Thank you RB Media Recorded Books for allowing me to read and review Bonfire Night on NetGalley.

Published: 12/26/23

Narrator: Alex Dunmore

Stars: 3

Confused. I had a difficult time taking the story seriously and never reached the point where I didn't want the book to end. I had a lot of sighing, eye rolling and looking at time left. It was more than I didn't like the characters, I didn't care.

The story seemed like a creative writing project. There were times throughout that I thought this might make an interesting magazine story.

Adding further injury, the narrator frustrated me -- everyone sounded the same.

I would recommend reading the synopsis and commit to the story, and you may have a better experience.

I became very invested in these characters. I certainly had my opinion about what they were doing and what should happen. A bit disappointed in the ending because of this but a very interesting read.

𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
𝐁𝐲 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐁𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟏𝟐.𝟐𝟔.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑


This was an eye-opening look at England's political and cultural landscape during the late 1930s—especially the rise of fascism and the subsequent anti-fascism protests.

The story follows Kate Grifferty, a woman photojournalist - which is rare, who is driven to prove herself and advance in her career. She crosses paths with David Rabatkin in East London at an anti-fascist protest. Kate is there to get a great photo; David is coming from the hospital, where he is a medical student, to meet his brother.

The two were not looking for love; both were ambitious and had careers ahead of them. Even more of an obstacle: Kate is Irish Catholic, while David is Jewish.

This is undoubtedly an emotional and complicated love story during a turbulent time. I enjoyed that Kate is a strong-willed woman, and the descriptions of her work are fascinating.

Although not surprising, it’s always heartbreaking to see how much racism, antisemitism, and division always existed everywhere, no matter what was going on in the world.

****The audiobook was archived before I could listen to it unfortunately even though I downloaded it***

Bonfire Night, written by Anna Bliss, takes place before snd during World War II in England. This book follows Kate, an Irish Catholic photographer, and David, a Jewish medical student, who meet at a protest in 1936. They hit it off, but unfortunately struggle to connect based on their different backgrounds and family expectations. I greatly enjoyed this book, and the different ways that each character fought against the antisemitism that was occurring during this time period. I also appreciated how the trauma of war was discussed, especially from the point of view of children. Thank you to NetGalley, and to the publisher and author of this book, for a free ALC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This well-written novel of historical fiction brings the plight of Kate and David together as they fall in love and war begins. Kate uses her photography skills to bring attention and awareness to the plight of those she encounters, and David takes care of patients injured in the war. I enjoyed the author's writing style and the way she captures images, like photographs, with her words. I listened to the audiobook in addition to following along in the book and both are a beautiful way to immerse yourself in this incredible story.

Star-crossed lovers who leave their mark on each other’s lives. Do they become a couple, or are they the ones who got away?

Kate, a Catholic photographer, grew up with a hands-off father after her mother died in childbirth. She is fiercely independent, which is good since she works in a man’s world of photojournalism in London during World War II.

David is a Jewish medical student from a close-knit but impoverished family in London. He is working very hard to become a doctor to help his family. David’s mom wants him to marry a nice Jewish girl and have kids, even if it is initially not true love.

Anna Bliss wrote a beautiful story that made me smile, cry, and even have a few nail-biting moments. I hope there are more books for us to enjoy in the future! The audiobook was narrated by the ever-so-talented Alex Dunmore. Thank you for the advanced listener copy, NetGalley, and Recorded Books media.

Kate, an aspiring photojournalist in 1936 London, is in love with David, whose family will never accept her because she is not Jewish. She has no desire to give up her life to become a wife and mother, when she finds herself pregnant and not willing to tell David. Kate takes it upon herself and moves in with her sister to work in a boarding house and raise her daughter. Reading about antisemitism in London during WWII isn’t all that different from what is going on now. This was an interesting romance as they were not together through most of the book. I loved the feminist views of Kate and how she wanted to work and not be only someone’s wife. However, both Kate and David seemed selfish in their own ways. This was a character driven novel with easy storytelling. What a wonderful debut by Bliss. This was a story about love, expectations, feminism, and family.

Bonfire Night: A Gripping and Emotional WW2 Novel of Star Crossed Love was Anna Bliss’s debut novel. I alternately listened to the audiobook that was well narrated by Alex Dunmore and read parts of Bonfire Night on my kindle. Bonfire Night took place in London over the years of 1936 through 1940. I enjoyed the way the author, Anna Bliss, developed the two central characters that were portrayed in this book. They were genuinely believable and well thought out. Their character development supported the roles they played throughout the book. Bonfire Night was well plotted, nicely written and paced just right. Although I did not learn much from this book, I enjoyed reading it. I found it interesting that the author chose to create a romance between a Jewish man and an Irish Catholic woman in this book and explored all the controversies that their relationship instilled.

Kate Grifferty grew up lonely and unloved. Her mother died when Kate was quite young. Her father provided a home for her and the essential things Kate needed to live. The one thing that Kate craved from her father was his love but her father was never able to give that to her. Whatever Kate did, her father never showed her the recognition, appreciation or love that she so desired. Even her older sister eventually left Kate when she got married. Kate missed the closeness she once shared with her sister but came to realize that that was gone forever too. Over the years, Kate learned to accept the neglect she was shown by her father. Despite everything, Kate became a press photographer and she was quite good at it.

