The Fireman's Fair

Many people lost everything and were forced to start over again in the wake of Hurricane Hugo in September of 1989. Life in the aftermath of that horrific storm figures prominently in Josephine Humphreys' novel, THE FIREMAN'S FAIR (1991), set in Charleston and on the barrier island, Isle of Palms. Her anti-hero, a thirty-two year-old attorney, Rob Wyatt, who "had loved the law but hated the lawyers," reacts to the storm by quitting his job. A prematurely balding bachelor, and primarily a divorce lawyer, Rob had enjoyed a few flings, but his real love is his partner's wife, the smart and beautiful Louise, whom he'd known since high school. And then she introduces him to Billie Poe, a beguiling and innocent woman-child, just nineteen, show more with an intriguing backstory all her own. And it is this lopsided romantic triangle that anchors a love story that brought me nearly to tears more than once. There are a few other finely wrought characters who figure in - Albert, the Black church sexton, who is Rob's nearest neighbor on the Isle of Palms, and his confidante, and Rob's parents, Jack and Maude, who are undergoing some transitional problems of their own. In fact, one of the scenes that moved me most, and even brought tears to my eyes, was Jack's public declaration of his love for Maude, in which he admitted past sins and recalled tearfully the day he proposed. My own memories flooded back and I had to put the book aside for a moment to reflect on things said and done more than fifty years ago. That's how good the writing here is. I'm old, so yeah, I could relate to the old folks here.

So okay, THE FIREMAN'S FAIR is primarily a love story, and a damn good one, filled with humor and heartbreak. Rob, Billie and Louise are characters I won't soon forget. But enough said. I absolutely loved this book, written thirty-five years ago. My very highest recommendation.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER show less

The Fireman's Fair
Rob Wyatt is redoing his life, moved and taking things slower and realizing just what is important in his life.
Ex lawyer and Hurricane Hugo has gone through Charleston, moves to the beach bungalow.
Family and girlfriend relationships and out of work but trying to keep it all together as he helps others out that complicate other relationships.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).