Rachel BeanlandReseñas

“The perfect summer read” (USA TODAY) begins with a shocking tragedy that results in three generations of the Adler family grappling with heartbreak, romance, and the weight of family secrets over the course of one summer.

This book was for our Library Book Club March meeting. I listened to the book while following along in the actual book. This book got my interest from the beginning. While I was listening to it, I actually went back to re-read something because I couldn't believe what I had just heard/read!

It was nice to read a book in a setting that I am familiar with. This book is set in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Hearing and reading about the area in the 1930's was interesting. You have this Jewish family who has a business and two adult girls. Living their lives and tragedy hits the family.

The House is On Fire, Rachel Beanland, author; Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Andi Arndt, Michael Crouch, Ruffin Prentiss III and Rachel Beanland, narrators
This novel is about a true, tragic event that occurred in 1811, in Richmond, Virginia. When the only theater went up in flames, many people were killed, women especially, in much larger numbers. Few men made an effort to help them, rather they saved themselves. Why did the theater go up in flames? Who survived? What were the circumstances of the times that helped to make the original investigation go off the rails? How did women’s rights and race and religious issues have an effect on the outcome of the investigation? How was the outcome spun to satisfy the powers that be?
In the early part of the 19th century, slavery was still acceptable by many, racism was alive and well, women had no standing in the community without their husband’s consent, and the men were basically in charge of all affairs, financial and personal. Thus, the author has focused on the shortcomings of the country regarding these issues as she explores this incident. Of course, there are no living survivors, so she relies on the little documentation that exists to develop her story. She has done a fine job exposing the injustices toward slaves, women and even, in one slight referral, to Jewish people. The biases that existed then, are alive and well today, however, in bright color, regarding Jewish people, and sadly, a lot of the bias and hate is coming from the very same people who objected to their own incarceration as slaves. To me, they seem to have a bit of tunnel vision today, often exacerbated by some authors who insist on ignoring the racial bias from all sides.
Still, this book is not about that, it is about a tragedy that occurred because of incompetence, arrogance and ignorance. It is about an attempted cover-up and need to blame it on a vulnerable, innocent community of slaves. The author shows that criminal behavior perfectly. She also shows that there were men who knew what was right from wrong and eventually came around to seeing it, but also showed that the people in command were blind to that observation and only wanted to protect themselves. Greed and the need for personal reward rears its head often.
The book shines a light on the state of the country then, and the state of the country now, which is not that much better regarding the respect of the rights of others. It seems respecting our own personal need is taking precedent over right and wrong in almost every area of American life today, with unjust bullying of innocent people, white and black, men and women, politicians and ordinary citizens, supporting lies over truth and honor to accomplish the same political goals then as now; the goal still seems to be that of ultimate power over others to pursue personal agendas not necessarily good for the entire country, but rather for a segment of the population that possibly is not qualified to have it, but is in charge politically.
There are four characters featured in the book. Cecily is a slave of mixed race, the product of an owner and her own mother. Cecily is now being sexually abused by the owner’s son Elliott. She is hoping to be presumed dead in the devastating fire, facilitating her escape to freedom. Gilbert is her uncle. He is attempting to save his money to buy his own freedom. The night of the fire, he was an unsung hero because of his race. His boss resented his heroism since it took time away from his work. Gilbert is a principled man; his boss is not. Jack is a teenage actor who appears to be responsible for the fire and the deaths of so many, mostly women, since men had the advantage of better access to exits; he wants to do the right thing, but his boss wants him to lie and to protect the company and other actors from prosecution. Jack is principled, but his boss and fellow workers are not. When threatened, he acquiesces completely until he sees the unjust results of his actions. Sally is a widow from a privileged class who has lost the large respect of the community because there is no man in her life any longer. The influence and power she once had has been marginalized, but she uses her maiden name in some instances to afford her a well-deserved advantage. She rails against the injustices done to women. All four tell their stories in alternate voices to give a picture of the times with authenticity from both a black and white point of view, and a privileged and underprivileged point of view.
The fire exposes the horrible brutality of slavery and the people who supported it, the arrogance of some men when it came to their power over women, and a government and justice system completely blind to the issues at hand, that contrived to keep that very system in power. It makes one wonder about how so much has changed and so much has remained the same in the world we live in today.
People are still falsely accused and found guilty by corrupt juries and judges. Incompetence is not punished, but is rewarded today in the interest of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, a recipe for disaster, though viewed with a different lens in each circumstance from then to now and encouraged by the political power currently in place.
So, the book has profound ideas that must be considered thoroughly, but may be treated more lightly by book groups intent on their own political interests, instead. Who is guilty? Who is innocent? How do we determine that, with facts or personal need? If machinery is not repaired, who is at fault, the owner or the person using it? If you are afraid of being caught, is it moral to point fingers at those you deem to be “less than” yourself? When is it all right to lie to protect the guilty? Is it ever all right to distort the facts for one’s own benefit? These and other moral and ethical questions must be explored in all avenues of our life today. If we are to enter the future realistically and with moral courage, we must understand how we even got here to this state of willful blindness.

