Joséphine
Written on Sep 3, 2021
'A delicious, evocative story' THE GUARDIAN
From the author of THE POET X comes a sumptuous prose novel, perfect for fans of Angie Thomas' On the Come Up, Justin Reynolds' Opposite of Always and Nicola Yoon
Ever since she got pregnant, seventeen-year-old Emoni's life has been about making the tough decisions - doing what has to be done for her young daughter and her grandmother. Keeping her head down at school, trying not to get caught up with new boy Malachi. The one place she can let everything go is in the kitchen, where she has magical hands - whipping up extraordinary food beloved by everyone.
Emoni wants to be a chef more than anything, but she knows it's pointless to pursue the impossible. There are rules she has to play by. And yet, once she starts cooking, and gets that fire on high, she sees that her drive to feed will feed her soul and dreams too. And anything is possible.
'With its judicious depth and brilliant blazes of writing that simmer, then nourish, With the Fire on High is literary soul food' New York Times
- ISBN10 1471409007
- ISBN13 9781471409004
- Publish Date 19 September 2019 (first published 7 May 2019)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Hot Key Books
- Format Paperback
- Pages 400
- Language English
Reviews
nannah
Written on Feb 13, 2021
Content warnings:
- pedophilia (the father of the protagonist’s baby pursued her when she was 14 and he was 18. The book goes into some detail into how they met, their relationship, and their sexual relationship)
- abuse (related to above: he’s controlling and manipulative)
- Rromani slur
Representation:
- the protagonist and her family are black and Puerto Rican
- almost all of the secondary characters are black as well
- the protagonist's best friend is a lesbian
Emoni is a high school student and a single mom with only her abuela around to lend a hand. She’s struggling with grades and doesn’t have time for any extracurriculars (school-wise or otherwise), but at home in the kitchen is her space to let go of all stressors. Her hands there have magic, and a little bit of that magic goes into everything she cooks. When Emoni sees there’s a new culinary arts class at her school that includes a trip to Spain, her heart leaps even though she knows she can’t afford it. Can’t afford it and can’t afford to dream of becoming an actual chef. With a gift like hers, however, nothing is impossible.
As you might guess, food is another main character of this book. There are little recipes of Emoni’s placed after every new section, food descriptions are lovely and evocative, and food is largely what brings people together and what helps Emoni sort out her issues. But I think what I loved most about this was the family dynamics. Every scene with Emoni and her abuela (and her babygirl, of course) was so beautifully written -- as well the scenes with Emoni’s father, which are mostly written as a phone conversation or ones with her mother, which are mostly written as memories shared with an aunt through email conversations. Food connects all of these moments, but I feel like it takes a step back.
There’s also incredible delicacy and warmth when it comes to Emoni and the struggles -- and the joys -- of being a teen mother. I read in the acknowledgements that the author got help from an actual teen mom for this, and you can tell. There are things that just aren’t noticed when you aren’t or don’t know someone who has gone through things that are present here (especially when it comes to her abuela needing space to “be herself again and not just a caretaker”). I bet the realism and representation is really appreciated.
But the love triangle with Malachi seemed forced (mostly because Malachi himself seemed to be so reluctant to be a part of it), and I didn’t like Emoni’s dislike of Pretty Leslie -- and other “pretty” girls like her who wear plenty of makeup and have long, painted nails -- in a cliched, outdated “I’m not like other girls” kind of way. There was also the fact Emoni was literally perfect at cooking and never seemed to improve or struggle or learn new things because her gift was just That Perfect. I understand all the growing was done outside of food, but also … all of her problems were solved because she was naturally gifted (just like her best friend, who was also Naturally Perfectly Gifted at art and graphic design). Speaking of the best friend, there was a scene where after she came out, Emoni immediately asked if she was nice to her because she had a crush on her. I'm really, really sick of seeing this as a lesbian myself (and having gone through it). While I understand Emoni's own insecurities in this scene, I wish I didn't have to see it again.
But despite those issues (and the abuse from Tyrone which I felt didn’t get a proper resolution mostly because I have issues of my own), this really is a great YA read. The writing is wonderful most of the time, the characters are bright and play off each other well, and the whole thing leaves you feeling warm and loved.
ibeforem
Written on Jul 29, 2020
Emoni is starting her senior year of high school, but one thing makes her different than her classmates -- Emoni had a baby when she was a freshman. While all her classmates and friends are looking ahead to what college they are going to and what path they want to take, Emoni is wondering if college is a part of her future at all. When a culinary elective is reintroduced to her school, she decides that this may be her chance to see if her cooking is all its cracked up to be.
