The Tobacco Wives: A Novel

Written by Adele Myers

Narrated by Shannon McManus and Janet Metzger

Most anticipated by USA Today, W Magazine, New York Post, Parade, Bustle, Buzzfeed, Reader's Digest, and PopSugar and named one of the best historical fiction books of the year by Cosmopolitan!

""A beautifully rendered portrait of a young woman finding her courage and her voice.""—Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times bestselling author

North Carolina, 1946. One woman. A discovery that could rewrite history.

Maddie Sykes is a burgeoning seamstress who’s just arrived in Bright Leaf, North Carolina—the tobacco capital of the South—where her aunt has a thriving sewing business. After years of war rations and shortages, Bright Leaf is a prosperous wonderland in full technicolor bloom, and Maddie is dazzled by the bustle of the crisply uniformed female factory workers, the palatial homes, and, most of all, her aunt’s glossiest clientele: the wives of the powerful tobacco executives.

But she soon learns that Bright Leaf isn’t quite the carefree paradise that it seems. A trail of misfortune follows many of the women, including substantial health problems, and although Maddie is quick to believe that this is a coincidence, she inadvertently uncovers evidence that suggests otherwise.

Maddie wants to report what she knows, but in a town where everyone depends on Big Tobacco to survive, she doesn’t know who she can trust—and fears that exposing the truth may destroy the lives of the proud, strong women with whom she has forged strong bonds.

Shedding light on the hidden history of women’s activism during the post-war period, at its heart, The Tobacco Wives is a deeply human, emotionally satisfying, and dramatic novel about the power of female connection and the importance of seeking truth.

“This is a story of courage, of women willing to take a stand in the face of corporate greed, and most definitely a tale for our times.” —Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Mar 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9780063082960

Adele Myers

Adele Myers grew up in Asheville, North Carolina and has a journalism degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She currently works in advertising and lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, son and their rescue dog, Chipper. The Tobacco Wives is her first novel.

Reviews for The Tobacco Wives

[Cathy McDavid · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable book for the most part. Interesting part of history.

[cassprout · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting story. I found the main character irritating in that she had no personal confidence. But the plot and situations were excellent.

[Sara Wescoat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author’s writing was a work of art getting every page to come to life in my mind. I could almost taste the mint in those cigarettes. I did feel it read as at bit young adult, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. I was also grateful there wasn’t any cursing and delicate matters were worded in a way I could play this book out loud and not fear my children overhearing. I’m quite sad it’s finished.

[april schnabel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The characters, descriptions of the clothing, fashion and the repressive relationships between husbands and wives - very enlightening

[Amy Hagberg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tobacco Wives is a fascinating look at the power behind Big Tobacco after World War II that has frightening similarities to the role Big Pharma plays today. It’s about the opulence of a bygone era, the influence of the social elite, the dominion of the region’s largest employer, and the gutsy young woman who stands up to them both. The book didn’t have the depth I was hoping for, and the first half was sluggish, but I learned a great deal about the tobacco industry’s fall from grace and the postwar culture of the American South. 4 stars. For more reviews visit amyhagberg.com.

[Josh Jackson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very beautifully written!! I love how she didn’t dive deep into too many things or characters or issues. But across the board…we r just deep enough. Really enjoyed the twist & turns.

[Sharon Marie Buckler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely riveting! I loved the attention to detail in all of the scenes. I could actually hear Mitzi’s charm bracelet. Beautiful story, beautifully written and a powerful testament to the roles that women have played in the workforce before, during and after the Second World War. The real cover ups which were made by the industry by powerful men who were in control at the time.

[Candace Dewsbury · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was such a thrilling, light read! I thoroughly enjoyed the grittiness and bravery of the Maddie

[Betty Bennett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A novel that demonstrated the effect of marketing a legal, but risky product. A period piece that was true to the history. I’m looking forward to the next book by this author

[jackie shephard · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic story and narration is fantastic as well ! Loved it and learned a lot too.

[Debra Marie Morgan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Easy listen, insight into the tobacco industry and it's lies

[janismack · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It’s 1946 and the GI’s are returning from the war and the owners of the Bright Leaf want to fire all the women who now work in the factory to give the jobs back to the men. A young girl visits her seamstress aunt every summer is caught in the middle of mounting evidence that tobacco kills and women’s rights. A quick read.

