The Fire Born - by Deborah Hufford (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"You just sink deeper with every page and forget about breathing. A wonderful, mesmerizing story." -DIANA GABALDON, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Outlander series

The untold story of the deadliest fire in American history.

In 1871, the Lake Michigan shoreline is a tinderbox of ambition and drought. Delia, a Swedish orphan, now lives in a rugged Wisconsin lumber-camp brothel. Her only solace is Big Mo, a verse-quoting lumberjack fleeing his own violent past who sees the soul beneath her hardship.

Their fates are inextricably bound to William Butler Ogden, the "Richest Man in the West" and Chicago's first mayor, whose empire of rail and timber unknowingly provides the tinder for the coming inferno. Zelda, an enigmatic circus lion tamer, becomes a haunting muse to William and a link between his high-society empire and the struggles of frontier folk like Delia and Mo.

As the deadliest firestorm in American history consumes Peshtigo and levels Chicago, Delia, Mo, and Zelda are thrust into a harrowing fight for survival, while William must reckon with his part in the apocalypse that threatens to swallow everyone he loves.

The Fire Born recounts the forgotten Peshtigo catastrophe and the Chicago fire the same night through the eyes of those who lived it, tracing the journey of resilient spirits who find their true strength in the flames and rise from the ashes of disaster.

Review Quotes

"A stunning saga, magnificently told. Deborah Hufford has written a fascinating and passionate tale set in the Midwest after the Civil War that is beguiling from the first page." -LESLEY KAGEN, New York Times bestselling author of Whistling in the Dark and Every Now and Then

"Hufford boldly and skillfully immerses readers in the terror and heartbreak of these catastrophes, while reminding us of the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit." -DAVID GILLHAM, New York Times bestselling author of City of Women and Annelise

"Following unforgettable characters as they forged lives demanding extraordinary courage and resilience expanded my understanding of America's past-and of America itself . . . a stunning, heart-stopping historical epic." -RANDY SUSAN MEYERS, internationally bestselling author of The Many Mothers of Ivy Puddingstone

"With a deft sense of character and a careful eye for historical detail, Deborah Hufford has brought back to fiery life one of the most tragic events in the history of the United States." -JOHN GURDA, Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and author of The Making of Milwaukee

"Beautifully realized and meticulously researched, Deborah Hufford's The Fire Born gives deeply personal meaning to one of history's most enduring mysteries-the twin tragedies, both on October 8, 1871, of the Great Chicago Fire and the Peshtigo fire in Wisconsin, the worst fire in American history." -JACQUELYN MITCHARD, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Deep End of the Ocean

"The Fire Born is a gripping roller coaster ride of incredibly tragic events and inspirational triumphs with characters who will tug at your heart. The Chicago Fire and the lesser-known but far more lethal Peshtigo Fire in Wisconsin come to life in this spectacular novel . . . A literary feast I could not devour fast enough." -GREGORY LEE RENZ, author of Beneath the Flames and Beyond the Flames, Wisconsin Fire and Police Hall of Fame member, and former Milwaukee fire captain

"A book teeming with life, adventure, and a cast of characters the reader cares deeply about, particularly the centerpiece couple, Mo and Delia, a literary lumberjack and his brave immigrant wife. Ultimately, Hufford has crafted a gripping tale about the decades-long dedication and love between two people." -GLENN R. MILLER, author of Doorman Wanted and Rough Cuts

"With The Fire Born, Deborah Hufford establishes herself as one of this generation's finest authors of historical fiction. Hufford's vivid, lyrical writing-an art in itself-brings alive history comprised of real people with real emotions, and the sadnesses and glories of years past that echo in our current time." -GREG FIELDS, author of The Bright Freight of Memory, Chrysalis/BREW Book of the Year