Playing With Fire

Amelia Edith Huddleston BarrNov 2015

3.7

Word count: 89K words
Chapters: 13

Summary

Glasgow is the city of Human Power. It is not a beautiful city, but the gray granite of which it is built gives it a natural nobility. There is nothing romantic about its situation, and its streets are too often steeped in wet, gray mist, or wrapped in yellowish vapor. But there are no loungers in them. The crowd is a busy, hard-working crowd, whose civic motto is Enterprise and Perseverance.

Editor's review

Set in Glasgow, the book opens by establishing the city's character: gray granite lends it a natural dignity, while damp mist and busy streets shape a citizenry whose motto is "Enterprise and Perseverance." The author, Barr, excels at unfolding characters' fates within everyday scenes, weaving urban space with individual choices so that the story has both human warmth and the weight of social observation. For readers who enjoy nineteenth-century English fiction and themes of city life and ordinary people's struggles, this book offers solid storytelling and a vivid sense of place. Note how the author uses environmental description to heighten characters' circumstances, and how the civic motto "Enterprise and Perseverance" echoes through the plot. Note also that this is a reprint of an old work; its narrative pace and language carry the marks of its time, and readers used to fast-paced contemporary fiction may need some adjustment.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy nineteenth-century English fiction and regional description
Literary fans interested in city life and ordinary citizens' struggles
Readers studying Barr's work or Scottish urban writing
Readers who accept the pace of older fiction and prefer ensemble characters

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer fast-paced contemporary fiction with strong plots
Readers impatient with nineteenth-century narrative language and pacing
Readers seeking explicit historical documentation or a city guide

Reading tips

At the start, note the description of the city's character and civic motto as a key to understanding characters' motives.
Track character relationships and changing circumstances chapter by chapter to avoid confusion with the large cast.
After finishing, revisit the opening city description to see how environment runs through and heightens the characters' fates.

Copyright information
CHAPTER I THE MINISTER'S FAMILY
CHAPTER IILORD RICHARD CRAMER
CHAPTER IIIDONALD PLEASES HIS FATHER
CHAPTER IVTHE GREAT TEMPTATION
CHAPTER VTHE MINISTER IN LOVE
CHAPTER VIDONALD TAKES HIS OWN WAY
CHAPTER VIIMARION DECIDES
CHAPTER VIIIMACRAE LEARNS A HARD LESSON
CHAPTER IXWHEN WILL THE NIGHT BE PAST?
CHAPTER XA DREAM
CHAPTER XILOVE IS THE FULFILLING OF THE LAW
CHAPTER XIIAFTERWARD

FAQ

Where is the book set, and what is the atmosphere like?

The story is set in Glasgow. The opening describes a city built of gray granite—not beautiful but dignified—with streets often shrouded in damp, cold mist and busy, diligent citizens whose motto is "Enterprise and Perseverance." The overall atmosphere is practical with a touch of gloom.

What themes does Barr focus on in this book?

Judging from the opening portrayal of Glasgow's citizens, the work concerns city life and ordinary people's struggles, emphasizing the civic spirit of enterprise and perseverance. Readers can note how the author interweaves the urban environment with characters' circumstances and fateful choices.

Do I need prior knowledge of Scottish history to read this book?

No specialized historical knowledge is required. The opening establishes the background and tone through the city's character and civic motto, which is enough to enter the story. If interested in Glasgow's history, you may look up materials while reading, but this is not a prerequisite for understanding the plot.

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About the author

Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr Author · 1831–1919

Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr (1831–1919) was born in Ormskirt, Lancashire, England, and later moved to the United States, settling in New York. She is known for her historical romances, including The Wife of Jane Vede and Remember the Alamo, as well as Playing With Fire and I, Thou, and the Other One: A Love Story, both represented in this collection. Over her lifetime she wrote more than eighty novels along with numerous essays and poems, and was a widely popular woman novelist in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Her works often weave emotional entanglements with historical settings, unfolding with delicate plotting and gripping turns of fate. Because public information is limited, her early education and specific writing career cannot be described in detail, yet her diligence and influence in popular fiction remain a valuable sample for later studies of women's writing in this period.