I was captivated by The House Is On Fire by Rachel Beanland. Beanland tells a fictionalized version of the 1811 Richmond theater fire that killed over 70 people including the Governor and a former senator and devastated the community. She focuses her story on four people including the real life Gilbert Hunt, a slave who became a hero for saving many women as they leapt from a second story window. I was not familiar with the story. The book was recommended by a book club member and we will be discussing it on Tuesday. Beanland faces the racism and casual violence of slavery head on as she tells the story of a young slave using the fire to escape abuse and how easy it was to convince southerners that the fire was caused by slaves.

A book about four people who survived a horrible fire in a theatre in the early 1800s. Interesting characters who all had different outcomes in the aftermath of the fire. I enjoyed the book and the narration of the four survivors. Interesting to know that it was based on a true story.½

4.5⭐️

On the night of December 26, 1811, the Charleston-based Placide & Green Company was performing two full-length productions at the Richmond Theater to a packed house (almost six hundred people). A fire broke out during the performance that led to the loss of over seventy lives, including the Governor. This novel is inspired by that tragedy.

The narrative follows the events of the night and its aftermath as is shared through multiple perspectives- those whose lives are irrevocably impacted by the tragic events of that fateful night - Jack Gibson, a young stagehand who is aware of what truly happened on that fateful evening; Sally Henry, a young widow who attended the production with her sister and brother -in-law, and who participates in the effort to care for those injured in the fire; Gilbert Hunt, a Black man hoping to purchase his freedom someday, who actively helped those trapped in the burning building and Cecily Patterson, a young black girl who was also in attendance that evening with her mistress and for whom the incident becomes a turning point in her life.

Thoroughly researched, exquisitely written, informative and absorbing, The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland is a compelling novel. The author not only tells the story of a shocking tragedy of that era but in doing so also gives us insight into what society and societal norms were like during that period – racial injustice, slavery and exploitation and the struggle to purchase one’s freedom, if at all; how lack of dedicated healthcare facilities was made up for by local residents who offered their homes to those who needed treatment for their injuries; how women’s voices and their lives were marginalized by men during that period; the politics of justice and inquiry and so much more.

The Author’s Note deserves a special mention here. The author discusses, in detail, her meticulous research into the incident and the real people on which her characters are based. She has maintained the real names of a few of the characters and also shares details of what became of these people post the events described in the book which I really feel adds to the depth of the story.

I paired my reading with the brilliant full-cast audio narration by Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Andi Arndt, Michael Crouch, Ruffin Prentiss III, and Rachel Beanland which made for an immersive experience.

Overall, I believe this is one the most fascinating works of historical fiction that I have read this year and would definitely recommend it to fans of the genre in general and/or those who are keen to read stories set in this particular time period.


