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Leaving Rock Harbor
Leaving Rock Harbor is a historical novel set in a New England mill town in the early 1900s, from New York Times Notable author Rebecca Chace.
304 pages, ARC, paperback
First published June 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
July 20, 2023
This book isn’t my usual fare. I read it because it was a gift from my sister who gave it to me because it’s set in our old stomping grounds. One of the main characters is a Portuguese American. It’s a historical novel with the chapters titled by year, so over the course of the story we go from 1916 to 1934. It’s clear from all the geographical clues that Rock Harbor is Fall River, Massachusetts.
The historical aspect is well-researched and true. We see the boom and bust of the granite cotton textile mills, the ethnic tribalism (Pawtugees, Corkys, Canucks -Portuguese, Irish, French Canadians), the child labor, the struggling start of labor unions, the massive strikes (28,000 workers in 1928), the inequities of wealth, the side effects of Prohibition, the abandonment of the city by the mills to go south to cheaper labor.
(And, although the author does not tell us this, I know from my own research for my book about Portuguese Americans, the flight of the mills wasn’t just to cheaper labor, it was also to avoid labor protection laws that were being enacted by Northern states about work hours, child labor, workmen’s comp, safety regulations, etc. Long before the term Rustbelt was popularized, Fall River and neighboring New Bedford both saw their populations drop from 120,000 in 1920 to 90,000 in 2010.)
It’s a coming-of-age story of a girl whose family moves from New York state for her father’s job as an engraver of textile designs. Her mother doesn’t want her hanging out with the brown-skinned Portuguese kid who’s a high-school basketball star. But when the mother finds out that his best buddy is the son of the richest mill owner in town and a state senator, she lets her guard down.
Frankie (Frances, the young woman) goes on to have remarkably modern adventures for 1918 with the two young men – drinking and swimming with them in her underwear – and, at the start of the story, she’s only 15. They go to a secluded beach because the Portuguese kid is not allowed in the rich kid’s family country club.
So here’s our thesis: can a woman be in love with two men her entire life? She marries one of the men and has a child. The other man goes off to war and returns injured. I won’t say which one she marries, even in a spoiler. The story ends when she’s about 33 and she makes a shocking life-changing decision.
Although the book received a lot of critical recognition (Editors’ Choice by The New York Times, a June Indie Notable Book by the American Booksellers Association, and a finalist for the New England Book Award) it’s relatively low-rated on GR – 3.3. Few of my GR friends rated it highly. I too thought at times of putting it down. The characters weren’t pulling me in and I wondered - why?
I think it’s this: it reads like a historical story illustrated by the lives of the characters, rather than a novel focused on the lives of the characters informed by the historical background. I say this even though the bulk of the book is about the characters and there’s a lot of dialog.
I’ve been pondering this for a while and have yet to come up with any real ideas. There are hundreds – perhaps thousands – of books written about writing novels, but are they any about how to make your characters come alive and pull you into the story in that ‘can’t put it down’ way? What makes that happen?
Still a good read. I’m glad I read it and I particularly enjoyed the well-researched history and the local color of that era and area.
The author is a professor of creative writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She has written three novels including Capture the Flag. She’s also a playwright and screenwriter.
Top photo: a Portuguese American child laborer in a Fall River textile mill
One of the granite Fall River textile mills from fallriverreporter.com (mills in New Bedford were brick)
Map from 24timezones.com
The author from rebeccachace.com
[Revised 7/20/23]
The historical aspect is well-researched and true. We see the boom and bust of the granite cotton textile mills, the ethnic tribalism (Pawtugees, Corkys, Canucks -Portuguese, Irish, French Canadians), the child labor, the struggling start of labor unions, the massive strikes (28,000 workers in 1928), the inequities of wealth, the side effects of Prohibition, the abandonment of the city by the mills to go south to cheaper labor.
