I really enjoyed Florence Adler Swims Forever and was certainly not disappointed with The House is on Fire. The author really did her homework. Another good one from Ms. Beanland.
I found the writing excellent and became fully invested in the story. I liked the way she switched between characters and gave us a taste of each of their lives. She brought to life the realism of the panic and fear the people went thru in trying to escape from the theater.
I would highly recommend this book and it comes in with 5 stars. The ending was very satisfying. Well done!!
Received an ARC from Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for my unbiased review – This one comes in with 5 stars.

Wow! This story was so fast paced that I not only felt like I was racing through the story, but I was physically racing to devour each page. This is a unique story with such a well developed mix of characters: 4 MCs and a big ensemble cast, too. Family dynamics, sacrifices, and expectations are all thought provoking topics throughout. EXTREMELY well done historic fiction. I cannot wait to recommend this to some of my students!

Overall: 5 stars

I'll tell my students about: alcohol, rape, physical abuse, trauma, mental health issues, gore/wounds, miscarriage

**Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the free ARC.. All opinions expressed are my own.**

The House is on Fire Book Review

This book by Rachel Beanland is a masterful work of historical fiction that will stay with me for a long time. I appreciate three primary elements in a novel of this genre: 1. To learn something about the time period 2. To be transported to that period with vivid language and 3. To relate to the characters despite the historical differences. The House is on Fire delivers all three.

I didn’t know anything about this horrific disaster, when the celebrated Richmond, Va., theater went up in flames during a performance, trapping the 600 attendees. At the time, 1811, it was the greatest single tragedy in the history of our nation. Beanland writes with such precision and grace that I felt like I was experiencing the awful incident alongside the characters—which may not sound like a good thing, but I promise it is! She puts the right amount of tension in each scene so that nothing is overwritten and flows with authenticity.

The characters are relatable and well-rounded. Told from four perspectives, each courageous voice rang true. Sally Henry Campbell, a tireless widow; Cecily Patterson, an abused slave; Gilbert Hunt, a slave who works as a blacksmith, and Jack Gibson, a young stagehand at the theater, each plays a crucial role in the fire and the aftermath.

Themes of perseverance, grief and pain, courage and cowardice, justice and redemption, and sacrificial love blend to tell an inspirational and sobering story. Society’s view of women and slaves at that time is explored with honesty and sensitivity. Despite having a long way yet to go, we have made tremendous strides in the right direction and sometimes it takes a work of fiction to point that out.

The House is on Fire is a winner that tackles subjects neither plain nor simple, but definitely important. Bottom line, it’s a great story told with skill and sympathy.

It is December 1811 and everyone who is anyone in Richmond, VA is at the theater. Even people who aren’t anyone- slaves, groundlings, freedmen - because it’s 1811 and what else is there to do? It’s not like you can flick on the telly and watch Doc Martin re-runs. So off to the theater and its boxes and SRO and third floor balconies packed to the brims when a lit chandelier is lifted into the backdrops and they catch on fire and well. Well.

The story focuses on four persons caught in the disaster: Cecily, a slave accompanying her mistress, Maria Price, to see the Placide and Green troupe perform a locally translated version of Diderot’s The Father; Sally Campbell, recently widowed daughter of Patrick Henry accompanying her sister and brother-in-law; Jack Gibson, orphaned local boy recently hired by the troupe as a stagehand who inadvertently sets the tragedy in motion; and Gilbert Hunt, an enslaved blacksmith who becomes a hero. And freedom fighter.

Beanland uses these four to present antebellum society in all its warts and horror, from slavery to women’s precarious positions to obtuse self-absorbed men bent on preserving an unearned privilege. Now, of course, it’s all the rage these days to disparage what is actually a fairly dubious patriarchy but this was a real patriarchy, a real oppressive one, and thank God we finally had enough of that crap and went down there and gave those annoying plantation owners what-fer, putting an overdue end to all that nonsense. Yes, I think the Union was well justified in taking the Confederacy apart. Yes, in many ways I admire the tactical and fighting ability of the Confederate soldiers; they were the best soldiers we ever produced up to the Greatest Generation. But valor in service of a wrong cause is not virtue. There were many excellent Wehrmacht soldiers of amazing tactical and strategic ability, such as Rommel, but they used their powers for evil. Great abilities can be used for terrible purposes.

