Review of 1871: Rivers on Fire

[Medina Fedrick]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "1871: Rivers on Fire" by Paul Buchheit.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Paul Buchheit's 1871: Rivers on Fire is a work of historical fiction based on a real-life event. While both were enrolled in master's programs at London University, Liz and Robert became friends. Liz met Robert while she was working on her thesis topic. While Robert, who had a degree in conservation, pursued his interest in neurolinguistics, she was conducting research in the field of neurobiology. They collaborate on a project that involves conducting brain research with a primary focus on how language is developed in the brain. They fly to America in order to represent Dr. Alexander Bain at a conference at Chicago University that is scheduled to take place in October with the hopes of learning more, testing their theory, and disclosing their findings. However, most of the time, when we make plans for the future, life throws a curveball and alters our route. The problems they face alter everything. To learn how these two handled life in America during a time when Chicago was plagued by a seemingly endless string of fires, read this book.

The book was divided into six parts, each of which told the story of a different stage in their shared journey and life. Each section started with a poem, which I found to be really motivating. The book's leisurely pace contributed to its overall enjoyment. The facts in the book weren't made up; they could only have been discovered after extensive research. This book gave me encouragement and inspired me to pursue my goals. Reading about Liz's frivolous pursuit of her aspirations in a society where women were viewed as inferior was fascinating and motivating. There are a lot of lessons in this book, but the one that stuck with me was how procrastination cost them dearly.

Each chapter started with a picture, but because they weren't labeled, I started to wonder if they were important or related to the story. As a result, I got confused and didn't pay much attention to them until I stumbled upon the descriptions of these pictures at the end of the book. If each picture had a description next to it wherever it appeared in the book, the pictures would have been much appreciated. There was nothing else about this book that I didn't like.

Despite the aforementioned dislike, I would still rate this book five out of five stars because it had minimal impact on how much I enjoyed it. The author did a good job of explaining the scientific concepts so that the reader could grasp them, and the plot was well thought out. I found no errors in this book, which indicates that it was exceptionally well edited.

This novel would appeal to readers who like romance and historical fiction. Because it offers many scientific facts and hypotheses, I would suggest this book to individuals interested in the sciences.

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1871: Rivers on Fire
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