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Title details for The Great Fire by Jim Murphy - Wait list

The Great Fire

by Jim Murphy
John McDonough
Audiobook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 4 weeks
Place a hold Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 4 weeks
Award-winning author Jim Murphy whisks you back in time to witness the disastrous 1871 Chicago Fire. He depicts the tragedy so vividly, you can almost feel the scorching heat and hear the roar of the blaze as it reduces the bustling city to a smoldering wasteland. On a warm Sunday evening, a fire breaks out in a barn. No one worries about it-fires are common in Chicago. But soon a sea of flames is sweeping up and down the streets, devouring everything in its path. People pour into the roads, hoping to outrun the raging inferno. Their shouts ring through the night as wind carries crackling tongues of fire ahead of them, blocking their chance of escape. Weaving together accounts of actual survivors and historical writings, the author creates a thrilling book that reads like an exciting adventure story. Narrator John McDonough keeps you on the edge of your chair from the first flickering flame to the trying aftermath when Chicago rises from the ashes.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 5, 1998

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781449875343
      • File size: 85420 KB
      • Duration: 02:57:57

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 1130
    • Text Difficulty: 8-9

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from April 3, 1995
      For more than a century, poor Mrs. O'Leary and her cow have shouldered the blame for Chicago's infamous Great Fire of 1871. Now Murphy (The Boys' War; Across America on an Emigrant Train) lays bare the facts concerning one of the biggest disasters in American history, in the process exculpating the maligned bovine and her owner. Murphy demonstrates that the fire could have been contained: he unfolds a tale of botched communication, class discrimination (the fire began in a working-class section of the city and only later spread to the wealthier areas) and plain old bad luck. Strategically quoting the written accounts of witnesses-who include a 12-year-old girl and a newspaper editor-Murphy both charts the 31-hour spread of the fire and conveys the atmosphere in the streets. This volume, beautifully printed in sepia tones, contains historic photos, engravings and newspaper clippings on nearly every page. Especially helpful are maps placed at intervals throughout the book that represent the progress of the fire. Engrossing. Ages 8-12.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Listening to THE GREAT FIRE narrated by Taylor Mali is like watching a History Channel program with one's eyes closed. The personal narratives, eyewitness accounts, and expert opinions that piece together the events of the Chicago fire of 1871 are here but not, unfortunately, the maps and illustrations showing the fire's rapid spread and damage. Award-winning author Jim Murphy meticulously researched the circumstances of one of the worst conflagrations in American history, a disaster that left more than 200,000 people homeless and hundreds dead. Slam poet Mali conveys the terror, rage, and hope reborn experienced by the stunned Chicagoans, making this Audio Bookshelf production one that will burn in memory long after the recording ends. M.M.O. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Embittered by war and its skeletal aftermath, 33-year-old British war hero Major Aldred Leith, after walking across China, is posted not far from Hiroshima. There in the shadow of blighted landscapes a delicately fresh 17-year-old girl restores him to love and hope. Ironically, the distances between them--age and experience--both attract them to each other and threaten their relationship. Virginia Leishman's narration, precise and thoughtful, reflects this underlying irony with a sense of painful gentleness. It is tentative and unhurried, reflecting Leith's cautious retelling of his story and tenuous hold on life, yet it shimmers with an implicit energy that seems to respond to the life ready to spring out anew. Though not really a war novel, this 2003 National Book Award winner is probably the finest study ever of its aftermath, and Leishman's narration replicates the almost imperceptible movement from postwar hollowness to hope reborn. P.E.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      The burning of Chicago in 1871 is one of the great legends of American history. Like its counterpart in seventeenth-century London, it has become imbued with invention. Murphy removes the tale of Mrs. O'Leary's cow, giving us more substantial fare. Hearing about the inception of the blaze, the conditions that fostered it, the incompetence allowing its spread and the plight of individuals is far more stimulating than an overturned lantern. History isn't glamorous, but it can be exciting. Unfortunately, Murphy's text sometimes suffers from a dryness that McDonough is unable to counteract. Still, he reads smoothly, letting his audience enjoy the true episodes behind the great myth. S.B.S. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:1130
  • Text Difficulty:8-9

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