The reader knows that this is a book about The Great Fire that occurred in Chicago in 1871. But the story starts out about a girl, Emmeline Carter, who is a society girl soon to be married to Frederick Tree. Emmeline's father has worked very hard, in a sort of rags-to-riches story that has gotten the Carter family accepted into society. And now he is to see his daughter "marry up."
Emmeline's personal maid, Fiona, is a friend from her past. The days when they lived in squalor. Emmeline treats Fiona more like a friend, but Fiona knows that without the Carters, her family would be much worse off. She still visits her family often and gives them money each visit. But she hasn't seen the third member of their group, Anders, and she doesn't want to. They were getting along fine, but then there was a kiss, and Anders didn't want anything to do with Fiona anymore.
Fiona wonders if he knows about Emmaline's upcoming nuptials. Anders and Emmaline were promised to each other at a young age. When Emmeline demands that Fiona find Anders for her just a few days before the wedding, Fiona senses trouble coming.
And boy does it come! Emmeline decides she's going to bail on the wedding and run away with Enders. And Fiona has to help her with this plan. I don't want to go any further. There is excitement, entertainment, danger, romance, and some eye-rolling moments. I was thoroughly entertained the entire time.
Several well known Chicago figures make an appearance, but this only adds to the authenticity. In Godbersen's accounting, it wasn't Mrs. O'Leary's cow that tipped over the lantern (this story has pretty much been debunked anyway), but of course, our characters are instrumental in starting the blaze. I enjoyed learning about that historical period in Chicago and a bit about how the city changed after the fire.
Teens who enjoy historical romance will certainly enjoy When We Caught Fire, and so will adults.
Published by HarperTeen, October 2, 2018
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
384 pages
Rating: 5/5
This sounds like so much fun and I can feel the excitement in your review. And, let's be honest, the book isn't set in New York so right away that's a win for me (why are they all set in NY?!)
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of this one before, but it sounds REALLY good. I'm definitely going to add it to my TBR list. Thanks for the heads-up!
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