(And, although the author does not tell us this, I know from my own research for my book about Portuguese Americans, the flight of the mills wasn’t just to cheaper labor, it was also to avoid labor protection laws that were being enacted by Northern states about work hours, child labor, workmen’s comp, safety regulations, etc. Long before the term Rustbelt was popularized, Fall River and neighboring New Bedford both saw their populations drop from 120,000 in 1920 to 90,000 in 2010.)
It’s a coming-of-age story of a girl whose family moves from New York state for her father’s job as an engraver of textile designs. Her mother doesn’t want her hanging out with the brown-skinned Portuguese kid who’s a high-school basketball star. But when the mother finds out that his best buddy is the son of the richest mill owner in town and a state senator, she lets her guard down.
Frankie (Frances, the young woman) goes on to have remarkably modern adventures for 1918 with the two young men – drinking and swimming with them in her underwear – and, at the start of the story, she’s only 15. They go to a secluded beach because the Portuguese kid is not allowed in the rich kid’s family country club.
So here’s our thesis: can a woman be in love with two men her entire life? She marries one of the men and has a child. The other man goes off to war and returns injured. I won’t say which one she marries, even in a spoiler. The story ends when she’s about 33 and she makes a shocking life-changing decision.
Although the book received a lot of critical recognition (Editors’ Choice by The New York Times, a June Indie Notable Book by the American Booksellers Association, and a finalist for the New England Book Award) it’s relatively low-rated on GR – 3.3. Few of my GR friends rated it highly. I too thought at times of putting it down. The characters weren’t pulling me in and I wondered - why?
I think it’s this: it reads like a historical story illustrated by the lives of the characters, rather than a novel focused on the lives of the characters informed by the historical background. I say this even though the bulk of the book is about the characters and there’s a lot of dialog.
I’ve been pondering this for a while and have yet to come up with any real ideas. There are hundreds – perhaps thousands – of books written about writing novels, but are they any about how to make your characters come alive and pull you into the story in that ‘can’t put it down’ way? What makes that happen?
Still a good read. I’m glad I read it and I particularly enjoyed the well-researched history and the local color of that era and area.
The author is a professor of creative writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She has written three novels including Capture the Flag. She’s also a playwright and screenwriter.
Top photo: a Portuguese American child laborer in a Fall River textile mill
One of the granite Fall River textile mills from fallriverreporter.com (mills in New Bedford were brick)
Map from 24timezones.com
The author from rebeccachace.com
[Revised 7/20/23]
July 17, 2010
Life is too short and my TBR pile too tall to waste my time on books I don't like. I made it to the halfway point exactly before I finally called it quits with this one. I could've finished it, but I really didn't care what happened to any of the characters enough to do so.
First complaint: Frankie, the heroine is stupid and weak. She allows everybody else to push her around and make her decisions for her. Second complaint: I didn't really feel the supposed love triangle happening. Third complaint: She picks the wrong man. Fourth complaint: Her family is nuts.
Something I liked: a shocking episode involving a little girl in the mill. Even tho it was the worst thing that happened, sadly it was the most entertaining. I'm amazed at what the work force was like before unions.
I didn't like it, but don't let me deter you. We all have different tastes.
First complaint: Frankie, the heroine is stupid and weak. She allows everybody else to push her around and make her decisions for her. Second complaint: I didn't really feel the supposed love triangle happening. Third complaint: She picks the wrong man. Fourth complaint: Her family is nuts.
Something I liked: a shocking episode involving a little girl in the mill. Even tho it was the worst thing that happened, sadly it was the most entertaining. I'm amazed at what the work force was like before unions.
I didn't like it, but don't let me deter you. We all have different tastes.
August 3, 2010
This book was ok, I guess. I expected more. Frankie comes from working class people and marries into the upper crust of her New England mill town. The glimpses into life in the cotton mills were the most interesting parts of the book in my opinion but they were, comparatively, few and far between. The writing was good and that's what kept me reading because though Frankie was raised by a fairly uninvolved mother and a suicidal father, I did not find her to be a particularly sympathetic character. It has always been my feeling that there is something a bit suspect about women who have no women friends, no close loving relationships with anyone other than the men in their lives. I understand that she was a product of her life circumstances but I did not find anything redeeming in her character. I could not bring myself to care about her and I could certainly have lived a long and happy life without reading a whole book about her.
