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

“One of the most captivating novels of the year.” – Washington Post

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A Library Reads Pick • An Indie Next Pick

A Best Book of the Year: Bloomberg | Boston Globe | Chicago Public Library | Chicago Tribune | Esquire | Kirkus | New York Public Library | New York Times Book Review (Historical Fiction) | NPR's Fresh Air | O Magazine | Washington Post | Publishers Weekly | Seattle Times | USA Today

From the #1 New York Times bestselling 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 twentieth century.

An intimate story of brotherhood, love, sacrifice, and betrayal set against the panoramic backdrop of an early twentieth-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 sixteen-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 nineteen-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).

An extraordinary work of historical fiction

If you are looking for a window into a time when the rule of law was used to suppress workers and also used to support a clueless wealthy class, look no further.

Like all great works of historical fiction, The Cool Millions illuminates a forgotten world and shines a bright spotlight on our own. Its themes and characters are as relevant today as the daily news feeds. Replace Wobblies with Antifa and Black Lives Matter and you get the sense that the struggle for justice never ends.

Another tour de force from Jess Walter

We waited for the next work from Jess Walter, and The Cold Millions does not disappoint. In short, a period piece with lessons for today. Like Mr. Walter’s other books, suspenseful and engaging. Beautifully written and performed.

Excellent story and narration

The author is a terrific writer who provides exceptional details of characters, places, events, and emotions.

I was not familiar with the events that took place in those early years of the 1900’s. I enjoyed learning about the issues of that period and of the locations involved.

The story was filled with beautiful words, thoughts, and actions of often flawed and exceptionally well-developed characters.

The narration was superb.

Great read!!!

Took a bit

This took a bit to grab me. It wasn’t until I was nearly 2/3 of the way through before I really started enjoying it. There are a few store lines going on at the same time and I wonder if perhaps it would have been easier to read a hard copy versus audiobook. I I’ve in Spokane, where the story takes place, so I throughly enjoying the historical aspect of the city I love so much.

A solid balanced perspective.

This is an insightful balance to the theory of American capitalism which has been, literally, beat into my head since early childhood. Really makes me see the development of our great Country's riches through a lens of mindfulness, compassion, and realism.