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jenbsbooks 's review for:
The House Is on Fire
by Rachel Beanland
I liked this a lot. It was one that had been mentioned multiple times in various Facebook groups, enough that I'd put it on hold at my library. It took a while to become available - enough time that when it was ready, I really didn't remember anything about it. Historical fiction as it turns out.
It's interesting to peek at the Table of Contents ... this story takes place over four days, December 26, 1811-December 29, 1811. The story shifts POV (although it stays 3rd person) between Sally (a widow in her 30s), Cecily (a teenaged slave girl), Gilbert (a slave, married, uncle to Cecily), and Jack (14-year old boy working at the theater). The chapters start in the above mentioned order, they switch around. The first chapters introduce the characters and a little about their background and set the scene ... and the fire, the title coming into play, happens during Jack's first section. It's right there at the start of the book. In audio, there were four different narrators for the four different POVs. All the POVs are told in present tense ... and it was a little jarring, didn't flow. Personal preference would have been to have it told in past tense.
This could make for an interesting Book Club discussion - many points to ponder. There was a LOT implied about how women were treated, about slavery (a word of note, "manumission" was included here. Just one I've taken note of before and will always "see" if mentioned).
Last month I read a 9-11 book [book:102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers|177187] which really had some similarities. People trapped inside, some helping, some only out for themselves (more so in The House is on Fire than 102 Minutes), people choosing to jump from high up to escape flames. I've read a few books mentioning the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire too (1911), some similar scenes. (1811, 1911, 9-11, 2001 ... some eerie similarity to the dates).
Yes - this is a book I'd recommend. No proFanity. Some sexual content/abuse, some violence/gore and racial issues. Thumbs up for a clear Table of Contents and consistency between the Kindle and the audio editions. It IS on Hoopla, also Libby - as mentioned, I had a slight wait on hold.
It's interesting to peek at the Table of Contents ... this story takes place over four days, December 26, 1811-December 29, 1811. The story shifts POV (although it stays 3rd person) between Sally (a widow in her 30s), Cecily (a teenaged slave girl), Gilbert (a slave, married, uncle to Cecily), and Jack (14-year old boy working at the theater). The chapters start in the above mentioned order, they switch around. The first chapters introduce the characters and a little about their background and set the scene ... and the fire, the title coming into play, happens during Jack's first section. It's right there at the start of the book. In audio, there were four different narrators for the four different POVs. All the POVs are told in present tense ... and it was a little jarring, didn't flow. Personal preference would have been to have it told in past tense.
This could make for an interesting Book Club discussion - many points to ponder. There was a LOT implied about how women were treated, about slavery (a word of note, "manumission" was included here. Just one I've taken note of before and will always "see" if mentioned).
Last month I read a 9-11 book [book:102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers|177187] which really had some similarities. People trapped inside, some helping, some only out for themselves (more so in The House is on Fire than 102 Minutes), people choosing to jump from high up to escape flames. I've read a few books mentioning the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire too (1911), some similar scenes. (1811, 1911, 9-11, 2001 ... some eerie similarity to the dates).
Yes - this is a book I'd recommend. No proFanity. Some sexual content/abuse, some violence/gore and racial issues. Thumbs up for a clear Table of Contents and consistency between the Kindle and the audio editions. It IS on Hoopla, also Libby - as mentioned, I had a slight wait on hold.