I enjoyed this book. It was heartbreaking and emotional, as well as inspirational. It’s set in a village in Greece. There was a fire where people were killed, people were injured, and homes were destroyed. There’s one family in particular at the center of the story. They have experienced their own loss. And this is the description of the days of both the fire and their journey of healing afterwards.

"The Book of Fire" unfolds against the backdrop of a Greek village devastated by a fire sparked by a local real estate developer’s reckless actions. The blaze ravages the community, leaving destruction and sorrow in its wake. Irini, the protagonist, discovers the developer’s lifeless body in the remnants of the forest, prompting a moral dilemma: should she aid the man responsible for the catastrophe?

The story, narrated through dual timelines from Irini’s perspective, delves into themes of guilt, responsibility, and environmental consequences. While the novel’s themes are compelling and some scenes evoke deep emotion, the writing style detracts from the overall experience. Overly lengthy paragraphs and excessive descriptions bog down the pace.

Additionally, inconsistencies in character actions and dialogue disrupt the narrative’s authenticity.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What I liked about this book:

1. There are some powerful themes in the book: Climate change, community and individual trauma, recovery. perseverance
2. The writing was poignant and lyrical.
3. I loved the description of the island, the healing that takes place and the message of "enjoy the moments - each and every day".

What I didn't like::
1. There was a repetition of some of the scenes and messages that felt like they could have been left out = almost too preachy.


My thanks to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for an advance copy of this book.

Couldn't get past the first couple chapters I just didn't care about the characters or the story honestly. I didn't feel pulled in at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

This book was a DNF for me. I just couldn't get into the book at all and there was something about the writing that threw me off. I'm not saying it was bad in any way, just that this was not a book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read The Book of Fire by Christy Lefteri. This book, beautifully, honestly writen, will break your heart

I meant to get this written sooner, while the book was still fresh in my mind. Unfortunately, that didn't happen; and, since Netgalley won't let me highlight any more, it's hard to go back and grab specifics or refresh my memory. These are the highlights of what I recall:
Lefteri utilizes dual storylines here, one first-person account of the family after the fire, the other Irini's third-person recounting of the fire and its immediate aftermath. I liked the concept but, as with so many dual storyline novels, one feels more compelling than the other.
The parts describing the spread of the fire and Irini's and Chara's time in the water waiting for rescue are truly frightening. The fear, the exhaustion, the fight to survive are all vividly portrayed.
The present day storyline often felt repetitive; I think things could have been cleaned up to make that storyline tighter.
I always appreciate a novel where the ending is not a forgone conclusion. I did like the way this one ended, with not everything tied up neatly.
I appreciated that the bad guy was given some balance.
I really enjoyed learning some history of Greece, reading about Irini's family's immigrant experience, spending some time with the locals, and the way Lefteri used climate change to craft the rest of the story.

I picked this one because it takes place in Greece. The writing in this one was impressive. It was very descriptive and meaningful. There was so much devastation because of the fire. So many deaths and injuries and lasting mental and physical scars. It was an emotional story.

It wasn’t a book I would have chosen if it wasn’t for my book club. I’m glad I was able to read it with them.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for my ARC of this book.

The Book of Fire is a reminder to the reader just how fragile life is and how, in the blink of an eye, everything can change.Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for a review

📕 “There was one boy who caught his eye, similar in age to himself, tattered clothes and forlorn eyes, and in his hands, he held a bouzouki. For a split second, the boy thought he was seeing himself, that he was in fact looking into a mirror that stretched across the land. But then he realized that the instrument in the boy's hands was not the same as his: it was a baglama, a long-necked lute. " "They are Turkish, a man behind him said. 'They are being led away from their homes by the Greeks. They are heading the way we came.' "And with these words, the boy understood what his father had meant. They demonize each other, he had said. The 'other' is always to blame and it fuels people and groups and governments with fire. This never leads to any good on this earth. And right here Vassilios could see that they were all their own enemies, that they were all human, all in pain, all hurting each other from hatred and fear.”
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📗The clash of hopelessness and hopefulness was so obvious in this story. Hopelessness of a father who saw the destruction (death of a parent) was harder to fix even with hopefulness of a daughter who had seen another destruction standing next to her father. But the worst was for the woman who got stuck between this husband and this daughter
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📘There was something unspeakable done to a person in this story. It made me think of the age old question of if capital punishment is acceptable for certain type of crimes. Weirdly this action felt far more barbaric than the capital punishment. But also, can we blame the people?

The Book of Fire was a wonderfully written story about how one tragic event shapes so many lives for decades. The resilience of the human spirit was a strong theme in this book and Lefteri's writing never ceases to amaze.

