Firelight Audiobook By Tobias Wolff cover art

Firelight

Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Firelight

By: Tobias Wolff
Narrated by: Anthony Heald
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $1.71

Buy for $1.71

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

A mother and her son dream of a life beyond their means in this classic short story by Tobias Wolff.

"Firelight" tells the story of a mother and her son who are spending the afternoon viewing apartments on a chilly day in Seattle, Washington. The two have no intention of renting one - they can only afford to live in a meager boarding house. Nevertheless, they spend every Saturday wandering through apartments and department stores, dreaming of a different life.

On this particular afternoon, their last stop is a beautiful Victorian home - far beyond anything they could ever afford. And for the first time, wishful thoughts blur with harsh reality as the son becomes entranced by the apartment and the life it represents.

©2008 Tobias Wolff (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Anthologies Anthologies & Short Stories Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Short Story Dream
All stars
Most relevant  
This was a pretty decent story about a boy whose mom promises him a nice apartment and they go to look at them but always return to their boarding house.

3 stars

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

… Tobias Wolfe might not be your guy. Some stories are luckier than others, but his bread and butter are slice-of-life stories with authentic characters. If that’s what you’re after, few do it better.

If you’re looking for nonstop action

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

So far this is a confusing story and I am not sure how I feel about it.

Firelight

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I prefer complicated novels, but Wolff & Heald reel you into familiar places, the lovely and unsatisfactory truth of memory and reflection.

Anthony Heald and Tobias Wolff make a brilliant combination.

Enjoy ease, familiarity of writing, narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Tobias Wolff writes about university life from an insider's perspective, with sly wit and perfect irony.

Wolff at his best

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.