Once In A House On Fire - book?

Question

Have u read this book? can u PLEASE give me a summary about it?
Thank you!

Answer 1

A summary - no, but I can give you a review:

I used to be known frequently to turn up, and occasionally to work, in a place split up into lots of departments. Mine was one of the smallest which had its disadvantages (fewer people to cover shifts, harder to get time off exactly when you want it) along with quite a few advantages (fewer people to share all the chocolate with being an important one). The most major advantage, however, was having a manger who knew you inside out, especially when you’ve been there for years. Lovely Helen presented us all with gifts at Christmas, and last year, following numerous conversations at work about books, books, and more books (Helen being the only other member of staff who knows how to read from what I can tell) she really came through. My present, in case you’re really thick and / or haven’t guessed yet, was a copy of this book, which she’d read and though I might enjoy. She was right.

The book is what I would call fact based fiction, or maybe a semi-true autobiography. What I mean is that we have a heroine called Andrea, who grew up in a situation no unsimilar to the author’s own, but I get the feeling that no one could have that good a memory. While I don’t doubt that she had a horrendous upbringing, I sense that some points have maybe changed through time. Whether this be true or not, the resulting tale is a fascinating one. The style of the book is unusual. If it were pure fiction, I might go so far as to say it was badly structured, because the story flits here and there, this way and that, throwing the reader all over the place. Since this is not the case, however, I’m happy to make an exception. The book reads as if we are sitting down with Andrea as she tells us of her childhood, and so the scatty structure is acceptable if not refreshing.

“Once, In A House On Fire” is set mainly in Manchester, with only a quick spell in Canada, which immediately gets the thumbs up from me. It’s like the Queer As Folk thing – I love reading and watching things that are based in areas I know. It also shows how little our city has changed since she was growing up here in the early 70s, since practically all the pubs and shops and places are still here (I’d say “places of interest” but that would be a lie. There’s not much of interest in Moss Side after all :p )

Andrea grew up with her mother and sisters, and 3 different fathers / step fathers, all of whom (except her original, biological dad who died when she was barely out of toddlerdom) proceeded to abuse her and the others in the family, mentally and physically. While I would normally say that one of the reasons I like reading is so I can escape this world and become part of a happier one, this can obviously not be the case here. Instead, I can only rejoice that my life thus far has been a fair bit happier than hers was. Andrea’s mother didn’t do that badly for herself when you consider the situations she had to deal with, but she certainly does not seem to know the woman/man fish/bicycle saying – jumping from one bloke to another as soon as death and/or jail present themselves.

Aside from the beating, there is little storyline here, but this is not really a problem. We have Andrea’s desire to do well academically, if only to prevent her from ending up like her mother, but this story as told to a much lesser extent than the torture. The writing is so compelling though, that even when history repeats itself (as it inevitably does), you want to keep reading to see if this time something will be different. Completely different from the usual comedy / romance books I bury my nose in, I found this book really interesting. Despite not having slept for a number of nights, I found myself reading until the wee hours of Sunday morning to get it finished.

This book takes the reader on a roller coaster ride through Andrea’s life, and lets us see the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Well worth a read, even for those of you who think Watford Gap is north."

Plus, please go to link 2 for more material.

Answer 2

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Nope. I don't think that's shallow. If your mother took care of the important stuff, it was okay that you took some things. Besides, we DO need shoes to walk! Also, you need your phone no call someone you know to ask for help. And to make you feel better, I'm going to be honest. I would grab my PC computer, unplug it and put it on the fire escape and making sure that I didn't miss any cables. Oh! And my $21 (lol), along with my favorite books. I would take my brother (who's 2) and my parents could get the important stuff. And my DS with charger and my games... And my diary and my favorite clothes. I would probably just end up burned to ashes because it would take too long! :''( But by the way, I'm NOT materialistic, I just care about my things! Now, do you think you're shallow? Lol! Good Luck! I hope that your house turns out fine! ♥ Nadia ♥