In gorgeous lyrical prose, Lefteri tells the story of the devastation left by a forest fire that wiped out much of a small village's property and some of its people. Started by a real estate developer whose desire for more land to develop overcame his common sense, and stoked by the slow response of the local fire department, the fire spread quickly. Much of the blame for the loss of life could be attributed to over-development that left few routes to the sea open and much of the blame for the fast spread of the fire could be attributed to climate and environmental changes that left the land dry. Lefteri tells the story of a family of three - a traditional musician mother, an artist father, and a young girl who is wise beyond her years and peripherally of two grandfathers, one long dead and the other living apart from the family although part of its close-knit circle - through the woman's first-person narrative and the third-person Book of Fire. Readers will devour this book; those who like a book that makes them cry will be more than satisfied. The Book of Fire is a triumph.

A story told in alternating sequences about a place where one man started a controlled fire that got out of hand quickly and killed people. Those that did escape lost their loved ones. It was a sad story.

Last summer we vacationed along Lake Superior, kept indoors by the heavy smoke from Canadian wild fires. We know climate change has lead to more wildfires. And we know that climate change is rooted in human folly and greed, our inability to implement needed change to alter our impact on the earth.

The Book of Fire was inspired by a real fire in Greece and the stories of survivors. Lefreri’s novel imagines a family with deep roots in Greece who lose their home and a loved one after a real estate developer sets a fire to a woods, hoping to get the land for development.

The mother and wife tells the story of the fire in a journal, how she and her daughter survived by fleeing to the ocean, the hours they were in the sea waiting for rescue, the burns her daughter and husband suffered, the lose of a beloved family member. When she discovers the developer in the decimated forest, a rope around his neck, and near to death, she faces a moral crisis of decision.

Has this man killed himself, unable to live with the lives his rash act has taken? Or did survivors lynch him?

The artist husband’s burned hands and loss of the beloved forest drives him into depression, leaving his wife without his support. Meanwhile, the daughter encourages him to rejoin the living, and draws the burned forest as he had painted it in its glory.

This story of community and individual trauma and recovery asks who is guilty and what are the just deserts of guilt.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book.

Christy Lefteri kept this story going, with what is happening in the present, but sprinkled things in that came from a memory from one of the people. It kept me engaged, and wondering what was happening behind the story that we couldn't see yet. As I was reading this book, I kept thinking this is like being at the fire, and not being able to see what is behind the smoke and fire. But like the smoke and fire, it eventually clears, and you can see clearly then.
This book is like no other I have read. I had never heard of this author before receiving an ARC from Ballantine Books through NetGalley. I have gone and checked out the author and have bought some of her other books because this one was so good.

In The Book of Fire a beautiful forest is destroyed. The death and destruction is overwhelming. Did one man cause all this devastation, or is climate change also to be blamed? This book is exceptionally well written. I could “see” and “feel” everything. Switching between timelines and the main character writing her own book within this book add to the tension. The themes of loss, grief, guilt and hope resonate well beyond the final page.

This is a stunning piece of literary work. The story is told with a lot of depth and emotion. The details of the characters is fantastic. The story is told mainly from the point of view of the mom in real time as well as looking back on the events of the fire. It is a pensive and realistic look at climate change and its danger to humans, animals and communities at large. This is a really wonderful story that is easy to read and is very interesting.

Christy Lefteri has written a very sad, depressing book, yet her writing style is beautiful. The story takes place in Greece, “In a beautiful village, inside an ancient forrest, on the slope of a mountain that looks down upon a sea.” A fire is set by a man who wants to develop land. The forrest is ruined, people die and people are changed for life.

Irini, Tasso and their daughter Chara must work to find a way to rebuild their lives, their souls and each other. They must find a way to cope with the devastation around them and the loss of family and friends.There is a moral dilemma that takes place in the story that is good for a book club discussion. The questions that could be asked are: Is it important that all wrongs are righted? If something wrong is done to someone bad is it acceptable, forgivable? Who is judge and who is jury?

