|
A domineering silk industrialist clashes with his progressive suffragist wife and his radical unionist brother in early Twentieth Century Paterson, New Jersey where silk magnates rule the city with an iron fist and treat their immigrant laborers as an expendable commodity in their insatiable quest for wealth. Silk Legacy is a story about how the men fought back and how the women battled for suffrage, child welfare and reproductive freedom.
Jealousy, infidelity, arrogance, greed—the characters’ titanic struggles will catapult you into the heights of their euphoria and the depths of their despair. Who will triumph and who will be humbled is not certain until the last page.
REVIEWS:
Overall: 5 stars
Good historical fiction teaches us a bit of history while weaving an interesting story told through the experiences of the story’s characters, both real and fictional. The author of Silk Legacy, Richard Brawer, did a bang-up job of taking an event—The Great Silk Strike of 1913—which today is just a footnote of history, and making it come alive.
The events of the story were told through the eyes of the Bressler family, who, like many of the mill workers, were recent immigrants who came from Europe to America in search of a better life. Abe Bressler, through shrewdness and hard work, had become a jobber of silk thread and eventually a mill owner. His wife, Sarah, was a good wife and mother, and she became involved in the suffrage movement for women’s rights, particularly the right to vote. One of Abraham’s brothers, Solomon, worked at a mill and was a union activist, which put the two brothers in conflict, which deeply affected the entire family. The relationships between the Bressler brothers and their wives made for an absorbing page-turner of a novel.
Although fictional, the Bressler family was made up of flesh-and-blood characters. They laughed, loved, argued, fought, and had adulterous affairs.
The writing style was as polished and professional-looking as I’ve seen. Dialogues were realistic and often served to emphasize the enormity of the conflict and the high stakes involved.
The author clearly did some serious research into the story, and also did a marvelous job of working the fictional characters into the historical story. One of the most interesting aspects of the story was learning about the manufacturing of silk, beginning with imported silkworm cocoons (a single cocoon may yield up to three thousand feet of silk filaments) and going through the entire process, with the silk fabric being woven on huge looms. Jim Chamber For Red Adept Reviews www.redadeptreviews.com
"Richard Brawer uses Silk Legacy to demonstrate his remarkable storytelling skills. Vivid and enticing characters reveal themselves in the exciting and realistic backdrop of the labor movement in the early 1900's. Each personality is thoroughly and uniquely drawn, and leaves a lasting impression. The added historical accuracy is an enjoyable bonus. From start to finish, Silk Legacy is simply a wonderful book. Highly recommended." Nancy Morris for Allbooks reviews
"Silk Legacy is a family saga about the struggle for life during hard times and surviving and trusting family. It's one of the most heart-touching stories I have ever read...I haven't just enjoyed this book, I have loved it from the first page 'till the last one. Richard Brawer has written it in a way that makes you feel like you're inside the story, as if you know the characters, as if they are part of your life...Silk Legacy is a book I won't easily forget." Annick for Euro Reviews
"I loved this book. The characters are so real." Angelica Santomauro, director, The American Labor Museum, Botto House Landmark, 83 Norwood Street Haledon, NJ 07508. The silk strike of 1913 in Paterson, NJ was a real event, and Pietro Botto's House was a major staging point for labor rallies. Angelica Santomauro is an authority on the labor movement in Paterson during the silk era. To paraphrase additional conversations with her, she said, "I have read many books on The Great Silk Strike of 1913 and Silk Legacy is by far the best one I have read."
"Silk Legacy was written so well that I felt all the characters were real. I could not wait to get to the next chapter...I would recommend this book to any of my friends and family." A. J. Cooper for Reader Views. www.readerviews.com
Richard Brawer, in his epic historical Silk Legacy, takes the reader inside a little-known world of the silk industry. Weaving the history by use of a family that is divided between bosses and lay-workers, he does it as skillfully as the looms themselves wove the finest fabrics of the era. He captures not only the feeling of the era, but does it with warmth and affection through a trying love story. His characters are magnificent. I adored them, in spite—or perhaps because—of their shortcomings. Janet Elaine Smith, author of best-selling, award winning Keith trilogy
"Silk Legacy is a fast moving, richly detailed saga....(Brawer) is a deft story teller with a knack for plot twists...(He) combines various plot and character elements to create a large, variegated picture of American society at a combustible moment." New Jersey Jewish News
"We enjoyed your book immensely. You did a great job informing us and holding our interest. 'Silk Legacy' was a smooth read." Sophi for Temple Emanuel of North Jersey Book Club.
“I enjoyed you book. It really was a good read.” Norma L. Topp, leader of the Temple Beth Shalom, San Juan, Puerto Rico, book club.
Silk Legacy is now available on your KINDLE for $2.99 and any e-reader or tablet that has a KINDLE APP or can access KINDLE books.
Here is the link to the KINDLE page in amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=silk+legacy
Silk Legacy is also available as a trade paperback directly from the author for $14.99. Price includes postage.
Mail a check to:
Richard Brawer
1202 Lawrence Avenue
Ocean, NJ 07712-4023
The book will be mailed via media mail
Rating by Amazon.com readers: 4 1/2 stars out of five
|
