The Women of the Copper Country

April 15, 2019
Russell’s latest historical, a carefully researched rendering of the Copper Country strike of 1913–1914, pays meticulous attention to detail that is often fascinating but occasionally tedious. Charlie Miller comes to Calumet, a company town on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, to organize the local copper miners, and his rhetoric inspires idealistic Annie Clements to lead the Women’s Auxiliary of the Western Federation of Miners, Local 15, despite her husband’s disapproval. After a worker is fatally injured—an all-too-common event—the miners vote to strike. As weeks turn into months, the Women’s Auxiliary works tirelessly to keep the miners and their families fed and clothed and to keep everyone’s spirits up. The painstakingly comprehensive narrative and omniscient point of view make for a deliberate pace, but they also ensure readers completely understand what happened. The tale is often bleak, but it serves as a worthwhile counterpoint to historical writing centered on “great men.” Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel, Goderich, & Bourret.

Cassandra Campbell narrates Russell's historical novel, which holds a mirror up to current affairs. Life is hard for everyone in Michigan's copper country in the early twentieth century; after yet another funeral, Annie Clements decides that enough is enough and organizes a strike. While Campbell's delivery can occasionally be a little flat, she does a good job with the various accents of the Calumet miners and townsfolk. Where Campbell especially shines is in her portrayal of Annie, who is ground down over the nine brutal months of the 1913-14 strike. Campbell illuminates her decline from an eager, idealistic young woman to a resigned, slightly bitter woman who is simply too exhausted to continue. K.M.P. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine