false <![CDATA[The Great Fire]]> 142975 17 The Great Fire is an extraordinary love story set in the immediate aftermath of the great conflagration of the Second World War. In war-torn Asia and stricken Europe, men and women, still young but veterans of harsh experience, must reinvent their lives and expectations, and learn, from their past, to dream again. Some will fulfill their destinies, others will falter. At the center of the story, a brave and brilliant soldier finds that survival and worldly achievement are not enough. His counterpart, a young girl living in occupied Japan and tending her dying brother, falls in love, and in the process discovers herself. In the looming shadow of world enmities resumed, and of Asia's coming centrality in world affairs, a man and a woman seek to recover self-reliance, balance, and tenderness, struggling to reclaim their humanity. The Great Fire is a story of love in the aftermath of war by 'purely and simply, one of the greatest writers working in English today.' (Michael Cunningham) 2453617 1 7 2004 The Great Fire total:661|5:119|4:187|3:200|2:95|1:60| 661 2193 1038 152 1 6 false false Sun Oct 28 11:39:55 -0700 2007 Sun Oct 28 11:55:47 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 4 false false Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Apr 26 13:18:47 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 06 08:25:10 -0700 2009 This is one of those books that as you read it, you find yourself lost in thoughts about the morning commute, the long ago expired and still unpaid decal on your front windshield, about the dog, that you forgot to feed and you ...more...]]> 1 3 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Jun 25 09:56:08 -0700 2008 Sun Feb 08 08:50:37 -0800 2009 more...]]> 1 2 false false Tue Jun 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 12 15:34:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 24 21:44:15 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 2 false false Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Fri Jul 13 10:00:11 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 13 10:03:10 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 2 false false Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Sun Feb 08 10:34:43 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 08 10:36:41 -0800 2009 I found the novel opaque...like reading through some kind of scrim...terribly dull & obtuse.]]> 4 1 false false Wed Nov 11 12:19:46 -0800 2009 Mon Oct 26 22:54:25 -0700 2009 Wed Nov 11 12:19:46 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Sat Aug 05 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Tue Jan 27 13:04:55 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 27 13:08:53 -0800 2009 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Jan 03 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 03 10:21:57 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 03 10:26:37 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 2 false false Thu Nov 20 02:56:29 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 01 18:57:04 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Thu Jul 02 19:03:26 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 02 19:22:07 -0700 2009 1
For those of...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jan 10 23:52:22 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 10 23:52:22 -0800 2009 I think the writing is exquisite. There are so many places I underlined that I would like to remember. Special phrases....reference to a handwome man "build, brow, mouth and hands, all the things that are...more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Jun 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 16:28:40 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 16:28:40 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 24 18:39:27 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 13 18:11:35 -0800 2009
Women are left by the wayside in terms of character development. The story takes place after WWII and centers on two male characters....more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Aug 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 03 11:12:18 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 16 17:33:46 -0700 2009
On one hand, the sentences could be lovely, intricate and descriptive. A line: "Having expected...more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Aug 31 18:44:15 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 31 18:49:37 -0700 2008 The Great Fire earned Australian-American author Shirley Hazzard the 2003 National Book Award.

The book begins in the aftermath of the second world war as decorated British officer Aldred Leith arrives in occupied Japan to write about the effects of the bom...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Sep 03 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 26 10:48:51 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 04 19:08:54 -0700 2008

I wanted to love this book, and for a good long stretch (about half) I really did. The prose is really quite exceptional; unfortunately the dialog is prep...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 10 04:29:38 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 10 04:36:52 -0700 2008
...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu May 29 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon May 26 15:25:21 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 06 09:38:49 -0700 2009 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Mon Mar 03 21:21:57 -0800 2008 Tue Mar 04 05:26:16 -0800 2008
The second half of the book was much more engaging f...more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=142975