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katieinca's review against another edition
3.0
This is me trying to give literary fiction a try again, based on a hearty recommendation from my bookshop and the fact that this was literary fiction about people who actually have to worry about money and personal safety. Great for learning some history. Not so much for emotional impact.
Some really beautiful prose here and there, but the two characters who ought to be driving the book aren't the most interesting ones. Rye, who gets most POV chapters, is young, shy, and maybe meant to be a nice clean slate for the reader to identify with. But he's just not that interesting or compelling until very late in the book. And then there's Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, who's supposed to be larger than life. She was a real person, and maybe that makes it hard to write her, but she didn't feel like flesh and blood.
And it's not that the writer can't do that. There's this schtick in the book where we get the occasional chapter from someone else (and you figure out early on that if the chapter title has a year with that character's name, it's a death scene). The chapters from Rye's brother Gig, the detective Del Dalveaux, and Rye and Gig's friend Jules the Salish Indian all had more life. I'd read a second book if one of those guys were the narrator, but not another one featuring Rye and Flynn.
Some really beautiful prose here and there, but the two characters who ought to be driving the book aren't the most interesting ones. Rye, who gets most POV chapters, is young, shy, and maybe meant to be a nice clean slate for the reader to identify with. But he's just not that interesting or compelling until very late in the book. And then there's Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, who's supposed to be larger than life. She was a real person, and maybe that makes it hard to write her, but she didn't feel like flesh and blood.
And it's not that the writer can't do that. There's this schtick in the book where we get the occasional chapter from someone else (and you figure out early on that if the chapter title has a year with that character's name, it's a death scene). The chapters from Rye's brother Gig, the detective Del Dalveaux, and Rye and Gig's friend Jules the Salish Indian all had more life. I'd read a second book if one of those guys were the narrator, but not another one featuring Rye and Flynn.
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
Digital audiobook performed by Edoardo Ballerini, Gary Farmer, Marin Ireland, Cassandra Campbell, MacLeod Andrews, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Mike Ortego, Rex Anderson, Charlie Thurston, and Frankie Corzo.
Set in the early twentieth century, this novel focuses on the two Dolan brothers: sixteen-year-old Rye and his older brother Gig. Rye just wants a steady job and a home. Gig is more idealistic, fighting along other men to form unions and demand fair wages and better working conditions. Together, they live by their wits – hopping freights and forming alliances with those they feel might be able to help them.
In addition to the two Dolan brothers, Walter populates the work with a wide variety of memorable characters, from Jules (a Native American from Coeur d’Alene) to Ursula the Great (a vaudeville singer who performs with a live cougar) to Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (a nineteen-year-old feminist) to Lemuel Brand (a wealthy mining magnate). There are plots and subplots, twists and turns, allies who are really enemies, double and triple crosses, good guys who are really bad guys (and vice versa).
Based on actual events in 1909 Spokane, Washington (the Free Speech Fight and the formation of the International Workers of the World), at the novel’s core is a class struggle that is reminiscent of what America is undergoing now just over a hundred years later.
The story is told from multiple characters’ points of view, and some scenes are related more than once, giving the reader additional insight as the point of view changes in the same scenario. Walter has the ability to really put the reader right into the heart of the scene; I practically heard the sound of the train on the tracks, smelled the odor of unwashed bodies, felt the chill of a cold jail cell.
Walter is a masterful storyteller and I was engaged and interested from beginning to end.
I listened to the audio which was masterfully performed by a cast of talented voice artists. This really brought the characters to life for me and made it easier to discern the changes in point of view. However, I think the complexity of the story might be better appreciated if read in text first.
Set in the early twentieth century, this novel focuses on the two Dolan brothers: sixteen-year-old Rye and his older brother Gig. Rye just wants a steady job and a home. Gig is more idealistic, fighting along other men to form unions and demand fair wages and better working conditions. Together, they live by their wits – hopping freights and forming alliances with those they feel might be able to help them.
In addition to the two Dolan brothers, Walter populates the work with a wide variety of memorable characters, from Jules (a Native American from Coeur d’Alene) to Ursula the Great (a vaudeville singer who performs with a live cougar) to Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (a nineteen-year-old feminist) to Lemuel Brand (a wealthy mining magnate). There are plots and subplots, twists and turns, allies who are really enemies, double and triple crosses, good guys who are really bad guys (and vice versa).
Based on actual events in 1909 Spokane, Washington (the Free Speech Fight and the formation of the International Workers of the World), at the novel’s core is a class struggle that is reminiscent of what America is undergoing now just over a hundred years later.
The story is told from multiple characters’ points of view, and some scenes are related more than once, giving the reader additional insight as the point of view changes in the same scenario. Walter has the ability to really put the reader right into the heart of the scene; I practically heard the sound of the train on the tracks, smelled the odor of unwashed bodies, felt the chill of a cold jail cell.
Walter is a masterful storyteller and I was engaged and interested from beginning to end.
I listened to the audio which was masterfully performed by a cast of talented voice artists. This really brought the characters to life for me and made it easier to discern the changes in point of view. However, I think the complexity of the story might be better appreciated if read in text first.
teresaalice's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
I remember how much I loved the Beautiful Ruin, and although it was a long time ago, I hope I'd have the same bittersweet love for this book. It was good, but as I'm not a huge historical fiction fan and I overlooked the fact that it took place in the early 1900's, i just wasn't as captivated as I wanted to be.
Though, don't get me wrong, it was still a great story with memorable and captivating characters.
I remember how much I loved the Beautiful Ruin, and although it was a long time ago, I hope I'd have the same bittersweet love for this book. It was good, but as I'm not a huge historical fiction fan and I overlooked the fact that it took place in the early 1900's, i just wasn't as captivated as I wanted to be.
Though, don't get me wrong, it was still a great story with memorable and captivating characters.
readtotheend's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
This is a historical novel that takes us back to 1909 as we follow two orphaned brothers primarily in Spokane, WA as they get involved with the labor movement and we get a glimpse of what unionizing was like back in the day. They come across a wide variety of characters in their journey from all walks of life and that was probably my favorite part of the book. I especially liked the parts with Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, a real historical labor leader and one of the founders of the ACLU. The audiobook was excellent as it was a full cast. I wasn't quite sure if I'd be engaged with this story but Walter does a great job of immersing the reader into that time period.
laynie_rearick's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
aimeebrand's review against another edition
4.0
Read for 2023 reading challenge: this book was a specific title on the challenge. It was a little slow for me to start but it was a good read. Takes place in Spokane and Montana which always makes it interesting for me. Early 1900’s about the labor union protests. Has some harsh realities about the fight people had to make to get where we are today. Interesting topic that I probably wouldn’t have learned about had it not been required reading for the challenge but I’m glad to have read it.
rayl's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
manugareau's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
kangaruthie's review against another edition
5.0
I wasn't sure to expect from this book, since I felt pretty lukewarm about Beautiful Ruins. I was surprised, in fact, by how much I loved it. It could partially be because it takes place in the Pacific Northwest, where I grew up and still live, and I loved learning more about the history of Washington state. I also really loved the characters, who felt convincingly multifaceted in their motivations and struggles. Though this novel is set in the 1900's, its commentary on themes such class, racism, and power still ring very true to our society today.