Hope College graduate pens novel set during Great Michigan Fire in Holland
HOLLAND — A new historical fiction book penned by a Hope College graduate will transport readers to 1871, when a devastating fire decimated much of Holland.
More:150 years ago, 'a sea of fire' devastated Holland
“Blazes and Brimstone” by Linda Gruenberg follows the story of three siblings working to rescue horses while Holland burns around them.
The story takes place in October 1871, during the fire that destroyed two-thirds of Holland. The blaze happened around the same time as the Great Chicago Fire.
Gruenberg, who currently lives in Sweden but is from Michigan, began writing the story shortly after graduating from Hope College in 1986. She recently revisited the story and polished it up for publication.
“It was a long-term project,” Gruenberg said. “Recently, I brought it out from under my desk, reread and rewrote it, polished it up and published it.”
“Blazes and Brimstone” is a 200-page novel targeted for ages 9-12. It's currently available on Amazon and will be available in bookstores and libraries starting Oct. 22, Gruenberg said.
While the story isn't based on real life, it's intended to represent a plausible series of events during the real fire.
“I did my best to write a story that could have happened,” Gruenberg said.
The initial inspiration for the novel came from a pump organ at Holland Museum.
“I was at the museum in Holland, (and) there was a little old pump organ,” Gruenberg said. “There was a sign on it explaining that it had been buried the day of the fire. The owner could see no other way to save it.
“They dug a hole, buried their organ and dug it up after the fire. I’m not a history major or anything like that, but that organ caught my imagination. It kicked off this whole novel about kids during the fire.”
Gruenberg even found a place for the organ in “Blazes and Brimstone.” Early in the story, the kids see the organ being buried. In the end, they see it dug up, and one of the main characters has a chance to play it.
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An author signing event with Gruenberg is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 17, at 3 p.m. at Bluestocking Bookshop in Holland, 501 Butternut Drive, Suite 3.
In addition to her newest work, Gruenberg has written the novel “Hummer” published by Houghton Mifflin Company in 1990, and “The Isa Books,” a four-book learn-to-read series.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @SentinelMitch.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Hope College graduate pens novel set during Great Michigan Fire in Holland