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The day after Christmas in 1811 a play is performed in Richmond Virginia's new theater. Slaves, freemen and the wealthy white planters pack the playhouse for a night of entertainment. Tragedy strikes when a few careless mistakes cause a fire to breakout, killing many of the attendees. In particular, the wealthy white society women. The House is on Fire is told from multiple perspectives of those who were affected. Sally Henry Campbell, daughter of Pattrick Henry, is a grieving widow. Cecily Patterson is a slave, allowed to attend the performance with her young mistress. Jack works behind the scenes of the theater, dreaming of one day being on the stage. Gilbert is an enslaved blacksmith, hoping to one day earn enough money to free both himself and his wife. In the aftermath of the great fire, none of them will ever be the same.

This novel is based on a true historical event. The alternating points of view are engrossing and enables readers to see how this catastrophe touched the lives of so many people in Richmond at that time. The story moves at a brisk pace, and it is fascinating to see how the lives of the main characters entwine, despite most of them having nothing in common with the others.

This is a work of fiction based on an historical event, the December 26, 1811 theatre fire in Richmond that killed 72 people, including the governor of Virginia. It's told by focusing on four characters, some of them real people and some fictional.

Jack Gibson, a young orphan who worked backstage for the theatre, is based on the boy who is believed to be responsible for the fire--but the author kindly gives him an excuse. The fire started when he raised a lit chandelier, setting fire to hanging backdrops. Beanland puts him in a moral dilemma when the theatre manager concocts a story to divert blame for the disaster.

Gilbert Hunt, a blacksmith and a real person, was not in attendance but rushed to the scene to help save others from the burning building, catching women who jumped from the windows. Although he had purchased his own freedom by 1811, for the purpose of her story, Beanland makes him slave to a blacksmith who is trying to purchase his and his wife's freedom.

Gilbert's niece Cecily (fictional), also a slave, attended the performance with her mistress but escaped because the gallery where blacks were seated was close to an exit. When Cecily doesn't return home, she is presumed to have died in the fire . . . but she has other plans.

Sally Henry Campbell, a widow and daughter of Patrick Henry, helps other women to escape through a second floor window and jumps to safety herself. Afterwards, she questions why most of the victims were women and claims that she had seen men shoving them aside in order to get out first. So much for chivalry! Sally helps attend to injured persons, including her dearest friend, who suffers a potentially fatal leg fracture. (In real life, Sally ended up marrying the man who caught her when she jumped.)

Beanland does a good job of creating suspense and interweaving these characters' stories. Some things are a bit stretched and some side characters are stale stereotypes, but overall, this was an interesting read, and I learned a lot about an event that I had not heard of before.

Excellent book about a fire in Virginia in 1811 that killed 71 people. Focused on 4 people. Some were actually in the fire.½

This is a book about the historic theater fire in Richmond, VA in 1811. I wasn't aware of this event, so this book informed me of it. Rachel Beanland brought the event to life by telling the story of those affected by the fire.
On 12/26, the theater is filled with patrons, both white and black, when Jack Gibson, a stagehand is ordered to lift a lit chandelier. The theater catches fire and the patrons race to escape.
The book highlights Sally, a recent widow, Cecily, a slave whose master's son, takes advantage of her, Jack, the stagehand, and Gilbert, a blacksmith slave. Their fate is dependent on the decisions each makes as they try to escape the fire.
I loved how Beanland wove these stories together while highlighting the fates of slaves vs. owners = and the decisions and help people gave to one another.
Great book.

Historical fiction from a very unique time and place compared to a lot of what I see. The characters come to life, the story lines are compelling and woven together, and the perspectives are refreshing for that era (which the author's note says is very intentional). A theater fire in the South during slavery times, women helping women, an enslaved woman using the fire as cover to escape, a theater company trying to pin the blame for the fire on a slave rebellion, an insidious enslaver hunting down the missing. Everything you could want from a historical fiction with care and craft.

