Burning Bright

Title: Burning Bright
Author: Tracy Chevalier
Harper, 2008 (2007)

I remember liking Girl with a Pearl Earring as well as Falling Angels and, therefore, I am quite disappointed by this new novel. It takes place in London in 1792 and centers on a family escaping tragedy in their bucolic paradise (Dorset) for the big city. Chevalier does capture a sense of place and 18th century Lambeth feels real and tangible. What is missing is a good story though and without it we are not left with much. On top of it all, the novel tries to teach us something that would be more suitable for a childrens's book: nothing is black and white, we have to look for the truth in more the more complex shades of gray. I did know that already...