2.5 stars
Unfortunately I only made it 40% into this one. The time jumps really took me out of the story because it was really hard to figure out what was really going on. By the 40% mark, I still didn't understand who the main character was or what the story was. There seemed to be very little character development and very little happening. I wish I had been able to keep going but I just didn't have the interest. Bummed because I had been excited about this one.

Molly Aitken’s Bright I Burn is a dark and mesmerizing exploration of grief, memory, and the haunting consequences of family secrets. The novel follows the life of a young woman struggling to piece together her identity while grappling with the ghostly presence of her past. I will say, this book felt SUPER rushed.

Bright I Burn was an excellent read. I loved the historical setting and interpretation of the persecution of witches,

This was a very strange and boring novel. I guess I'm not a fan of historical fiction. The writing was uninteresting.

Thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for this advanced copy.

What a interesting tale of Alice, a woman in medieval Ireland who is living to survive, even if it means killing a husband or two. Her tale of her desire for small powers in a world when women have almost none was mesmerizing and fascinating. Definitely worth a read.

I will crush him as I have countless other men.

If you're looking for a book about witches, this is not it.

Alice Kyteler is a strong-willed, free-thinking, passionate woman who did as she pleased at a time when women were expected to be meek and subservient. Her self-confidence occasionally borders on arrogance, and she uses some underhanded tactics to get exactly what she wants. You may not actually like her much.

On the air, I hear two voices. A cat yowling in pain, a tom growling with pleasure. The prey and the predator. I have been both in my life.
There is no witchcraft here, and indeed, the accusation is not raised until quite near the end of the book. But, how else could men of that time keep a bold woman under control except to cry, “Witch!”?

Aitken’s writing is sublime, and I must seek out her first book.

It is simply a bed, but when I was twelve, my father told me beds are where we make children, but I knew beds are also where children can be unmade, where a man's force can dislodge them, before they have rooted strongly enough. In the safety of our beds we are meant to mould our dreams. Yet beds can be places where a child is forced to no longer be a child.

This was a mesmerizing read about an unusual woman.

A compelling and entertaining portrait of the cunning thirteenth-century woman who made her own fortune and didn’t hesitate to dispose of the men who got in her way, starting with her father and moving on to several of her husbands. It’s richly done, atmospheric and visual. I think the author had fun filling out the life of this real character and shared her pleasure.
Nicely accomplished.

In a Nutshell: A literary fiction about a woman in thirteenth century Ireland who was the first to be condemned as a witch. Inspired by true events. Excellent themes. Had tremendous potential, but certain writing choices make this less impactful than it could have been.

Plot Preview:
1279. Kilkenny, Ireland. When little Alice Kyteler sees her mother wilt under the family responsibilities, she decides that she will not make the same mistakes and will keep control over her life. But can this be easy in a time and place where whatever men say or want is considered final? As Alice grows and matures over the course of the story, she is served well by her strengths: her propensity for business, and her calculating mind that is always focussed on survival. But with every increase in her social stature, the rumours about her private life grow worse.
The story, spanning several decades, comes to us in Alice’s first-person perspective.

PSA: The blurb reveals too much!

Bookish Yays:
🔥 The strong feminist theme, especially considering the era. While I didn’t agree with the writing choices, it was an unusual experience to see a historical protagonist being in total awareness of her sexual needs.
🔥 Alice’s first-person narration has strong YA vibes at the start, but as she grows, so does her voice. I like how the writing changes her tone in accordance with her age.
🔥 Of the secondary characters, I liked Alice’s servant Petronilla the most. I felt so sorry for her but also admired how she did what she needed to do, just as Alice, even though their situations were so different. Petronilla is also based on an actual historical woman.
🔥 The portrayal of the medieval era, with its patriarchal dominance, the ingrained misogyny, the restricted role of women in society, the blind adherence to the church’s dictates, and the fear of anything that can’t be explained.
🔥 The author's note, which clarifies how this is a fictional work but inspired by a true story of the first woman in Ireland to be condemned for witchcraft. Very helpful and insightful!
🔥 Love that powerful cover art and the punny title!