September 28, 2019
Read this book entirely in one day. It wasn't the greatest day in the world for me, and I guess the book was kind of an escape.
About halfway through the book, I thought "Oh, please don't let this be one of those books where they tease a romance through the entire story and she ends up staying with the safe choice in the end because of money or whatever."
It wasn't.
I'm not a political activist sort of person, so that part of the story was a bit "let's get through this and back to the good part" but happily the plot did not stagnate on that topic.
Very much enjoyed the descriptions of the seaside towns and the clubs and the food, etc. - very realistic and the author caught the liminal feel of the seasons at the seaside extremely well.
Not sure how half the characters didn't end up in rehab centers, they drank constantly and often to excess throughout the story. And no one died from drinking "bathtub gin", even though many people in that time period actually did.
Rebecca Chace is very good at capturing and expressing the "between feelings".... going from child to adult, going from outsider to inner circle, going from friend to lover, going from being taken care of to being a caretaker... makes you realize that most of the important memories in life come from those exact sorts of times.
About halfway through the book, I thought "Oh, please don't let this be one of those books where they tease a romance through the entire story and she ends up staying with the safe choice in the end because of money or whatever."
It wasn't.
I'm not a political activist sort of person, so that part of the story was a bit "let's get through this and back to the good part" but happily the plot did not stagnate on that topic.
Very much enjoyed the descriptions of the seaside towns and the clubs and the food, etc. - very realistic and the author caught the liminal feel of the seasons at the seaside extremely well.
Not sure how half the characters didn't end up in rehab centers, they drank constantly and often to excess throughout the story. And no one died from drinking "bathtub gin", even though many people in that time period actually did.
Rebecca Chace is very good at capturing and expressing the "between feelings".... going from child to adult, going from outsider to inner circle, going from friend to lover, going from being taken care of to being a caretaker... makes you realize that most of the important memories in life come from those exact sorts of times.
February 20, 2024
Very well written novel about the Cotton Mills in New England between 1916 and 1934. Good historical information partly based on the Author's family.
November 20, 2010
This was a gripping and well told story that still has me thinking a few days later.
It's about a girl named Frankie who starts out growing up in Poughkeepsie, but her family moves to Rock Harbor after a failed suicide attempt by her father. They have to start over far from home and their extended family. Frankie's dad is an engraver and gets a job in the mill working with patterns to print on fabric. Frankie goes to school but finds it hard to fit in or make friends, until a guy named Joe starts hanging around. He's super nice and obviously likes her, but he's Portuguese, which makes him socially unacceptable, except he's the star of the basketball team, which kind of makes up for it but not quite. He hangs out with the town golden boy/rich kid, and the three of them become an inseparable trio of friends/love triangle.
Some terrible things happen, and war breaks out. Joe ships out but rich boy keeps getting turned down, probably due to his dad's rigging the system, though this is never explicitly stated. Frankie and rich boy have sex and she falls for him, though she had been sharing her true self and innermost thoughts with Joe by letter.
Frankie gets pregnant. She and rich boy marry, even though she loses the baby. Joe gets injured and comes home. Fights, strife. Joe is a union organizer and rich boy's dad owns the mill, but what breaks up the friendship for years is actually Joe sleeping with rich boy's sister and then trading insults with her at the dinner table.
Frankie and rich boy manage to have a child together, but it's years before Frankie bonds with the child, whose name is Geoffrey. There's basically a lot of rich person ennui/angst here.
Meanwhile, rich boy finally seems to find a purpose working at the mill school with a girl who was injured at the mill as a small child, due to an accident that occurred when rich boy took Frankie on a tour of the mill. Her name is Lizzie Dubois; the school was her idea, and she sets it up and runs it with rich boy's help. Soon he is spending all his time there.
