Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

The House Is on Fire by Rachel Beanland

40 reviews

mermaidsherbet's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


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booknerdsinmn's review

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challenging emotional informative sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5


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serendipitysbooks's review

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emotional informative sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

 The House is on Fire is stellar historical fiction based on the 1811 Richmond Theatre fire, at the time the worst urban disaster in US history. It follows Sally, Cecily, Jack and Gilbert before, during and after the fire and I was equally invested in all their storylines. What I enjoyed most was the way the author interrogated factors like race, gender and class for the role they played in the fire and it’s aftermath. Excellent author’s note at the end. I can heartily recommend the full cast audio. 

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siobhanward's review against another edition

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emotional informative medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

 You'd think that a subject like historical theatre fires is a niche interest, but since entire historical fiction books are being written on the topic, apparently it isn't. Anyway, if you ever want to be grateful for modern safety standards, research theatre fires, since a ton of modern standards are based on them.

Anyway, that aside, this was a solid read. Beanland did a good job of balancing action with plot and character development. The fire itself was interesting and really well-written. It took me by surprise how well-done the aftermath was. While there was focus on multiple characters, it was easy to keep track of who was who, and enough time was devoted to each character that it was easy to sympathize with them and care about their plotlines. Obviously Beanland has a great love for history and it shows in the care she took writing this book. 

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victoriarosalesvt's review against another edition

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emotional informative sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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mary_elizabeth's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75


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allapaz's review against another edition

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fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

this was a solid read, definitely did the job keeping me hooked and telling the story of a specific place and point in time with a lot of heart and deep characterization. could have wrapped up some of the stories in a more satisfying way, was definitely left wanting more

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jessreadreceipts's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25


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emmapaigereads's review against another edition

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emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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