But that’s all 40 years away when this happens and the oppression holds full sway and people react accordingly. There are bad guys here: Elliot Price, Maria’s brother, a full-on psychotic who is raping Cecily every night; Cameron Kemp, Gilbert’s owner and commander of the slave patrol who takes delight in his own ignorance and cruelty; and Archie Campbell, coward and self-absorbed nincompoop. William Anderson, one of the troupe’s actors, tries to blame the fire on a non-existent slave revolt, with subsequent fallout. Idiots abound.

But good people do, too. Mrs. Cowley, the free black masquerading as a Native American so she can provide better medical services than any of the city’s doctors; Peter, Gilbert’s first owner who teaches him the trade; and Jack, who finally does the right thing. Like in any period of history or locale, the idiots and the good are set against each other and it is the attendant events that determine which will prevail. Usually, it’s fifty/fifty; but not here. Things work out.

And that’s not just happy-ending time. This is a real event and Beanland presents true outcomes. She did an excellent job of research, and even a better job creating a lost world.

But I do have some quibbles. First, it’s present tense. Haven’t all of you with-it, cutting-edge MFA sophisticated ultra-modern authors yet figured out how annoying that is? Especially in a historical novel? It doesn’t create an immediacy of experience; it creates a false present that just five minutes on Google dispels.

My biggest quibble: Beanland changes the narrative to support the current grrl power and white- male-patriarchy trope by making all of the men, practically all of them, craven cowards who abandon their women on the burning stairs and trample them underfoot in their haste to escape. She admits to doing so in her author’s note, saying she inverted the story of Sally’s rescue by Alexander Scott to present her own viewpoint that women’s heroism was probably recast at some point in history as “reinforced gender norms.”

Really?

That’s not in keeping with the Sir Walter Scott chivalry and courage that typified the era and eventually led to the disaster of the Civil War. Given the time and culture, I would expect reckless and downright foolish attempts by the men attendees that probably hurt more than helped. That would be in keeping with the silly attitudes that led to the disastrous Civil War forty years later. But to arbitrarily change it to fit contemporary attitudes … well. No. Revisionism is a literary felony.

In defense, Beanland does present the evidence that there were far more women killed in the disaster than men. And even provides the alternate explanation of women’s fashion making it difficult for them to escape and/or avoid the flames. Those petticoat layers can make a handy torch. And no doubt there were instances of such cowardice, given the overall cravenness of the times. But that is better presented as a specific instance, not as an overall critique of ‘reinforced gender norms.’

Again, quibble, and revisionism is pretty much the standard for any fiction published these days, else the Politburo won’t let it out, so who am I to complain? This is still an excellent novel, fast paced, downright exciting, hold-your-breath tense in places and well worth your time.

The House is on Fire is well-documented historical fiction that caught my interest from the onset and kept it throughout. The narrative follows four individuals’ alternating POVs: Gilbert, an enslaved black blacksmith; Cecily, a black woman who views the fire as the opportunity of a lifetime; Sally, a middle-aged widow who tries to help others as much as she can; and 14-year-old Jack, an impressionable young stagehand with aspirations of becoming an actor. We get to view these four main characters from before, during, and after the fire.

The author’s descriptive language brings the story to life as she depicts members of the audience as well as the backstage crew. Her portrayal of their subsequent actions once the fire breaks out is both realistic and frightening: the chaos of the evacuation; the collapse of one of the staircases; the flames getting closer; to jump or not to jump. Some people try to be helpful to those around them while others are solely determined to save themselves, often to the detriment of family and friends. What follows is how the lives of the four protagonists are forever changed as a result of the fire.

The action is enthralling, keeping my attention throughout. I couldn’t read this fast enough in my eagerness to find out what happened next. Highly recommended!