Years of unhappiness. Rich boy's family ends up losing everything because the mills in the south have modernized and taken away all the business, plus the depression hits.
At some point in here, Frankie sees Joe again. They clearly still love each other. He offers to run off with her, and she accepts, but then ends up ballroom dancing with her son and realizes she can't leave him. Joe leaves without her.
A few days later, she finds out her husband has been sleeping with Lizzie Dubois for years, and everyone knew but her. In fact, she discovers them together. She feels like a huge fool, especially since she missed her chance with Joe.
Her father dies, Joe comes back for the funeral. She, Geoffrey, Joe, and rich boy have dinner and Joe offers to stake rich boy (now nearly penniless) in a new business venture where rich boy will sell all the old mill stuff to him cheap to set up mills in Peru, which he's already got a good start on. Geoffrey passes out from his first champagne and rich boy takes him home, leaving Frankie to run off with Joe. She even stops by the house to pick up her jewelry and hears him breathing and sounding awake, but he doesn't say anything. She says goodbye to a sleeping Geoffrey, promising to come back for him, and goes.
It's kind of a weird book in that it's set in the early 1900s but it doesn't feel especially set in that time. There are a few references to wearing corsets and not being out with boys unescorted, but it doesn't have a different feel than the present. Also, I like Frankie, but I'm not sure why. She doesn't really take initiative in her life until the very end of the book, at which point it's almost impossible for her not to run off with Joe. Meanwhile, she always seems to pick the guy with money, which comes across as a bit mercenary, even though she doesn't seem to be doing it on purpose.
Besides that, I'm not sure what's up with Joe taking her with him after she didn't go before--she clearly wouldn't go until she found out rich boy was cheating on her. That's kind of embarrassing for Joe. And how's it going to work out with the business arrangement with now-penniless rich boy? Is he still going to do all the dealing with the guy his wife ran off with? And she thinks she can just come back any old time and pick up Geoffrey after leaving him and his dad in the middle of the night? I guess he's not going to be hurt or mad or anything and will be delighted to go with her whenever she feels like popping back by.
I did enjoy reading it, and it's probably more realistic for these oddities than if Frankie had it together and had perfect integrity. Either way, not a happy book, but an engaging one.
ETA: rich boy's name was Winslow--couldn't remember it as I was writing the review.
It's about a girl named Frankie who starts out growing up in Poughkeepsie, but her family moves to Rock Harbor after a failed suicide attempt by her father. They have to start over far from home and their extended family. Frankie's dad is an engraver and gets a job in the mill working with patterns to print on fabric. Frankie goes to school but finds it hard to fit in or make friends, until a guy named Joe starts hanging around. He's super nice and obviously likes her, but he's Portuguese, which makes him socially unacceptable, except he's the star of the basketball team, which kind of makes up for it but not quite. He hangs out with the town golden boy/rich kid, and the three of them become an inseparable trio of friends/love triangle.
Some terrible things happen, and war breaks out. Joe ships out but rich boy keeps getting turned down, probably due to his dad's rigging the system, though this is never explicitly stated. Frankie and rich boy have sex and she falls for him, though she had been sharing her true self and innermost thoughts with Joe by letter.
Frankie gets pregnant. She and rich boy marry, even though she loses the baby. Joe gets injured and comes home. Fights, strife. Joe is a union organizer and rich boy's dad owns the mill, but what breaks up the friendship for years is actually Joe sleeping with rich boy's sister and then trading insults with her at the dinner table.
Frankie and rich boy manage to have a child together, but it's years before Frankie bonds with the child, whose name is Geoffrey. There's basically a lot of rich person ennui/angst here.
Meanwhile, rich boy finally seems to find a purpose working at the mill school with a girl who was injured at the mill as a small child, due to an accident that occurred when rich boy took Frankie on a tour of the mill. Her name is Lizzie Dubois; the school was her idea, and she sets it up and runs it with rich boy's help. Soon he is spending all his time there.
