Fire, Friendship & Fear
A Ruby and Maude Adventure: Book 5
Faced with danger, a teenager fosters her courage and commitment to set situations right in the engaging historical novel Fire, Friendship & Fear.
In Nancy Oswald’s immersive historical novel Fire, Friendship & Fear, a girl and her faithful donkey experience mishaps, mayhem, and mysteries.
At the turn of the century, Ruby, at the start of her teenage years, struggles to navigate high school life. Bullied by older children, she also manages a small business that operates with the help of her donkey, Maude. Together, they ferry people across town in a buggy for a nickel.
When Maude’s foal, Willy, is lost, Ruby blames her best friend, Roy. The conflict leaves Ruby in emotional turmoil, so much so that when an unscrupulous figure appears in town and she begins to receive warnings from a mysterious stranger, she tells no one. Keeping those secrets weighs on her, though. As the danger grows, so too does Ruby’s courage and commitment to set situations right.
Its cast and circumstances both imagined and based on people and events from history, including Officer Cornell, the first Black horseback patrolman in Colorado Springs, and a historical fire, this is a story that is quite concerned with developing an accurate setting. Its worldbuilding is layered with indicators of different times too, with mentions of the railroad station, the city pound, and the train freight station, built in 1899, used to flesh the setting out.
As a heroine, Ruby is frustrated by her lack of agency. Her emotions waver between angry, betrayed, and helpless: “Dim lights flickered from the houses in her neighborhood, but instead of comforting her, she felt friendless and deserted.” Still, she is single-minded in the pursuit of success.
Nonetheless, Roy and Ruby’s father possess a greater degree of dimensionality, whereas the primary antagonist is developed sans nuance, without redemptive qualities or a clear backstory. He also does not appear until halfway through the book, limiting his impact. Further, the book’s suspense is hampered by the fact that eventful scenes play out at too great a speed—and that, in such moments, Ruby sometimes has a minimal role to play.
Tender moments arise between action scenes, though, giving Ruby space to breathe and grow. She learns the virtue of honesty, rediscovers the value of friendship, and determines to take responsibility for her actions. The book’s ending, which is foreshadowed with a light touch, is satisfying.
In the rollicking novel Fire, Friendship & Fear, a girl comes into her own against a backdrop of nineteenth-century intrigue.
Reviewed by
Caitlin Cacciatore
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
