Customer Reviews

Fire By Night

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Out of ten I'd have to rate this book a 15! It didn't take long before I was so involved in the lives of Julia Hoffman and Phoebe Bigelow that I could not put this book down.
These two women couldn't be more different. Julia is from a well-to-do Philadelphia family and Phoebe, well to use the author's words, "....was as homely and horsefaced as a hound dog - and she knew it." How could you not love someone like that?
The story begins at Bull Run, Virginia, July 21, 1861. Julia along with her uncle, a Congressman and a family friend, as well as the very handsome, not to mention single Reverend Nathaniel Greene have come to "watch the war."
Julia has been in love with the Reverend since he was first assigned to their church the year before. She makes an impression on the Reverend but it is not the one she'd hoped for. After witnessing the war first hand and the wounded soldiers it left in its path, Julia became physically ill. Stating she didn't care about helping the wounded men and that she just wanted to get away from there, wasn't what Nathaniel wanted to hear.
Later, when Julia over hears Nathaniel telling the congressman he thinks she is shallow, spoiled, and unbearably self-absorbed she sets out to not only prove him wrong, but to get him fired!
What follows is an extraordinary story of change, courage and self-realization that will keep you on the edge of your seat and not wanting to close this book.
Meanwhile, Phoebe has been taken to the Haggertys. A family who she is to stay with and tend to their countless children while her three brothers go off to help fight the war. Feeling trapped and unhappier than she ever has, Phoebe flees by night to Western Pennsylvania to enlist!
Also enlisting the same day as Phoebe, who is now Ike Bigelow, is a little short fellow name Ted Wilson. The friendship which develops between Ike and Ted is one you will not soon forget. Theirs, is the true meaning of friendship, but will it survive when Ted finds out Ike is really Phoebe? Maybe Ted has his own secrets.
There are more secrets, twists and turns in this story that will keep you guessing until the very end. You never know what is coming next and you quickly learn, things aren't always as they appear.
I highly recommend this book. Truly a well written, researched and gripping tale!!

I really enjoyed this novel, much better than the 1st in the series. The book gives an account of 2 women from the North during the Civil War. A nice surprise is that the author pulled in a few characters from the 1st novel (Candle in the Darkness) and Julia Hoffman (Caroline's cousin who was the main character from the 1st book in the series) is one of the main characters. Phoebe is a new character introduced.

Although Julia is initially a shallow, spoiled, self-absorbed young woman whose mission is to get married she matures into one with character, depth, and conviction. Her ultimate desire to do what God calls her to do. It was interesting to see the hypocrisy revealed in Nathaniel Greene's character and the discovery of Dr. James McGrath's true character.

Phoebe is an endearing character who disguises herself as a male soldier. She has a great one liners and it's easy to imagine her southern West Virginia drawl as she says them. Her relationship with Ted is so endearing.

Although Julia and Phoebe's characters are developed separately in the first half of the book they are drawn together the second half. I liked the ending. I wish this author would do a follow-up summary that tells one how the lives of the characters ultimately end up, like Francine Rivers does in her books. Other than that this is another good historical fiction novel.

Though I enjoyed the first book in this series, "Candle in the Darkness," book 2, "Fire by Night," is even better. It is told from the perspectives of two women: one being the spoiled, selfish and weathly Julia Hoffman who desperately wants to change her ways in order to earn the favor of a handsome reverend, the other, a dirt-poor, six-foot-tall farmer's daughter called Phoebe Bigelow who more than anything else wishes she were a man.

This book was flawless--I could not put it down. If you are someone who "enjoys books about girls who dress up like boys and join the army," then this book is for you!! It was also interesting to see Julia's journey from a spoiled brat to a kind, wise woman with a heart for caring for people. The most touching part of the story, however, is Dr. McGrath, a strange, moody doctor whom Julia knows hates her...or does he? In all, this book had beautiful character development.

Highly recommended.

I was first drawn to Fire by Night when I saw it in a book catalogue. Two days later, I bought it at my local Christian Book Store, and I fell in love with the story. I could not put the book down, and at times I saw myself reading past midnight. I was entranced by the book, and I will probably always love it! One of the best books I've ever read, I must admit.

In the second novel, from her Refiner's Fire series, Lynn Austin spins a captivating tale of two unlikely heros caught up in the horrors of the Civil War. This one is even better than its prequel, Candle in the Darkness.

In Fire by Night, Mrs. Austin, most successfully, parallels two seperate plots that converge beautifully as the lives of two women, from opposite ends of society, are brought together amidst the living hell of the battlefield.

Julia Hoffman, the spoiled, self-centered daughter of Judge Hoffman is smitten by the young and good looking Reverend Nathaniel Greene. But after her behavior while observing the battle at Bull Run, Reverend Greene wants nothing to do with her. Her pride is sorely wounded when she overhears Nathaniel discussing her with Congressman Rhoades, an influential friend of her father. "Forgive me for being so blunt, but I find it to be a true assessment of most of the young ladies in Miss Hoffman's social position. They can't--or won't--do a thing for themselves, whether it's combing their own hair or fixing a cup of tea....Outward beauty rarely lasts a lifetime, Congressman, and then what would I be left with once it fades? A whining, nagging wife wrapped up in her own needs, whose only passions are spending money and spreading gossip?"

