"Daring and award-winning ... Wideman's quasi-cubist approach to storytelling – full of angular sentence shards and deft rule-breaking – explores multiple facets of the tragedy and sometimes drags the reader and the author himself onto the page."
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Philadelphia Inquirer "A passionate, angry and formally fascinating novel of urban disintegration."
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The New York Times Book Review "A book brimming over with brutal, emotional honesty and moments of beautiful prose lyricism."
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Washington Post Book World "A blaze of rage... Wideman's genius for impassioned imagery triumphs."
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Los Angeles Times Book Review "
Philadelphia Fire isn't a book you read so much as one you breathe."
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San Francisco Chronicle "A pyrotechnic display... Wideman charges his sentence with energy that flares into beauty at unexpected moments... [His] work reflects extraordinary talent, will, and courage."
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Boston Globe "Very few writers have Wideman's gifts and range. His artistic courage is rare these days."
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Philadelphia Inquirer "Like the Russian master [Dostoyevsky], Wideman probes the torments of the soul... Powerful."
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U.S. News & World Report