I must confess, one of the reasons I requested an ARC of this book was its gorgeous cover. I also love historical fiction and had never read a book set in Chicago during the Great Fire of 1871. This book follows the fate of two sisters whose father suffers from soldier's heart (or PTSD as we call this disorder now). Their bookshop and house go up in flames in the fire, and in addition to that, their father is accused of murder and gets locked away in an insane asylum. This book is quite slow-paced, but at the same time, the plot moves along enough to keep the reader engaged and vested in the story. The characters are likable and the murder mystery line kept me turning the pages.
Another aspect of the book that I appreciated but might be a turn-off for others is the main characters' emphasis on staying strong in faith and putting their trust in God. This theme gets stronger as you get farther into the book. Finally, I think overall, the author tried to stay true to the time period. The characters' manners and conduct certainly seem historically accurate to my inexpert eye. 5 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed this book.
An e-ARC was received from NetGalley.com
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