Book of The Month discussion

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 in 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 offers proof that sometimes, in the midst of great tragedy, we are offered our most precious—and fleeting—chances at redemption.
Genres
Historical Fiction
Fiction
Historical
Mystery
Adult Fiction
Race
Adult

...more
384 pages, Hardcover

First published April 4, 2023

Setting
Virginia (United States)

I have finished and if anyone want's to discuss post, I will check in.

my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

5 stars

Thursday, December 26th 1811

(view spoiler)[ wow, that's quite the beginning! I agree, I hadn't quite expected the fire first thing but the author did a great job of really intro'ing each character and giving us the core of their life and their world. I love how that was done, easy and seamless

Yes, I agree, what a horrible life Cecily and Gilbert have both had. We didn't get too much of Sally but we did get a sense of her saving Margaret when her husband had left her (yikes). I love how resourceful she was. she saved many that night, just like Gilbert

I wonder how much more we'll get of Jack now. I hope they don't blame this whole night on him. He tried to get him to stop moving the lights. It was Mr. Green's fault for blatantly disregarding the safety (hide spoiler)]

Theater people take care of their own.

I don't think it would happen today but back then so different.

Margaret's husband is a loser, but ladies had no choice back then, it was a man's world. ugh! We can all see what is right and what's not, how did the men put on those blindfolds and be ok with situations back then.

As I was reading this I always wondered how did people know which individuals were free and which ones were still owned.... maybe the way they dress... but if that was the case all they had to do was have a nice pair of clothes and take off.

any way glad someone else is reading it and liking it.

Friday, December 27th, 1811

(view spoiler)[ I still really like Sally. I like how she's just jumping right in to the nursing thing and helping. I like she's pushing to get the stories out
the men. Ugh. of course, they just thought they would always get a new wife. THEY were the important ones to get out

I'm really worried for Gilbert. His life is really awful.
I have no idea how Cecily will get out with that horrible son still looking for her

the stories of the theater house, this being the second time it burned, was interesting too. scary they burn so often (hide spoiler)]

Saturday, December 28th, 1811

(view spoiler)[ I have a funny feeling this isn't going to be that easy to get Cecily out. Elliot is really losing it looking for her. he's so awful

we had less Sally time, more of her just flushing out the situation with Cecily being gone. but ugh, the family putting up wit Elliot.

I'm glad he stopped the whipping of Della. I really hope Sara gets her papers

and I hope Gilbert is okay. . .I'm not sure Kemp is going to go any easier on him and might get wind of all the stuff he's doing

I wonder about Jack. I hope he searches for a new profession (hide spoiler)]

and I'm done!

Sunday, December 28th, 1811

this one was so good (view spoiler)[ I love the author's note and how most lives were based on real people
I like her detailing out how she chose certain stories to go certain ways, because of how they concluded (like Sally with Scott!)

I love the little note she used to inspire Cecily and I'm so glad she made it out. It was heartbreaking when Margaret mentioned she knew her husband had used her to crawl over. How awful, I can't even imagine living with that knowledge

and then Mrs. Green, too, so disgusted with how her husband acted that night

and then to have the doctor in the window and Gilbert acting so much more upstanding than so many others. I loved his true story too! I'm so sad we don't really know of Sara's story and I was heartbroken in the book that they would not allowed the women to buy her freedom
(hide spoiler)]

Not sure if everyone that reads this book has the same thinking process as you and I, but I agree with everything you said. Can it be common sence or is it harder than that. To me it's an open and shut discussion. Anyway I didn't think I was going to like it this much, but it blew my mind and I still can recall him catching all those women. I'm not good at remembering names but actions and scenes I do recall. I'm also hoped that that horrible son got what was coming to him through out the book. And of course we have to root for the couple to be able to free the wife and let them live happily ever after. As for the theater, I told you they take care of each other. Was it right ? Now that is worth discussing. Who do you think should have been punished for the fire..... what would be the punishment .....on the other hand theaters went up in flames all the time back then, so one can say if you go into one you take your life in your hands, maybe they should have had them open like in Shakespeare time. You think they learn after fire after fire.

Would you go to a play back then?

Was it mentioned when they started to enforce building code for exits? But even now with codes and every type of precocious out there, if there is a fire there still can be casualties, not as many as there were back then (do you remember how many died in the fire?) but still some.

I'v notice not a lot of members read and discuss books. I enjoy reading and discussing a book. So I was thinking if you wanted, we could look over the books we both ordered for the month and pick one book we both ordered, read and discuss that book for the month.

I'm sure we both select at least one book the same.?

What do you think?

I love discussing books! I'd be down for reading one every month! I'm open for however you want to do it! I can read any time (and since we both always post what we've ordered, we'll know what we both have!)

and now the questions:

1. As for the theater, I told you they take care of each other. Was it right ?

You were right and it made me so sad. They did finally start pointing the finger at Jack, thinking they would blame him but I'm glad it did all come out in the end. And I love that the author mentioned how this theory of the troupe blaming a slave revolt because of a small note in an old newspaper. What a horrible way of diverting blame and punishment - by making someone else take the blame. Just awful.

2. Now that is worth discussing. Who do you think should have been punished for the fire..... what would be the punishment?

This is really tough. I'm with Mrs. Green and I blame Mr. Green. HE is the one that directed Jack, a very green underling, to bring the chandelier up. He knew the possible outcome, weighed the possibilities, and had him raise it anyway. He was the superior both in seniority and in actual time in a theater so he knew more than the others what could happen.

I don't blame Jack or the carpenter boy that actually moved the chandelier because they were both doing what Mr. Green wanted.

3. Who do you think should be punished? and how?

As far as punishment though. Mr. Green lost something very precious that night. His daughter AND his wife. I don't know if he'd need more punishment but I definitely would have wanted him to leave town.

4. Was it mentioned when they started to enforce building code for exits?(do you remember how many died in the fire?)

It wasn't mentioned. And we didn't get an updated count, I don't think, but I believe it was 11 (or 17?) men were believed to have perished. While women was around/over 50. I believe there were also the 2 missing - the ones that caught the author's attention - that were "presumed dead" or something along those lines.

5. Would you go to a play back then?

YES! I wish I could say no but I think there was so little to do then, especially for a woman. You could entertain other women, embroider or paint, read. Even now, I love the theater so I definitely would have loved it then too!
How about you? Would you?

If also like going to the theater and like you said there was so little for females to do back then that yes I would probably go but made sure I was by an exit.

This month we got

and

you pick two and I'll pick two and we read the one we both picked

no peeking until you post your two picks.

lol

I pick

(view spoiler)[ or (hide spoiler)]

hiding so there's no peaking lol

(view spoiler)[ &

I just can't do: Vampires of El Norte because I have it planned with a book club for Oct (hide spoiler)]

ooooh I'd love to read The Bookbinder!!!

when did you want to start?

Lol
What were the odds of neither of us picking at least one same book.

Ok
We will do the bookbinder
Let’s start Monday
I try to stay off the computer on the weekends

We might get to squeeze in one of your picks before the end of the month.