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Read After The Fire (2001)

After the Fire (2001)

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Genre
Rating
3.65 of 5 Votes: 2
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ISBN
044023574X (ISBN13: 9780440235743)
Language
English
Publisher
dell

After The Fire (2001) - Plot & Excerpts

A really sad story about Hyacinth a young woman shy and artistic who meets Gerald whos in training to become a plastic surgeon and marries him, has 2 kids, and then he starts cheating with a secretary where he is partner of a firm with Arnie. Hyacinth in her jealous outrage goes to his office one night and ransacks it and fleeing the building trips and falls and looses some contents of her handbag. Gerald later finds the contents that she droped. This is after a terrible fire that happens on the night Hyacinth was in the building. Gerald who is tired of Hyacinth already has plans to move his buisiness with parter Arnie out of town to New York, and with the knowledge that Hyacinth had gone to the building and sweetly blackmails her that he would take the kids with him to New York, as it woud only be a matter of time before the law caught up with her for arson, and he did not want this dragging down his reputation as a top surgeon or to reflect on the kids upbringing. Hyacinth in total anger and fear agrees and signs him over full cutody of the children.Hyacinth then a budding painter and artist meets Will who runs a company store selling fashion and all sorts. It is after Hyacinth has mad a beautiful silk dress for her daughter and shows it to a store assistant in Wills store that she is asked to make another dress for the assistant. Will has taken a shine to Hyacinth but Hyacinth with her secret wished not to get to close. One night while he is with Hyacinth for dinner he views her paintings and callously tells her she is wasting her time has no future in it and should take up fashion design. After lots of forthought this is what Hyacinth does she goes to college and begins a fashion design course while at the same time sewing up her ideas in her spare time. These she takes to a fashion house who put her in contact with another, a lady who had spoken at Hyacinths college. WIth no more ado Hyacinth is asked to quit her course and begin work learning the ropes 1st hand. Eventually launching her own Hyacinth collection which is highly popular. Will in the meantime tells Hyacinth he wishes to marry her but he senses she is not telling him everything when he meets her mother and children by chance and calls off the relationship in a letter.In the last chapters all you think is going to happen changes.....Arnie who is in love with Hyacinth preposes marriage but Hyacinth just cant imagine him as anything but a friend after all hes done for her over the years since she split with Gerald. She lets him down gently and Arnie is not happy but still begs her to come with him urgently to France to live and start a new life.Hyacinth then confides to Will who she deliberatly goes to see about Arnies pressures on her and Will gets online and checks him out finding... that Arnie has been in trouble for arson in the past seting fire to 2 previous buildings hes owned for the insurance money.AT the same time Arnie who has been deeply involved with thoroughbred race horses looses his best horse, and there are descepancies as to how he died which also brings Hyacinth to talk to WIll.Turns out the horse had been shot, for insurance money so Arnie could set up in France with Hyacinth and her 2 kids.Arnie vanishes does a runner, and then Hyacinth realises she was not reponsible for the fire that burned down Geralds and Arnies practice, WIll then understands why she could not confide in him but says he forgives her and he wants her forever. With this new knowledge, she goes to Gerald and confronts him, asking for her children back, to which he agrees, but only as Arnie has set things straight by telling Gerald he set the fire and of course by then this is in the local papers. So Will and Hyacinth get married and thats the end.... and the beginning of a happy ending

This was an amazing story with every emotion possible right there for you to feel along with the characters! A woman's struggle for everything we hold dear to our hearts! The woman in this story has a unique name, Hyacinth. She proves to be a unique woman in all she goes through to prevent being arrested for setting a fire that kills a young fireman. She believes she is innocent until her husband hands her the evidence that can send her to prison where she will never see her two children grow up. Could this really be true? She accepts a deal from her husband that promises her freedom, but finds it difficult and heart wrenching to live with? I loved this book and couldn't wait to read how it ends.Plus there is a twist that did surprise me!

What do You think about After The Fire (2001)?

I hated the character, honestly who could be so stupid and lie so much to everyone. The end though honestly surprised me. I haven't decided if I like this book or not. I've never read a book where I dislike the main character as much as this one.
—Jennifer Hillier

I had never even heard of Belva Plain when I saw this novel for sale at our library, but I thought the synopsis was intriguing and boy was I right. And I've since learned that several of you have read and loved Plain's books, and if they are all like this one I can understand why.Where to begin? The characters were wonderful--full of real life emotion and actions and often complex. The writing was also well done--admittedly the story started off a bit slow for me, but that is because the real drama of the story was yet to come. Once things really got dicey, it was tough to put this book down (though sadly I had to a few times with everything going on for the holiday weekend). In some ways, the story is part mystery, though mainly it is about a woman, Hyacinth, who is coping with a nasty divorce, limited time with her own children, and an inability to really trust people and sometimes even be around them. She lives in daily fear that her ex-husband will expose a secret that she can hardly believe even happened. Eventually another man comes into her life, but as much as she loves him, her inability to trust him and disclose what has happened in her past ultimately comes between them. Of course, there is her ex-husband's partner, Arnie, who we know is in love with her throughout the entire story, though she doesn't feel that she can reciprocate those feelings. Do you see how the story quickly becomes complicated and heart-wrenching at times? Oh, and as for that ex-husband, Gerald... boy do you love to hate him, or at least I did. A more condescending, unreasonable, unfaithful jerk you'll be hard-pressed to find, though he tries so hard to cover it all up with his "charm."When the truth about that tragic secret was finally revealed, I have to admit I was pretty surprised. I suppose I ought to have seen it coming, but I think that in many ways I am as naive as our protagonist, Hyacinth. Plain really did a brilliant job weaving an incredible story that at times seems almost unbelievable, though in reality stranger things have happened. It is rewarding to see Hyacinth's life start to turn around, though her road is certainly bumpy as she tries to move on from what has happened to her.
—Melissa

Please give me back the hours I spent reading this book. Starting with the horrid title (because the fire is gone from their marriage, you see?) and ending after 300+ pages of dramadramadrama. The main character, Hyacinth, is supposedly an artist in a happy marriage. Then suddenly she loses her husband and the custody of the kids (and of course finds that lost artsy side of herself in the process). I feel for her, but even more I'm annoyed by her whining and crying and uselessness. She seems content on being a victim, waiting to be rescued by someone. She's also boring and not very nice (at one point she thinks to herself how her friend will be fat in a few years, the poor thing...because that's the kind of thing you notice about your friends right?). The book has the word "heartwarming" in the backcover. I usually know to avoid these books...we are never friends.
—Helmisade

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