Loved this historical fiction so much! In-depth research was clearly evident and woven into the plot in such a way as to make the reader feel as though they were experiencing events first hand.
The House is On Fire takes the real life even if the burning of the Richmond Theater and tells the story from several different viewpoint. It also exposes the downtrodden existence of women and Black Americans during this time period. Excellent story telling and character development. Would definitely recommend!

This is a fast paced historical novel told through several character's points of view. Each character is well developed and the story seems to be well researched.
I really enjoyed learning about this event in history and these characters really brought the story to life.
Thanks to the publisher and Net galley for an ARC of this book.

3.5. Nice relating a human story of tge impact of the Richmond theater fire in early nineteenth century. Author tells the story through the eyes of a young theater helper a slave blacksmith, his runaway slave sister, and a young widow privilege. Well researched the book brings to life a tragic moment in US history about which I had little knowledge. Good insight into the human psyche and reactions to their own culpability. Recommend book.

Rachel Beanland returns with her second book, an historical fiction based on the Richmond, Virginia Theater fire of December 26, 1811. At this time of year, the city was full as families have journeyed in from their plantations for the winter. The Assembly is in session; the social season is in full swing. People from throughout the city are drawn to the theater which has a full schedule planned for the evening of the 26th.

The author has chosen four representatives of those caught up in all that happened who show and tell us what happened, first hand. There is Sally Henry Campbell, a young widow who uses her maiden name at times when it will get her needed attention as Patrick Henry’s daughter. She attended the play with her brother in law and his wife. Second, there is Cecily Patterson, a slave to a young woman, Marie Preston, but constantly beset by Marie’s older brother Elliott. She was Marie’s companion at the theater though, of course, they didn’t sit together. Third is Gilbert Hunt, a blacksmith, sneaking across town to visit his wife. Both are enslaved but with different owners. He is not at the theater though nearby. Lastly there is Jack Gibson, a boy working as a stage hand for the theater group. He hopes to become an actor one day. He’s in the middle of it. The fire breaks out during the performance while the house is packed with about six hundred people on three levels. They all rush to get out.

Working from historical records, Beanland has created an exciting, terrible and sad picture of what happened on that terrible night: exciting for the bravery shown, terrible for the loss of life and the awful injuries, sad for some of the behavior exhibited on the night and after. This is such a good novel, one that presents the realities of history, i.e. the place of black people in the southern United States and the status of women anywhere at that time, the state of medicine.

Highly recommended.

There is an excellent Author’s Note that describes the historical background for the book which is interesting and, in some cases, quite extensive.

Thank you to the author, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for review.

Having never known about the 1811 Richmond Theater fire, I was excited to read this fascinating tale. The gifted author paints a tragic story, beautifully told and impeccably researched (be sure to read the author's notes at the end). There are several stories within a story and all are interesting enough to keep you glued to the pages. I really enjoyed this book as I think any fan of historical fiction would. Really looking forward to discovering more from Rachel Beanland. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a galley of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

Historical fiction told through a mosaic of perspectives, the four main characters who are Sally Henry Campbell, recently widowed; Cecily Patterson, a young slave; Jack Gibson, a young orphaned boy who works for the local theater company; and Gilbert Hunt, Cecily's uncle and a slave who works for a blacksmith. The book chronicles the true fire that destroyed a theater in Richmond, VA in 1811 and its tumultuous aftermath. Brought to the fore are privilege, racism, slavery, and sexism at that time - which strangely does not seem so far removed from this time. Those weighty subjects are handled well, the story, mixing history and fiction, told in short chapters that move among the main characters. It's a story told deftly, briskly and well.


Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC.

The House is on Fire started slowly but quickly sucked me in. The main characters of Sally, Gilbert, Jack and Cecily all had different experiences the night of the fire but all of their lives were forever changed. Reading about this time period tends to make me mad- the way people treated other humans was atrocious. So I was glad each of these characters found ways to stay strong and stand up for their beliefs.

