The Book of Fire was such an impactful story. Set in Greece, the story follows the life of a family who has been traumatized by a major fire that wiped out the nearby forest and most of their village.

As I read this, I couldn’t help but think of the recent fire in Maui this year and how it devastated the area. As in the story, the residents of Maui escaped to the water and left in boats to save their lives.

Irini, the wife and mother of the family begins to write a book about the fire and their family’s struggle to heal. Through her words, readers learn of all the events that took place both before and after the fire.

The story is thoughtful and beautifully written. The authors note at the end explains why the story was written. I will be watching for more from author Christy Lefteri in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am pleased to give my honest review and recommend this to readers.

A fire has traumatized a village and a family; both trying to rebuild after the fire destroyed their peaceful existence. Told in the present and in the past in the form of a book, this novel deals with the grief of loss and trauma as well as the hopeful rebirth found in nature and love.  Irini’s husband Tasso's love of his village's forest leads to his life's work - he is a famous landscape artist who paints the trees and woods around him; his hands are burned during the fire.  A man who wants to commercially build on the land is the source of the fire and Irini finds him dying on one of her healing walks, she continues to walk and when she returns, he is dead.  Irina deals with her ethical dilemma, the mourning of her life before and her and her neighbors' hatred of the man who caused it all.
I found this book a bit slow but really good. There was a lot of symbolism but it didn't hit you in the head.  I thought the message was important and the story quite beautiful.  I enjoyed the inventiveness of how the author told the story of the fire; the way that Irina wrote it as a story/book and made herself a character was interesting - she almost took herself out of the experience in order to heal.  I do recommend this one, it is definitely a worthwhile read.  

4.25 stars

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the ARC to review

3.5 stars rounded up (because rounding down would be an inaccurate reflection). Gorgeous prose, but depressing topic. This is both an intimate story of a family trying to deal with tragedy and grief, and a sweeping saga about the destruction of land and people's connection to their land.

"In present-day Greece, deep in an ancient forest, lives a family: Irini, a musician, who teaches children to read and play music; her husband, Tasso, who paints pictures of the forest, his greatest muse; and Chara, their young daughter, whose name means joy. On the fateful day that will forever alter the trajectory of their lives, flames chase fleeing birds across the sky. The wildfire that will consume their home, and their lives as they know it, races toward them.

Months later, as the village tries to rebuild, Irini stumbles upon the man who started the fire, a land speculator who had intended only a small, controlled burn to clear forestland to build on but instead ignited a catastrophe. He is dying, although the cause is unclear, and in her anger at all he took from them, Irini makes a split-second decision that will haunt her.

As the local police investigate the suspicious death, Tasso mourns his father, who has not been seen since before the fire. Tasso’s hands were burnt in the flames, leaving him unable to paint, and he struggles to cope with the overwhelming loss of his artistic voice and his beloved forest. Only his young daughter, who wants to repair the damage that’s been done, gives him hope for the future."

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

A beautiful, beautiful novel. A Greek woman, raised in London, lives in a forest on the edge of the coast of Greece. A horrendous fire rips through her community, leaving the forest - as well as many lives - devastated. The woman witnesses the death of someone thought to be responsible for the fire, and she struggles to come to terms with what she saw. She struggles with injuries suffered by her husband and daughter as well.

Told from two points in time, the novel chronicles both the timeline of the fire and of the woman's discovery of a dying man and her response to this death. Both timelines come together beautifully at the end. The pacing of the book was perfect, and I couldn't wait to pick up the storyline each day as I read it. Although the book hints at human involvement in devastating fires around the world, the author only hints at this concept, following research she did in preparing to write this book.

This was unlike any other novel I've read. I loved it.

