Reviews for Fire and Roses: The Burning of the Charlestown Convent, 1834

The average rating for Fire and Roses: The Burning of the Charlestown Convent, 1834 based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2021-02-15 00:00:00 Laura Miller This was an interesting event in history but it was written in a factual, colorless manner. The convent of the Ursuline nuns in 1834 near Boston Massachusetts was precipitated by suspicion and envy among the Protestant workman of the area. Their suspicion stemmed from the fear of well-educated women and the envy because the money for the convent and school came from wealthy Protestants of the area who sent their daughter there for a finished education. An education not only of the mind but of domestic skills, artistry and culture. Those who died in the fire became martyrs, those who survived lived on with sadness. Those responsible for the fire and deaths were of three kinds. Some with a conscience could not live with the guilt and committed suicide. Some were tried in the court of justice and lived with shattered reputations and guilt, and some who had no remorse lived on in their ignorance and embitterment and were tried on a Higher Court of Justice beyond this world. It was an interesting piece of history but the dry telling was difficult to navigate for me.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-06-17 00:00:00 Gary Webster Fascinating look at what happens when conflicting views on religion, ethnicity, class and gender collide, particularly through the lens of today's news. I was impressed with Dr. Schutlz's deep research and detail. I did feel that at times it was disjointed and she perhaps projected conjecture rather more than she ought. Overall, a fascinating and frightening glimpse of how the great American Experience can occasionally fail.