A fascinating read about one of the first horrific fires in the newly-formed United States. I did not know anything about this event until this book, and it has made me want to investigate further and read more! The characters were well written and compelling. I could see the scenes in my mind very easily. Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I received this book free from NetGalley and this is my honest review. The House is on Fire takes place in Richmond, Virginia. This is a factual historical story that takes place during the period of time of early America in the 1800's. The House on Fire is a theatre. The main characters that bring this tragedy to life are Sally, Gilbert, who is a slave, Cecil, also a slave, Cecily, Cecil's daughter, Margaret who is Sally's sister-law and finally Jack. Each one of these characters were directly or indirectly involved during the fire. The fire was a result of a direct order to Jack to raise the chandelier even though Jack knew it was dangerous to do as it was too close to the back backdrop. Just what Jack thought would happen, happened! The chapters give each character named above a part in this tragic event that happened and how it unravels. I couldn't put this page turner down so expertly written by Rachel Beanland.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel.

I loved Rachel Beanland's previous novel, Florence Adler Swims Forever, so was very excited to be granted the ARC of her new novel, The House is on Fire. If possible, I believe that this novel is even better than her first. This book is based on the real story of the Richmond Theater fire of 1811. The book draws you in from the beginning with the fire and the immediate aftermath and follows through with the main characters for about a week afterword.. The story is told from 4 viewpoints: Sally, a widow attending the theater with her brother-in-law and sister-in-law; Gilbert, an enslaved blacksmith; Cecily, a slave attending the theater with her mistress and Jack, a teen-age stage hand. This book is very well researched and the characters are based on real people. The author does a wonderful job engaging the reader in the plight of these characters after the fire and makes you really care about their fate. The book alternates viewpoints with each chapter, keeping the reader on the edge of their seats, wanting to know what happens next to each character. I also found the afterword very interesting, as the author told about the real people each character is based on. One also really gets a feel for the time period; what medicine was like, how slaves were treated and the role of women. I look forward to future books from this very talented author.

4.0. A very engaging historical fiction novel focusing on the catastrophic burning of the Richmond Theatre in Richmond, Virginia in 1811. The novel focuses on four characters, two enslaved,, one, Gilbert, a reputable blacksmith who ultimately was a hero in saving many peoples lives at the fire, and the other, Cecily, who was attending the play with her mistress but also who had been sexually abused by her master’s errant son. The other two were a widow who was the daughter of Patrick Henry, Sally, who attended the play, was lucky to escape and ultimately helped minister to those hurt in the fire and a fourteen year orphan, Jack who worked behind the scenes as a stagehand for the acting troupe. Each of tge four characters tells a very distinct story. Although I was unaware of the event, this was a mesmerizing tale with incredible detail on the fire and its aftermath where so many perished. It depicted the suffering, loss and discrimination, sexual as well as racial. Written by the author of Florence Adler Swims Forever, this was much more engaging and it is obvious that much research was put into constructing the novel. The characters were all well developed. Thank you to Netgalley for proving me an advance copy in exchange for a candid and unbiased review.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for an ARC of The House Is on Fire by Rachel Beanland.
Her previous book, Florence Adler Lives Forever, was one of my favorite books of 2020, and The House Is on Fire is on my favorites list for this year.
This historical fiction describes 4 days in December of 1811, when a tragic fire at the Richmond Theatre killed over 70 people. The author's research is thorough, and brings the characters emotions to the forefront. The story focuses on 4 main characters and their struggles with the aftermath.
I highly recommend The House Is on Fire, and look forward to more from Ms Beanland.

Rachel Beanland, the author of Florence Adler Swims Forever, is back with another compelling historical fiction novel based on true events.

Richmond,Virginia in 1811is at the height of the social season. The legisslature is in session and the city is packed with people. On the night after Christmas everyone is going to the only theater in town and soon it is filled with over 600 people. When a fire breaks out in the middle of the performance, there is chaos as everyone tries to escape the flames that are quickly consuming the building.

The story is told from the point of view of four people; Sally, a young widow, is visiting her husband's brother and his wife and they are looking forward to the performance that night. Cecily, a young slave, is sitting in the colored section while her mistress is sitting with her friends in another section. Jack, a young orphan who works at the theater, is also there. Across town, Gilbert is working as a blacksmith hoping to be able to buy his wife's freedom. When the fire breaks out they all make choices that will have consequences for the future.

