The Garment Maker’s Daughter is a multigenerational saga of immigrant dreams and sweatshop realities, labor strikes and women’s rights. It is the story of Lena Rothman, a shirtwaist-maker and active suffragette whose plans get derailed when she falls in love with her best friend’s boyfriend; Jake Brenner, a passionate labor organizer determined to lead the shirtwaist-makers on a high-stakes … strike; and Daniel Cowan, a brilliant and ambitious night-school student hobbled by a shameful past.
Fate draws them together. Emotions bind them to each other. But secrets will tear them apart. When a devastating blaze engulfs the shirtwaist factory, Lena must fight for her life. And in the chaos of the fire’s aftermath, mistakes will be made with consequences that continue into the next generation.
Spanning the first half of the twentieth century, this is a story about unforgettable characters and the threads of friendship, love, betrayal, and redemption that form the fabric of their lives. FAns of Adriana Trigiani, Kristin Hannah, and Christine Baker Kline, will love The Garment Maker’s Daughter. It’s that rare novel you’ll be thinking about long after you’ve finished it.
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Their lives were so intertwined and they didn’t even know!
Excellent weave of fact and fiction. Delightful.
Would have given it a five * if it weren’t for the numerous spelling errors, omission of words, grammatical errors, etc.
It is good to read about the struggles that the garment makers went thru to pave the way for today’s factory workers . Really appreciate the true grit these people had. I feel it should be a must read for today’s young people!
Loved the book! Couldn’T put it down!
A good account of the garment industry with interesting characters. All aspects of the conditions and trials of the times covered
I loved it. Still thinking about the characters and what it must have been like to be an immigrant in New York so many years ago.
It was a story that really was a three way love story, two women and one man and of two girlfriends whose love withstood a need to trust each other. Well worth the read.
The message of the book was one of hope for women. If you stay committed to your goal satisfaction for your efforts will come.
For those who did not live in that era or were not informed by governments at the time, it was a real eye-opener about the cruelty of some people to others.
Great historical giction
A really good story, well told .
Didn’t hold my interest.
Loved it
Enjoyed learning more about the Garment Industry and how they originally treated the workers in New York
Great historical fiction. I just happen to be teaching this time period in American history. It gave me a wonderful look into what life may have been like for men and especially women during the 19th century period of industrialization and immigration. Interesting discussion of unions and women’s suffrage in my favorite format: through the eyes and hearts of someone who could have lived in it.
I enjoyed reading about the immigrant experience in New York and the roles played in union struggles.
This book gave a new perspective of how immigrants managed to live when they came to America. Heartbreaking. Most of them were from Germany in this book.
Well worth the read!
Fascinating and tragic examination of a transformative era in history.