Wow, what an incredible story this was. It is based on a true story and you could tell such diligent research went into it. I really enjoyed all the characters storylines and felt so invested in every single one. The author did such a great job with descriptions throughout the book. This is a historical fiction that did not disappoint! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall an incredible read. Definitely out of my comfort zone but the writing was decent and flowed nicely. You could tell it was researched and well thought out

THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE by Rachael Beanland spins a fascinating narrative of a tragedy that is likely unknown to a large majority of American readers, even the most history-minded. Its quadruple points of view, once fit together, make for a miraculous literary puzzle with hugely satisfying pay-offs and even more satisfying provocations. Sally, Cecily, Gilbert, and Jack feel as sharply differentiated from each other (a testament to Beanland's exquisite character writing) as they feel of a shared neighborly empathy—and it's that small-town character work that really makes the book soar. For a book that so interestingly explores the harrowing realities of sexism and racism, there is an optimism borne from compassionate camaraderie that ultimately becomes the book's message of hope despite tragedy.

From the cover to the last page, Rachel Beanland draws the reader into historical 1811 Richmond Virginia and the night that changed so many lives. Beanland's descriptive telling of her focus characters takes us into their very lives, making their anguish and at times hopelessness all that more real to the reader. The intensity of the theater fire and the hysteria, cowardice and heroics of those involved draws a mental picture that is most often heartbreaking. This story also clearly defines that "line of the times" between gentry and slave, but also man and woman. Chapters follow the lives of widow Sally Campbell, attending the theater with her sister-in-lawand ends up saving lives as well as caring for injured; the slave Cecily, accompanying her owner's daughter to join friends going to the theater, all the while trying to hide from Maria's brother who abuses her at every opportunity; Gilbert, with dreams of freedom for himself and his wife, but owned and working for an ornery smithy operator who also runs the slave-patrol, and Jack, backstage worker at the theater whose conscience badgers him to truth for his part in the fire's origin. Telling the story of the fire through the lives of these four distinctly different people who are affected tragically and differently by the fire (along with peripheral characters who add to their stories) brings the story of the fire together into a book that enables the reader to see the overall havoc of the night and following days. The Author's Note at the end of the book is very interesting in pulling together the historical facts of events and people portrayed in the book. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #TheHouseIsOnFire

Holy Moly, this book is fantastic. I loved the multiple storylines that all intertwined, but told this story in such a unique way. This isn't a historical event that I was familiar with and I loved getting to learn about it in this fictionalized way with pieces of truth woven in. Each story and character was so unique and so easy to connect to. I would have happily read this book forever, I want to know what happened next!

5 stars. I read and listed to this on audio and the audio was fantastically narrated.

I was so kindly gifted a review copy of The House is on Fire both via NetGalley and from the Publisher. I’ve been underwhelmed by so much historical fiction of late, and then this book fell into my hands. What an incredibly riveting and well done read.

In December, 1811, Placide & Green puts on a play at a theater building in Richmond, Virginia. Shortly after intermission, the house quite literally catches on fire and tragedy ensues. This novel follows four characters, two of which are white, and two slaves. Chapters are short and quickly paced. Characters are based on true people who did incredible things amidst dire circumstances and lived to tell the tale.

Rachel Beanland researched this novel meticulously and from her author’s notes, you can tell she tried her best to stay true to the historical record, and any liberties taken fit. I think her commentary on how the men handled the tragedy and how the women did were poignant and important. This is one event where women truly were left to the mercy of men and those who survived had stories to tell. When I went back to review my highlights, sure enough, it was mostly related to how the men behaved.

This novel had my heart racing on multiple occasions, and crying in other circumstances. I rooted so hard for each person‘s story. I also recommend reading the author’s note at the end!

I loved this book so much! I really didn’t know what it was about when I started reading it, but I quickly was obsessed! The characters are well developed, and I couldn’t help but love them all!

I had never heard of the event that this historical fiction novel was based on prior to reading this book. In 1811, in Richmond, Virginia, a theater caught fire during a performance and more than 70 people were killed. There were many interesting aspects of this tragedy, including that way more women died than men and that a sad scapegoat was used to deflect blame away from the real guilty party.

I don't read a lot of books set this far back in history, so it was a nice change of pace to have a unique setting. The four characters the author chose to show perspectives from were well-rounded and I was fascinated by each of their stories. Plus, the attention to historical detail that Beanland paid is supremely impressive.