His words are the catylyst that send Julia into a world of the unknown where she discovers the true meaning of being a Christian.

Phoebe, named after her dead mother, has never known what it's like to love or be loved. Raised by her backwoods father and three older brothers, "Ike", the name her father gave her after her mother died, is the tom-boy of all tom-boys. She inherited her father's genes and is the tallest woman for miles around. She's a sharp-shooter from years of hunting with her brothers and can hold her own as they wrestle and fight with her like she was "one of the boys". She never wears a dress, just the hand-me-downs of her strapping brothers. When her Pa dies and the boys all go off to fight the Rebels, she is left to work for her room and board taking care of mean ole' Mrs. Haggerty's children. There are so many unruley kids running in and out she can't even get a count of just how many there are! By the time her first day is over, she knows she'll never survive it! She has to run away...but where will she go? Then an idea hits her...she just might get away with it if she cuts her hair short enough and puts her brother's old clothes back on!

I haven't read a book I've enjoyed as much as this one in a good while. I highly recommend it. You don't have to read the first one to completely enjoy this one on its own merits but I'm recommending the whole series; I'm really looking forward to the next installation. Lynn Austin is a very good writer. Her stories are not common, she always has a surprise up her sleeves. Hidden Places is another one of her books that I really enjoyed...ah...but that's another story!

--- reviewed by Ginny Sutton for Christian Bookshelf

After I read Candle in the Darkness I was anxious to read Fire by Night. This book was even better the the first. The characters seem real and you truly get a feel for how devastating the Civil War was for all people. I would highly recommend this book; in my opinion it is one of Lynn Austin's best.

I didn't think I would enjoy this story as much as I did. Fire by Night is the moving story of two different women from different backgrounds during the Civil War. One is a wealthy socialite who wants to find meaning in her life aside from tea parties and dinner parties. The other, a strong tom-boy with no parents and her brothers gone off to war, she decides to disguise herself as a man and join the army. This was a moving story depicting the horror of war and terrible loss of life, but also of finding yourself and making your life matter. And of course, there's a great love story as well.

This novel is about two young and very different girls, Julia and Phoebe, and how their lives are affected by the Civil War. Julia is a very wealthy girl, but after a bad episode at Bull Run, Julia is determined to become a nurse. She battles through a life of unknown hardships and finds herself falling in love.

Phoebe, being left alone by her brothers, disguises herself as a man and enlists in the army. She finds herself feeling better about herself and becoming close friends with another fellow private, Ted.

The story takes twists and turns as these two young girls undergo a transformation from girl to woman. They learn that compassion, faith, determination, and hard work is the only thing that can get you anywhere in life.

I enjoyed reading this book and all of the events portrayed are extremely accurate. The story starts out with lots of action and I was instantly enthralled in the novel. But, I didn't really enjoy Phoebe's character as much I enjoyed Julia's. But overall, I think that this book was enjoyable to read, but it isn't one of my very favorites.

I read this fantastic novel in 2 days. I could hardly put it down. The attention to detail is amazing. Mrs.Austin really did her homework! The characters seemed to live & breathe. I found myself actually crying in some parts & was able to find a bit of myself in the characters. I recommend both the books in this series, so do yourself a favor & pick them up & prepare to be swept away to the heat of the Civil War!

This book was a very interesting historical romance set in Civil War times. Like the first book in the series, Lynn Austin did her homework in regards to historical research. I was skeptical about how a woman could have disguised herself as a man in combat and was curious enough after finishing the novel to do my own research. Sure enough, there are estimates that over 700 women disguised themselves as men for various reasons to fight for both the north and the south. One is said to have served in Pickett's
Charge at Gettysburg and one was captured and sent to
Andersonville prison and survived! Several were able to disguise themselves for one, two, and even three years. As in the book,
most feared detection when injured and some deserted when they became ill with malaria to avoid being discovered. One Sarah Emma Edmonds had a similar bio to Phoebe...she actually was a soldier, was discovered as a woman in a hospital. she then became a nurse, married and had three children. Maybe it was her story that inspired Lynn Austin to weave the character into this story alongside Julia.
In addition, the information given about Dorthea Dix is also accurate and she did personally interview perspective women who desired to become nurses. In college I read a book written after the civil war about nurses who worked in this war and was amazed at not only by the hard work they had to do, but the expectations of the times that they would cut locks of hair from fallen soldiers and write home to their loved ones. It is because of those women's efforts that so many dead soldiers were identified. There were no "dog tags" for identification in those days, and just like the novel portrayed, soldiers did often pin their names into their uniforms. One just has to visit any civil war cemetery and view the graves of all the "unknown soldiers" to get a sense of what this war was like. To have received a personal letter from a woman who sat by your dying son, husband, or father must have been tremendously poignant and touching.