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Coal River  By  cover art

Coal River

By: Ellen Marie Wiseman
Narrated by: C. S. E. Cooney
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Publisher's summary

As a child, Emma Malloy left isolated Coal River, Pennsylvania, vowing never to return. Now, orphaned and penniless at 19, she accepts a train ticket from her aunt and uncle and travels back to the rough-hewn community. Treated like a servant by her relatives, Emma works for free in the company store. There, miners and their impoverished families must pay inflated prices for food, clothing, and tools while those who owe money are turned away to starve.

Most heartrending of all are the breaker boys Emma sees around the village - young children who toil all day sorting coal amid treacherous machinery. Their soot-stained faces remind Emma of the little brother she lost long ago, and she begins leaving stolen food on families' doorsteps and marking the miners' bills as paid.

Though Emma's actions draw ire from the mine owner and police captain, they lead to an alliance with a charismatic miner who offers to help her expose the truth. As the lines blur between what is legal and what is just, Emma must risk everything to follow her conscience.

©2015 Ellen Marie Wiseman (P)2015 Tantor

What listeners say about Coal River

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    4 out of 5 stars

Not my Favorite narrator

Sometimes narrators make the book. Other times, they don't. Read this as a hard copy. I liked the story just not the narrator.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Best I've listened to in awhile!

What a wonderful book! Stayed up all night. Didn't want to miss a word. Thank you Ellen Marie Wiseman. Looking forward to the next book.

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coal river

a bit long winded at times but over all a good story. kept my interest. enjoyed the fact that there was a heroine in stead of a hero!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Riveting “pageturner”

Wiseman is a master storyteller I only wish she had more books than Stephen king

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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Didn’t Like Narration

Almost didn’t finish the book but glad I did. Excellent story but narration was hard to listen to.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

All

Narrative voice was good and story line also. Was easy to follow along with each charactor.

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Great history

If you have ever visited Jim Thorpe, PA and have visited the historic jail, then you have walked into the jail/gallows scene in the book. Very gripping. Helpful fictional account of the true motivation of miners' strikes and the push for child labor laws.

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2 people found this helpful

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amazing amazing

I loved it! story was well told and sucked you right in. I just bought her other books

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Great surprise ending!

I really liked this fictional tale woven with historic facts to lend authenticity to the story. One small detail... the narrator should have researched the pronunciation for the town of Wilkes-Barre. It is pronounced "Wilkes-Barry." It was quite jarring to hear the name of my hometown repeatedly pronounced "Wilkes-Bar." Sometimes names are not as they appear despite how they are spelled.
I loved the surprise ending!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Historical drama about little-known issue

Enjoyed for most part; story felt contrived at times. Performer has a noticeable "sameness" quality.

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