Lilian Nattel has written another remarkable novel set in a historic Jewish community -- the bustling alleys of London's East End in the late nineteenth century. In stunningly vivid prose, and with a touch of her trademark magical realism, Nattel brings the fin de siécle city to life -- whores and rabbis, street vendors and artists, sweatshops and Yiddish theatre.

Nehama and Emilia each arrive in London alone, naïve and full of dreams of independence. Each struggles to overcome her past and build a new life, Nehama in the Jewish ghetto and Emilia in the privileged West End. The Singing Fire is the tale of these two unforgettable women and the child that unites them. Nattel writes with immense compassion about points of human connection -- the kindness of strangers, the power of women's friendships, the bonds between mothers and daughters, and the importance of families -- the ones you are born to, the ones you discover, and the ones that you begin.