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chasrotramel2024's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorite novels to be honest. Captivating, fully realized. Emotionally resonant. A great book.
gwalt118's review against another edition
4.0
This is my first novel of Jess Walter's collection, and it did not disappoint. The Cold Millions is immersive historical fiction with vibrant characters and a strong sense of place.
The Dolan brothers are union men, trying to find work in the early 20th century. Gregory (Gig - a clever pun to the gig economy, as Walter explains in his acknowledgements) lands himself in jail after a labor rally, and Ryan (Rye) gets caught up with some good and bad people trying to get Gig out of jail.
One of the good people Rye meets and befriends on this journey is Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, who was a real person - a suffragist and labor union advocate. Walter pushes the novel forward through Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, and it is masterful writing. Walter brings Spokane, WA to life in this novel. The work camps, mining economy, etc. is uniquely Pacific Northwestern at the turn of the century.
Some of this novel's themes ring true today: income inequity, the lower class fighting for work and pay (minimum wage increase debate, anyone?), the social divide between the "haves" and "have-nots," the trashing of nature without a care for the future, and so on. In his acknowledgements, Walter states that the realization of this thematic connection to present day makes him classify the novel as contemporary historical fiction...and really, how cool is that?!
I appreciated the epilogue at the end, and I usually don't enjoy epilogues. It was a powerful ending to a novel and it provided Walter with a venue to state his thoughts on social justice issues, which he obviously cares about strongly. I listened to a podcast where Walter described this novel as a "love letter to labor," and that certainly rings true in the epilogue.
I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. I really enjoyed the writing and Walter's craft of the novel. This book did what historical fiction is supposed to do - it taught me about something I wasn't very familiar with (labor unions in the U.S. at the turn of the 20th century) in an entertaining way, with fictionalized versions of real people and creative versions of fictitious people.
The Dolan brothers are union men, trying to find work in the early 20th century. Gregory (Gig - a clever pun to the gig economy, as Walter explains in his acknowledgements) lands himself in jail after a labor rally, and Ryan (Rye) gets caught up with some good and bad people trying to get Gig out of jail.
One of the good people Rye meets and befriends on this journey is Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, who was a real person - a suffragist and labor union advocate. Walter pushes the novel forward through Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, and it is masterful writing. Walter brings Spokane, WA to life in this novel. The work camps, mining economy, etc. is uniquely Pacific Northwestern at the turn of the century.
Some of this novel's themes ring true today: income inequity, the lower class fighting for work and pay (minimum wage increase debate, anyone?), the social divide between the "haves" and "have-nots," the trashing of nature without a care for the future, and so on. In his acknowledgements, Walter states that the realization of this thematic connection to present day makes him classify the novel as contemporary historical fiction...and really, how cool is that?!
I appreciated the epilogue at the end, and I usually don't enjoy epilogues. It was a powerful ending to a novel and it provided Walter with a venue to state his thoughts on social justice issues, which he obviously cares about strongly. I listened to a podcast where Walter described this novel as a "love letter to labor," and that certainly rings true in the epilogue.
I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. I really enjoyed the writing and Walter's craft of the novel. This book did what historical fiction is supposed to do - it taught me about something I wasn't very familiar with (labor unions in the U.S. at the turn of the 20th century) in an entertaining way, with fictionalized versions of real people and creative versions of fictitious people.
lngoo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I enjoyed another book by the same author but for some reason could not get into this. I just didn’t care about so many of the characters.
jesse5's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Last 100 pages are wildly intense, couldn’t put it down
ben_r's review against another edition
5.0
Two brothers, trying to keep their heads above water, searching for work in the tumult of the early twentieth century. Walter presents a story of love and longing amidst poverty and riches, graft and kindness.
duparker's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Stars Really enjoyed the characters and the story, when the book stuck to the main story line. Some of the offshoots distracted from the overall enjoyment, but it was doable. I liked that the story took place in a location you don't tend to see as a setting. That was a great change from the norm. There was a classic flow to the book, with orthogonality and creativity to set the book apart.
madmollyann's review against another edition
2.0
Not a fan. The story jumped between characters (love it, usually), but the chronology was inconsistent- sometimes it went back in time between characters, sometimes simultaneous, sometimes forward. So little time was spent on each character that it was hard to get to know them and very little development happened.
brown_and_lovely's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.75
rmarcin's review against another edition
4.0
The Cold Millions is the story of two tramp brothers, Gig and Rye, who speak out against the work practices of the wealthy mine owners in Spokane, WA. When a cop is killed, the police come down hard on the protestors. Elizabeth Gurley Flynn speaks on behalf of the workers. Lem Bland is the mine owner and manipulator of many of the players.
The story takes place primarily in 1909 and 1910, with the epilogue in 1964.
This novel details the struggles for workers rights, and the dirty tactics that the owners took to quiet the uprisings. The love between Gig and Rye was so strong, the brothers sacrificed so much for each other, it was very touching. While much of the novel was difficult, I felt there was some redemption in the end.
The story takes place primarily in 1909 and 1910, with the epilogue in 1964.
This novel details the struggles for workers rights, and the dirty tactics that the owners took to quiet the uprisings. The love between Gig and Rye was so strong, the brothers sacrificed so much for each other, it was very touching. While much of the novel was difficult, I felt there was some redemption in the end.
crschu's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
This book was hard for me to get into and a slow read, but overall a great story.
The Cold Millions reminds me of something I would have been required to read in school (as a well-researched, historical fiction novel), and I enjoyed the book when framing it in that way.
In his story, Jess Walter portrays Spokane, WA, as a town with rampant income disparity, where super-rich employers have too much power. The main characters are a young man swept up in the union, a feminist-communist-union woman, and an anarchist — all of whom, in their own ways, act out against the government of Spokane for allowing millionaires to control the city. Even in the brief vignettes from police, we get the sense that they too feel like they are pawns in a rich man’s game.
I think the power of this story is that through the historical setting, Walter can make highly relevant commentary on wealth disparity and corporate greed without preaching or pointing fingers (at anyone who’s alive, anyways).
Lastly, I love Rye! Seeing these historical events through the eyes of a curious, hopeful, and heartbroken young person was very moving. His growth throughout the story was heartwarming, and I LOVE that despite everything he went through, he donated over half the money from Brand in various ways. Also, I chuckled that he had a conservative son… isn’t that how it goes.
The Cold Millions reminds me of something I would have been required to read in school (as a well-researched, historical fiction novel), and I enjoyed the book when framing it in that way.
In his story, Jess Walter portrays Spokane, WA, as a town with rampant income disparity, where super-rich employers have too much power. The main characters are a young man swept up in the union, a feminist-communist-union woman, and an anarchist — all of whom, in their own ways, act out against the government of Spokane for allowing millionaires to control the city. Even in the brief vignettes from police, we get the sense that they too feel like they are pawns in a rich man’s game.
I think the power of this story is that through the historical setting, Walter can make highly relevant commentary on wealth disparity and corporate greed without preaching or pointing fingers (at anyone who’s alive, anyways).