Bookish Mixed Bags:
🕯️ Unlike typical medieval woman characters, Alice is savvy in business and worldly matters. She knows what she wants, and is ready to do whatever it takes to survive in a man's world. As the first-person protagonist, she is not likeable, so it is tough to root for her. The writing perspective, Alice’s first-person, makes her sound arrogant and self-righteous, which further distances us away from her. But her complex personality makes the plot more nuanced.
🕯️ Somehow, the writing doesn't feel historical in sound, even though the setting is so old. Alice’s thoughts seem too outspoken and independent for that era. This might be on purpose, but somehow, it didn’t come across as convincing. Rather, it felt like a 13th century woman was spouting 21st century thoughts.
🕯️ The structuring of the plot takes some time to get used to. It is quite patchwork in style, covering a period of 52 years from 1279 to 1331, so we get only a quick glimpse of some key moments from across this vast period. On the positive side, the time indicators are excellent, and there is never any confusion of what year is going on. However, the frequent time jumps, though linear, can be annoying, especially when every new section is a scene in a completely different timeframe and no immediate continuity.
🕯️ The story is character-driven, but as we see the events only from Alice’s first-person perspective, the general character detailing is quite vague. Most characters, including Alice’s immediate family, are developed only as much as barely needed; we don’t get to see beyond one or two of their personality traits.
🕯️ Unlike most books of this ilk, not all the men are depicted as prigs. (Well, most of them are shown as prigs, but there are a couple of worthy exceptions.) However, none of the male characters, whether good or bad, have any depth. Alice’s spouses are the most monotonous. (If you want a spoiler on how many life partners she ends up having, read the blurb.)
🕯️ There are some interludes in between the time jumps. These contain either village gossip about Alice or some folk tales that suit the scene or some poems. Some of these interludes add to the narrative, some are just a bit too experimental.


Bookish Nays:
💥 If you read the blurb and pick this up expecting a witchy story, it’s not gonna happen! The main genre is strictly historical fiction, with zero witch-hunt scenes.
💥 In a period of 52 years, we ought to see the growth of a strong woman from youth to maturity, from dependence to independence. We ought to see her single-handedly managing her lending business, tackling the challenges from fellow businessmen, interacting with the villagers. But what do we actually get through most of the book? Her longing for men, her inner wish for being a wildcat in bed, the ways in which she wants/has "ferocious sex", the way she manipulates men into sleeping with her and/or marrying her, of ogling at and baiting even married men with her physical guiles, of babying her son and ignoring her daughter... Is this the best way of honouring this woman, by letting us know that wanting sex is the only important and most vital trait of a historical rebel? It’s an innovative writing choice and will work well for some readers. But it was too limited for my taste. I wanted to know Alice holistically, not just for her physical desires.
💥 Despite so much happening in the story, the narrative often feels like an endless first-person rambling. There is more focus on Alice’s inner monologues than on actual events.
💥 F words and blasphemous profanity – nope for such a setting and era.
💥 The ending was very disappointing. I can’t go into spoilers so I’ll just say: it was almost anticlimactic and too rushed.

All in all, I loved the intent of the book, but the execution was slightly disappointing. I expected to feel more concern and fear for Alice, but her attitude left me unsure. I wanted her story to burn brighter, but it had more of sporadic sparks than feisty flames. Though I like literary fiction, this was perhaps too literary and radical for its own good.
Recommended to lit fic fans looking for a story about a woman who knew what she and her body wanted. (That’s the best way I can frame it.) Not for readers looking for a witch-hunt story, or for a plot-driven narrative, or some redeemable characters. I liked it, but it didn’t impress me as much as I had expected.
3 stars.
My thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing the DRC of “Bright I Burn” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

3.5 stars rounded up

A beautifully written book about women in 13th century Ireland. The pacing was a bit too fast for me so it was hard to get to know the characters the way that I wanted to ... which might be the reason why I disliked them all. But overall I really enjoyed it.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Knopf, and the author, Molly Aitken, for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Successful women have long been taken for evil and many suffered or were tormented, robbed and killed. In 13th century Ireland, it’s no different. Alice Kyteler survives the death of her mother and learns the lending trade demonstrating a natural talent for it. Unfortunately, the death of sooo many of her husbands also attracts the wrong kind of attention. I really enjoyed the novel and appreciated the more subtle supernatural elements underlying the time and place. It’s a slow burn of a book, but I had to finish it. Happy I did.

Set in Ireland in the 13th-14th century, Bright I Burn follows the life of Alice, the daughter of a money lender and innkeeper, and then she is both of those by her own right. The novel weaves in and out of Alice’s life, as her wealth grows, as she marries, and buries, four husbands and as she draws the negative attention of those envious of her success. Ultimately, this is supposed to be the story of a woman who thrived in a man’s world, when she should not have. However, Alice was not very likable which made it hard for me to actually enjoy this. Interesting in that it is an era of history I know very little about, but for a solid ¾ of the book, I just did not like the main character.

Loosely based on the life of Alice Kyteler, the first woman accused of witchcraft in Ireland, Bright I Burn is a thoughtful exploration of what it is to be a woman in a world and society that are not built for you. Aitken does a fantastic job building the character of Alice, she's clearly done her research. The story doesn't go very far but I think for readers who are interested in a character study and engaging with the ideas in Bright I Burn, I think this will be a satisfying read.