The House is on Fire is well written and kept me interested. I wasn't familiar with this historical event and I liked each of the main characters. The book left some things unresolved so I am wondering if there might be a sequel.

The House is on Fire will be published on April 4, 2023. Thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy.

I really enjoyed Rachel Beanland’s previous novel, so I was excited to read The House is on Fire.
The book follows the lives and how they intertwine of four main characters, starting with the disaster of the title. I thought that the actual fire was not the most interesting or dramatic part of the book, I really got into it once the story of the lives of the characters with their family and acquaintances began to be told.
The only slightly disappointing part of the book was the ending where I eagerly turned the page to carry on to be confronted with the end of the book.
I found the author’s note about the historical people the book is based on very interesting.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free advance e-reader copy of “The House is on Fire” by Rachel Beanland in exchange for an honest review.
This is one of the best works of historical fiction I have ever read, and that’s saying a lot! Based on the true story of the Richmond VA theater fire disaster of 1811, this meticulously researched and beautifully written novel is told from four alternating viewpoints: Sarah, a young widow of means; Cecily, a young enslaved woman; Jack, a teenage stagehand and Gilbert, an enslaved blacksmith. Tightly paced and told over the course of about a week, the narrative captures the situations of all four protagonists and the larger themes of slavery, misogyny, access to medical care and more. A brilliant sophomore outing by Beanland. I can’t wait to read more from this phenomenal author. Put this on your list for publication in April. Five stars (six if I could). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I've never read anything else by this author, but I'm likely to check them out. The story is a fictionalized one based on the 1811 theater fire in Richmond, VA. It's told through multiple POVs of four characters who were at the theater or helped with the rescue. It's an emotional story, particularly since those who died did so as the result of terrible decisions and behaviors. The prose is beautifully written, despite the horrific nature of the incident. I really appreciated the author's note at the end regarding what's fact vs. fiction. I really enjoyed being educated, as well as entertained, with this story.

One event changes the course of four lives in Rachel Beanland's new historical fiction novel The House Is On Fire. Inspired by the Richmond Theatre fire of 1811, Beanland imagines how the fire affected four different people: Sally Henry Campbell, a newly widowed woman; Cecily, a young slave girl who accompanied her owner to the theater; Jack, one of the stagehands; and Gilbert, a slave (and Cecily's uncle) who comes to the rescue.

The aftermath of the fire leaves many dead and wounded, primarily women. And Sally begins to realize that Virginia men may not be as admirable as they'd have people believe. Meanwhile, Cecily decides that the fire is the perfect opportunity for her to run away from a bad situation. She needs the help of her uncle Gilbert, who is being applauded by white people for helping to rescue white women as they jumped from the theater. And Jack is the one who started it all, though not on his own. When given an order, he followed it, and raising a lit chandelier ended up causing a catastrophe. Jack wants the theater company to take responsibility for the fire, but he's not in charge.

The book moves quickly between all four characters (though sometimes too fast for my liking) and even has their lives overlapping at times. While the book is a work of fiction, it is based on a real event, and I enjoyed reading the research that inspired Beanland's direction with her version of events. This may have taken place in 1811, but sometimes you wonder just how far our country has really come in terms of racism and sexism. I think this book would be a good book club pick.

I loved Rachel Beanland's debut Florence Adler Swims Forever and her sophomore release is a hit as well. I love southern historical fiction and this one is based on the true story of a theatre fire in 1811 in Richmond, Virginia.

It's quite obvious that the author was meticulous in her research. The story is from four points of view and shows how the fire affected each of the narrators' lives. Rachel Beanland took me away to a different time and place, and what a time it was. Such a hard time in history to be a woman, an African American or a person of no means. (Imagine being all three!) This book really makes you think, but it especially made me feel. My emotions were all over the place whilst reading, I felt such sadness and anger.

