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The Great Fire
The Great Fire
Author: Shirley Hazzard
The Great Fire is an extraordinary love story set in the immediate aftermath of the great conflagration of the Second World War. In war-torn Asia and stricken Europe, men and women, still young but veterans of harsh experience, must reinvent their lives and expectations, and learn, from their past, to dream again. Some will fulfill their destini...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780312423582
ISBN-10: 0312423586
Publication Date: 2003
Pages: 278
Rating:
  • Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
 54

3.2 stars, based on 54 ratings
Publisher: Picador
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Great Fire on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
This book has won many awards, including the National Book Award, and Shirley Hazzard's prose can be wonderful. For me, it was a little bit of a struggle to read through the entire book. Much of the story centers on an unlikely love story in the East, immediately after WW II.
Read All 16 Book Reviews of "The Great Fire"

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reviewed The Great Fire on + 10 more book reviews
Praised as one of the 1001 books to read before you die, so I had to try it. Came away unsure of why it is proclaimed as so great. I tend to really like personal stories based in an unsettled or uncertain setting, such as post-war. Usually characters living in urgency are characters with depth and emotion; however, I found the characters in this book to be flat and static. The strand of emotional and physical desire between the adult male main character and the immature and vulnerable child/woman to verge on abusive. With no parents present to protect her (or uninterested in protecting her, which I found unbelievable), the pursuit of her lacked positive elements.
jazzysmom avatar reviewed The Great Fire on + 907 more book reviews
This is a British love story, so if you are interested in this place and era, you will like this. I very much enjoyed it. It is very well written and takes place after the war. It had me in tears in places but it is such a beautiful story, I just keep reading and turning the pages. I'm thinking this is possibly one of my most favorite love stories that i have read in the past few years.
bluebells2 avatar reviewed The Great Fire on + 5 more book reviews
A true love story during a unique period of time. Very engrossing and really enjoyed the international issues, the history, the way it was written and the love of the parties involved. A possitive, enjoyable read.
jareylee avatar reviewed The Great Fire on + 25 more book reviews
1947, Occupied Japan, story of love and separation. I needed a dictionary for some of the vocabulary in this book. Should be read twice; first to get the plot and characters (and vocabulary) and then to appreciate the author's excellent writing.
reviewed The Great Fire on + 25 more book reviews
The writing is very choppy. I had to read many sentences over again which greatly interrupted the flow. I thought some of the sentences were beautiful, but the book just was too ponderous.
reviewed The Great Fire on + 10 more book reviews
Hazzard is a master crafts(wo)man when it comes to writing. Every sentence is gorgeous!


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