1811, a theater in Richmond Virginia goes up in flames. Historical fiction masterfully told. A story about a terrible tragedy, an expose of those who sought to help and save as well as a population whose fear, bigotry and cowardice were accepted as the norm. A harsh focus on the disparities between the the sexes, the rich and poor, the races, and the worst abuses of slavery and racism allowed to foment. Rachel Beanland has written in the most beautiful prose the most horrific story. It happened, her research is impeccable and astounding, her depictions are breathtaking in their scope and breadth.

This is a story not be missed by a very talented writer. Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for a copy.

Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland is a historical fiction novel set in Atlantic City in the summer of 1934. The story revolves around the Adler family, who are Jewish and struggling to make ends meet during the Great Depression.

Florence Adler, the family's eldest daughter, is a talented swimmer who dreams of competing in the Olympics one day. However, tragedy strikes when she drowns while training for a long-distance swim.

The family decides to keep Florence's death a secret from her younger sister, Fannie, who is pregnant and on bed rest. They do this to avoid causing her any stress, which could harm her unborn child.

As the summer progresses, the Adler family must navigate their grief and the secrets they are keeping from one another. Florence's mother, Esther, struggles to come to terms with her daughter's death and takes on the responsibility of caring for Fannie's unborn child. Florence's father, Joseph, tries to keep the family together while dealing with his own guilt and grief.

As the summer comes to an end, the Adler family must face the truth about Florence's death and confront the secrets they have been keeping from one another.

Overall, Florence Adler Swims Forever is a captivating novel that keeps you turning each page.

First sentence: Sally Campbell's shoes are fashionable but extremely flimsy. She ordered them from Curtis Fairchild's specifically for Richmond's winter season, but now she feels like a fool for thinking she could get away with wearing them on the half-mile walk from her brother-in-law's house to the theater.

Premise/plot: Historical fiction set in Richmond, Virginia, in December 1811. This historical novel based on a true historical event--the 1811 Richmond Theater fire--and features some historical figures. It has four alternating narrators: Sally Campbell (the daughter of Patrick Henry and widow of Robert Campbell); Gilbert Hunt, an enslaved man who rescued dozens of women from the fire by catching them (they were being tossed/thrown out of a third-story window); Cecily, a slave of the Price family (whom is being sexually assaulted by her own half-brother Elliott Price); and Jack Gibson, a young stagehand just getting into show business.

The theater fire occurred on December 26, 1811. The book chronicles the immediate aftermath from these four perspectives.

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. Is it perfectly perfect? Probably not. Did I find it incredibly intense and super-compelling? YES. A million times yes. It was torture to keep reading. It was torture to stop. I'll try to explain. This book NEEDED the freezer. The part about the fire itself was terrifying and scary. SO horrifying. I had to know what happened but I was worried about what might happen. The aftermath was perhaps a little less intense, but it was fascinating as well. Cecily and Gilbert's story stayed INTENSE.

I loved all four narrators. All the characters were well written. Even the ones I didn't really "like" all that much. I would definitely recommend this one.

Beanland's recounting one of the worst disasters in the early history of the U.S. is informative, impressively researched, imaginative and -- for most part -- engaging. After a strong opening, I must admit that my interest waned a bit in the middle. I had to wonder if this work of historical fiction would have been more riveting had it been spun in 25% fewer words. To the author's credit, several intriguing characters that helped to shed light on our nation's heritage helped to guide me through the book's more mundane sections.

