The “Book of Fire” by Christy Lefteri is a heartbreaking story of a Greek village destroyed by a ferocious wildfire. It is beautifully written with believable characters that force us to face the current reality of climate change. The total devastation, unimaginable grief, and loss of life becomes very real as many of us are dealing with this today because of the wildfire in Maui. This is a highly emotional story everyone should read!

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and the author for the ARC of this book.

The Book of Fire is excellent. I read over one hundred books a year and this is in my top five for the year. Christy Lefteri researches unique topics and truly writes from her heart. I enjoyed The Beekeper of Allepo with its broad range of time and geography. This book was more intimate, taking place over the course of a few months in a beautiful Greek seaside village.. The characters were so believable and human.
While reading the devastation caused by the fire in this novel, I could not help but compare it to the human tragedies happening in Maui after their recent devastating wildfires. This novel made me even more aware of the many stories that would be behind one event.
I will be recommending this book to my friends and we will be reading and discussing this book in the book club I chair once it is published. I read this book in a day because I had to find out what was going to happen, the author’s beautiful imagery and use of language makes me eager to read it again.

A beautifully written story about a family whose lives are devastated by a wildfire that sweeps through the forest destroying everything in its path.The story within the story is told by the mother as she describes how she and her daughter flee to the ocean while the husband returns to the forest to search for his father.
The author addresses climate change as the fire, while started by a man, rages across a forest that has experienced severe drought.
Recommended for general fiction readers.

The Book of Fire is a timely read given all of the fires happening around the world - I had the most recent Maui fire in mind. The first 30% really gripped me, I truly felt the pain and worry from these characters. By the end it felt a little too tame & light for me personally but overall a good message and worth the read!

Beautifully written, The Book of Fire is an intense book of love, restoration, family and friendships. Especially touching with the recent fires in Maui, this book will bring tears of frustration, fear and joy. Christy Lefteri deftly captures emotions, scenery, and drama with her vivid, descriptive writing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read this amazing ARC.

The fabulous author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo takes us to Greece in a harrowing and unforgettable novel.

We meet a small family - Irini, Chara and Tasso living in the forest along the coast of Greece. A terrible fire consumes their small village and take away their home and sense of security. Lefteri takes us through the fire itself and the aftermath. Throughout the novel she paints bold picture of the family members and villagers. Toward the end of the novel Irini meets up with the man who began the tragic fire, she is faced with a decision that changes her life forever.

Gorgeous and truly unforgettable Lefteri presents a perspective on how people would react after a tragedy. I found it truthful and poignant and much easier to believe than your typical adventure novel.

Read this book! It mirrors the current state of affairs in Greece and Hawaii and many other places.
#RandomHouse #Ballantine #TheBooksOfFire #TheBeekeeperofaleppo #ChristyLefteri

This book is an amazing find! It is at once current and age old. The devastation of fire and the truths of human nature are deep and resonates after the book is finished. The gentleness, love, healing power and devotion shown to the animals in this book.is touching. I am going to read everything this author writes. I also love the Greek connection and setting,

4.25. Timing is everything here. This book details the pain, suffering, loss as well as redemption and rebirth of a community devastated by the wildfires. It is a historical fiction based on the wildfires near Attica in July 2018 caused by a severe drought and menacing winds, with huge fast moving flames that caused many to make life and death decisions. There is a bit of focus on climate change and the impact of development on the severity of the impact if the wildfires The story catalogues the devastating impact on the community and the landscape around. It is eerily similar to what happened to people recently in Maui. I started reading this before the Maui wildfires so it really hit me harder. People were forced to flee to the sea to escape the scorching wildfires but many were harmed whether by the loss or injury of loved ones, the beautiful forests, wildlife and fauna. Ms. Lefteri’s writing is poignant and her prose is beautiful as in her other novels. She has truly captured the flood of emotions from the people involved, whether from death, grievous injury, and emotional impact. All characters were very well developed. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an advance copy in exchange for an unbiased and candid review.

Christy Lefteri does it again with her poetic prose and beautiful storytelling.
The Book of Fire is a heart wrenching tale of a devastating wildfire set by a greedy land owner and how it affects the lives of the people in a Greek village.
Irini and her daughter flee their home and run to the sea to escape the flames. Tasso, Irini's husband runs back to help his father escape the fire. They cling to a wooden box in the sea for hours waiting to be rescued.
Ms. Lefteri's blends two timelines together with poetic diction. Before the wildfire there is the lively forest full of trees, smells and life, now they are left with charred grey aftermath.
This emotional story will stay in my heart as it showed deep ties between humans dealing with immense loss in many different ways.
Thank you Ballentine and Net Galley for the ARC.

this is the best book of 2023, hands down.

"the book of fire" by christy lefteri (author of "the beekeeper of aleppo") is an emotional, heartfelt, and gripping tale about a family trying to survive after a devastating wildfire takes the lives of uncountable people, as well as their homes. mother, wife, and survivor irini begins to write a story to help cope with her trauma. her daughter has a long scar and she is more solemn, her husband has badly burned and wrapped hands and arms and is in a state of fugue and depression, and then she finds a dead man in the ashen wood.

both timelines weave together seamlessly, each character is real, raw, and tangible. the prose is phenomenal, bordering poetic with that fairytale diction. i was completely immersed, drawn in, and unable to put this book down. i finished it in tears, my heart so full. i cannot praise this novel enough, it is a must read. christy lefteri is one of the finest authors of our generation. this story will never leave me and always have a place in my heart.

thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.