This book is like nothing I have read before - definitely one of my favorite recent novels. The book is written in a very interesting way. Parts of the book are narrated in first person by Irini, a music teacher who lives with her husband, Tasso, a painter and their daughter, Chara. Irini gives her account of the aftermath of a devastating wildfire that destroyed their home, killed many people, including her father in law, and left Tasso and Chara scarred both physically and emotionally. Irini herself is
also experiencing a moral dilemma around her lack of action involving the death of the man who set the fire. The alternate parts of the book consist of Irini writing "The Book of Fire" in which she tells of the actual events of the tragedy in third person, referring to herself as “the mother". Side note - I couldn’t help comparing the details of this event to the recent tragedy in Maui.
There are so many things that I loved about this book although it's certainly not a happy, feel good story. The author has such a beautiful way to tell the story - her writing is very good and she definitely has a style that I enjoy. The story unfolded very slowly but was so intriguing, making me want to keep reading. I really liked the subtle nuances included in Irini's story, such as referring to herself in third person when she told the actual story of the fire, as if shielding herself from the trauma that she experienced while being strong for her family. Also, Irini’s moral dilemma was so emotional and the author is so talented at making the reader feel every emotion. This book would make excellent book club discussion.
#NetGalley #RandomHousePublishing-BallantineBooks

I really enjoyed this book! The imagery is beautifully written and I feel like I was there (in the forest, in the sea, in the city, in the hospital, in the kind man's house...etc) with the main characters every step of the way, which doesn't always happen in the novels that I read. I appreciate the author's weaving in the primal, absolute beauty of Nature, and how humankind has not respected the importance of Nature for many years.

The characters were lovingly drawn and I felt connected to each of them, even "Mr. Monk," who started the fire. I also liked the mystery of why the fire was started and what really happened to Mr. Monk, and why.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley, for giving me an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

One of the things I love to discover when reading an author’s note at the end of a novel is the inspiration for the story I have just read. In this case Christy Lefteri, while in Athens saw a wildfire in a village nearby, where hundreds of people had to flee their homes. Several years later it was another fire on the island of Evia, Greece that prompted this novel. “Woods and meadows, pine forests, olive groves, beehives and livestock and houses — all gone.” That place was where her research began, listening to people tell their stories as she saw the devastation, and tried to imagine “the forest that existed before the fire.”

It is in this context that Lefteri stunningly brings that experience to the reader . Through the character of Irini, we try to imagine the forest as it was before the fire in this story, life as it was in this idyllic place for the people who live there. The writing is exquisite as in Lefteri’s other novels . There’s a story within the story, a telling of what happened when the fire began, a cathartic telling in a fairy tale like way, within the story of the present which is the aftermath of the fire. Gut wrenching and heartbreaking losses of family, of homes , of people’s identities are vividly portrayed. She has a way of allowing the reader to feel the pain and the loss her artist husband experiences, a way of letting us see through the eyes of her little girl what this was like.

This is certainly a warning message, not an in your face one, but a a story that definitely is thought provoking. Beautifully written.

I received a copy of this book from Ballantine Books through NetGalley and Edelweiss.

"The Book of Fire" by Christy Lefteri dives into the complex dynamics of a family dealing with trauma as they struggle to establish a sense of normalcy in the aftermath. Admittedly, the premise grabbed my interest right away, and I found the overall narrative compelling. However, there were a few aspects that kept me from really embracing this book.

In "The Book of Fire," we follow Irini, a woman who must cope with the aftermath of a devastating wildfire that decimated her mountain town in Greece. The trauma of the fire is terrifying on its own, but things become even more problematic when Irini crosses paths with the man responsible for starting the fire. As a result, she must grapple with her role in helping her family heal and confront the murky ethics of human nature.

There was a lot to enjoy about this book; however, the pacing felt more like a meditation on the aftermath of trauma than the gripping narrative I expected. And in my opinion, Christy Lefteri's fondness for lengthy descriptions sometimes went on too long and overshadowed the plot as a result.