It turns out the people you least expect are the true heroes of this story. If you read this book make sure you read the author notes at the end, it is very enlightening and you'll be glad you did. All. The. Stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

5 stars

After reading and LOVING _Florence Adler Swims Again_, I was thrilled to devour Beanland's next effort. This author has a real knack for historical fiction, but especially for making the characters come alive in their circumstances, and this most recent novel proves this prowess once again.

It's 1811 in Virginia, and everyone in town either goes to the theater or knows someone who does on the fateful night when the titular house is on fire. The lead in and the scenes during the fire are gripping and harrowing, but these are nothing compared to the aftermath. From four entirely distinct perspectives, readers get insight into how this fire impacts the people it literally and figuratively touches.

In addition to the meaningful personal stories of each of the main characters, there are also riveting depictions of race, misogyny, classism, and power dynamics within groups and even between individuals. Each of the m.c.s lacks power in some specific and obvious way, so it's refreshing to hear their perspectives: always a highlight in historical fiction. That noted, there's also something quite special about each one: a skill, a circumstance, physical strength, an essential pursuit of truth, and certainly an interest in the concept and state of freedom.

One of the many reasons I enjoy reading historical fiction is getting more insight into events on which I have limited incoming knowledge, and that was certainly the case for me here. Beanland's imagining gives life to what was clearly an indelible experience for folks who actually lived it, but it also helps readers build palpable empathy for the characters we get to know.

This is another gem from Beanland, and I remain on the Beanland-writes-I-read! list with continued enthusiasm.

Be forewarned… make sure you block off the next couple of hours when you start to read this. Once you start, you won’t be able to put it down! The House is On Fire hits the ground running. We are briefly introduced to the four main characters before the fire breaks out. I almost felt like I was inside the theater with the characters struggling to make my way out!

If you typically avoid historical fiction because you find it to be a slog, try The House is On Fire. It has the pacing of a thriller and just enough details to immerse you in the time period. You definitely won’t feel like you’re reading a textbook!

Thank you to the author, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

A well-researched and truly interesting historical fiction novel that explores the December 26, 1811 fire at the Richmond Virginia Theater and the days after, which at the time, was the worst urban disaster in U.S. history. Somehow I missed this event in history class, and the Revolutionary and Post-Revolutionary periods have always fascinated me. This book was a true adventure in history!

The story explores the vantage point and story of four people who experienced the fire in different ways and all of whom had completely different lives. Sally, the daughter of founding father Patrick Henry, Gilbert and Cecily - both slaves, and Jack, an orphaned stagehand. Sally and Gilbert were real, historically accurate people that were there at the theater the night of the fire. There was most definitely a young stagehand at the scene, which is the basis for Jack’s character. I could not find evidence of an actual Cecily, but I’m positive that her story is one of many female slaves during that time period. While reading the book, I started to research this fire and it warmed my heart to find that there is a historical maker honoring Gilbert at the site of the fire, to commemorate his heroism.

This novel is a vivid reminder of how far we have come in 200 years. The stories of Cecily and Gilbert did something to me, the way they acknowledged that they were property, how they had to live their lives…how did this even happen? How did humans think this was ever acceptable?? Of course we all know about slavery but to gain the perspective that was given in this book is devastating. Additionally the women at the theater that night - cast aside in the fire to die, disposable to their husbands if they happened to survive and had injuries. And if their husband died they had no rights to any property or familial inheritance. Seventy-two people were killed, fifty-four of whom were women. Of course Sally’s narrative is the “fiction” part of historical fiction but I would like to think she was as pissed off about the treatment of women in her day as she presented in this novel. I did find Jack’s portion a tad dry in certain sections, but overall a great read about an event in U.S. history you may not even know occurred!

The House is on Fire is a must read! Make sure you have plenty of time to read when you pick it up, because you won't be able to put it down. Beautifully written, it's based on the true story of the Richmond theater fire in 1811 that killed over 70 people. The story focuses on 4 people a young stagehand, Jack, who has a hand in starting the fire, an enslaved blacksmith, who becomes an unsung hero due to his race, a young widow, Sally, an unsung heroine due her gender, and a young enslaved woman, Cecily, who grabs her chance to escape a horrible situation. Each character is very well-drawn, each perspective different and equally fascinating. This is the very best of historical fiction,