Books like The book of fires by Jane Borodale

In 1752 London, seventeen‑year‑old Agnes Trussel arrives pregnant and frightened. She ends up in the home of J. Blacklock, a brooding fireworks maker, who hires her as an apprentice. As Agnes learns to forge rockets, port fires and other fireworks, she slowly earns Blacklock’s trust and joins him in a quest to create the most spectacular fireworks the world has ever seen. The novel draws readers into 18th‑century London, from grimy streets to the hidden workings of Blacklock’s household, while Agnes’s secret threatens to unravel. Set in 1750s London, the book offers an atmospheric portrayal of a young woman’s journey amid the era’s hardships and artistic pursuits. Its narrative, told from Agnes’s perspective, explores themes of resilience, ambition, and the hidden lives of women in the eighteenth‑century society.

First publish date: 2010