Years of unhappiness. Rich boy's family ends up losing everything because the mills in the south have modernized and taken away all the business, plus the depression hits.
At some point in here, Frankie sees Joe again. They clearly still love each other. He offers to run off with her, and she accepts, but then ends up ballroom dancing with her son and realizes she can't leave him. Joe leaves without her.
A few days later, she finds out her husband has been sleeping with Lizzie Dubois for years, and everyone knew but her. In fact, she discovers them together. She feels like a huge fool, especially since she missed her chance with Joe.
Her father dies, Joe comes back for the funeral. She, Geoffrey, Joe, and rich boy have dinner and Joe offers to stake rich boy (now nearly penniless) in a new business venture where rich boy will sell all the old mill stuff to him cheap to set up mills in Peru, which he's already got a good start on. Geoffrey passes out from his first champagne and rich boy takes him home, leaving Frankie to run off with Joe. She even stops by the house to pick up her jewelry and hears him breathing and sounding awake, but he doesn't say anything. She says goodbye to a sleeping Geoffrey, promising to come back for him, and goes.
It's kind of a weird book in that it's set in the early 1900s but it doesn't feel especially set in that time. There are a few references to wearing corsets and not being out with boys unescorted, but it doesn't have a different feel than the present. Also, I like Frankie, but I'm not sure why. She doesn't really take initiative in her life until the very end of the book, at which point it's almost impossible for her not to run off with Joe. Meanwhile, she always seems to pick the guy with money, which comes across as a bit mercenary, even though she doesn't seem to be doing it on purpose.
Besides that, I'm not sure what's up with Joe taking her with him after she didn't go before--she clearly wouldn't go until she found out rich boy was cheating on her. That's kind of embarrassing for Joe. And how's it going to work out with the business arrangement with now-penniless rich boy? Is he still going to do all the dealing with the guy his wife ran off with? And she thinks she can just come back any old time and pick up Geoffrey after leaving him and his dad in the middle of the night? I guess he's not going to be hurt or mad or anything and will be delighted to go with her whenever she feels like popping back by.
I did enjoy reading it, and it's probably more realistic for these oddities than if Frankie had it together and had perfect integrity. Either way, not a happy book, but an engaging one.
ETA: rich boy's name was Winslow--couldn't remember it as I was writing the review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2013
Der Umzug ihrer Familie von Poughkeepsie an der amerikanischen Ostküste nach Rock Harbor sollte für Frances immer mit dem Selbstmordversuch ihres Vaters verbunden bleiben. Der Vater arbeitete nun wieder als Kupferstecher in einer Baumwollfabrik, aber die Verantwortung, auf ihn aufpassen zu müssen, lastete auch hier wieder auf Mutter und Tochter. Frances erzählt ihre Geschichte aus der Distanz, sie ist inzwischen Mitte 30. Obwohl auch andere Schüler aus Arbeiterfamilien stammten, fühlte sie sich unattraktiv und als Außenseiterin in ihrer Klasse. Auf den Unterschied zwischen Einheimischen und "Portugiesen" wurde großer Wert gelegt, auch wenn man Tür an Tür wohnte und zusammen arbeitete. Durch den charmanten und bei allen beliebten "Portugiesen" Joe Barros lernt Frankie Winslow Curtis kennen, den Sohn des Fabrikbesitzers. Joe umgarnt äußerst raffiniert Frankies Mutter, damit Frankie die Erlaubnis erhält, mit Winslow, dessen Schwester und Joe ans Meer zu fahren. Frankie kann weder schwimmen, noch hat sie einen Badeanzug. Wir sind im Jahr 1916, Frauen trugen ein Korsett und gingen nicht ohne Hut aus dem Haus, die Röcke reichten bis zum Knöchel. Die Freundschaft mit Joe und Winslow zeigt Frankie, dass ihr Platz in der Gesellschaft und besonders der von Joe als "Portugiese" durch ihre Herkunft streng festgelegt ist. Als Frankie ihrem Vater sein Essen in die Fabrik bringt, erwacht ihr Interesse an den Abläufen in der Textilindustrie. Obwohl die junge Frau durch ihre Freundschaft zu Joe und Winslow sehr unkonventionell wirkt, empfand ich die Diskussion über die geplante Automatisierung der Stoffproduktion aufgesetzt. Frankie dient der Autorin als Stichwortgeberin, um die (sorgfältig recherchierten) Details zu den Arbeitsbedingungen zu Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts unterzubringen.