Having a baby isn't Emoni's only challenge. She is an afro-latinx girl living in Philadelphia with her grandmother. Her father is more attached to Puerto Rico than he is to her. Her baby's father and his family aren't the easiest to get along with. She and her grandmother struggle with money. She often longs to do things a teen without all these responsibilities would do, but to her credit, she has a good head on her shoulders. She takes a few wrong turns along the way, but I think she ends up where she needs to be in the end.
I enjoyed reading Emoni's journey. I like Acevedo's writing, and the chapters are really short so it's easy to get sucked into a "just one more chapter" cycle. There are a few things that I wish were different. Often the baby seems just thrown in as an afterthought, like "oh yeah, I have to account for where the kid is here". I also felt like some of the middle parts, like the fundraising work she does with her class, could have been a little more fleshed out and then maybe some of the trip stuff cut out. But overall, this was a really enjoyable read, and I will definitely look out for other books by Elizabeth Acevedo.
writehollydavis
Written on Jul 7, 2020
readingwithwrin
Written on Jun 25, 2020
This book is very realistic and once again Acevedo has done an amazing job bringing it all to life. Emoni is a character I immediately loved because of how real she is, she constantly has to make tough decisions as a a single parent not only for herself, but her child as well all while balancing going to highschool. With The Fire on High focuses on Emoni's senior year, and how she needs to choose what she is going to do with her life, to support herself and her daughter. While she does have the support of her homeroom teacher as well as another teacher later on it's still a scary decision, and one made even more complicated by the expectations her absentee father has put on her. She is also having to deal with her Abuela keeping secrets from her, and an ex-boyfriends family making her life more difficult at times. One thing besides her daughter that keeps Emoni going is her passion and love for cooking. It's what she loves to do and something that she feels extremely connected to in a way she can't quite explain, but one that she knows will help her in life.
Overall I loved this book. Emoni and the people around her have become some of my favorite characters I've read this year. The relationship she has with her Abuela is one that I loved seeing and even though it was complicated at times, I am so happy it ended the way it did. When it came to Emoni and school her willingness to take more on to have a chance at doing what she loves is inspiring especially with the support she was getting from two of her teachers who saw that passion in it from her. The ending of this book was amazing and one that I wish more stories would have.
Acevedo is one of my all-time favorite authors and I cannot wait to read her newest book Clap When You Land.
leahrosereads
Written on Mar 25, 2020
This was the first book I read by this author but it won't be the last.
tylerrosereads
Written on Mar 9, 2020
merryfaith
Written on Jan 18, 2020
All this to say, if it sounds like something you'd enjoy, you most definitely will.
Renee
Written on Jan 7, 2020
First, the positive things about this book. I loved seeing a mix of Spanish and English without having every word translated. There was a lot of Latina representation. I do not know how well it was done, but I enjoyed it. The main character faces real struggles that were not so easily fixed. It has amazing descriptions of food.
Now, let's talk about the reasons why I didn't like this book. Every character was so extremely flat in this book. Even the main character seemed to be a stereotype. And don't even get me started on this Leslie girl. She didn't have any personality except for being the pretty mean girl, which we only saw because the main character told us this. It didn't always reflect in her actions, especially since we saw no side character ever interacting with anyone else throughout this whole book.
Months passed but relationships didn't change even in the slightest. No development, no news, just exactly where they left off.
I am sick of the main character being 'oh so special'! I was looking forward to reading about a Latina character who loved to cook, but instead got a character that 'had a gift' and every time someone ate her food, they got memories of the past. Oh and just everyone loves Emoni's food. Literally everyone. People have different tastes. It would have been nice if just one person would have been like 'yeah it's good, but I prefer the original recipe' you know? Especially because this was such a huge deal in her cooking class.
Also, authors please stop using the phrase 'She released a breath she didn't know she was holding'. Normally I don't mind it, but now it popped up so frequently and in the weirdest times.
Also, the description of Sevilla didn't seem to be correct. But honestly, that was the least of my problems.
Pigpen.Reads
Written on Nov 11, 2019
The explanation she gives for naming her babygirl Emma, I. Felt. That!
This character was relatable in some ways. It was definitely refreshing.