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laura_m_j's review against another edition
4.0
This will get a movie deal! Rich in the language and culture of Charleston SC in the first half of the 20th century, this well researched historical novel tells the parallel stories of working class Irish American and African American families.
allieonreading's review against another edition
2.5
This book was VERY historical, which is just not my thing. It was a fairly interesting topic, but I was mainly bored by the descriptions of making cigars. The two storylines were fine, but never really felt fleshed out. Mostly, this was a book I read.
yarnylibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
This very enjoyable novel is set in Charleston, SC, from 1917 through 1946. It centers on two women who are employed at a cigar factory there. One is white and one is black, but both are working class. Included are many details related to the work environment that sound outrageous to us today, such as a required and invasive medical exam to ensure that one isn't pregnant before one starts working.
We also watch the evolution of the factory, as it goes from a building in which people roll cigars by hand to one that is highly mechanized. Wages go down as more machines are introduced, and management pits white and black workers against each other in order to keep wages down. They also work hard to keep the unions out, and even close the factory for a while when they can't figure out how to get around the federal laws that allow labor to organize. One union organizer sums up the situation:
Our two main characters work in the same factory for decades, yet don't cross paths until the very end. I wish that had happened sooner.
This novel includes a laudatory introduction by Pat Conroy that addresses Michele Moore's use if dialect in her book. It also includes a glossary of Gullah and Gullah-influenced Charleston English words that was very helpful to this reader!
We also watch the evolution of the factory, as it goes from a building in which people roll cigars by hand to one that is highly mechanized. Wages go down as more machines are introduced, and management pits white and black workers against each other in order to keep wages down. They also work hard to keep the unions out, and even close the factory for a while when they can't figure out how to get around the federal laws that allow labor to organize. One union organizer sums up the situation:
Slavery made the plantation owners wealthy in the past, and while the South may have lost the war, don't worry, most of the plantation owners still owned enough land to sell off chunks over the years in order to send their kids to good schools and to start buying stock in Northern factories that make millions off the South's resources. I am convinced that the Jim Crow is not really about a true belief in the inferiority of the Negro, but instead, it is entirely about maintaining an endless supply of cheap labor. (229)That's right.
Our two main characters work in the same factory for decades, yet don't cross paths until the very end. I wish that had happened sooner.
This novel includes a laudatory introduction by Pat Conroy that addresses Michele Moore's use if dialect in her book. It also includes a glossary of Gullah and Gullah-influenced Charleston English words that was very helpful to this reader!
mlucero's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
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