As much as I was drawn into the story of the fire, it felt like the most captivating parts of the story happened at the very beginning. There was definitely drama in the aftermath of the fire, but I felt like there was a misstep in pacing. The last third of the book felt a bit slow to me even though I sensed Beanland was trying to ramp up the action. And then the ending - oh, how disappointed I was in the ending. There were a few loose ends that made me really frustrated (and bumped this down from a 4.5 rating to a 4).

My favorite part of the whole book was reading the author's note at the end. I loved seeing which parts of the story were true, and this made me reflect back on the book's characters in a brand-new way.

I would probably give this author another try in the future because her subject matter was so interesting, but this wasn't a slam dunk for me.

Rachel Beanland takes the true story of a Richmond, Virginia theatre fire in 1811 and creates a fictional world for some of its primary characters. The world she reimagines is rich in historical detail. The dynamics of slavery as practiced in the early years of the United States play an intrinsic part of the story.

Beanland makes us care deeply about her characters, and while I wanted happy endings to the intertwined stories of Gilbert, Cecily, Sally and Jack, I was disappointed. The endings are true to the story, though.

I was completely engrossed by the novel, and look forward to more from this author.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Very captivating! The characters were unforgettable and complex for the length of the book. I’ll be recommending to my reading friends for sure. It was fun to learn about a real even while being entertained by the fictional characters.

The story narrates the 1811 Richmond Theatre fire, which took the lives of 72 theatre-goers, from the viewpoints of four participates:

Cecily: an often abused slave, who sees the fire as a chance at freedom.

Jack: a stage-hand who wants the truth of how the fire started to be told.

Sally: a young-widow who narrowly survives the fire and begins to question mens role as “protector”.

Gilbert: a brave slave and blacksmith whose good deeds are used against him.

Although I enjoyed the story, mostly Cecily’s and her fight to get away from the abusive Elliot, and enjoyed the light elements of suspense in each of their stories, I felt the characters were rather one-dimensional and that the ending fell short. Cecily and Jack’s ending was hopeful and you got a sense there is a future for them but Sally and Gilbert’s ending was meh, status quo, if that.

"It is hard to be ignored."

In the immersive often heartbreaking but powerfully hopeful The House Is On Fire by brilliantly detailed historical fiction author Rachel Beanland there are many ignored literally to death.

There were 600 people in attendance the day after Christmas in 1811 during the Richmond Theater fire. It was truly scary, anxiety ridden and anger inducing as the writer puts us right in the center of the mob trampling men stepping over women and children, whites pushing back blacks and the cowards who started it running away.

Thankfully, there were real life heroes and through remarkable storytelling we meet four of them.

Sally, perfectly narrated by Andi Arndt, a widow, helps women escape while men rush pass them. Her awakening of non existing women's rights at the time is breathtaking to witness.

Jack, narrated by Michael Crouch with the right amount of fear and regret for his part in the fire has a moral journey when he realizes the cover up for the fire is being planned by a roomful of "not virtuous people."

Cecily, portrayed by ultra talented Joniece Abbott-Pratt with heartrending truthfulness, sees the fire as her chance to escape a lifetime of sexual abuse and slavery, "If everyone thinks I'm dead I might finally be free."

Then there is, for me, the heart of this story, Gilbert, embodied by the perfection that is narrator Ruffin Prentiss III. Born a slave he rescues woman regardless of color. I wept as he learns to read, buys a bible with money saved to buy his freedom, and humbly writes his name it. He feels it's worth the price to read God's words.

Thank you to the author for making sure are heroes are seen and ignored no more.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

**This Review Is For The Audiobook & Book*

I read Esther Adler Swims Forever and enjoyed it immensely. The author's new novel is a brilliant and well researched novel based on the 1811 theater fire in Richmond Virginia. The story revolves around four main characters, each telling their stories of involvement with the theater. The reader will read about the origins of the fire, the heroics of trying to save the victims and also the history at that time. Absolutely wonderful book, bravo to the author. A must read for all historical fiction readers and a book that should be read and discussed.