Of the Embers

by Rita Williams Atkinson

In 1883, one of the premier hotels in the country, the Newhall House Hotel, burns to the ground. Guests included General Tom Thumb of sideshow fame, popular stage performers, and prosperous businessmen. What brought those people to the Newhall House Hotel on that fateful night? What caused the fire? How did those who survived do it, and how were they affected by the horror of that night?

510 pages, Hardcover

Published May 15, 2023

About the author

Born and raised in central Wisconsin, the author became interested in writing fiction in sixth grade, after a children's book writing class assignment. Writing remained a hobby throughout high school, college, raising two children, and a career in public service, all of which allowed little time for focused writing. Finally, when life got less hectic, she opened her laptop and started writing again.

Reviews

[Therese · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the format of the book. The main characters are introduced with their background story leading up to the night of the famous fire. Who will make it out alive? Which one of them, if any, set the fire? Questions asked as Milwaukee grieved and church bells rang.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. I leaned about the history of the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee and the fire that took many lives. It was interesting how the author also drove The Peshtigo fire into the story. The history of General Tim Thumb was also entertaining.

[Sarah Weister · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book was really well written. I loved how she made the characters come to life and made me feel like I was there. Felt like the ending was written to fast though.

[Sandra Crist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book but found the ending very anticlimatic, hence the 4 stars.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written by a friend of mine. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and appreciated the author’s writing style. While I felt that the ending of the book could have come a little more quickly, this was an entertaining read. I particularly enjoyed Tom Thumb’s story of his rise to fame.