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Book Review of The Circus Fire : A True Story of an American Tragedy

The Circus Fire : A True Story of an American Tragedy
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Helpful Score: 2


This book is about the Ringling Bros/Barnum&Bailey fire in Hartford in 1944, in which the Big Top caught fire and 167 people died. I usually love Stewart O'Nan, but I confess that I found this one a wee bit dry.

From the back of the book:

"Stewart O'Nan [author of A Prayer For the Dying] brings all his narrative gifts to bear on this gripping account... Brilliantly constructed and exceptionally moving, The Circus Fire is history at its most compelling."