Rating: 
Summary: A tale of heroism and heartbreak
Review: The author of "Snow Angels", one of my favorite novels, has written a non-fiction account of the Hartford circus fire of 1944. This is a gruesome story in many instances, describing in great detail what happened when the fire began under the big top, and the ensuing panic and death. There are stories of parents sacrificing themselves to save their children, and of the heroic efforts of the circus people and average citizens to rescue the victims. The book has a plethora of photos, which makes the story that more compelling, because of the images they convey. The prose is taut, but several times the author uses the word "ahold", which grated on my sensibilities. The attempts, throughout the years, to ascertain the identity of Little Miss 1565 was extremely poignant. This episode is one of the little-known events of our history, and is well worth reading about, for these people deserve to have their story told to a new generation.
Rating:
Summary: A tale of heroism and heartbreak
Review: The author of "Snow Angels", one of my favorite novels, has written a non-fiction account of the Hartford circus fire of 1944. This is a gruesome story in many instances, describing in great detail what happened when the fire began under the big top, and the ensuing panic and death. There are stories of parents sacrificing themselves to save their children, and of the heroic efforts of the circus people and average citizens to rescue the victims. The book has a plethora of photos, which makes the story that more compelling, because of the images they convey. The prose is taut, but several times the author uses the word "ahold", which grated on my sensibilities. The attempts, throughout the years, to ascertain the identity of Little Miss 1565 was extremely poignant. This episode is one of the little-known events of our history, and is well worth reading about, for these people deserve to have their story told to a new generation.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting Story
Review: The Circus Fire by Stewart O'Nan is as riveting a narrative as is suggested by the blurbs and the other reviews. In some ways, the story is almost author proof as it comes with a easily recoginizable set of personalities and a moment that changes everyone lives. Fiction writers should have it so easy and that, in a way, is one of Stewart O'Nan's strengths. He turns his fiction writing skills towards writing a piece of history and creates this thrilling narrative. The bulk of the book is centred on that tragic day and we are led through the events with the help of some of the survivors and not a few of the victims. The book also shows the readers the aftereffects of such a tragedy on the lives of the survivors and the circus itself. This part of the story is presented in a manner that is as important and dramatic as the details of the actual fire. An exciting read.
Rating:
Summary: The Circus Fire : A True Story
Review: The Circus Fire was an excellant book, my Aunt was killed in the fire and my Grandmother, Grandfather and Uncle were injured, it was interesting to read about the fire as I have heard stories about it during my childhood. Thank you Stewart O'Nan for bringing the history of this tragedy to my generation.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinatingly detailed
Review: The description of the fire as it travels from the sidewall across the big top is thorough, but not dull or boring. The author manages to tell a variety of stories that were all happening simultaneously. Occassionally I had to remind myself how compressed the time frame really was. While there is lots of information, and at times I lost track of who was who, this is a very compelling read and I had trouble putting the book down. The author balances the details of what happened; the who, where, when; with the stories of the people affected, telling a story that is intellectually and emotionally satisfying.Besides effectively covering the actual fire, the author does a great job of setting the scene and covering the chaos afterwards. I particularly appreciated the follow up ten and twenty years later with the continuing impact it had on some lives.
Rating:
Summary: Very well written!
Review: There is no getting around the fact that the subject matter of this book is horrifying. However, Mr. O'Nan does a superb job of relating the facts of the fire without relying on the ghoulishness of it all. (I appreciated that Mr. O'Nan saw to it that glimpses of mankind at its best were portrayed alongside glimpses of mankind at its worst.) I could not put this down. More frightening than anything Stephen King could ever imagine!
Rating:
Summary: Very well written!
Review: There is no getting around the fact that the subject matter of this book is horrifying. However, Mr. O'Nan does a superb job of relating the facts of the fire without relying on the ghoulishness of it all. (I appreciated that Mr. O'Nan saw to it that glimpses of mankind at its best were portrayed alongside glimpses of mankind at its worst.) I could not put this down. More frightening than anything Stephen King could ever imagine!
