(originally posted on July 17, 2006)
What strikes me most about this book is how smart it is - because the material is so fraught with emotion, it would have been natural to attempt a massive epic trying to understand basic truths. But instead, Weber opts for a more level-headed approach that looks at the fire from a distance, using musical structure and style to create a rich portrait of those who died, and those who survived to pass the story onto future generations. I'm very glad to have this in my library for future rereadings.
