A review by alys
The Great Fire by Jim Murphy

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.