A woman, her young daughter, dog, and husband struggle through injuries and grief after a wildfire rips through their home and the surrounding forrest. In the aftermath of destruction, the woman discovered the man who started the fire. He is dead at the base of a once beautiful Chestnut tree in the forrest he burned. Did he take his own life or was he murdered for his terrible mistake?

I found this story to be beautiful and horrific at the same time. The awful tragedy of the fire, the mother and daughter fighting until bring rescued, not knowing if they would see her husband and father again. The charred remains of their life and family, the sadness of losing the passion for things they onced loved. It was heartbreaking. But the kindness of strangers, the injured jackal Chara discovers and nurses to health, the beautiful paintings remaining and yet to be created.... There is hope and beauty in tragedy and sorrow. This was an excellent story, highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was a very good book. Devastation of land by fire and the destruction it created amongst this family. It was also healing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC of Christy Lefteri's The Book of Fire.

I've been a fan of Lefteri since reading The Beekeeper of Aleppo. Her writing style captures the local region of each story, and I think she writes in a way that makes me identify with the emptions of the characters..
In The Book of Fire, I felt the fear and anguish felt by the people facing the desperation of a wildfire, and struggling to recover both physically and mentally. The story is timely with the increasing number of wildfires certain regions of the planet are facing.

I look forward to her next book [ highly recommend The Book of Fire.

A local developer started a fire to clear land that quickly burned the whole town. Irini and her family try to recover after escaping from their burning home and both her daughter and husband have burn wounds that are healing. As they are recovering and trying to find their footing, Irini stumbles across the local developer in the forest as he's dying. The story then breaks into the guilt Irini feels for not doing enough to save him and her past as she retraces how they got there. Overall, a family story about what it means to rebuild and whether forgiveness and reconciliation is possible.

The writing is unquestionably beautiful. This author has a way of pulling you in so you see, hear, taste and feel the words she is writing. This isn't a story with much of plot. It is a simple and yet complex tale of the relationship we have to this amazing earth on which we live. I am the farthest thing from a granola crunching tree hugger. But even I can see that we have not been great stewards of the gifts we have been granted by Mother Earth. And this is a story about exactly that...a sad and cautionary story.

The Book of Fire tells the story of an ancient forest near a Greek city that is ravaged by a fire that wasn't a natural wildfire. The fire was started accidentally by a wealthy businessman that lived in a large house outside of the town. The fire burned through the forest that the people loved, leaving a ghost of the forest behind. Many of the people were injured or died. As I read, I could feel the heat of the fire and smell the fire and smoke through the descriptions.. The first story line is told by Irini and how her husband Tasso and daughter Chara, both injured in the fire, are taking steps to heal and recover. A few months after the fire, Irini comes across the wealthy businessman sitting at the base of an ancient chestnut tree. She makes a decision to leave him there. As the ensuing investigation of his death begins, Irini wrestles with what she had done. Another storyline is Irini telling the story of her great-grandfather and his trials and tribulations involving the ancient forest and his past. The Book of Fire is beautifully written of the destruction of the fire and how it impacted so many lives and how people tried to recover their lives.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read the ARC of The Book of Fire.

The Book of Fire was a special book for me - I live in Southern California where we have fire seasons and have known too well the devastation when property and lives are lost, THE BOOK OF FIRE resonated with mee depply - its an emotional read that touched upon the themes of resilience, humanity, and community. I really appreciated the Author's note on this book - I will be thinking of this book for a long while.

Gorgeously written [my friend, in her review, talked about the author's ability to slow time and I agree with this completely], meticulously researched [especially by seeing the affects of a forest fire first hand and talking to survivors] and filled with heartbreaking scenarios, this book moved me to tears more than once and also made me question just exactly would I have done if I had been in Irini's shoes when she meets Mr. Monk in the woods [what a tough place to be in] and in the aftermath.

Set in modern-day Greece, this is a truly heartbreaking story about a family, love [and what one is willing to do for love], and the affects of climate change and what happens when we ignore the very clues right in front of us and when a fire sweeps in, we are then forced to face the destruction and devastation left behind.

Thank you to NetGalley, Christy Lefteri, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Ballantine Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Irini and her family have to flee a wildfire that is started in there town by a business man trying to get land available to build on. They manage to survive, but only barely. Her daughter is scarred, her husband is injured and her Father in Law is missing. As the whole town begins to navigate how to rebuild after the devastation, Irini has to come to terms with her own feelings of guilt.

This book took me two months to read...and that is a ridiculously long time for me. I just could not get into this at all, but I honestly think it just wasn't for me. There are plenty of people out there who I am sure would have enjoyed this way more than I did. I didn't hate it, but it definitely isn't my cup of tea.