I give 5 stars for the authors writing style. The detailed writing of the fire and the journey the town had to take down to the water to survive was so vivid. I felt as if I was running for my life and every step I took would decide if I survived or not. I give 3 stars for the story giving an overall rating of 3.5 stars. Ninety five percent of the book was just too depressing for me. I wish it was a little more uplifting. I am glad I read it and would recommend it with a clause that is it very depressing.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for an ARC of this book in exchange for N honest review.

This book takes place in the aftermath of a large fire that has destroyed part of the neighboring area. Sprinkled throughout the book are also chapters of a story the protagonist is writing, which is a sort of fairytale retelling of the events of the fire. It's a unique way to both learn what happened during the fire and show the protagonist's way of mentally processing everything. Overall, an interesting and well written book.

I adored this book, the description of the small town in Greece, the forest, how the fire destroyed everything, Irini and her story of what happened, I felt for her daughter snd husband. It was admirable how they finally find their new normal, I loved the mystery aspect when it came to the man who started the fire, and his death. The mystery behind that was what kept me wanting to read more. I felt at times the book was repetitive but overall a heartfelt read.

I found this book to be very interesting and intriguing. I would recommend this a friend because this is a book for everyone. I really enjoyed emerging myself into this book and it was just wonderful. This book evened my eyes to quite a few things and it’s one of those books that I’ll think about for quite awhile.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the advanced reader's copy of this publication.

After visiting Greece this summer I really resonated with this story. I felt the landscape thru the author's writing. The people, the traditions, the smells are all apart of this tale.
Wonderfully written and a dear storyline.

The story of a family in Greece dealing with loss, injuries and trauma after a devastating wildfire. Took me a little bit to get into the book but I got more and more into it as the book went on and really loved the characters and the writing. Such a sad story reminiscent of the recent tragedy in Maui.

The way Christy Lefteri writes terrifying reality but in a quiet way… The Book of Fire solidifies her spot on my auto read author list.

A small Greek village is destroyed by a fire. One that is started by greed… the community flees to the banks and try’s to escape the flames. The Book Of Fire shares a families perspective alternating chapter from post fire as well as during.

My heart ached for this community and their response to the trauma they experienced. Though this one will rip your heart out the author always leaves you feeling hopeful.
I found myself excited to reach the authors note… and it didn’t shy away from what are world is looking like or what it may look like in the near future.

I’m excited for this to release!

The Book of Fire is a well-written, gripping tale about the aftermath of a massive forest fire that destroys everything in its path, killing people and wildlife alike. While the story is mostly told in the first person from Irini’s perspective, there’s a story within the story as Irini writes “The Book of Fire” and describes the fire from a third person (but really her own) perspective. The characters come alive on the page as the author shares their fears, guilt, hopes, and dreams. The writing is engrossing, making the reader feel as if they were there in the midst of the desolation. This is a fast read, a story of greed and the horrid, devastating consequences. Another great novel by Christy Lefteri!

This was beautifully written. Such evocative and rich description throughout. I liked how the story was in two parts with the flashbacks to the day of the fire and the following days interspersed throughout the story.
There was a lot of repetition about the dry land, climate change, and how these things were fueling the fires. It started to feel preachy rather than part of the tale. With so little actually happening throughout the book these parts grated on me.
I want a dog as well-behaved as Rosalie now!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I have mixed feelings about The Book of Fire. One the one hand I liked the way the author used light and dark contrasts/symbolism. I also liked the contrasts between water imagery and the starkness of the burned forest. I enjoyed exploring these elements in the story. Also, because this mirrored the fire in Maui, I better understood the pain and loss of that tragedy. On the other hand, the book seemed longer than necessary and once the author started blaming the fire on climate change and not the greedy person, I lost interest.
Nevertheless, I would recommend this book. Thank you to #netgalley for the opportunity to read #bookoffire by #christylefteri.

