Customer Reviews

Fire Song (Song Novels)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I know Catherine Coulter treads a not so fine line, but in this case her 'hero' is a serial rapist, who, when unduly angered by women, takes them by force. He is consistently awful to his wife and then in the last 10 pages, for no apparent reason, totally changes his tack and decides to love her.

I'm never really sure why she loves him, aside from his physical strength, for there is little that is admirable or lovable about him. This is not a tortured soul looking for healing through love, this is a cruel, quite stupid man who raped a woman in a previous novel, and then rapes his wife in this one.

This one goes straight into the resale pile.

I really hate novels where there's some nasty person who has everybody convinced she's a helpless little victim and thereby makes trouble for the heroine. I really hate novels where the hero RAPES the heroine! I REALLY hate novels where the heroine falls in love with a so-called hero who's being high-handed, brutal, and unfaithful to her. What kind of idiot does that make her? If you agree with me that Patient Griselda should have stuck a knife in her husband's wizend little heart, then you probably won't like this book either. Apologies to Catherine, but I like her later books a lot better.

The hero is a cold,mean brute who does not deserve his gentle wife Kassia.He should have been made to marry Joanna the shrewish woman he was betrothed to.I couldn't get past Graelam raping Kassia,I really couldn't.I know this is medieval England and women were more or less treated like chattel,but come on.Kassia is a gentle sweet girl who does everything to please this philandering,brute of a man.He sleeps with one of the servants after he marries Kassia, when she confronts him he threatens to beat and rape her which he had already done(I shuddered again right there).There's not one but two women undermining Kassia's authority and she sits back and takes this,please!The servants and his own soldiers abhor his treatment of Kassia throughout the book.I prayed for her to runaway with Dienwald or for Guy to fall in love with her and take her away from Graelam.The women who made Kassialife hell were rewarded for their treatment of her,they are never made to pay for what they did to her which is another thing that put me off this book.I like to see the heroine giving as good as she gets even if she's not a particularly strong character.Kassia was far too soft and gentle for this brute as a result he walked all over her quite literally.I wanted him to really suffer for his treatment of her which he didn't,this is why I bothered to finish this book for him to get his comeuppance which hedidn't.She capitulated far too easily in the end when he came to get her at her father's castle.I know that he's a warrior but didn't knights have a chivalric code?

How Catherine Coulter could write this book based on rape, adultry and humiliation as a romance is amazing. Further, the fact that people actually found it to be a "good read" and gave it more than one star is sad. The hero is a cruel rapist who spends most of the book finding ways to hurt and humiliate his gentle wife. Then Ms.Coulter expects us to believe that all is forgiven and the hero is a changed man in the final two pages with minimal explanation. Come on. I don't care if this is considered typical of what took place in this historical era. It still happens today but I don't want to read about it as a romance. Its criminal and I know I will have a difficult time reading any of her other novels, many of which I have already read and enjoyed, after this travesty.

The hero is a hateful rapist who raped his wife in this book and raped an innocent women earlier in warrior's Song (or Chandra).

God I just couldn't get pass the injustice he did to Mary and how she was still effected by it (you can read her feelings a little in Fire Song). She even has a baby born of rape by the "jackass" hero. I just can't understand how her husband didn't kill him and what was amazing was that he was now friends with him (what the??). Chandra who was supposed to be Mary's friend was soooo friendly with Graelam that it turned my stomach. This doesn't happen no matter how the person has changed (which the hero didnt...he even thinks/says outloud that it was his right to take women as he pleases, thus what he did to Mary was no biggie in his book..aggghhhh!!!)

If those who want to read this book can get pass that, then maybe you will like it because the storyline was good. But for me I couldn't get pass what he did to Mary!!! I am giving this a 2 star because of the storyline & the writing.

I just have to say this, Graelam is a disgusting, remorseless, hateful, bastard anti-hero who doesn't care about raping and hurting women! He doesn't deserve happiness or love from Kassia. He deservs maybe a whore i think for a heroine!! Now that i call justice!

I wanted to like this book but I could not. The "hero" is very unlikeable and cruel, always raping his tiny wife and sleeping with other women. The heroine is likeable but stupid to put up with him and being tortured. The constant rape theme in Coulters books has really turned me off of her, but I did enjoy Beyond Eden because that story was really moving and the hero in that one was a real hero who helped Eden get past her traumatic past with gentleness and love. One of Coulters better books and one I will keep. Fire Song will be resold along with her other "I will rape and beat you, but I do love you" type books.

I have read many Catherine's books and trilogies and have thouroughly enjoyed most of them. However, this book made me so angry that I wanted to hurl it across the room! The only reason I didn't is because I could not put it down. Kassia is so abused by the so called hero, Graelam, that you will weep for her, pray for his death and hope she ends up with any of the men he accuses her of being with! If that was your intention Catherine, then I applaud you for the convincing character. I will recommend this book, if only to give the reader another reason to be disgusted with some men's behavior and find sympathy in the sisterhood that puts up with them, I being one of them.

I agree that this book is rather controversial since it applies to the subject of rape. The line is quite clear these days on what is considered rape. It may not be very clear in the 13th century. However, there are people in those days who are aware of what is morally right or wrong. Now back to the book.I disliked the fact that Kassia accepted her situation and allowed Gaelam to rape her repeatedly. I would have poisoned him slowly and ensured that he died a rather painful death.As for the two "b****es" Nan and Blanche, well they should be poisoned as well. Ever wondered why Gaelam believes these two shrews when he distrusts his own wife? He should distrust all women if he thinks that all they are capable of is scheming. Also why does he worship Chandra even though she is a warrior. Isn't he supposed to believe that all women should be meek and submissive.
This book glorifies rape and that is distasteful.He cannot possible turn over a new leaf just because he apparantely "loves" his wife. How ridiculous is that? No man can reform that quickly,unless he is castrated.Also Nan and Blanche did not receive their comeuppances. If Gaelam and Kassia were real people, I doubt they will even survive past their first wedding anniversary. I can imagine Gaelam running off to brutalise another woman whenever he happens to fight with Kassia. Definately not a bed of roses for them. They have my condolences. NOTE to Ms Coulter, RAPE is not romantic fiction. Buy the book if you like wasting money. It is better to donate your money to the homeless than buying this book.It is scary to note taht rape is a recurring theme in her books just like incest is in Virginia Andrews books. What up with that?

This is a story that you cannot put down until you finish. The hero, Graelam, was introduced in a preceding novel by Catherine Coulter called Chandra. I read Chandra before Fire Song and read about the way Graelam ruthlessly raped a young woman who was a virgin. He did it out of some sort of power trip, and it made me thououghly disgusted with his character. After reading that, I could not see him in any sort of heroic light and it sort of ruined fire song for me. A man who commits any kind of rape, is no hero and I don't like how the author makes him out to be one in this novel. I believe it gives the message that rape is okay and it makes me sick. I do not care what century this book takes place in, rape is wrong.

I know Catherine Coulter treads a not so fine line, but in this case her 'hero' is a serial rapist, who, when unduly angered by women, takes them by force. He is consistently awful to his wife and then in the last 10 pages, for no apparent reason, totally changes his tack and decides to love her.

I'm never really sure why she loves him, aside from his physical strength, for there is little that is admirable or lovable about him. This is not a tortured soul looking for healing through love, this is a cruel, quite stupid man who raped a woman in a previous novel, and then rapes his wife in this one.

This one goes straight into the resale pile.