The Cold Millions

A Novel

De: Jess Walter

Narrado por: Edoardo Ballerini, Gary Farmer, Marin Ireland, Cassandra Campbell, MacLeod Andrews, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Mike Ortego, Rex Anderson, Charlie Thurston, Frankie Corzo

Duración: 11 h y 30 m

Resumen del Editor

A Most Anticipated Book by:

• The New York Times Book Review
• Wall Street Journal
• Time
• Esquire
• The Millions
• Vogue
• People
• New York Post
• USA Today
• Medium
• The Philadelphia Inquirer
• Newsday

From the number-one New York Times best-selling author of Beautiful Ruins comes another “literary miracle” (NPR) - a propulsive, richly entertaining novel about two brothers swept up in the turbulent class warfare of the early 20th century.

An intimate story of brotherhood, love, sacrifice, and betrayal set against the panoramic backdrop of an early 20th century America that eerily echoes our own time, The Cold Millions offers a kaleidoscopic portrait of a nation grappling with the chasm between rich and poor, between harsh realities and simple dreams.

The Dolans live by their wits, jumping freight trains and lining up for day work at crooked job agencies. While 16-year-old Rye yearns for a steady job and a home, his older brother, Gig, dreams of a better world, fighting alongside other union men for fair pay and decent treatment. Enter Ursula the Great, a vaudeville singer who performs with a live cougar and introduces the brothers to a far more dangerous creature: a mining magnate determined to keep his wealth and his hold on Ursula.

Dubious of Gig’s idealism, Rye finds himself drawn to a fearless 19-year-old activist and feminist named Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. But a storm is coming, threatening to overwhelm them all, and Rye will be forced to decide where he stands. Is it enough to win the occasional battle, even if you cannot win the war?

Featuring an unforgettable cast of cops and tramps, suffragists and socialists, madams and murderers, The Cold Millions is a tour de force from a “writer who has planted himself firmly in the first rank of American authors” (Boston Globe).

©2020 Jess Walter (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

I need to go back and read Walter's earlier books

I was first introduced to Jess Walter some years ago when I read Beautiful Ruins, which was great. When Cold Millions came out, I read how different it was and I hesitated to tackle it. But I should not have delayed. What powerful and highly relevant social and political commentary, threaded through a terrific story, told through the voices of many compelling characters! The interweaving of fictional and historic figures further enriched the book. Bravo to the performing cast, who deepened my appreciation of these characters. Don't wait to pick up this important book.

Loved it! Enjoyed the mix of fiction and reality.

Enjoyed the mix of fiction and reality. Did remind me of a John Stienbeck novel.

Labor union history

The topic of labor unions would not usually interest me, even as a fictional backdrop, but this is an author whose books have always been good, so I gave it a try. After a slow, disjointed start, it really grew on me. The use of multiple narrators was effective, even though most of them had small parts. Even if the topic of labor union struggles doesn’t sound exciting, give this book a try. However, for fans of Beautiful Ruins, this is NOTHING like that book, so keep an open mind.

Superb, moving - should be made into a movie

This book is beautiful, touching, moving, sad, but inspiring. There is still so far to go in achieving rights for workers: a decent minimum wage, benefits, workplace safety. This story is about the early days of the fight for workers’ rights. Though these days the billionaires who employ armies of workers (who are not unionized) may not employ thugs like the super-rich bosses of 100 years ago did, they succeed at influencing politicians to rig the system so that today’s billionaires can keep amassing wealth (what do they need it all for?) while the workers struggle to make ends meet. We need inspiring labor leaders once again to convince the workers to demand their rights and to vote for those politicians who would support them. A book like this could serve as an inspiration. It is beautifully written, the characters are carefully depicted, and the narration is excellent. I highly recommend it: if you are one of the wealthy shareholders, read it and develop some empathy (maybe the CEO doesn’t really need a raise, for example, and vote against it at the next shareholder meeting); if you are at the other end of the economic scale, let this inspire you to fight for a better life.

Completely engrossing read

My husband and I listened on our many road trips back and forth to the mountains and loved this book. Stories and characters are fascinating tied in with the history of the time. Don’t miss this book. The narration was outstanding.

Excellent read

One of the best books I have read. The voices wereu phenomenal. Like the best books, I didn’t want it to end.

Forgotten history

Lovely story, compelling characters and a great reminder of humanity in history. Truly a forgotten part of history!!

Excellent

I struggled a bit at the beginning, but it is totally worth it to let the author take you on this journey.

History Well Told

This may not be Jess Walters’s best book, but he has recreated a time in our history that transforms the reader back in time and succeeds in feeling as if you were there through the images he pens. But for a few digressions I felt were unnecessary and too long, I would have given 5 stars. That said, it’s a story well told and one that held my attention to the end. I felt the multiple narrators worked well, and the primary narrator who does the heavy lifting was very good.

Another tumultuous time

This is an engaging story of another era of political turmoil, haves and have nots. The narration was excellent. The characters were somewhat melodramatic but became more engaging as the story unfolds. I found myself comparing the situations in the book to current day politics, social upheavals, and economic realities. Highly recommend