This is an engaging reclaiming of the story of the first woman accused of witchcraft in Ireland, Alice Kyteler. It is clear that Molly Aitken has thought through the goals of her project, and done her research. It was interesting to read Alice's perspective of her society and the decisions she made to remain a strong woman. She witnessed the consequences of her mother's decisions to be compliant and subservient, and decided to take a different path. My main critique is the vagueness of the larger history's description. I had to turn outside the book to understand the events of Alice's life, especially as the book came to a conclusion. Fortunately, Molly stayed faithful to the few facts known of the real Alice's life so I was able to figure it out. The strength was really the characher of Alice. I enjoyed the straightforward way that she approached life, and she was very clear eyed towards her personal weaknesses.

I definitely recommend this book if you enjoy stories of women from historical eras where their voices are missing.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Knopf- Pantheon for providing an eARC for my honest review.

I really wanted to like this one, but it fell flat for me. I was so bored. The research was great, but the character development just wasn’t there.

Great concept and interesting to jump start further learning about the real Alice. I was excited to get this one as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review; but I ended up simply glad this one was short. I often found myself lost or the writing disjointed. I am not sure if it was the shortness of the novel or the writing, but I simply disliked the MC and about halfway through I was ready to be done.

I can see others enjoying this one, especially if they like fast paced, witchy stories.

<b>Aitken's story of a strong, crafty, fearless woman in 1200s Ireland is based upon the real figure of Alice Kyteler, whose power and wealth threatened the men in her community so deeply, she was the first woman in that country to be condemned as a witch.</b>

Molly Aitken's historical fiction <i>Bright I Burn</i> is based on the true story of a woman in Ireland whose professional and personal power threatened the men in her community so much, she was the first woman in that country to be condemned as a witch.

In 13th-century Ireland, Alice Kyteler witnesses her mother's difficult domestic life and lack of autonomy, and she swears she will find a way to take more control of her own life.

She's well aware that women in the 1200s aren't allowed much freedom, and she must wrest her power from her father, her husbands, and her limiting society. A powerful woman is resented and feared, and threatening accusations begin to fly regarding how Alice earns so much money and how her deceased husbands met their maker.

Alice is far from innocent, but Aitken builds a sympathetic case for her fight for power--if not the poison she keeps on hand in case her husbands must be dealt with. I loved Alice's awakened, consuming passion; her deep devotion to Roger, one of her husband's brothers and a childhood friend; her scheming; her adjustment to her ever-changing circumstances; and her doting love for her son.

I had a difficult time with the pacing of the book; it felt as though it drifted somewhat, but I was completely taken by the day-in-the-life details Aitken included of this time and place and by Alice's fight for autonomy.

The repeated strings of quotes that introduce each chapter--presumably from others in the community--offer a wonderfully powerful burst of gossip, resentment, supposition, and increasing momentum that is chilling to witness, while those who would be Alice's undoing (in particular, a priest who fears Alice's influence and freedom) creep closer to putting her under their thumbs.

I received a prepublication edition of this book courtesy of Knopf and NetGalley.

This was an interesting perspective of a woman in medieval Ireland- coming to a time where witches were beginning to be condemned by the Catholic Church. I always love historical books that offer a voice to the women. This was a quick and captivating read that showed the world through a woman’s eyes at a time full of misogyny. I think it brings to light the weight power, wealth, and status, had over the church- and even the government. While mainly focused on the survival of women, it also led me to recall some things we are seeing in current times with the elites and the government, and how women’s roles fit into them. I think this books holds some important underlying issues that should be evaluated in depth.

Thank you to NetGalley, Molly Aitken, and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor publishing for the eARC

I adored this. Great historical fiction. The main character is so determined, so ruthless, so broken.

Bright I Burn by Molly Aitken was a fascinating look at a woman's life in the middle ages. Bright I Burn tells the store of Alice Kyteler, a woman of both means (we hear a lot about her accumulation of "coin") and desires. She works her way through a series of husbands, "assisting" them (to greater and lesser degrees) in their demises. Through it all, what Alice wants for herself and her son are paramount. I thought the writing in this book was excellent, and I especially appreciated the fidelity of historical details and ways of speaking and the way Aitken uses a variety of narrative techniques to take us through the phases of Alice's life. I wish there had been a bit more emphasis on the witch accusations at the close of the book, for although we felt this wave of public opinion gathering throughout the novel, I wanted to spend more time in the story as the wave crested and broke over Alice and her companions who were caught up in it.

Molly Aitken has written a historical novel based on the life of Alice Kyteler. Alice was the first woman in Ireland to be accused of witchcraft. She lived during the late 1200s and early 1300s. She was an ambitious lady who accomplished riches during a time when women depended on their husbands for everything.

While I always find history interesting (I wish that's what I studied in college instead of what I did), I thought 'Bright I Burn' just fell short. Aitken did well on research. She didn't develop Alice. The book seemed boring at times. In fact, I fell asleep a couple of times while reading it. It is written entirely from Alice's POV. I didn't care for that either.

Published September 10, 2024

Thanks to Netgalley, Knopf, and Aitken for the E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

😊Happy Reading😊

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