- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson; First Edition edition (14 April 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0297848267
- ISBN-13: 978-0297848264
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 14.4 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,120,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
'FIRECRACKER is a superbly executed and extremely well written spine chilling thriller...[and] an intensely gripping read ...FIRECRACKER isa superbly worked piece and Stewart's assured and really very artful style is a joy to read.' (SFRevu (April 2005) )
'A comical but eerie must-read.' ***** (HEAT (23-29 April 2005) )
'Stewart delivers wry, self-deprecating humour and laugh aloud moments...This is a poignant story of a man coming of age (albeit several years overdue) and a highly recommended read.' (Cath Staincliffe TANGLED WEB UK )
'Firecracker is an assured, moving supernatural drama, with the emphasis squarely on the drama. Part of its strength comes from its narrator, a going-nowhere Texan thirtysomething divorcee with a bossy daughter and a big clan of mixed-up relatives. The hero's wry narration makes his slow revelations of a deep-seated emotional pain all the more effective.' (Andrew Osmond DREAMWATCH (April 2005) )
'Firecracker is a delightful, thought-provoking and intelligent little book, one that really makes you wonder what it would be like if you were able to see dead people.' (Simon Withers SFX (June 2005) )
'Firecracker is both moving and funny, touching on the profound but with its feet set firmly on the ground.' (THE THIRD ALTERNATIVE (Summer '05) )
'a good novel about Texas and redemption which satisfies those of us addicted addicted to the neatness of story and the working out of a plot driven as much by ideas as characters.' (TIME OUT (13-20 July 20050 )
'A comical but eerie must-read.' ***** (HEAT (23-29 April 2005) )
'Stewart delivers wry, self-deprecating humour and laugh aloud moments...This is a poignant story of a man coming of age (albeit several years overdue) and a highly recommended read.' (Cath Staincliffe TANGLED WEB UK )
'Firecracker is an assured, moving supernatural drama, with the emphasis squarely on the drama. Part of its strength comes from its narrator, a going-nowhere Texan thirtysomething divorcee with a bossy daughter and a big clan of mixed-up relatives. The hero's wry narration makes his slow revelations of a deep-seated emotional pain all the more effective.' (Andrew Osmond DREAMWATCH (April 2005) )
'Firecracker is a delightful, thought-provoking and intelligent little book, one that really makes you wonder what it would be like if you were able to see dead people.' (Simon Withers SFX (June 2005) )
'Firecracker is both moving and funny, touching on the profound but with its feet set firmly on the ground.' (THE THIRD ALTERNATIVE (Summer '05) )
'a good novel about Texas and redemption which satisfies those of us addicted addicted to the neatness of story and the working out of a plot driven as much by ideas as characters.' (TIME OUT (13-20 July 20050 )
THE THIRD ALTERNATIVE (Summer '05)
'Firecracker is both moving and funny, touching on the profound but with its feet set firmly on the ground.'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It sat on my bookshelf for a couple of months (the woes of 3 for the price of 2 offers!) but yesterday morning I picked it up and didn't put it down until it was done - a superb read, you could feel the dirt and grime and you could see what he saw, really well written. Black humour, with real torment. How does anyone ever get over their first love and move on? What do you do when you wake up and realise that you haven't made it and your 32 years old already! I highly recommend it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm not usually one for reading 'scary books' and to me this sounded a bit eerie, which is why I put off reading it for so long. Sure enough, it starts off fairly promising; Will 'Dead' Kennedy is just a young boy when he sees his Uncle Billy at a family reunion- only the trouble is, his uncle actually died quite some time before...
This book had all the makings of a really good story, Will himself is fairly likeable, a bit of a down and out but not too creepy; only after a really promising beginning where he is called upon to assist with some 'ghost removal' from a distant relatives garage and the essence of the plot is highlighted it all goes a bit downhill and the 'scary' moments begin to dwindle.
There's admittedly a few good bits- i.e. he frequently sees dead people on the bus/in the street and how he 'views' dead people as being in black and white as opposed to colour but has problems distinguishing them at night. I would have liked to have seen a bit more being made of the whole 'ghost roads' scenario as this was mentioned a couple of times and sounded quite interesting, but alas it wasn't really developed upon. The ending itself was a bit rubbish if I'm honest.
Nevertheless, I read it quickly and it did hold my attention, but its nowhere near as good as I'd hoped it would be from the summary on the back cover. The beginning is definitely the best bit. If you want someone who can see dead people with a better developed plot, then you're probably better off watching 'The Sixth Sense' instead!
This book had all the makings of a really good story, Will himself is fairly likeable, a bit of a down and out but not too creepy; only after a really promising beginning where he is called upon to assist with some 'ghost removal' from a distant relatives garage and the essence of the plot is highlighted it all goes a bit downhill and the 'scary' moments begin to dwindle.
There's admittedly a few good bits- i.e. he frequently sees dead people on the bus/in the street and how he 'views' dead people as being in black and white as opposed to colour but has problems distinguishing them at night. I would have liked to have seen a bit more being made of the whole 'ghost roads' scenario as this was mentioned a couple of times and sounded quite interesting, but alas it wasn't really developed upon. The ending itself was a bit rubbish if I'm honest.
Nevertheless, I read it quickly and it did hold my attention, but its nowhere near as good as I'd hoped it would be from the summary on the back cover. The beginning is definitely the best bit. If you want someone who can see dead people with a better developed plot, then you're probably better off watching 'The Sixth Sense' instead!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This all sounded a little bit like Sixth Sense and so I expected a bit of helping the dead to "pass over" etc, maybe resolving the crime noted in the blurb, but no.
The book is actually about how Will has stuffed up his life, which only gets worse after he finds a ghost at his cousin's house. I got pretty bored of all his whinging, it ruined what could have been a very good book, if it had looked more at the dead people side of things. And the ending isn't great, it doesn't really explain why things change, they just do.
This book will keep you occupied for a while, but don't expect great things.
The book is actually about how Will has stuffed up his life, which only gets worse after he finds a ghost at his cousin's house. I got pretty bored of all his whinging, it ruined what could have been a very good book, if it had looked more at the dead people side of things. And the ending isn't great, it doesn't really explain why things change, they just do.
This book will keep you occupied for a while, but don't expect great things.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not what I was expecting...
The blurb on the back of this novel is incredibly misleading. You might think that you are going to get something like a psychic murder investigation, but what you actually get is... Read more
Published on 21 Dec 2006 by Sarah Durston
Snap, Firecrackle, then Plop
If you could see dead people the chances are that you would have some emotional and psychological problems. Read more
Published on 28 Nov 2006 by Sam
not what i expected
I liked the sound of this book after reading the short paragraph on the back. I expected it to be a good read, but was very disappointed. Read more
Published on 29 July 2006 by R. Hutton
Slow burning classic
NOTE: Firecracker was originally published as 'Perfect Circle' in the US.
Its a ghost story, a road trip, a cool tale of a contemporary guy with the ability to see... Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2005 by K. P. Mcveigh
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