Welcome to the beta version of Shelfari’s new Book Detail pages!
These pages are editable by the community, so please contribute! Click here to learn more about this feature. We’d love to hear your feedback.
Description
The acclaimed author of A Prayer for the Dying brings all his narrative gifts to bear on this gripping account of tragedy and heroism-the great Hartford circus fire of 1944. Halfway through a midsummer afternoon performance, Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus's big top caught fire.... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis
Important People
- Little Miss 1565: Named for the number on her death certificate, an unidentified child who has become the face of the fire.
- Patty Murphy: A child who sustained severe injuries in the circus fire; ultimately survived.
- Emmett Kelly: A famous circus clown who was present at the fire.
- Charles Nelson Reilly: Actor and comedian; grew up in Hartford. Was at the cirucs the day of the fire (age 11). After that, would never sit in an audience again.
- Thomas Barber: Police investigator who worked tirelessly to learn the identity of unidentified victims, especially Little Miss 1565.
- Robert Dale Segee: A prime suspect in the arson case. He confessed to setting the fire, then retracted his confession. Mentally ill. He was never tried or convicted.
First Sentence
They played by the lake, their tops guyed out on the lot by Municipal Stadium.
Table of Contents
Authors & Contributors
- Stewart O'Nan (Author)
Popular Tags
Books with Additional Background Information
List the books that contain additional information about this book.
If you have any suggestions for how we can improve this page or if there are sections that you would like us to add, please let us know.
