The Cold Millions: A Novel [B1900]

2020 HCDJ in nice clean condition. A Library Reads Pick. An Indie Next Pick. A Best Book of the Year: Kirkus, New York Public Library, NPR's Fresh Air, Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Seattle Times. From the 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, set in Spokane, WA. 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).

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "The Cold Millions portrays the tawdry, brawling, hard-drinking of boomtown Spokane in the early 1900s. The downtrodden people struggling to better themselves against powerful moneyed types who will do whatever it takes to keep their workers down and profits up. Fiery labor speeches and the strife come to life but, it is not the entire story. The heart of this novel is the relationship between two brothers, and the acts of love and loyalty which keep them worrying about and pulling for one another in their long battle to survive. Walter is a master at using alternating viewpoints in a way that moves the story along."; "This was SO GOOD. It evoked noir detective fiction combined with early 20th-century naturalism novels (think Theodore Dreiser). It also brought to mind The Great Gatsby and East of Eden. The writing veers into the lyrical in places. The book's larger themes of socioeconomic disparities and labor sang throughout. Exceptional. I will read more from Walter."; "A beautiful kaleidoscopic historical novel. I've really missed reading books like this. I look forward to reading more Jess Walter in the future."