Playing With Fire

Barr, Amelia E., 1831-1919Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.6

Word count: 404K words
Chapters: 41

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Playing With Fire by Amelia E. BarrAuthor: Barr, Amelia E., 1831-1919,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jun 27, 2011

Editor's review

Playing With Fire is a novel by Amelia E. Barr, a prolific American author of the late 19th and early 20th centuries whose works often focus on family, emotion, and moral choice. The title suggests the tension between risk and danger, and the story revolves around characters' choices in love or circumstance, carrying the typical character of popular fiction of its day: brisk plotting, clear relationships, and an emphasis on readability rather than experimental narrative. As a public-domain eBook from Project Gutenberg, its value lies in giving readers zero-cost access to the face of late 19th-century American popular literature and to the storytelling modes and moral questions that readers of the time enjoyed. It is best read as a slice of its era: enjoy the suspense of the story itself while noting how the author handles themes of temptation, duty, and consequence. Because the book dates from an earlier period, some attitudes and narrative pacing may differ from what contemporary readers are used to; read it with the tolerance of a literary-historical perspective, focusing first on character motivation and plot turns, then reflecting on its period limitations.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy late 19th-century American popular fiction
Those interested in family ethics and emotional dilemmas
English learners who want to read public-domain English novels for free
Readers of traditional narrative who like clear plots and straightforward relationships

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer modern experimental narrative or complex structures
Readers sensitive to old-fashioned moral attitudes and easily pulled out of the story
Beginners who need extensive notes and scholarly guidance to read

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first to gauge the narrative pace, then decide whether to read closely or skim
While reading, note character relationships and key choices to better follow the plot turns
After finishing, compare it with other American popular novels of the same period in theme and technique

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is the book's theme?

Judging from the title and the author's usual subjects, the novel revolves around characters' adventures and choices in love or circumstance, touching on themes of temptation, duty, and consequence. For specific plot details, refer to the original text; start with the opening chapters to get a sense of the narrative tone.

Is the English difficult to read?

As a late 19th-century American novel, its sentence patterns are somewhat traditional but generally plain, and the narrative is plot-driven. Reading ability at CET-4 level or above is enough to attempt it; when you meet unfamiliar words, skip them first and keep hold of the main thread of characters and events.

Is it suitable for classroom or book-club use?

It can serve as supplementary reading in late 19th-century American popular literature and is suitable for discussing period morality and narrative modes. However, since it lacks scholarly notes, it is best paired with literary-historical background material, with the discussion leader supplying period context.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Barr, Amelia E., 1831-1919 Author

Amelia E. Barr (1831–1919) was an Anglo-American novelist active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Because public information is limited, details of her early life, education and nationality cannot be confirmed and are not speculated upon here. The collection holds 26 of her works, chiefly historical romances and regional fiction, along with an autobiography. Remember the Alamo draws on the Texas War of Independence, The Bow of Orange Ribbon is set in New York, while A Daughter of Fife, Christine: A Fife Fisher Girl and An Orkney Maid focus on Scottish fishing villages and island life, as do A Knight of the Nets and Jan Vedder's Wife. Her autobiography, All the Days of My Life, can be read alongside her novels. Barr wrote in a plain style, often portraying ordinary people's fortunes and family loyalties; her books found a wide readership in the English-speaking world and are now mainly of interest to students of nineteenth-century popular and regional fiction.