In 1913, Annie Clements organizes the strikes for miners in Houghton county, Michigan that work under the duress of James MacNaughton, the general manager for Calumet & Hecla Mining. The strikers are continuously met with violence and other cruel means by Mr. MacNaughton and his bully boys.
“This is the price of copper,” she says in that clear, quiet voice. “A dead man. Every week. Month after month. Year after year.”
While most of the story builds on the 1913 Copper Country miners strike, the characters are used to exploit the everyday family life in the mining community of Calumet & Hecla under the watchful eye of Mr. MacNaughton. As things transpire, the tragic lives of families in the community unfold. It is within all of their lives that the telling tells. And, although the title itself perhaps suggests the focus of the characters is on women, the characters point of view included is comprised of both genders. We see some chapters told from the point of view of a husband, a female child, a male bar-tender, a butler, a maid, a male governor, etc.
The historical aspects were pleasantly well-researched. The main character, Annie Clements, is based on the historical figure Anna Klobuchar Clemenc and was presented valiantly. Likewise, James MacNaughton, the real historical corporate tycoon and the novel based character, are both found to be equally repulsive. Many characters represent authentic strikers during the 1913 Michigan copper strike and can be found in the Author’s Note of this book. The novel contains, but is not limited to, Croatians, Finns, Poles, Slavs, and Italians; however, only certain characters truly represented the dialect.
I recommend this to readers interested in labor unions, Women’s Auxiliary, and immigrant workers to the U.S. in the early 20th century.
Many thanks to Atria Books, Mary Doria Russell, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy.