What do you think?
Rate this book
Richmond #2
The Fire
Melissa Armstrong, a northerner living with relatives in Richmond, is determined to keep spying for the Union even though she has fallen in love with Jackson Vaughn, a Confederate officer
528 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1980
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 1, 2017
This review is of “Richmond: The Fire”, book #2 in the “Richmond” series by Elizabeth Fritch.
The Story: It is now two years since the Civil War began, and the lives of the primary family, the Armstrongs, have changed, some for better, some for worse.
Melissa Armstrong: the central character. On a happy note, Melissa was able to reunite with her brother, Jeremiah. On a sad note, her fiance’, Confederate soldier Jackson Vaughn, was killed in battle. Melissa has secrets that are still only known to herself and a few others. Melissa later falls in love with...
George Ainsworth: A British expat, George works on the Grasshopper, a blockade runner owned by Edward Armstrong, Andrew, Margaret and Mahaley’s father. George is in love with Melissa, and now that Jackson is dead, George sees an opportunity to press his suit with her. The Grasshopper is sank by Union forces, but George is not on the ship when that happens.
Jeremiah Armstrong: Melissa’s brother, he works for the Union as a doctor. He has an affair with a southern woman, Callie Grimes, which ends when General William Tecumseh Sherman begins his “March to the Sea” through Atlanta, where Callie and her family live.
Margaret Armstrong: One of Melissa’s three cousins, Margaret is not any happier now than she was before. Her marriage to her first husband, Joseph Boone, was strained. Joseph left Margaret and their son, Jeff, joined the Confederate Army, and was killed in the first book. Now, she is married to Lewis McAllen, publisher of the Richmond Journal, war profiteer, and Melissa’s boss, and Margaret is still unhappy, despite giving birth to twin daughters. Things turn worse later when Lewis rapes and beats Margaret. Lewis later commits suicide.
Mahaley Armstrong: Margaret’s sister, who is quite promiscuous. Mahaley is in love with Dr. Nathaniel Aldrich, but due to the war, she doesn’t see him much. Mahaley’s actions finally have consequences, as she becomes pregnant by a soldier who dies in the war. After hearing this news, Mahaley self-induces a miscarriage. Mahaley later marries Nathaniel.
Andrew Armstrong: Brother to Margaret and Mahaley, Andrew is a high-ranking officer in the Confederate Army. Andrew is captured by Union forces and imprisoned, but later escapes and returns to Richmond. On a sad note, he loses the love of his life, Ellen Aldrich, Nathaniel’s sister, in a fire.
A series of events follow in short order: Richmond falls to the Union. General Lee agrees to surrender. The Civil War ends. President Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth and the above characters must find a way to deal with the new world order they find themselves in. Margaret and her mother, Nancy, are the two characters who resent both Yankees and the newly freed slaves most of all.
Upside: The same comments, both good and bad, that I wrote about “Richmond: The Flame” are on display here. Ms. Fritch does a good job interspersing historical accounts with her fictional characters.
Downside: As usual for Ms. Fritch’s work, there is no character development. Ms. Fritch didn’t make me, as a reader, feel anything for these people, and that is a big negative for any book with me.
Sex: Again, not a “clean” book, but no descriptions of sexual activity.
Violence: Not a lot for a book set during the Civil War, but there are scenes of shootings, assaults and killings, which are not graphic.
Bottom Line: There’s good here, but not nearly enough to overcome the many flaws.
The Story: It is now two years since the Civil War began, and the lives of the primary family, the Armstrongs, have changed, some for better, some for worse.
Melissa Armstrong: the central character. On a happy note, Melissa was able to reunite with her brother, Jeremiah. On a sad note, her fiance’, Confederate soldier Jackson Vaughn, was killed in battle. Melissa has secrets that are still only known to herself and a few others. Melissa later falls in love with...
George Ainsworth: A British expat, George works on the Grasshopper, a blockade runner owned by Edward Armstrong, Andrew, Margaret and Mahaley’s father. George is in love with Melissa, and now that Jackson is dead, George sees an opportunity to press his suit with her. The Grasshopper is sank by Union forces, but George is not on the ship when that happens.
Jeremiah Armstrong: Melissa’s brother, he works for the Union as a doctor. He has an affair with a southern woman, Callie Grimes, which ends when General William Tecumseh Sherman begins his “March to the Sea” through Atlanta, where Callie and her family live.
Margaret Armstrong: One of Melissa’s three cousins, Margaret is not any happier now than she was before. Her marriage to her first husband, Joseph Boone, was strained. Joseph left Margaret and their son, Jeff, joined the Confederate Army, and was killed in the first book. Now, she is married to Lewis McAllen, publisher of the Richmond Journal, war profiteer, and Melissa’s boss, and Margaret is still unhappy, despite giving birth to twin daughters. Things turn worse later when Lewis rapes and beats Margaret. Lewis later commits suicide.
Mahaley Armstrong: Margaret’s sister, who is quite promiscuous. Mahaley is in love with Dr. Nathaniel Aldrich, but due to the war, she doesn’t see him much. Mahaley’s actions finally have consequences, as she becomes pregnant by a soldier who dies in the war. After hearing this news, Mahaley self-induces a miscarriage. Mahaley later marries Nathaniel.
Andrew Armstrong: Brother to Margaret and Mahaley, Andrew is a high-ranking officer in the Confederate Army. Andrew is captured by Union forces and imprisoned, but later escapes and returns to Richmond. On a sad note, he loses the love of his life, Ellen Aldrich, Nathaniel’s sister, in a fire.
A series of events follow in short order: Richmond falls to the Union. General Lee agrees to surrender. The Civil War ends. President Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth and the above characters must find a way to deal with the new world order they find themselves in. Margaret and her mother, Nancy, are the two characters who resent both Yankees and the newly freed slaves most of all.
Upside: The same comments, both good and bad, that I wrote about “Richmond: The Flame” are on display here. Ms. Fritch does a good job interspersing historical accounts with her fictional characters.
Downside: As usual for Ms. Fritch’s work, there is no character development. Ms. Fritch didn’t make me, as a reader, feel anything for these people, and that is a big negative for any book with me.
Sex: Again, not a “clean” book, but no descriptions of sexual activity.
Violence: Not a lot for a book set during the Civil War, but there are scenes of shootings, assaults and killings, which are not graphic.
Bottom Line: There’s good here, but not nearly enough to overcome the many flaws.
Displaying 1 of 1 review