed increased when the government commandeered all penicillin research and the products created from that research.
As interesting as I found the story to be, I was very distracted by the writing, and ultimately didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have liked. This is a huge story, and while Belfer is commendable in her efforts to tell as much of it as possible with a behind the scenes vantage, the amount of characters popping in and throughout the narrative was overwhelming to me. The reader gets to know some of the characters very well, but then they disappear for a long time, and there were quite a few characters who only had a brief section- never to be seen again. The jumps in time that moved the story forward were a little jarring, and the very shallow third person narrative was also a difficult choice for me. I was with the character and could observe what was going on with them, but was never really able to make a strong connection with them because of the narrative disconnect.
The story here is great – varied, interesting and intricate, and this is an enjoyable and informative novel, hindered by some of the storytelling choices. These may prove less of a distraction for a different reader, but for me they kept a good story and an intriguing idea for a novel from reaching all of its potential.
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What an interesting premise! But I must admit I don’t like the sound of these easy come-easy go characters. I like to know who’s who when I’m reading; the author can play with the plot as much as s/he would like, going back and forth in time or skipping between reality and fantasy, but I really want a clear and developed cast of characters.
Trisha´s last [type] ..Movie Review- The Spirit
Exactly Trisha. The story was interesting, but I needed a bit more focus – with less characters, that I really know, you can pretty much do with me what you will. But I know that this is just a style thing and many have and will (continue) to love this one.
Too bad the writing was better because it sounds like a wonderful story.
It is a good story. Kathy, if you can keep up better than I did with a big cast, then you shouldn’t shy away from it.
I’m sorry that you didn’t enjoy it as much as you had hoped. I absolutely loved this book and I didn’t find her writing style to bother me. After reading your review, I started questioning mine? Maybe I wasn’t smart enough to get all that!
Julie P.´s last [type] ..Book Club Exchange- Mary Kay Andrews -amp Giveaway
That just not true, Julie. You are as sharp as a whip when it comes to your reading observations. i am often in awe of your reviews and just how much you get from the books you read. I think this mainly comes down to style, and what bothers your or doesn’t bother you in reading. I usually find large casts of characters distracting. All the information was amazing, but I think I would have been happier if she focused on a little less in the book.
I guess I found the title unmemorable, but when I started reading I said “oh yeah, the penicillin book!”. The reviews have been pretty decent so far, but your review gives me pause. Like Julie, I won’t notice certain things until it is suggested. I’m going to probably wait around and think about this one some more.
Sandy´s last [type] ..Wordless Wednesday- Yosemite 1
Sandy, the story is an interesting one. I am happy that I read it, but I just needed less characters and a bit more focus. I don’t do well with books that have a huge cast of characters. I think it’s a style thing.
I read this a couple of months ago and could not, for the life of me, come up with a review that adequately reflected my impressions of this novel…..but you just nailed it on the head. How ’bout for my review, I just put up a big ol’ link to yours? LOL….
Michele@A Reader’s Respite´s last [type] ..In which our imagination kicks into overdrive
Go for it! LOL. This one was just way too much story and too many characters for me. It was a little overwhelming, even if interesting.
I’ve been on the fence about this one. I think I’ll stay there. I like the premise but I’m unsure of how I’d react to the book itself and the writing style. Hummm.
Beth F´s last [type] ..Review- A Place for Delta by Melissa Walker
Knowing your editing background, I would probably warn you away because some of the phrasing was a little awkward for me. There was something about the third person narrative that is probably correct, but that was little off for me in this book. Of course on the other hand I am totally curious as to what you think.
Excellent review, Nicole. I’m a lover of character-driven fiction, and a well developed character can keep me up reading late into the night while plot always becomes secondary. When I can’t connect with a character, I have great difficulty finishing a book.
Yes, exactly Beth! I think this one suffered a bit for me from having too many characters, many of whom I didn’t connect with so much as wanted to see how they furthered the story.
Sounds interesting. Penicillin was probably most life changing event of the 1900′s,,
Bluestocking´s last [type] ..The Dish Best Served Cold
Brooke – you have no idea how much until you read this book!
Oh you had me all along with this on e- it sounds wonderful and too bad it didn’t deliver as you hoped. I too get distracted by many characters…. they just become hard to keep track of.
I think it is totally a matter of how you like to read. Lots of characters are always and issue for me because you never like all of them the same, and it is hard to balance their time with the story.
I do want to read this but suspect not at one sitting. It is waiting for me at the library (although not the convenient one; what was I thinking) but maybe I will wait for the paperback so I can own and read at leisure.
Enjoyed your review!
CLM´s last [type] ..June 2010
The story is interesting and informative. I enjoyed it, but I was definitely reading against some of my writing peeves, which was the main prob for me. Most will really like it.
I’m sad to hear that the writing was a distraction. I have this one sitting on my shelf, and while I am overwhelmed by its size, I am also interested in its theme.
Aths´s last [type] ..Friday Finds – July 30- 2010
I read through to the end because I really wanted to see what happened. I think she tried to tackle a huge story, and I think I would have connected more had their been less going on.
I don’t know how I missed your review when you first posted it, but this is why I love your monthly re-caps!
Thank you for linking to my review – I shamelessly gushed over this novel! A Fierce Radiance is one of the best novels I’ve read this year, I’m sorry that you didn’t connect to it the way I did. Lauren Belfer definitely casts a big net, but I never had that feeling like she lost any of her characters or any loose ends in the multitude of mysteries she had going. Maybe it was simply the right book for me, at the right time. Have you ever felt that way?
Even if we didn’t feel the same way, Nicole, as always, this was a great review!
Alison’s Book Marks´s last [type] ..What Are You Reading
Thanks for saying that! Monthly recaps are so time consuming, but it does seem like a great way for people to get caught up. I know I appreciate them on other sites. It is very easy to miss something.
With this book, I definitely think reading style plays a part in it. I wanted to know what happened in Belfer’s story and that kept me going til the end, but I think I am particular when it come to large casts of characters. There is usually someone whose story I am less interested in, that detracts from the story.
You’re in New York, right? Somehow that’s in m brain from somwehere. Did see her read and talk about the research for this novel? It was really fascinating!