Richmond, Virginia 1811. It's the height of the winter social season, the General Assembly is in session, and many of Virginia's gentleman planters, along with their wives and children, have made the long and arduous journey to the capital in hopes of whiling away the darkest days of the year. At the city's only theater, the Charleston-based Placide & Green Company puts on two plays a night to meet the demand of a populace that's done looking for enlightenment at the front of a church.
On the night after Christmas, the theater is packed with more than six hundred holiday revelers. In the third-floor boxes sits newly widowed Sally Henry Campbell, who is glad for any opportunity to relive the happy times she shared with her husband. One floor away, in the colored gallery, Cecily Patterson doesn't give a whit about the play but is grateful for a four-hour reprieve from a life that has recently gone from bad to worse. Backstage, young stagehand Jack Gibson hopes that, if he can impress the theater's managers, he'll be offered a permanent job with the company. And on the other side of town, blacksmith Gilbert Hunt dreams of one day being able to bring his wife to the theater, but he'll have to buy her freedom first.
When the theater goes up in flames in the middle of the performance, Sally, Cecily, Jack, and Gilbert make a series of split-second decisions that will not only affect their own lives but those of countless others. And in the days following the fire, as news of the disaster spreads across the United States, the paths of these four people will become forever intertwined.
Based on the true story of Richmond's theater fire, The House Is on Fire is a "stunning" (Jeannette Walls, New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Castle), "all-consuming exploration" (E! News) that offers proof that sometimes, in the midst of great tragedy, we are offered our most precious—and fleeting—chances at redemption.
Richmond, Virginia 1811. It's the height of the winter social season, the General Assembly is in session, and many of Virginia's gentleman planters, along with their wives and children, have made the long and arduous journey to the capital in hopes of whiling away the darkest days of the year. At the city's only theater, the Charleston-based Placide & Green Company puts on two plays a night to meet the demand of a populace that's done looking for enlightenment at the front of a church.
On the night after Christmas, the theater is packed with more than six hundred holiday revelers. In the third-floor boxes sits newly widowed Sally Henry Campbell, who is glad for any opportunity to relive the happy times she shared with her husband. One floor away, in the colored gallery, Cecily Patterson doesn't give a whit about the play but is grateful for a four-hour reprieve from a life that has recently gone from bad to worse. Backstage, young stagehand Jack Gibson hopes that, if he can impress the theater's managers, he'll be offered a permanent job with the company. And on the other side of town, blacksmith Gilbert Hunt dreams of one day being able to bring his wife to the theater, but he'll have to buy her freedom first.
When the theater goes up in flames in the middle of the performance, Sally, Cecily, Jack, and Gilbert make a series of split-second decisions that will not only affect their own lives but those of countless others. And in the days following the fire, as news of the disaster spreads across the United States, the paths of these four people will become forever intertwined.
Based on the true story of Richmond's theater fire, The House Is on Fire is a "stunning" (Jeannette Walls, New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Castle), "all-consuming exploration" (E! News) that offers proof that sometimes, in the midst of great tragedy, we are offered our most precious—and fleeting—chances at redemption.
Critiques-
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Starred review from February 6, 2023
Beanland’s powerful second novel (after Florence Adler Swims Forever) follows four characters through a disastrous fire and its aftermath. In December 1811, 600 people are crowded into Virginia’s Richmond Theater for a performance when teenage stagehand Jack Gibson forgets to snuff the candles on the stage chandelier but obeys an order to raise it into the rafters, where it ignites a backdrop and then the building. Sally Henry Campbell, a genteel widow attending the play, and Gilbert Hunt, an enslaved blacksmith who runs to the scene to help, are among those who try to rescue theatergoers trapped by the enormous blaze. Despite such efforts, scores perish or are grotesquely injured. Gilbert’s niece Cecily Patterson makes it safely out of a section called the “colored people’s gallery,” then attempts to free herself from slavery amid the ensuing chaos. Gilbert tries to help Cecily and Campbell volunteers at a makeshift hospital, while Gibson watches helplessly as his troupe, attempting to evade criminal charges, falsely blames the conflagration on a slave rebellion. Beanland enlivens the smart and suspenseful narrative with fully developed protagonists that illuminate the community’s response to mass catastrophe. Readers will relish this. Agent: Chad Luibl, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. -
Beanland's audiobook is perfect for a full-cast production, and its strong performances are consistently gripping. In 1811, a fire destroyed the Richmond Theatre in Virginia, killing more than 70 people. Stagehand error and hubris were at fault, but local enslaved people were blamed. Four characters are featured in alternating passages: Jack (Michael Crouch), a stagehand and aspiring actor; Sally (Andi Arndt), an audience member who tends to the injured; Gilbert (Ruffin Prentiss), an enslaved blacksmith who risks his own life and freedom to save lives; and Cecily (Joniece Abbott-Pratt), his niece, who may be able to use the fire to procure her own freedom. These excellent performances enhance this riveting story of tragedy, systemic racism, and sexism. S.P.C. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
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Starred review from June 10, 2024
Beanland (Florence Adler Swims Forever) presents an intricate historical fiction based on the true and tragic story of the 1811 Richmond Theater fire in Virginia. With nearly 600 people in attendance, a scenery mishap sparked a fire that quickly engulfed the three-story building, inciting panic as people attempted to flee through narrow corridors and windows nailed shut to thwart the winter weather. Told from the perspectives of a blacksmith, an enslaved man, a socialite, and a stagehand, this fast-paced narrative touches on the harrowing loss of life and the racial, gender, and political concerns that came to light in the aftermath. Narrators Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Andi Arndt, Michael Crouch, and Ruffin Prentiss III give distinct and dramatic representations of the four first-person narratives. Collectively, they evoke tension, tragedy, anguish, and excitement to create a compelling listening experience. A note, read by the author, details the extent of the historical accuracy regarding the individuals and events within. VERDICT This audio will appeal to listeners seeking immersive early American historical fiction about heroism and heartbreak. Recommended for fans of Jeannette Walls, Marie Benedict, and Kristin Hannah.--Lauren Hackert
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