"The Book of Fire" is a compelling exploration of family, trauma, and moral dilemmas. Despite its occasional slow pacing and a penchant for excessive description, it's a thought-provoking read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

#TheBookofFire
#NetGalley

3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published January 2, 2024.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, who wrote the highly popular and highly rated the Bees of Aleppo.

We follow a family in Greece as fire breaks out. The father Tasso leaves his family to look for his father but then lives with guilt. The wife Irina and daughter escape to the ocean but then they can’t find Tasso in the hospital.

There’s a plot twist when Itina discovers a man dying in the woods, the man who started the fire. It’s a bit of o mystery what happened and she’s called into the police station to explain her involvement.

There’s also a book with this book, The Book of Fire, that describes the incidents from Irina’s perspective.

All of this is a bit clunky but the story was still compelling. Thebes include trees, art, music, kindness of strangers and a pet jackal. Random, I know.

The writing is beautiful and descriptive. Her portrayal of the trees before the fire, the land after the fire, running to the ocean to escape the flames was so realistic and compelling.

The author”s note at the end is important. It talks about her inspiration to write about wildfires and the effect climate change had on our world.

Trigger warning if you have ever lived through a fire or have significant burns.

This book covers the aftermath of a horrendous fire that destroys an entire Greek village. I was curious about this book, but I was quickly discouraged by the pace and the way it was written. This book just wasn't for me. Thank you, NetGalley.

This atmospheric story about resilience was a lovely way to transition from warm weather to colder, darker days. A family deals with the ramifications, socially, psychologically, financially, and legally of a forest fire that destroyed their home, injured their daughter and husband, and killed many in their small village. I enjoyed the back and forth between the actual event and six months past (which is current times). Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

A beautifully written heart wrenching novel of a family who loses everything when a fire set by a developer destroys their small perfect corner of Greece. Irini tells the story- both in the present and in "the book of fire" which more or less a novella within the novel that details the horror of the day, the horror of fleeing with her small daughter Chana to the sea as her husband Tasso headed off to find his father. In the present, Irini, Chana, Tasso, and the awesome dog Rosalie are living in the aftermath when Irini, out for a walk with Rosalie, finds Mr. Monk, the man who set the fire, in the woods with a white rope around his neck. There's a mystery here, a twisty one but this is best when it focuses on the family. Irini's memories of life with her father, of her early days with Tasso, as well as the family's struggles will make you ache. What is truly hard though are the pages from the book of fire while Irini, Rosalie and Chana are in the sea. There's a great deal of kindness here. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. An excellent read.

The Book of Fire by Christy Lefteri is such a moving and powerful book.
I thought this was a well written story with a very interesting storyline.
I’ve enjoyed reading Lefteri’s previous titles and this was no different.
The emotions this story had me feeling was insane. But in a good way.
Thought-provoking, emotional, sad, devastating, hopeful….. all rolled into one.
The writing style was captivating and I really enjoyed our characters journey.

Thank You NetGalley and Random House & Ballantine Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

US pub date: 1/2/24
Genre: contemporary fiction
Quick summary: A Greek town is upended by a wildfire set by a land speculator. This is the story of how the fire haunts Irini, her husband Tasso, and their daughter Chara as they work to rebuild.

I finally read Lefteri's THE BEEKEEPER OF ALEPPO earlier this year, so I was excited to add another book by her! Like BEEKEEPER, this is an emotional read exploring trauma and healing. Each character's experiences and reactions were distinct, and I liked that we got both to see both the immediate fire and its aftermath. Irini's feelings of guilt and regret due to her interactions with the firestarter were a major plot point. Tasso's loss of his hands and painting ability felt quite dark at points but was balanced by the hope for the future seen in Chara's character. The ending to the book felt quite fitting.

I ended up reading this one in one day in the airport/on a plane, and I think the quick read helped me stay immersed in the world of the characters. This is a quiet, contemplative book, and I think readers looking for a thoughtful read to start 2024 will enjoy it!