Wer auf der richtigen Seite der Stadt geboren wurde, wird nicht zur Armee eingezogen. Während Joe im Ersten Weltkrieg als Soldat in Europa dient, nützt Winslow die Gelegenheit, Frankie einen Heiratsantrag zu machen. Die junge Frau mit den für ihre Zeit ungewöhnlichen Freiheiten liebt Joe und heiratet Winslow. Dass ein Arbeiter portugiesischer Herkunft für sie als Ehepartner nicht in Frage kommt, nimmt sie unwidersprochen hin. Ihre Passivität verwundert, wirkte Frankie doch bisher recht aufsässig. Als Joe kriegsversehrt aus Europa zurückkehrt, droht in der Fabrik im Vorfeld der Weltwirtschaftskrise ein Streik. Joe und Frankies Vater arbeiten als Gewerkschafter aktiv im Organisations-Kommitee des Streiks mit. Selbst Frankie verlässt für die Streikvorbereitung ihren Elfenbeinturm als Frau eines wohlhabenden Ehemanns. Den Bankrott ihrer Fabrik im Vorfeld der Wirtschaftskrise überstehen Frankie und Winslow erstaunlich problemlos.
"Abschied von Rock Harbor" kam als Teil meiner Sammlung von Romanen ins Bücherregal, die in den Neuenglandstaaten der USA spielen. Die ungewöhnliche Freundschaft zwischen Frances und zwei jungen Männern, Frances Vernunftehe und ihr Schicksal während der Weltwirtschaftskrise finden vor der authentischen Kulisse der Textilindustrie im südlichen Massachusetts statt. Rebecca Chase vermittelt die Lebensbedingungen jener Zeit eindringlich und mit sorgsam recherchierten Details. Die Verknüpfung des sozialgeschichtlichen Hintergrunds (Kampf ums Frauenwahlrecht, Kinderarbeit, Arbeitssicherheit, Automatisierung) mit dem Schicksal der Hauptfigur Frankie fand ich nicht immer gelungen. Sie wirkt in einigen Szenen zu gezwungen. Auch Frankies persönliche Enwicklung, die die Jahre nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg passiv als wohlhabende Ehefrau verbringt, hat mich nicht überzeugt. Dass sie sich als Unternehmergattin an der Seite ihres Vaters aktiv im Textilarbeiterstreik engagiert, scheint ihr Mann ohne Diskussion hinzunehmen. Über Frankies Dreiecksbeziehung habe ich dennoch mit großem Vergnügen gelesen, weil mich die Atmosphäre des Küstenortes fesselte.
Wer auf der richtigen Seite der Stadt geboren wurde, wird nicht zur Armee eingezogen. Während Joe im Ersten Weltkrieg als Soldat in Europa dient, nützt Winslow die Gelegenheit, Frankie einen Heiratsantrag zu machen. Die junge Frau mit den für ihre Zeit ungewöhnlichen Freiheiten liebt Joe und heiratet Winslow. Dass ein Arbeiter portugiesischer Herkunft für sie als Ehepartner nicht in Frage kommt, nimmt sie unwidersprochen hin. Ihre Passivität verwundert, wirkte Frankie doch bisher recht aufsässig. Als Joe kriegsversehrt aus Europa zurückkehrt, droht in der Fabrik im Vorfeld der Weltwirtschaftskrise ein Streik. Joe und Frankies Vater arbeiten als Gewerkschafter aktiv im Organisations-Kommitee des Streiks mit. Selbst Frankie verlässt für die Streikvorbereitung ihren Elfenbeinturm als Frau eines wohlhabenden Ehemanns. Den Bankrott ihrer Fabrik im Vorfeld der Wirtschaftskrise überstehen Frankie und Winslow erstaunlich problemlos.
