Search - The Circus Fire : A True Story of an American Tragedy

Wow. This is an amazing book. I had heard of the Hartford Circus Fire tragedy, but had no previous inkling of the real magnitude of this tragedy. O'Nan's account is a fascinating and heartbreaking tale, that had me riveted throughout. My husband also enjoyed this book and we have lent it out to various friends. Very highly recommended from our perspective.

This is a very good account of the tragic circus fire that happened in Hartford, CT in 1944. There were heroes, cowards, and many victims. This book is very interesting.

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."

Stewart O'Nan has done a lot of intense research to write this book. I am from the area, just not old enough to have experienced it. There has always been a need to find out who "Little Miss 1565" was. Not that I will give this away! Extremely well-written, extremely unbiased and so interesting.