The Daring Ladies of Lowell: A Novel

Having attended college in Lowell ,Mass sparked my interest in reading this book.I am very familiar with textile mills and the boarding houses. The Merrimack River Valley was a great area for the textile industry up until the mid 1950s. The mills served as central working areas for many of the populace in the cities from Worcester to Haverhill,Lawrence.Merrimack and Amesbury.Growing up I was attuned to hearing stories of the mill workers. The quarters for the workers in the early days of the Industrial Age. The many boarding houses. Some of my ancestors worked in the textile mills in Lawrence and Lynn,Mass. I enjoyed reading about the working conditions and the strikes and the long working hours . Children of ages 12 and under were often working 10 to 12 hrs. Until child labor laws were established.I really enjoyed this book even though it was Fiction. It rang true of so many tales that have been spun from the early days of theTextile Industry . It was easy reading for me.Girls came from farms to earn a living working at looms etc. There were so many large families that to support all from the farmlands was difficult. Women had to endure hardships and some were taken advantage of by bosses and overseers etc. It was not an easy life.

Not bad. Kept my attention despite preference for non fiction. Alcott's historical accuracy combined with good writing rank this book as a good choice for our book discussion group.

I read every book about the mills in Lowell because my mother worked in their counterparts in Fall River, Massachusetts. This would have been in 1915 or thereabouts when she was 13. The stories she told are inconceivable to-day. The big names there were Durfee and Borden (think Lizzie ). The conditions were better by then but illegal by to-days laws To my knowledge most of the girls lived at home or in boarding houses - not sure since there has never been a definitive book about the mills in Fall River that I am aware. My mother was "lucky" enough to get TB and that got her out of the mills and after being cured into waitressing. But the over whelming effect of that experience led her to insist we get an education so that my sister and I could support ourselves in a comfortable manner. And we did.

This book keeps one's interest to the end. The main characters are described so well they come to life in the reader's mind. The struggles of the time and the bravery of women in their social status were apparent throughout the book.

While I enjoyed this book I found it a little slow. But that is my personal opinion. I enjoyed The Dressmaker more than this.But the story of Alice and the mill girls and the awful conditions of working in the mill was very interesting and Alice was someone to be admired for her loyalty and courage. My four star rating was because I was a bit disappointed in the ending, I felt it was too abrupt. But I would recommend this book anyway, interesting.

After reading The Dressmaker, I waited with anticipation for months for the release of this book. Living in a mill town, I have always been fascinated by what life might have been like for mill workers and owners. This book brought me into that world, and made it all come to life.I felt proud of Alice as she took risks for herself and others, and found myself grieving her losses. Kate Walcott has an amazing ability to connect her readers to the characters.I love this time period and I loved this book! I will now finally visit the Lowell Textile Museum and anxiously await her next book!

A pleasant read with a little insight to the hard life of Lowell mill girls. A feel good story that delves into the harsh reality of the times.

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end as it captured my attention and imagination. The author didn’t spend too much time going into the technicalities of working the looms but provided just enough information to make sense. The relationships between Alice and the other girls were realistic and heart warming. And what would a novel be without a little romance on the side.

Alcott writes about a fascinating period of industrial growth in Massachusetts. Her characters, especially the main heroine Alice, are complex and captivating. While she tries to portray the surroundings with poetic descriptions, her prose sometimes comes off as plain and matter-of-fact, almost journalistic, which robs the story of some of its emotional force. But overall, I enjoyed this compelling yarn.

This book was pretty good! It wasn't my favorite because it was so similar to others I have read in the past. However, I would still recommend it. :)