Let the flames of the story engulf you in Burning Marguerite

This rich story is infused with both elegance and intrigue

Burning Marguerite is a beautifully written, yet difficult to define novel. Elements of love, mystery, and murder are woven throughout the novel. The book is told through different perspectives and across many years. One might think a novel with all these diverse elements a confusing hodgepodge; however, author Elizabeth Inness-Brown sews her story with the precision and grace of a master seamstress.

Burning Marguerite is full of layers. Each that is revealed draws the reader deeper into the story. The story is set on Grain Island. The plot revolves around James Jack and his “Tante.” Tante is an old woman who adopted James as a young boy. Though Tante is a central character in the book, she never appears in the story alive. The story is told from three perspectives: James' perspective in the present, as Tante's voice speaking to James after she has died, and flashbacks of Tante's life before she adopted James.

I loved reading this novel. Burning Marguerite is the type of book that I just couldn't put down, but when I had to, I found myself thinking about it throughout the day. The story is rich in details and the changes in time and narrator, rather than taking away from the story, enhanced it. The plot moves swiftly and elegantly. The characters are all multidimensional, and it is easy to believe they could be real people.

Burning Marguerite is Elizabeth Inness-Brown's first novel. Her book did not simply flow from her pen and appear on paper as the enchanting story it is now. She wrote a collection of unrelated scenes for three months before anything came together.

“Then I wrote the scene where James Jack goes to the sheriff's office at the beginning of the book. I realized there was a good story there,” says Inness-Brown. “I just started working with that story and adding what I needed to add and trying to structure it.”

As most writers do, Inness-Brown drew on experiences from her life in writing her novel. “There are bits and pieces of me but basically the story and all the characters are completely fictional,” she explains. “A lot of the settings were from places I had experienced in my life.”

As an English professor at St. Michael's College in Vermont, Inness-Brown has advice for beginning writers. “Be persistent and write as much as you can. Don't worry about making mistakes because you learn from your mistakes. Do no worry about publishing to start with, because it is more about learning your craft and writing something you really like.”

Do you have a favorite book written by a North Country author?

Burning Marguerite

By Elizabeth Inness-Brown

Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group

Copyright: 2002