The Cigar Factory: A Novel of Charleston
By Michele Moore and Pat Conroy
4.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
"The sun leaned for down bringing shade to the waterfront," begins Michele Moore's entrancing debut novel, harkening back to an era when the legendary fishermen of Charleston's Mosquito Fleet rowed miles offshore for their daily catch. With evocative dialect and remarkable prose, The Cigar Factory tells the story of two entwined families, both devout Catholics—the white McGonegals and the African American Ravenels—in the storied port city of Charleston, South Carolina, during the World Wars. Moore's novel follows the parallel lives of family matriarchs working on segregated floors of the massive Charleston cigar factory, where white and black workers remain divided and misinformed about the duties and treatment received by each other.
Cassie McGonegal and herniece Brigid work upstairs in the factory rolling cigars by hand. Meliah Amey Ravenel works in the basement, where she stems the tobacco. While both white and black workers suffer in the harsh working conditions of the factory and both endure the sexual harassment of the foremen, segregation keeps them from recognizing their common plight until the Tobacco Workers Strike of 1945. Through the experience of a brutal picket line, the two women come to realize how much they stand to gain by joining forces, creating a powerful moment in labor history that gives rise to the Civil Rights anthem, "We Shall Overcome."
Moore's extensive historical research included interviews with her own family members who worked at the cigar factory, adding a layer of nuance and authenticity to her empowering story of families and friendships forged through struggle, loss, and redemption. The Cigar Factory includes a foreword by New York Times best-selling author and Story River Books editor at large Pat Conroy.
Related to The Cigar Factory
Related ebooks
Sunsets Over Charleston: More Conversations with Visionaries, Luminaries, and Emissaries of the Holy City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBack in Roman Times: Historical Novels: The Last Days of Pompeii & Rienzi, Last of the Roman Tribunes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Romanov Stone Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLafitte: the pirate of the Gulf Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe U.S.A. History and Literature: from the beginning to the 20th century Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Light: Tales From a Revolution - New-Jersey: Tales From a Revolution, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Scent of Gardenias Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Empires of the Crab Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBaton Rouge Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSouthern Exposure: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWicked Victorian Boston Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Path: Tales From a Revolution - Rhode-Island: Tales From a Revolution, #8 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeaufort County, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWILLIAM H. AINSWORTH Ultimate Collection (Illustrated): 20+ Historical Novels, Gothic Romances, Adventure Classics & Short Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe President's Child: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Diary From Dixie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Memoirs of the Court of Queen Elizabeth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJane Welsh Carlyle and Her Victorian World: A Story of Love, Work, Marriage, and Friendship Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPlague: Plague and Fire, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGod and Country: How Evangelicals Have Become America's New Mainstream Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Washington, North Carolina Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Declaration: Tales From a Revolution - South-Carolina: Tales From a Revolution, #4 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Blood Red, Sister Rose: A Novel of the Maid of Orleans Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5George Washington's Virginia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAbingdon, Virginia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCivil War Poetry Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Martha of the Clinch Valley, Virginia 1756 - 1821 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Convention: Tales From a Revolution - Massachussetts: Tales From a Revolution, #14 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wind: Tales From a Revolution - West-Florida: Tales From a Revolution, #6 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Historical Fiction For You
Rebecca Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Demon Copperhead: A Pulitzer Prize Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Tender Land: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sold on a Monday: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Euphoria Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5To Have and to Hoax: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tinkers: 10th Anniversary Edition Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Grapes of Wrath Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lady Tan's Circle of Women: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5East of Eden (Original Classic Edition) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Carnegie's Maid: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Other Einstein: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House of Eve Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yellow Wife: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hang the Moon: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Have Always Lived in the Castle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unsheltered: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Kitchen House: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Red Tent - 20th Anniversary Edition: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5That Bonesetter Woman: the new feelgood novel from the author of The Smallest Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book Woman's Daughter: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Second Life of Mirielle West: A Haunting Historical Novel Perfect for Book Clubs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Canterbury Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rules of Magic: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pale Blue Eye: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Clockmaker's Daughter: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Cigar Factory
2 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The story and characters are good and well drawn but the real excellence of this book lies in the history of Charleston, SC, racial relations, the poor, cigar making, the formation of unions, etc.