[micareads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Maddie Sykes is unceremoniously dropped on the doorstep of her Aunt Etta who lives in Bright Leaf, North Carolina - the tobacco capital of the East Coast. When her aunt is suddenly diagnosed with pneumonia and hospitalized, Maddie goes to stay with her aunt's friend Mitzi, who is married to the owner of the biggest tobacco plant in the county. On top of worrying about her aunt, Maddie is also responsible for the gowns her aunt was hired to make for the annual gala for all the tobacco wives.

During her time in Bright Leaf, Maddie gets to know how important the tobacco industry is to the town and how important the employer is to everyone in the area. When Maddie accidentally picks up a confidential letter that details what the company knows about the dangers of smoking - especially on pregnant women.

The narration of this book was fantastic. I truly enjoyed the different characters and the way in which they were portrayed; each had an attitude and personality all their own and were easily distinguished from each other. The narration definitely added to the charm of the story.

This was a different kind of historical fiction than I am used to and I really didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. This was a wonderfully well-told story that not only explained the tobacco manufacturers' process and thinking but there are also strong tones of feminism and the desire to improve the life of the poor.

[shazjhb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting book. So sad that we don’t listen to research. Nice characters. Loved the clothes.

[lbswiener · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Tobacco Wives is a story about the tobacco industry during the 1940s. It was interesting to learn that through advertising the tobacco companies were able to lie to the public, as they knew that studies were coming out stating that tobacco causes lung cancer. The Green Monster is a deadly condition that the workers who harvested the tobacco leaves get from the oil from the leaves that seeps through their skin. The book received four stars in this review. It is highly recommended.

[bearette24 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was a little disappointed by this book. It was highly praised, but the first half was slow moving and the expected payout at the end fizzled instead. But I gave it 4 stars for writing quality and a more engaging second half.

[penny_l-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Set amidst the detailed backdrop of the 1940's North Carolina tobacco fields, this stunning book touches on a variety of topics: women's rights in the workplace, the tobacco industry, family and society dynamics, and the grey area between right and wrong.With well fleshed out characters in realistic circumstances, this multifaceted novel is wonderfully written and held my attention start to finish.*Thank you William Morrow & Co. Publishing, Adele Myers, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC. The opinions in my review are voluntary.

[cmdh5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers is a coming of age story about a young woman in 1946. After her father is killed in WW2 Maddie is abandoned by her mother in Bright Leaf, North Carolina with her great aunt. Maddie begins to apprentice for with her aunt, a local seamstress who caters to the tobacco company executive wives. Just prior to a large gala she must step up to cover for her aunt when she becomes ill. As Maddie becomes entrenched with the wives, the families, the factory workers, she is faced with a moral dilemma. What do you do when you find out information that will potentially dismantle the industry that supports an entire town? What’s the cost of withholding such information, who do you trust?Myers draws on personal history as well as extensive research and it clearly shows in the meticulous attention to detail that doesn’t sacrifice the humanity of her characters. A native of North Carolina she started with family oral history, then researched for years. While the book takes place primarily in 1946 with an epilogue decades later, this is inspired by events spanning from the mid 1940’s through the 1980’s. Not to be missed is the authors note which I found both personal and helpful. I highly recommend The Tobacco Wives for book clubs and buddy reads as I think there’s so much to discuss here. Also for lovers of historical fiction and fans of Fiona Davis.Many thanks to BookClubGirl, Netgalley, and William Marrow for the Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to review The Tabacco Wives by Adele Myers. All opinions are my own.

[jillrhudy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Thank you to HarperCollins for an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.I appreciated this novel for its evocative depiction of a vanished world in North Carolina in the forties, where Tobacco was king. While I felt that the writing could have been better in the first half of the novel, I could see events and people as clearly as if the book were already a film. Since the main character, Maddie, was a fashion designer, I would have enjoyed more content about fashion and the actual process of putting together the dresses with the other fashion designer, Anthony. One of the threats that is implied in the first half of the book turns out to be a dead end.Once Maddie finds out the dark secrets that the tobacco executive executives are hiding and attends a meeting of labor activists in the tobacco factory who want to strike, the villains are unveiled, and the novel moves much more quickly and is much more absorbing. I really wanted Maddie to prevail and for justice to be done. The tobacco wives may be in the title, but they don't work as the main focus especially with the whole drama seen through Maddie's eyes. I know novels with "wife" or "wives" have been a thing in American publishing for a decade, but had this one been called "The Seamstress of Bright Leaf" or something and the focus kept squarely on Maddie (and her primary relationship a working one, with Anthony) it would have improved the novel quite a bit in my opinion.