Reviews

The Great Fire by Jim Murphy

amythebookbat's review

4.0

This was a very interesting look at the Great Chicago Fire. I like how it wove actual letters and articles by people who survived into the overall story. I feel like I learned something by listening to this book.

2016 eclectic reader challenge # 6 ~ Disaster Fiction

courtneyann's review

3.0

This is a good book for instructional purposes. I was able to teach a lot of different reading strategies in each of the different chapters that we read. I was surprised how well my READ180 class did with not only reading this but also comprehension.It's probably not the kind of book I would like to read on my own though.

alys's review

4.0

A fabulous depiction of the Great Fire of Chicago. The book gives excellent context to the fire, its causes, the aftermath, and the social and political landscape that shaped people's understanding of what happened both during and after the fire. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy history. By focusing on four witnesses, one of them a 12 year old girl, the overwhelming nature of the story - as well as the very different experiences in different parts of the city - is kept to a manageable level, while at the same time keeping the tension high. Obviously the eyewitnesses accounts require that the individuals survived, but their loved ones are in constant jeopardy.