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Reviewed by Keith Mbuya for Readers' Favorite
After a cold night highlighted by billows of dark smoke obscuring the sky over downtown Boston, the Great Fire of November 9, 1872 made headlines in newspapers the following day. The catastrophic fire sees businesses shut down and some city residents being forced to move. Herb Andersen, a smart high school kid, and his single mother Sally, a women’s rights activist, are among the many forced to leave Boston. Settling in Brookline, the two quickly learn that the harsh reality of life is coming at them so fast. Almost graduating from high school and with no money to take him through university, Herb’s academic future hangs in the balance. His prospects of finding a job are worsened by the effects of the Depression of 1873, deemed the worst in history. As he tries to navigate his dilemma, he finds himself treading a path of self-discovery and resilience. Find out more in Ellen Kingman Fisher’s The Ring of a Bell.
Weaving an intriguing plot, Fisher drew me into the cast’s personal conflicts and struggles. The evocative depictions colorfully breathed life into the scenes, taking me back to late 1800s America. I was hurled into the harsh and unsparing world of a single mother living in the 1870s, and that of a poor fatherless teenage boy on the brink of adulthood, both experiencing open skepticism and rejection. Fisher’s down-to-earth way of depicting the cast’s emotions and the juxtaposing of their traits allowed me to connect with them. I could relate to Herb’s longing to know his father or at least his story, and I could also understand his mother’s guardedness on the subject. If you are looking for a historical novel laced with adventure, suspense, and drama, with an unfolding back story, Ellen Kingman Fisher’s The Ring of a Bell is just what you should be looking for.
