A review by crafalsk264
The Girl in the Triangle by Joyana Peters

challenging dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Fleeing the harsh treatment of Russian Jews, Ruth, her sister Ester and their mother joined the Feldman men in New York City in 1909. Along with her father, Ruth’s fiancé, Abraham, both got jobs at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Ruth is soon hired as well, while her sister Ester remains housekeeper to the family. Ruth is appalled by the conditions of the tenement and the Factory and she is mesmerized by politics and the role of women seeking the right to vote, work, and have property. Ruth takes a job as seamstress at the Triangle and attended meetings advocating suffrage. During the next two years, Ruth becomes more and more committed to organization as a strategy in the face of injustice. She was involved in the strikes and protests against the conditions at the Triangle. Her sister, Ester, also takes a position at the Triangle but she is more of a traditional woman and is amazed at Ruth’s fascination with her activism.

At first glance, this is a standard historical fiction but as you read further it becomes a primer on the treatment of the Jewish population by the Russians, politics, and American history. It keeps its promise of being a romantic story set in a different time. Each character stands as an individual. It is an examination of community and the role of women’s rights. It had enough depth of personality of each character to make them unique. The book begins 740 days prior to the tragic fire taking the lives of 146 workers due to the fact that the doors and stairwells were locked and chained. The book provides a timeline of events leading up to the fire. It provides a view of Jewish life under Russian rule and the immigrant experience around the turn of the century. The author has carefully researched this book and it shows along with the talent to provide an informative yet enjoyable glimpse into a unique time and place. Recommend to readers of historical fiction, Jewish life, politics,mysteries and suitable for young adult readers.