Christy Lefteri’s The Book of Fire will capture readers’ attention from page one. Within the first five sentences, Irini, the first-person narrator, thinks about meeting the man who started the fire. She not only announces that he did something terrible, but also confesses that she did, too. She has left him and realizes that he may now be dead. In the remainder of the page, the narrator identifies the man as a property developer who kept to himself, never the type to go to the local coffee shop where readers soon learn the narrator and many villagers regularly go. In fact, villagers don’t know the man’s name and simply refer to him as Mr. Monk because he seems to live an isolated life.

It takes only slightly longer for readers to learn that the narrator came across Mr. Monk, barely alive, under an ancient, half burned chestnut tree. Inclined to help him, Irini recalls the horrors of the fire several months earlier, detests Mr. Monk for setting it, and runs away, returning home with Rosalie, the family dog she had been walking when she came upon the dying man.

Lefteri has also created a dual timeline, but not the typical one with dates designating the time shifts. Instead, she has created a book within a book. Numbered chapters relate the story’s present while segments titled The Book of Fire frequently appear between numbered chapters. In an effort to cope with the devastating fire that has forever changed village life, destroying the beautiful Greek forest, leveling homes, and killing or scaring many of the villagers including members of her own family, Irini has decided to write a book. Interestingly, although the numbered chapters reflect Irini’s present and are related in the first person, she distances herself from the tragedy by writing her book in the third person, even further by referring to herself as “the woman” or “the wife, to her husband Tasso as “the man” or “the husband,” to their daughter Charra as “the girl,” and even to the family’s beloved pet Rosalie as “the dog.” Dramatic and even gruesome in spots, The Book of Fire sometimes reads like one of the fairy tales Irini’s father told her during childhood and at other times like an account of someone else’s experience, not her own.

Despite Irini’s obsession with the death she thinks she has caused, what seems like a relatively simple story at the outset gradually morphs into a mystery about Mr. Monk’s cause of death as the police investigate and repeatedly question Irini. Did Mr. Monk commit suicide, or was he murdered by an angry villager or villagers? In addition to this mystery angle, Lefteri takes a multifaceted look at the fire, itself—a planned control burn that raged out of control.

Don’t miss the author’s Note at the end of the book where Lefteri explains how her volunteer work with refugees in Greece inspired both her earlier best-selling The Beekeeper of Aleppo and The Book of Fire to be released in early January, 2024.

Thanks to NetGalley and Balllantine/Random House for an advance reader copy of this highly recommended new novel from Christy Lefteri.

A forest fire destroys a Greek village.. leaves the population running to the sea to save themselves.
This story focuses on Irini, Tasso, and their young daughter Chara… trying to overcoming their injuries and move past this trauma that has forever changed their lives.
In this story the blame is on one man who intentionally set the fire.. due to greed in wanting to clear some land to build a hotel.. the fire got out of hand…but we know that this situation happens often these days due to global warming.

This story was very good, had some beautiful characters, but was very sad.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the ARC!

3.5 stars. A small Greek village is virtually destroyed by a wildfire caused by “Mr. Monk,” a wealthy landowner and developer who lives on a mountain above the town, and Inno, Tasso and their daughter have their lives changed forever.

I really loved The Beekeeper of Aleppo, so I was very anxious to read this novel. And, although I thought it was a good novel and definitely a heart-wrenching read, I was somewhat disappointed. It was definitely a timely novel, especially given the recent fire in Maui and climate change in general, with interesting, sympathetic characters, but it seemed to drag in places and could have been bettered perhaps with a tightening of the storyline.

Nonetheless, the overarching themes of hope and the determination of the human spirit that comes through through the storyline unquestionably makes this a worthwhile read.

This book will make you think. It is interesting how a single action can change everything in ways one doesn't even know. The story here certainly did that. I enjoyed it very much. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.