Published by Chicken House, 2024.

I’m already a huge fan of Lindsay Galvin’s historical fiction and, knowing what a master storyteller she is, I was really eager to read her latest book, The Great Phoenix of London, which is set at the time of the Great Fire.

When the fire breaks out, eleven-year-old Gil is separated from his family in the chaos. One of his few remaining possessions is a mysterious ball of rock that fell from the sky.

As he races to beat the inferno spreading across the city, neither he, nor his new friend Jennet, has any idea that the stone in his satchel is an unhatched bird of myth and fire. And that there are some who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a legendary phoenix . . .

Lindsay Galvin’s historical scene setting is incredible. You are thrust into the heart of 17th century London – the crowds, the clamour and then, as the fire breaks out, the chaos of the city’s streets. The book is rich with detail and the descriptions are so vivid that the city comes alive on the page. You hear the authenticity in the voices of 17th century Londoners; you wind down narrow, bustling streets; and take in views of the Thames and St Paul’s. You also get an insight into the traditional trades of glassmaking and bookbinding – the livelihoods of Gil’s family.

Once the fire starts, you feel the panic and desperation of the crowds alternately trying to hold back the spread of the fire and then fleeing its relentless blaze. We watch Londoners’ futile efforts to create firebreaks or to douse the fire with water from the Thames. We witness crowds surging and jostling for safety, clutching bags and wheeling belongings in handcarts. Fleeing families clamour for space on boats so as to be ferried to safety across the river. Despite the story of the Great Fire of London being very familiar to us, Lindsay Galvin succeeds in adding new and interesting details: the scapegoating of the Dutch and the French, and the London mayor’s belated and ineffectual response to the fire.

The characters are brilliantly drawn too. Jennet is a capable, no-nonsense female lead. In the words of Maman, she’s a “fille courageuse”and I loved her. Gil, on the other hand, is more sensitive and not quite so street-savvy. I liked this juxtaposition. I also enjoyed watching the reluctant and rocky friendship between Gil and Jennet develop into one of fierce loyalty.

I love a book with a map and this book gives us four. They are maps of the city of London on each day of the fire, charting the destruction wrought by the flames. They make the scale of the damage and the pace of the fire abundantly clear to the reader. Also interspersed throughout the book are extracts from Samuel Pepys’s famous diary, thereby adding another historical perspective.

And then there’s the mythical aspect of the story: the magnificent and mysterious phoenix. Zephyr is a rare and precious animal who piques the interest of all who see him, none more so than the sinister Quinton Cutler. Gil and Jennet are in even greater danger as they fight to protect the phoenix falling into the wrong hands.

The Great Phoenix of London is a pacy, atmospheric story full of peril and drama. It’s a real page-turner and I heartily recommend it.

Rating: 💙💙💙💙💙

Suitable for children aged 8+

Thank you to Chicken House for sending me this book to review. I reviewed it as part of the The Great Phoenix of London blog tour. Check out all the other posts on the tour for more exclusive content.