5. The Book of Fires by Jane Borodale

The sights, sounds, and smells of a gritty London in 1752 come alive in Borodale’s enchanting debut. Agnes Trussel is 17 and living with her impoverished family in the English countryside of Sussex. Her mother is downtrodden with numerous children that she can barely feed, and her father is constantly drinking and out of work. When Agnes discovers she is pregnant by a village boy that she has no desire of marrying, she knows she must flee her family before she disgraces them. A chance discovery of a dead neighbor and a secret stash of coins helps Agnes to London, where she takes a job with a fireworks maker, Mr. Blacklock. While fearful of her employer finding out about her pregnancy and theft, Agnes can’t help but get drawn into Blacklock’s quest to put color into fireworks.

Borodale does a marvelous job at creating a creeping sense of foreboding and tension about what will happen to Agnes and her child. Agnes is a sympathetic character and readers will soon be caught up with her plight, which Borodale neatly sums up at the end. For anyone who has walked along the Thames, Borodale’s description of a crowded and loud area full of busy markets, rotting food, rowdy pubs, and crime will make people see it the area it used to be. Details about the world of pyrotechnics of the time were fascinating and add to the historic feel of the novel. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction.