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littlelady_28's review against another edition
3.0
This was almost a DNF for me. It started off soooooo slowly, but I eventually got used to the pacing and started to like the characters.
The story centers around two brothers, Gig and Rye, who are just trying to get by in Spokane, Washington at the start of the 20th century. Work is scarce, they're barely paid anything, and corruption is rampant. Gig is active in the IWW, trying to get rights for the workers, and Rye gets unwillingly sucked in.
Despite the slow start, I'm glad I stuck with it. It was interesting reading a book that took place in this particularly time in history, and the characters were very real and human. It's definitely not a happy ending, feel good book, but it wraps up in a nice way. The plot gets a 6 out of 10 and the characters get an 8. Overall, I give this book a C.
The story centers around two brothers, Gig and Rye, who are just trying to get by in Spokane, Washington at the start of the 20th century. Work is scarce, they're barely paid anything, and corruption is rampant. Gig is active in the IWW, trying to get rights for the workers, and Rye gets unwillingly sucked in.
Despite the slow start, I'm glad I stuck with it. It was interesting reading a book that took place in this particularly time in history, and the characters were very real and human. It's definitely not a happy ending, feel good book, but it wraps up in a nice way. The plot gets a 6 out of 10 and the characters get an 8. Overall, I give this book a C.
molenkampa87's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pappas's review against another edition
5.0
A fascinating read. Loved the characters. Historical setting. Can not recommend this book enough.
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
5.0
Well, this was fantastic. There's nothing fancy here, Jess Walter has written a straight-forward historical novel about labor unrest in Spokane, Washington in the early twentieth century, and it's so well-constructed and wears its research so effortlessly, that it's pretty much a perfect novel. I mean, the subject matter sounds both worthy and boring, but it is not. Walter uses a pair of brothers who, after riding the rails and picking up work here and there, end up in Spokane, sleeping on their Italian landlady's porch because it's a little cheaper than renting a room, getting meals at the Salvation Army. Gig, the charismatic older brother, falls for an actress in a variety show and joins the board of the local IWW, a labor union. His sixteen-year-old brother, Rye, just wants regular meals and some stability. As the police come down hard on the strikers, both Gig and Rye's lives are permanently altered.
No plot synopsis can show just how compelling a story Walter has crafted, or how well he has woven in real people and events with his fictional characters. I was sorry to reach the end of this wonderful novel.
No plot synopsis can show just how compelling a story Walter has crafted, or how well he has woven in real people and events with his fictional characters. I was sorry to reach the end of this wonderful novel.
johndiconsiglio's review against another edition
3.0
It’s 1909 Spokane & brothers Gig & Rye are riding the rails, searching for work with farms, mines & logging camps. They’re on the right side of union champions (many drawn from real life) & the wrong end of baton-wielding cops. This is an atmospheric novel, filled with flophouses, train cars & prison cells. Unapologetically pro-labor, it’ll remind you of Dos Passos & Upton Sinclair (& only occasionally comes off as preachy). Mostly, it’s an attention-grabbing adventure with colorful characters—some of whom speak Joe Hill-like from the grave. “What they can never kill/went on to organize.”
tweiler32's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
clarkmj1's review against another edition
5.0
A book I would never have chosen that made a huge impact on me emotionally
Ryan Dolan is one of the characters in fiction you can’t not love - even if his beacon of naive honesty in a harsh world is hard to think of as real
I’m so glad this was chosen for me and that I read it.
Ryan Dolan is one of the characters in fiction you can’t not love - even if his beacon of naive honesty in a harsh world is hard to think of as real
I’m so glad this was chosen for me and that I read it.
arielamandah's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 or maaaaybe even 4.75 stars. This was a really good book. Like, a really, really good book. Everything was here: interesting characters, turn-of-the-century Inland NW, Walter's consistently good writing, moral conundrums. The only thing that was a miss for me was the timing - and that's on ME. I brought this book home from the library at a moment in time (in history?) when it was hard to get swept away in a delicious novel. So it was a slow burn for me. Being as distracted as I was, it took me longer than it should have to get into the rhythm of Walter's structure and to get a feel for the characters. However, not surprisingly, once I was there, I was IN. And, of course (no surprise) it ended up being a very timely read as well - demonstrations and protests and violence in the streets and with the police. Rye's meditations on the river of history were perfect for our moment.
I think this book will grow on me even more as time passes. If you've read Inland, by Tea Obrecht, there's something about this book that has a similar feel. Maybe it's the time when it's set, but I think the two are very complementary reads - I would definitely recommend them both.
I think this book will grow on me even more as time passes. If you've read Inland, by Tea Obrecht, there's something about this book that has a similar feel. Maybe it's the time when it's set, but I think the two are very complementary reads - I would definitely recommend them both.
tensy's review against another edition
3.0
An atmospheric novel set in turn of the 20th Century Spokane, WA that follows the Dolan brothers, Gig and Rye, as they try to navigate odd jobs and become embroiled with the International Workers of the World organization. There are quite a few characters that weave in and out of the story, including real historical figures like Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, labor leader and women's rights activist. While I found Walter's details about life in the early 1900s to be quite interesting and well executed, it felt more like a newspaper account and I had a difficult time connecting with most of the characters. It could have been due to the multiple points of view which tended to chop up the flow of the plot and my ability to fully immerse in the story.