David Rabatkin grew up in London in an Observant Jewish home with a loving mother, father and younger brother, Simon. When David was growing up, his sister had died from an illness that had spread throughout his entire family. Everyone else had been lucky enough to survive the illness except for his sister. His sister’s death greatly influenced his decision to become a doctor. When that tragedy occurred, David wanted to be able to help save lives. His parents sacrificed a lot to send David to medical school. David was a devoted son and always tried to do the things his parents expected of him. That included marrying a Jewish woman. David knew that marrying someone who was not Jewish would be an embarrassment to the family. He tried hard to please his family even when he was conflicted with his own feelings.

Fate brought Kate and David together. Kate Grifferty and David Rabatkin attended the same anti-Fascist protest in East London. Kate was there to photograph it for the paper she worked for. David was there at his younger brother, Simon’s request. It was pure fate that they met. David and Kate were instantly drawn to each other. They began to see each other. Neither Kate nor David were looking for a relationship. David tried desperately to stay away from Kate but he couldn’t. Both David and Kate fell in love with each other. What would David do? Could he convince his parents that his love for Kate was genuine and that mattered more than her being Jewish? Would David be able to leave his family behind for Kate?

Bonfire Night was a powerful yet poignant historical novel that explored the controversial role Kate played as a woman who chose a career that was seen as a man’s in a male dominated industry. It explored the beautiful yet challenging romance that existed between Kate and David at its conception and long after they went their separate ways. Would they ever find their way back to one another? As her debut novel, Bonfire Night was quite impressive. I look forward to seeing what Anna Bliss writes next. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook of Bonfire Night and highly recommend it.

Thank you to Recorded Books for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of Bonfire Night by Anna Bliss through Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an ARC of Bonfire Night in exchange for an honest opinion.
I enjoyed Bonfire Night. I like the author's note at the end that let's you know what parts are based on facts. I feel like this is a unique story and I learned new things about life during WW2.

Bonfire Night was well-written, and its historical information was well-delivered, setting the scene with great detail and depth. The idea of a female news photographer attempting to earn professional recognition in the male-dominated world of Britain in the 1930s and 1940s was extremely interesting. As a novel, however, Bonfire Night was a disappointment. The main female character was not terribly sympathetic, her child was a poorly disciplined brat, a romantic relationship that steered much of the story was ruthlessly abandoned, as were several secondary story lines. (What happened to David's brother Simon? Did David's mother ever get to know her first grandchild?) Even the title, in light of its significance in the story, is misleading. I will not be eagerly anticipating more work from this author.

It Just was not a book for me, the story was interesting, but I cannot put my finger on why i did not come invested in the book. The narrativ was excellent though. It felt like she cared about the book she was reading. And her voice was soothing. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

Spanning from England's anti-fascism protests of 1936 through the aftermath of WWII, this moving, intricately wrought historical novel brings together Kate Grifferty, a young Irish Catholic photographer, and David Rabatkin, a British Jewish medical student, each discovering the price of love, art, and ambition.

Throughout this work, Anna Bliss captures the emotions and struggles of ordinary people attempting to survive in extraordinary times. Both Kate and David love their work, and balancing the ambition of a career with their love for each other is a challenge...and that's before their religious differences and the imminent threats of bombings in London are factored in. I found myself truly feeling for these characters-- rejoicing in their love, frustrated at some of their immature decisions, and hoping that they would find a way back to each other. Bliss gives us a heartbreaking look into an evolving love story, and how bright glimmers of hope can come from such dark times.

Alex Dunmore’s narration really brought the story to life, and I would highly recommend the audio version.

Thank you to Netgalley, RB Media, and Anna Bliss for the ALC!

1936: All Kate Grifferty wants is a chance to prove herself. Unbeknownst to her father who sent her to school, she chose to study photography instead of secretarial courses. His lack of interest in her life is nothing new though. Kate dreams of working for a reputable paper, but unfortunately, the only job she can get is working for a handsy older man at a Fleet Street agency. Determined to get her shot, Kate takes chances that many other photographers won’t, including getting in the middle of an anti-fascism protest in East London. There she literally runs into Jewish medical student David Rabatkin who, at the request of their mother, is accompanying his brother in hopes of keeping him out of trouble. What begins as a chance meeting quickly blossoms into something more, but the odds are stacked against the two as their faiths clash and the political world is imploding around them.

1940: Kate is forced to flee London to her sister’s boarding house in Brighton. At the seaside and away from all the action, this photographer feels as though she is losing her dream and is unsure of her future. David is left behind working in the hospitals dealing with the never-ending victims of the German Luftwaffe’s wake. He tries his best to forget Kate, the woman his family would never accept and move on, but finds it near impossible. Fate does what it will though, and the two cross paths again and must make a choice.

These star crossed lovers not only faced turmoil in their relationship, but also in their every day lives as well. The sacrifices each make for their family are heartbreaking, and the secrets they keep from one another make one want to cry out in frustration. Bonfire Night is another fantastic addition to the WWII historical fiction genre, and more realistic than many stories as the plights so many had to face during war are put on full display.

Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media, and the author Anna Bliss for the advanced copy of the audiobook. Bonfire Night is out on December 26th. All opinions are my own.

Kate is one of the only female news photographers working in London and has no desire to give up her freedom for domesticity. When she meets Jewish doctor-in-training, David, they fall into a heated affair, both sure that their disparate backgrounds mean they can never have a real life together. As tensions in Europe rise in the wake of World War II, the couple must face questions of love, family, and autonomy.

Among the many novels set in WWII England, I felt that this book stood out. The interreligious romance was compelling and realistic and both characters were complex and relatable. Bliss captured the emotions and struggles of ordinary people surviving in extraordinary times.

Alex Dunmore’s narration really brought the story to life, and I would highly recommend the audio version. Thank you to Netgalley for the ALC.