Ocean of Fire: The Burning of Columbia, 1865

January 15, 2014
Only readers with a strong knowledge of and interest in the Civil War will persist in reading this grim, stilted novel about the burning of Columbia, S.C. When Union soldiers marched into Columbia in 1865, the city was a potential tinderbox of strong winds and loose bales of cotton. After drunken Yankee soldiers started fires both accidentally and intentionally, the wind kept them going. This fictionalized third-person narrative tells of Emma LeConte, a real young woman who left a diary. She watches from her family's home as other houses burn up and the local hospital, full of injured Union and Confederate soldiers, is evacuated. The story shifts at times to Emma's father, a chemist who flees with Confederate medicines and chemicals to keep them safe, only to find danger on the road. The third main character, Rev. Anthony T. Porter, who also left an account, is shown trying to keep his family safe. Unfortunately, neither characters nor relationships are developed; readers are simply told what characters feel, especially how much Emma despises Yankees. The focus is on events, but Anderson provides too little context to explain the level of hatred between Southerners and Union soldiers after so many years of war and loss. The awkward combination of facts and fiction fails to adequately inform or engage readers, despite the dramatic topic. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 12-16)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 1, 2014

Gr 6-10- Ocean of Fire presents the events of the burning of Columbia, South Carolina, in 1865 by General William T. Sherman's army, as seen by 17-year-old Emma LeConte, who is trying to protect her family from the Yankee soldiers; her uncle and father, who are taking supplies out of the city so they don't fall into enemy hands; and Reverend Porter, a local resident. Other characters include Charles Davis, a Yankee soldier who seems to be a spy, and Lieutenant McQueen, an officer in the Northern army who protects Emma's family from harm at the hands of Sherman's men. Unfortunately, the amount of historical detail compromises the novel's readability. The pace is slow and the language is dry. The foreshadowing of the tragedy is overpowering as all of the scenes in the first half of the book appear to be included simply to point out how easily the city could burn, and the alternating points of view distract from the immediacy of the events. The characters' voices are not distinct, and so many people are introduced that readers don't become fully in invested in their plight. It's a struggle to remember who they all are and what role they are playing in the unfolding story. This novel will not generate much traffic.-Tammy Turner, Centennial High School, Frisco, TX

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.