Rating: 
Summary: Story telling at it's finest
Review: I had never heard of the Hartford Circus fire until I saw a documentary on the History Channel last month. I couldn't wait to learn more. This book is one of the best I've ever read. The method O'Nan uses to tell this story - following several survivors from beginning to end - is pure genius. I read this book in less than 24 hours. I simply hated to put it down.I started asking around about the fire. The majority of people I asked had never heard of it. Now I'm telling anyone that will listen to read this book. This is an American tragedy that deserves to be told.
Rating:
Summary: A heart renching and touching book.
Review: I had this book read in two days, I simply couldn't put it down. It made me cry and made me laugh. When I started reading about the fire itself I started shivering and couldn't stop. I felt like I was really seeing and living what was happening. Very well written, it makes you truly feel for all the people involved. It also dispells many rumors and wild tales that have surrounded the fire from the beginning. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Terrifying, haunting and so gently handled
Review: I have heard the story of this fire since I was a very little girl. It happened before I was born and my parents and brothers are among the hundreds of were-going-to-go-but-at-the-last-minute-did-not stories. They were enroute from Vermont to Watch Hill Rhode Island for a summer vacation at the shore. The plan was to attend the Hartford circus for the afternoon performance before going to the hotel at the beach. It was a blistering hot day and when they reached the turn in the road my father asked the boys to make their own decision, the circus to the left or, to the right, on to the beach. Because of the intense heat the boys changed their minds and begged to go to the beach so they could swin in the ocean. When they arrived at the hotel they met the horrible news of the fire. For the first and only time in her life my mother fainted dead away. I purchased this book immediately after I heard of it and was anxious yet hesitant to read it. The event had a significant effect on my own family and my mother at 84 still brings chills to my heart when she retells it. I was very afraid the book would focus on gruesome sensationalism or be just crudely voyeuristic, but I found instead a truly humane and gently handled story. The horror of the day is told in minute by minute clips which evoke an almost strobe-lite sense of the panic inside that inferno. Mr. O'Nan's humanity is the prime force behind this tight, crisp book. He treats every story and every person with respect. He never condemns the weak in character. This book provokes the very deep question in all of us of what would we do in a horrific situation like this. This story was long past due for telling and we must be grateful that such a superb author took up the task.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointed
Review: I looked forward to this book ever since I read about it. I especially was looking forward to such a compelling story being told by one of our great contemporary authors. Having said that, I was truly disappointed as I plodded through this account of one of the more devastating human disasters of this century! Maybe it was just me, but it seemed that every chapter was like the "begats" the bible, meaning this book was " . . . and then this happened . . . and then this . . . and then this . . . and then" (you get the picture). It just seemed very pedestrian to me. I wonder if I am the only one who feels this way? That said, it IS a truly remarkable story and it is surprising that it hasn't been written before. Right now, I am looking forward to reading "A Matter of Degree" by Massey and Davey to be published soon, which is also an account of the Hartford circus fire. In addition, I enjoy the links Amazon provides, and after reading about "The Winecoff Fire" and "The Texas City Disaster, 1947" as noted above, I have ordered and received them and will let you know how I liked them. This book, "The Circus Fire", does provide all the facts and many, many great photos, but I just wish the story was told in a more interesting/readable fashion.
Rating:
Summary: A true story remembered by a survivor
Review: I saw the fact that this book was written in an ad in Yankee Magazine. Being one of the lucky people to survive it, I immediatley ordered the book from Amazon. When the book arrived I started to read it-but found I couldn't just keep reading. It brought back such memories-the anticipation of going to the circus-a big big treat for us. The dust and heat of that day. Our party of 6, mom dad, 2 sisters(Tibbals twins) and 2 friends. The heat as we entered the tent, the search for seats in the bleachers, up high so we could see, in what I now know was the Southwest corner of the tent. The excitment of seeing the first animal act, the anticipation of the ariel act to follow as the performers started climbing the ropes to the top of the tent, and then the scream FIRE! Turning around, and finding the tent on fire directly behind us. To their credit, our parents got us out, as we were near the main exit. But not without injuries. Bruises and superficial burns as dad hurried us to the exit, mom dropping my sister down to dad under the bleachers as the heat and smoke had got to her and she had fainted, dad rushing us out and telling us to stay together, and turning to get my mom, who, on her own, and who I can still see, walking out by herself-looking OK, but burned badly on her right arm, and the top of her head. Rushing us to our car and out of the city of Hartford and back to Middletown-his stopping at the police station in Middletown to let them know of the tragedy and then taking my mom to the hospital in Middletown and are not seeing her for a long time. The horror that the little girl who sat in front of me in school had to indure as she and her whole family perished. The terrible ordeal my other girlfriend and her sister (the Smith sisters) endured to live. It's all there. Mr. Nan has done and incredible job of putting it all together so that those of us who were little, yet were there, can know what happened and what was done. The fire was never mentioned at home and we were to little to read the newspapers of that day. While I spent many nights picking up and reliving the whole ordeal as I read on, I thank the author from the bottom of my heart for giving it the life it deserved.
Rating: 
Summary: a pleasent surprise
Review: I was bouncing through shelves at a local book store when I came across this book. From not hearing of the circus fire of 1944 I immediately wanted to read it but not having any money on me I quickly scribbled it down on my hand.... Anyway, my point being I had a feeling that I must read this book. so I did. while reading it I had a great feeling of preasure against my heart so much so that it hurt to breath. Very intense. I really felt the time period and the people. I liked the way the author puts the story together. I have to say I did not know the storytelling was going to be so interesting. I don't know if I get easily carried away by books considering I am only 13 years of age, and I haven't read more then 80 books in my entire life! so I don't know if I would recommend it to anyone. It depends on your taste, and me being a sucker for devastating books sooo... I loved it!