When the Richmond Theatre burned to the ground in 1811, it was the worst such disaster to date in the United States. This tale, based the facts of that disaster, is told from the viewpoints of four very different people. One is a widow of good standing, and one is a young man working for the theatre troupe. The other two people are slaves: one is a man working for a blacksmith, and one is a young teenager, working as a housemaid. Three were in the theatre when it caught fire. One was instrumental in starting it. One was heroic in his actions to save people from the fire. One took advantage of the situation to drastically change her life. The author does quite a good job of describing the fire and its aftermath. Through the eyes of these four characters, readers will get a feeling for what life was like then, and see how people reacted to the tragedy, some with courage, some with little or no regard for others. The issue of race and slavery is dealt with in a thoughtful and meaningful fashion, within the confines of that time period. If there is a complaint about the novel, it’s that the storylines are not well-ended and are left dangling. Indeed, at the end, the story finishes rather abruptly, and readers are left to surmise in their own minds how they think the story ends.

This book was so nicely paced with the perfect amount of characterization that it was a pleasure to read. The author's note at the end helps to explain why this should be be so.

I do this so often - read books with parallel stories whether fiction or nonfiction - and the coincidences are amazing. I just completed reading A Bookshop in Berlin - a true story of one woman's escape from Nazi Germany. That story had a lot of information about the challenges Jews faced in obtaining visas to leave Germany, similar to this book.

Set in 1811, this is the fictionalized story of the theater fire in Richmond Virginia. Over 600 people were packed into the wooden building. Jack, a stagehand, watches as a lighted chandelier gets stuck and is swung into the highly flammable backdrops. Recently widowed Sally sits with friends on the third floor, only halfway paying attention to the story. On the bottom floor in the galley, enslaved Cecilly tries to forget her demanding mistress and her amorous brother. escape from the demands of her enslaved life. When blacksmith Gilbert learns of the fire, he races into danger, helping people flee from the burning building.

This was a well written and engaging book. I had a hard time putting it down! This is definitely storytelling at its finest! The plot moved along at a quick pace, and the characters were dynamic and multi-dimensional. I can't wait to read more from this author. Overall, highly recommended.

A night at the theater turns deadly as the packed house catches fire, and panicked theater-goers rush to exit a structure which is rapidly becoming an inferno. Among those in the building as it catches fire: Sally Henry Campbell, daughter of patriot Patrick Henry, and her sister-in-law Margaret; a young slave named Cecily and her mistress, Maria; and a young stagehand and aspiring actor named Jack. The story is told in alternating chapters from the point of view of Sally, Cecily, Gilbert (Cecily's uncle, who is not in the theater when it catches fire, but plays a role in the rescue) and Jack.

The fire and its aftermath impact the lives of these individuals in different ways. The tragedy allows for exploration of the complex dynamics of relationships between owners and enslaved people; between men and women; between the "upper crust" of society and those deemed "lower class."

I had never heard of the Richmond Theater Fire of 1811, but at the time, it was the deadliest disaster in our young nation's history. As the author brings the characters onto the scene, we are shown the labyrinthine and crowded nature of the theater, and can see the disaster in the making. The aftermath is filled with conflict, as well as some righteous anger at those who escaped at others' expense.

The author's note at the end is important reading, as it gives the reader a clearer understanding of what aspects of the book are historical fact, and in what areas the author was relying on imagination based on the historic events.

I was slow to get into the story, but as I approached the end, I found myself quite invested in the outcome.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Rachel Beanland’s The House Is on Fire is a wonderful historical fiction novel based on the tragic 1811 Richmond Theatre fire. The setting, the time, the event, the characters - all are beautifully described and developed in this fantastic novel. Beanland’s sub-plot of the way men acted during and after the tragedy will stay with me for some time.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this fabulous ARC.

This book was quite different from what I expected, especially after reading the inside cover. I was looking forward to reading about Florence's experience swimming the English Channel but was highly disappointed when soon after the book begins, Florence drowns. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book, which was based on a real woman, Florence Lowenthal, who grew up in Atlantic City. In the author's notes, you learn that in fact, the character of Florence was based on the author's great-great aunt. Taking place in the summer of 1934, the story follows the lives of Florence's family including her sister and brother-in-law (Fannie & Isaac), her niece (Gussie), a former possible boyfriend (Stuart), and her parents (Joseph & Esther). While there are some minor sub-plots, your attention is driven by the highly charged family dynamics as Florence's family keeps her death a secret from Fannie. Fannie, on bedrest due to a high risk pregnancy, lost a baby the year before and her family is worried that learning of Florence's death could cause problems. Compounding the emotional tension is that the Adler's are a Jewish family and they have agreed for Anna, who is a nineteen year old emigrate from Germany, to live with them. Again, not the story I expected but entertaining nonetheless.

THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE is historical fiction about a fire that occurred in a Richmond, Virginia theater in 1811, the worst urban disaster in US history at the time. That makes the book interesting, certainly more so than an account of the fire in a history book.

But it’s more than that. This historical fiction is thrilling.

Rachel Beanland tells the stories of four actual people who survived the fire. Gilbert is a slave, who is also a hero the night of the fire. Cecily is Gilbert’s niece. Sally is a white woman who escaped the fire but only after helping others when men wouldn’t. And Jack is a young theater hand, just a boy.

In telling their stories, Beanland creates a thriller when she explores possibilities. Who was responsible for the fire? Also, couldn’t a slave who was at the theater that night have escaped but just be counted as one of the dead?

I often find historical fiction to be dull. But in the case of THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE, I found a page turner.

This book will be available in April 2023. I read an ARC.

Through the lives of four people who survive a devastating fire, The House is on Fire transports readers to 1811 Richmond. The novel is a page-turner, with heartbreaking scenes inspired by historic events and people and the fire that destroyed a full theater.

There is Sally, a young widow, who attends the play with her best friend Margaret and Margaret’s husband. Cecily, a slave who accompanied her mistress to the theater. The teenage orphan Jack Gibson, stage hand for the theater troupe, and hopeful future actor. And slave blacksmith Gilbert Hunt, saving for his wife’s freedom.

The characters grapple with moral choices. During the conflagration, there are those who help others to get out and those who abandon family to save their own lives. Those who rescue victims and those who watch. Those who take responsibility for their actions and those who blame others.

Why does Sally continue to be surprised by the depravity of men? Perhaps because so much has been made of their civility? (…) These men have no consciences.
from The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland

Rachel Beanland doesn’t shrug away from the brutal truth of slavery. Gilbert’s second master enjoys his power, patrolling at night for slaves without a pass and runaways. Gilbert’s niece Cecily is abused by her master’s son, just as the master abused her mother. The slaves are easy targets for blame. Then, there is the free black healer, who identifies as Native American, who generously takes in victims of the fire, black and white.

The vivid writing of the disaster was disturbing, recalling 9-11. Bodies falling from second story windows, people stumbling out of the theater covered in white ash. Family members franticly searching for the missing. The burnt remains unidentifiable. A mass grave. In 1811, a broken bone meant amputation or gangrene. There were no DNA or dental records to identify bodies.

Jack’s Greek was never very good, but he remembers a bit of Aristotle, who was so concerned with the virtue of man. Virtue means doing the right thing, in relation to the right person, at the right time, to the right extent, in the right manner, and for the right purpose.
from The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland

As thrilling a read as this is, with wonderful characters, what impressed me most about the novel is the character’s moral corruption or growth. It also shows how slavery distorted the conscience of men with too much power, while often the least powerful, the women and the slaves, display the most compassion and selflessness.

Thank you to Book Club Favorites' and Simon and Schuster for a free book.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ATC.

I read her first book Florence Adler Swims Forever, and had to read this one. Totally different of course but really enjoyed it though it was tragic and based on real life. The history was told at the end of the book by the author and it was based on true people.

Looking forward to reading her future books and hope she does write more.

I liked the information conveyed in this book about the experiences of Jewish Americans in Atlantic City just prior to WWII. I wish there had actually been coverage of an English Channel swim, but that didn't happen. I really enjoyed the beginning, but midway through I pretty much knew how it was all going to turn out.