Rating: 
Summary: Could not put it down!
Review:
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!!
Rating:
Summary: The sequel is even better!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: The sequel is even better!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Realistic
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Realistic
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: A great book! Truely breathtaking!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A great book! Truely breathtaking!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Haven't Enjoyed A Book Like This in a Good While!
Review: 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
Rating: 
Summary: A Charming Book
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: delightfully charming
Review: this was a wonderful book! it expresses, in my opinion, how many young ladies felt during this time period. i would highly suggest this for young teens to young adults. it's a wonderful blend of Christianity and history.
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