Rating:
Summary: Lot's of Facts, Lot's of Details, but Where's The Story??
Review: I went to school in Hartford, and have heard many tales about this terrible fire. My parents used to talk about it when we went to the circus in Massachusetts. It was with great excitement that I bought this book, thinking that all would be tied together. Well, almost. How I hate being the nay-sayer, but this is a book without a story, although occassionally it gets close. The layout of a day a chapter, then all that happend on that day didn't lead to anything. Imagine June 6, 19XX. Fact A, Fact B, then Fact C, D, E. Next paragraph! Fact F, G, H, I, etc. But where's the story?? I never had a change to get attached to anyone, anything, except Little Miss 1565, and that from previous reading. I did read the whole book to get to the final facts about Miss 1565, but it was a long hard journey. There is also a distracting habit of using slang terms without explaination. I spent lots of time wondering what he was talking about. Then there are city names, presented without State names. Fitchburg, Glastonbury for example. If one is not familiar with the region, one wouldn't know that Fitchburg is in Massachusetts and Glastonbury in Connecticut. By no means do I say that Mr. O'Nan is not a good writer, he relates all that one could want in his writing, but the story didn't get a hold of me. His graphic details about burns and bruises, medical treatments, etc. are pretty "to-the-point", but where did it all go. Kudos to his research, which must have been endless and massive in scope. I just missed the story telling. I cannot think of anything more terrible then what these people went through, as Mr. O'Nan let's the reader know, some times a bit strongly and what I think is just for sensationalism. What a period of sadness for all those involved. For them I feel badly. Mr. O'Nan did get that point across. He has certainly added to my life's experiences by filling in missing pieces to stories I heard growing up. I thank him for that. To close, I got the feeling that this book was put together quickly despite all the research, so as to get to market before Don Massey's "A Matter of Degree", which I plan on reading as a comparison version. Please read this book, as there are many other good reviews of it here. You may get more from it then I did.
Rating:
Summary: Circus Fire Tragedy
Review: If you grew up in Connecticut, you probably heard stories about the Hartford Circus Fire. On July 6, 1944 a fire broke out during a matinee performance of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, 167 people were killed (mostly women and children). The fire is etched into the memory of the people of Connecticut and survivors still feel the physical and emotional effects of the blaze. The Circus Fire, by Stewart O'Nan not only provides the facts about the fire but also brings to life the people who were forever changed by the events of that tragic day. "At Saint Francis Hospital, a six-year old visited his mother for the first time since the fire. The mother had crawled on top of her son as the flames rolled over them. It worked; the boy was only slightly burned. The mother was in serious condition, but she would live." "In Hartford, a trible funeral of one mother and her two sons drew a crowd..Her husband didn't attend; he'd collapsed upon hearing the news and was in seclusion." O'Nan conducted extensive interviews with survivors and has done an excellent job telling their stories. The 1944 fire was as devasting to Hartford as the bombing in Oklahoman City. Everyone in the community knew someone who was killed or injured in the blaze. While the story of the fire is fascinating, the memories of the survivors make the book unique. You do not have to love history or be a circus buff to enjoy this book. I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: A complete disappointment
Review: It is difficult to believe that such a slow and dull book could be written about such a compelling subject. The reviewers who have lamented the short, choppy paragraphs that irritatingly jump from one scene to another, without benefit of full explanation or connection, are correct to scorn the overall poor writing that makes up this book. I had to read some paragraphs several times and even then didn't understand what I was reading. It was nearly impossible to picture most of the action in my mind, as it was mostly just a jumbled collection of facts and anecdotes that rambled on and on and on. The description of the fire itself drags on chaotically for fifty tedious pages, which incited one yawn after another. The book lacks any sense of focus and the author uses a very poor choice of words in many instances. For example, the narrative is littered with sentences like: "She made for the east exit..." Okay, fine, but did she run, walk, crawl, hop, skip, jump, or fly to the east exit? I just don't know what to picture there. The word "made" says nothing descriptive and is therefor about the worst word that could have been chosen. This type of problem occurs on every page of the book. I haven't read anything else the author has written, so I hate to be so critical. I wonder, however, why his editor didn't send his manuscript back to him with thousands of suggestions. I felt as if I was reading a very hastily-prepared early draft. I have read many gripping books about disasters and survival situations. This just isn't one of them. Compare "The Circus Fire" to "Into Thin Air," "Heart of the Sea," "Batavia's Graveyard," or "Ordeal by Hunger" and you'll understand what I mean.
Rating:
Summary: Learning from History
Review: It's been said that it takes a tragedy to spur safety regulations. The Hartford circus fire is proof of just that. Prior to this fire, circus tents were waterproofed with gasoline and paraffin. Today, any circus that comes to Hartford plays in the civic center. O'Nan relates the tragedy that made the circus safer for future generations tastefully and respectfully, using eyewitness accounts and newpaper stories. For area residents, the story is brought home with plenty of familiar names, places and stories. He covers the investigation of Little Miss 1565, the unburned and yet strangely unclaimed victim, with particular detail and casts doubt on her identification ten years ago. Anyone will find it difficult to sit inside a circus tent after reading this book, despite the knowledge that exits are clearly marked and the tent is not flamable.
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