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,

The House is on Fire is the story of the 1811 theater fire in Richmond Virginia. The theater was full of people and it became a great tragedy for the town. It is told from 4 points of view, Sally who is a theater attendee, Gilbert, a slave that helped to save people, Jack, a stagehand who saw the fire start backstage, and Cecily a slave.

This book is wonderful historical fiction. The reader will learn about the fire and the construction of the theater that led it to burn to the ground so easily. It also shows how some people were heroic while others only worried about themselves. I did not know much about this fire but this book brought it to life. The book is well researched and the author's note gives the reader a glimpse into the real people involved in the fire. If you like historical fiction, pick up a copy of this book. It is excellent.

Thank you to #netgalley, #RachelBeanland, and #Simon&Schuster for a copy of this book.
#TheHouseIsonFire

Prior to reading this fictionalized account of the 1811 Richmond theater fire, I had never heard of this tragic event. A young, inexperienced stagehand accidentally lights the backdrop on fire when a prop malfunctions and he is unable to douse the flames before the entire theater is engulfed in the blaze. In the ensuing panic, chivalry is abandoned in the fight for survival as men push and shove and even climb over women to escape blocking the exit and stairs, leaving the most determined or lucky theatergoers trapped in the box seats and balconies to jump from broken windows on the second and third floors, and the less fortunate to die in the conflagration. In the end, while all but 14 men escape the blaze, approximately 50 women lose their lives. Beanland's account of the terror and desperation of these women leaps off the page in some of the best writing of the entire novel.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, the members of the performing theater troupe conspire to cover their role in the accident as the town launches an inquiry into the fire. The young stagehand who had been directed by his superiors into making the fatal error is coerced into a series of lies and deceptions, but his guilt is overpowering. Fearing imprisonment, financial retribution, and the ruin of their careers, the theater company decides to play on Richmond's pervasive fears of slave rebellions to falsely claim that a roving band of slaves started the blaze. But their clumsy attempts to evade responsibility and the inconsistencies in their story make it easy for investigators to see through their lies. Unfortunately, however, racism is a powerful force in the pre-Civil War South, and their reckless allegations have serious implications for Richmond's African American community, enslaved and free alike.

This is a fascinating and little-known event in American history and as such is rich source material for a historical novel. Sadly, with the exception of the young stagehand, the characters in The House Is on Fire are not fully developed and are more caricatures of old stereotypes. As such, they lack color and interest. The choices most face seem black and white, rather than the nuanced grayscale of reality. Expanding upon the narrative to allow the characters to seem less uni-dimensional would allow the story to feel more realistic as a work of historical fiction, drawn from actual historical events of such magnitude should be. The Author's Note at the end of the novel was well-written and added a great deal of context and color to the events of the book. Clearly, Beanland did a great deal of research prior to writing this novel, and as such, I would be interested in reading more of her historical fiction.

Thank you NetGalley for sending an ARC of this book for review consideration.

The Richmond Theater fire on December 26, 1811, was young America's first great disaster. Over 600 people were crammed into the theater that night to see a play when the building caught fire mid-performance. Seventy-two people would die as a result.

Rachel Beanland takes readers back to that night and the three days afterward, telling the story via four well-written characters. Sally Henry Campbell, daughter of Patrick Henry, is a recent widow looking forward to enjoying the play with her best friend Margaret and her husband. Cecily, a slave, is accompanying her mistress. Jack Gibson, 14, is a stagehand who hopes for a permanent job with the company and dreams of becoming an actor. Gilbert Hunt, a slave and a blacksmith, is saving to buy his wife's freedom.

These four people will each make decisions that night that will affect not only their lives, but the lives of many others as well. Tragedy can bring out the best and/or the worst in people. You'll find both in this carefully researched tale.

Beanland's vivid descriptions brings events to life and held this reader's attention throughout. Short chapters which alternate between POVs keeps the pages flying. A very good read!

My thanks to Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read a DRC of this novel via NetGalley. The book is scheduled for publication on April 4, 2023. All opinions stated in this review are my own and are freely given.

I enjoy historical fiction novels whose main characters are based on actual people. I just finished Robert Harris' excellent, Act of Oblivion, and was hoping this book would be even half as good. I'm happy to report that this, too, is an excellent story and one I won't forget any time soon.

The Richmond, Virginia theater fire of 1811, where seventy-two people perished, was one of the first major disasters of this young country. That night and the aftermath are recounted by Gilbert, a slave to a blacksmith whose heroics helped save lives; Jack, a fourteen-year-old stagehand, whose actions may have caused the fire; Sally, a young, wealthy widow who helped care for the injured; and Cecily, a young slave, who takes her presumed death as a chance to escape. Their stories and the period in which they existed are excellently rendered in this book.

Rich in detail, this well-researched novel brings to life the culture of the times and the place of women and slaves in a society dominated by white men. The interweaving of facts and fiction is seamless and the characters and their lives are riveting. Beanland expertly takes a tragedy and turns a magnifying glass on a period in time and a culture that, unfortunately, many in today's political climate are trying to eliminate. This book should be a must-read for anyone who enjoys a good drama based on actual events.

Thank you, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy for review. The publication date is April 4, 2023.

The House Is on Fire by Rachel Beanland
4/5

I really liked this! I needed another great historical fiction after the lackluster showing of the last one. This was an interesting story and made me care deeply for all involved.

Taking place during and after the Richmond Theater fire of 1811, we follow 4 people whose lives are turned upside down following the tragedy.

Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC of The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland in exchange for a honest review.This is a wonderfully written and very engaging story that draws the reader in right from the first page.This story revolves around the true story of The Richmond Theater fire in the winter of 1811 and the lingering effects on the 4 central characters -Jack, Cecily, Sally and Gilbert, who tell their tale in alternating chapters.Jack is the stagehand who raised the chandelier that started the fire in the theater.Gilbert is a slave who becomes a hero that night when he saves many women who jump from the theater while white men act cowardly.Sally is a widow who escapes the fire with her friend Margaret who is seriously injured and must battle the friend’s husband to save her life.Cecily, is a slave who has been sexually abused by her master’s son for many years and sees her escape from the fire as a chance at freedom.How Will the aftermath of the fire affect each of the main character? Read the book and find out.Highly recommend.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Not a fire I had heard about before, I enjoyed learning about it from several points of view. I liked that some of those points of view overlapped with each other. Interesting piece of history.

Very, very well written and clearly DEEPLY researched. It made me want to find a non fiction book about this fire to understand more of the world at the time that it happened and what happened in the aftermath.

This novel is based on a true story, The Richmond Theater Fire in 1811. Beanland focus's her story on the lives of four survivors.

Sally is visiting her brother-in- law and sister - in - law and they go to the play and are caught up in the fire.

Cecely a young slave girl accompanies her mistress to the play. They of course, are on different floors but are both caught in the fire.

Jack a fourteen year old young man yearns to be in the play and has a job as stage hand.

Gilbert a slave who is looking for the daughter of his wife's owners when he becomes a hero during the fire.

This book brings out how different people react in a crisis as well as what they are made of and cope afterwards. I loved how the author told how she chose these particular characters to highlight in this tragedy. Very well written.

The House is on Fire is quite different than Florence Adler Swims Forever, Rachel Beanland's first book which I thoroughly enjoyed. This book is a historical fiction story based on a fire in the Richmond Theatre in 1811. The daughter of Patrick Henry survived this fire. I had never heard of this event and am intrigued to learn more about
important people and events that I haven't known about. The interesting part, to me, was the comparison of the wealthy theatergoers and the slaves that were there that night. At times, the book became confusing, and it was hard to keep tract of all the people and scenarios that were going on, but, this is a realistic chaos that would take place in this situation. The responses of the various people involved and their subsequent choices were really interesting and a great example of how an event like this can drastically change lives. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in Historical Fiction. Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to preview this book in exchange fot an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review!

This historical fiction novel is based upon an actual event and was wonderfully researched. I did not know much about the burning of the theater in Virginia so I was excited to read this! This story uncovered the horrific things people had to do to survive a fire.

Its 1811 in Richmond, VA and all are enjoying the winter social season. The beautifully dressed men and women fill the the three story theater. But something is wrong. An actor begins to tell people to leave. As people start to realize what is happing, everyone panics. The building is on fire and stairwells burn up leaving people stranded on the second and third floors. Some jump out of windows and some don't make it.

The narrators are two slaves , one socialite woman, and one stage hand. The characters are well developed and accurate for the 1800's time period. This is a great read!

Highly recommend!

I love when a book leads me to want to know more about a topic and sends me down a research rabbit hole. That is exactly what this one did. An interesting historical fiction book about an event I was unaware of- the Richmond Theater fire of 1811. It did take me a while to get all the characters straight in the beginning, but once I got into the book I was hooked.

Thanks to NetGalley for this free Arc. I really enjoyed this historical fiction novel about an early moment in American history. I appreciated all of the different points of view and enjoyed the note at the end from the author about which parts she was able to construct from history and which were entirely fiction.

I really enjoyed Florence Adler Swims Forever, so I was definitely looking forward to reading this newest work from Rachel Beanland. It definitely did not disappoint!

The novel is based on actual events and focuses on the 1811 theatre fire in Richmond, Virginia that killed 72 people from various walks of life, including a widow from the top vestiges of society and slaves who endured horrendous abuse. The story is a fascinating one, and Beanland appears to have done excellent historical research into not only the fire itself but also on life at that time in Virginia. it is very well-written and gives the reader great insight into the personal lives of the people this fire affected. If you enjoy historical fiction, you will surely enjoy this novel.

A well researched book about a true event. It is evident how much time and effort the author put into this book. The characters were well-drawn and realistic. The narrative moves along quickly and doesn't get bogged down even though there, what amounts to, 4 different story lines to keep track of. It speaks of a time in our history where slaves were an accepted part of life and women were second class citizens, at best. In our current push to erase any history we don't like in this country, this is a very brave novel. Thanks for this opportunity, NetGalley.

Four different characters and storylines to follow but done very well and not confusing. First book for me about the theater fire and i definitely enjoyed!! You fall in love with the characters and their families, leaves room at the end to wonder about a few things. Has you hoping the truth will be known and a surprise or two along the way.

An absolutely excellent novel. I haven’t read historical fiction in a while, and this was such a beautiful, well-written, and emotional re-telling of the 1811 theater fire that claimed so many lives. I loved the multiple POV, though I found myself slightly less interested in Jack’s storyline (his was just a little bit less compelling). I loved how the different characters and their stories connected, and I really enjoyed the (at times, gut-wrenching) glimpse into what life was like at this time/place in history. I thought the author handled the subject matter with accuracy (I enjoyed the note at the end where she describes her sources and some of the facts that she included) and with creativity. I felt completely transported and I was so taken by everyone’s stories. I cried at the last line! Really fantastic example of historical fiction done right. Highly recommend.

5/5 stars, thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.