On Fire Island
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4.5 • 66 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
"Dazzling...as funny as it is poignant, nostalgic as it is sharp." —Carley Fortune, New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After
A book editor spends one last summer on Fire Island in this sparkling and surprising new novel from the author of A Shoe Story.
As a book editor, Julia Morse lived and breathed stories. Whether with her pen to a manuscript or curled up with a book while at her beloved Fire Island cottage, her imagination alight with a good tale, she could anticipate practically any ending. The ending she’d never imagined was her own.
To be fair, no one expects to die at thirty-seven. So when the unthinkable happens to Julia, rather than following the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, she chooses to spend one last summer near those she loves most.
As she follows her adoring, novelist husband Ben to their—unexpectedly full—home on Fire Island, she discovers the ripple affect her life has had on the trajectory of so many: her baseball loving, young-at-heart neighbor who believes it’s best not to go it alone, two bright-eyed teenagers eager to become adults, and her best friend who must shake off heartbreak for a new chance at love.
With poignant comedy and insight, On Fire Island is an ode to the stories all around us and to the brightest types of loves…for the people closest to you and the places that shape you.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Rosen's poignant and humorous latest (after A Shoe Story), the ghost of a recently deceased woman observes her loved ones as they try to move on. Editor Julia and writer Ben Morse had an idyllic marriage before Julia died from cancer. Ben, devastated, ditches the shiva service at their New York City apartment for a trip to Fire Island, where he and Julia shared many happy moments. Julia follows him and witnesses their friends react to her absence and continue their lives without her. As well, Ben finds companionship and a foil in Shep, who owned the Morses' house for many years with her late wife and can't seem to stay away. Meanwhile, Julia's best friend Renee, whose dull husband recently ditched her for his assistant, finds comfort and affection in Gabe, a drummer 20 years her junior ("a plumber!" her teen son Matty exclaims when they meet, pretending he didn't hear correctly). Rosen has a winning sense of humor, bringing levity not to awkward and painful moments, and she packs the narrative with vivid details of beach life and city life. This is a treat.
Customer Reviews
You will fall in love with Fire Island
On FIre Island
A Novel
By Jane L. Rosen
Book Review by Sylvia Jacobs
This is first seen upon opening the book “For everyone who’s ever missed the ferry by one minute.” Fire Island is an actual island made up of 17 different communities. Fire Island is a thirty-two- mile barrier beach off the coast of Long Island. It is a narrow strip of land. Why is it called Fire Island? None of us know.
Julia was known by her father as a skeptic. Benjamin Morse got down on one knee and gave Julia an advanced copy of his second novel.
He wrote in the dedication of the book. I love you, Julia. Marry me? Julia said yes. They had their first kiss on Fire Island. Would she be his editor for most of her life?
What kind of writer was Benjamin Morse? Would he write love stories and gripping sports pieces?
Would he write these stories on trains, planes, and in hotel rooms, while covering games and tournaments and the Olympics?
Would the New York Times be writing about him?
Would he become a five time best-selling author?
The positive of the book was reading about Fire Island. People who went there definitely wanted to return. It was for romantic people and it was viewed as a magical place.
The negative part of the book was hearing of the death of Julia.
This book is given the rating of 5 out of 5 stars, for hearing all about Fire Island and it’s beauty told by the author who truly loves Fire Island.
This book is recommended to all that want to read a book filled with so much about Fire Island. The author found it to be a magical place.