Thank you to Ballantine Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The aspects of this book will touch all the emotions. A fire can damage material things, but leave a far greater psychological scar on the people affected. The setting is in an ancient village in Greece. When a fire ravished the land, homes and forests were destroyed and the loss of lives challenged their spirit. Valuables that can never be replaced with the beauty of Greece's landscape changed forever.

The perspective is told in duel timelines with Irini's voice as the lead. Her and her husband Tasso are talented people with her gift as a music teacher and his love for art. After the fire, so much has been lost. Their daughter Chara and Tasso left scarred with his hands unable to paint now. Depression sinks in with so much at stake. We watch the human spirit rekindle with pain and hardship taking a toll on so many as they try to heal.
Irini finds the man, who started the fire as a controlled burn, which swept out of control. He is deceased and she weighs her grief with the guilt to help him and live with her choice. His greed to destroy the land as a real estate developer burns deeper in the people of the village.
You will not find a mystery or unexpected circumstance, but a literary fiction written in the purest form of testing the callousness of others, while seeping into your heart of compassion. I felt so much love for the people and their struggles. You will weep for these characters.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was powerful in the subject matter and how people with the aftermath of a natural disaster that ends in tragedy. I thought it was beautifully written and the characters were interesting and well fleshed out. The way the author chose to tell the story was unique and compelling. If you've lived through wildfires, this might not be the book for you as it is very realistic in descriptions. Great story and highly recommend!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

I would recommend reading this book for the beauty of the way it is written alone- it felt like reading poetry.

But the subject matter is extremely heavy. TW's for traumatic experiences/PTSD and suicide.

A book written about a fire in an ancient forest. A village trauma. A world wide climate crisis.
Extremely well written and thought provoking, but heavy.

The Book of Fire by Christy Lefteri

Irini, a musician, lives with her husband, Tasso, a painter, and their young daughter, Chara, in an idyllic ancient forest in Greece. Nearby lives Tasso's father and also their friends and neighbors. There are new people coming to the area, too, building huge houses with fences that block off access to the ocean.

There is also a developer who lives in a big home and this is the man who is doing a controlled burn that gets out of control. The area is ravished by the fire, killing people, animals, and plants but also leaving the walking wounded, literally due to their horrible burns but also mentally and emotionally. Homes and belongings of generations have been lost, family members and friends have been lost, and those who were injured will carry their scars forever. Many of them, like Tasso, whose hands have been badly burned, will never be able to paint as he has done in the past. Still, Irini tries to stir Tasso out of his chair, under the remaining tree, but he's so lost in his heartbreak and thoughts that he is no longer the man she loved and married. Tasso's guilt is immense because he'd tried to find his father during the fire and was unable to do so. He'll never get over the guilt since he's steeped in his depression.

It is months after the fire that Irini is walking in the burned out area of the old forest when she comes across the man who caused the fire. Here she has a choice to make and it is for you to decide what you think about her choice. Something has happened to the man, did he do it to himself or did someone do it to him? Should she help him or not?

The story is told during the time of the fire, during the time after the fire, and also through Irini's journal writing. Everyone in this area has been affected by the fire and we get to watch them cope or not cope with what has happened. Irini has lost what had made her husband the person he was but she still has him with her, alive. She struggles with the sadness of the changes in her husband, the injury of her daughter, and knowing that others lost their loved ones forever. It's a sad book with many messages to be taken from the story and each person can make their own decisions on how they feel about the reactions of the people to what has happened to them.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC.

Personally I thought the dual timelines of the actual story and Irini’s journalling were confusing and frequently repetitive. I just couldn’t see the benefit to the reader.

This is a story of unnecessary tragedy which highlights greed, but also hope and man’s humanity. It was not an easy read. I loved the Beekeeper of Aleppo. Even though this one was utilizing the same framework, I didn’t find it nearly so compelling.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Ballantine Books, for an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

I did enjoy this book. It felt a little slow to me. I is a historical fiction and I didn't realize that. I would still recommend this book.