Rating:
Summary: A Remarkable Piece of Work
Review: This account of a ghastly event is extremely well researched and written. There is no hyperbole, no wringing of hands. The author simply lets the story tell itself through those who were there, for the most part. Here is but a single stunning example, from p.109: "Several survivors said the one thing they will never forget about the circus fire as long as they live is the sound of the animals as they burned alive. But there were no animals." How much more effective that is, as prose, than the alternative method of saying the same thing. Stories of individual selfishness and total selflessness abound, as they do in an accurate account of any great tragedy. The author does not omit either, so that the reader comes away with a feel for what it must have been like that hot July afternoon in Hartford, one month after D-Day. I had misgivings about how well this could be told, before I read the book. Not now. I'd recommend this to any circus fan, to anyone who wants to read something really well written and thoroughly researched. My only criticism is that the photos, many taken by amateurs, to be sure, are not well produced. I like the fact that they are on the pages where they fit, but in doing this on regular paper, details and drams are lost.
Rating:
Summary: Big-Top Conflagration
Review: This account of the big-top conflagration in 1944 is morbidly haunting. What was supposed to be a wartime diversion for approximately 10,000 in Hartford, Connecticut ended up becoming an enduring nightmare. Many were injured, and 167 died during the minutes of the actual fire, and for weeks afterwards from injuries sustained. O'Nan pulls no punches in his account of this horrific event. He devotes more than 100 pages to recounting the minutes while the fire blazed, as well as many of the individual tales in and around the tent. His style is straightforward and blunt. The descriptions of the panic, and the horrific condition of the bodies that O'Nan puts forward will stay with me for a long time. I have long been fascinated by what I would define extreme psychology, or in other words, the character and depth of personality that is revealed in times of crisis or emergency. This book more than satisfied my curiosity. At times I found myself struggling to get through the pages, as stories of heartbreaking loss and tragedy unfolded one after another. The tone is not moralizing, and O'Nan is comprehensive in exploring the perspectives of all the actors through first-hand accounts. Of course there is the above-mentioned rush of panic, but the author also details the clean-up, the categorization and detailing of the sometimes unidentifiable remains of the victims, as well as the legal search for culpability. There are even a few mysteries that further draw the reader in. This book is fascinating, but very emotionally affecting. I recommend it, but with the reservation that the reader should be prepared for a difficult experience that may be too moving for the overly sensitive.
Rating:
Summary: Big-Top Conflagration
Review: This account of the big-top conflagration in 1944 is morbidly haunting. What was supposed to be a wartime diversion for approximately 10,000 in Hartford, Connecticut ended up becoming an enduring nightmare. Many were injured, and 167 died during the minutes of the actual fire, and for weeks afterwards from injuries sustained. O'Nan pulls no punches in his account of this horrific event. He devotes more than 100 pages to recounting the minutes while the fire blazed, as well as many of the individual tales in and around the tent. His style is straightforward and blunt. The descriptions of the panic, and the horrific condition of the bodies that O'Nan puts forward will stay with me for a long time. I have long been fascinated by what I would define extreme psychology, or in other words, the character and depth of personality that is revealed in times of crisis or emergency. This book more than satisfied my curiosity. At times I found myself struggling to get through the pages, as stories of heartbreaking loss and tragedy unfolded one after another. The tone is not moralizing, and O'Nan is comprehensive in exploring the perspectives of all the actors through first-hand accounts. Of course there is the above-mentioned rush of panic, but the author also details the clean-up, the categorization and detailing of the sometimes unidentifiable remains of the victims, as well as the legal search for culpability. There are even a few mysteries that further draw the reader in. This book is fascinating, but very emotionally affecting. I recommend it, but with the reservation that the reader should be prepared for a difficult experience that may be too moving for the overly sensitive.
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