"Abschied von Rock Harbor" kam als Teil meiner Sammlung von Romanen ins Bücherregal, die in den Neuenglandstaaten der USA spielen. Die ungewöhnliche Freundschaft zwischen Frances und zwei jungen Männern, Frances Vernunftehe und ihr Schicksal während der Weltwirtschaftskrise finden vor der authentischen Kulisse der Textilindustrie im südlichen Massachusetts statt. Rebecca Chase vermittelt die Lebensbedingungen jener Zeit eindringlich und mit sorgsam recherchierten Details. Die Verknüpfung des sozialgeschichtlichen Hintergrunds (Kampf ums Frauenwahlrecht, Kinderarbeit, Arbeitssicherheit, Automatisierung) mit dem Schicksal der Hauptfigur Frankie fand ich nicht immer gelungen. Sie wirkt in einigen Szenen zu gezwungen. Auch Frankies persönliche Enwicklung, die die Jahre nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg passiv als wohlhabende Ehefrau verbringt, hat mich nicht überzeugt. Dass sie sich als Unternehmergattin an der Seite ihres Vaters aktiv im Textilarbeiterstreik engagiert, scheint ihr Mann ohne Diskussion hinzunehmen. Über Frankies Dreiecksbeziehung habe ich dennoch mit großem Vergnügen gelesen, weil mich die Atmosphäre des Küstenortes fesselte.
February 1, 2011
In 1916 Frances (Frankie) Ross is living in Rock Harbor, Massachusetts. Her father is an engraver in one of the many cotton mills in the city. The family is part of the large working class that is employed in the cotton industry.
The story is about Frankie growing up in the turmoil of the labor movement and the decline of the cotton industry in the North. It is also a story of he coming of age among the haves and have nots. She is also embroiled in a love triangle between he and Winslow Curtis, of the well to do Curtis's, and JNoe Barros, a young man who works in the mills. Joe Barros is also Portuguese, and the Portuguese are considered racially inferior.
Winslow and Joe become friends despite their differences both economically and socially. Frankie becomes romantically involved with both young men. This does not become a problem until Joe is sent off to war and Curtis remains behind.
Frankie, with Winslow's help, finds he way into upper society and marries into the Curtis family. Frankie and Winslow settle into a very nice lifestyle and Frankie gives birth to a son.
Things start to go wrong when Joe comes back home from the war wounded. Frankie has second thoughts abot the marriage to Winslow, and wonders if Joe is indeed he true love.
Joe becomes a major part of the labor movement for the cotton workers in an industry that is quickly being replaced by newer, better, and cheaper factorties in the South.
Frankie must decide if she will stay with Winslow and her son, or follow her heart and follow Joe, who has now become a rich entrepreneur.
A very good read that gives a realistic picture of this time in history and the problems that many people faced both in their work and social life.
The story is about Frankie growing up in the turmoil of the labor movement and the decline of the cotton industry in the North. It is also a story of he coming of age among the haves and have nots. She is also embroiled in a love triangle between he and Winslow Curtis, of the well to do Curtis's, and JNoe Barros, a young man who works in the mills. Joe Barros is also Portuguese, and the Portuguese are considered racially inferior.
Winslow and Joe become friends despite their differences both economically and socially. Frankie becomes romantically involved with both young men. This does not become a problem until Joe is sent off to war and Curtis remains behind.
Frankie, with Winslow's help, finds he way into upper society and marries into the Curtis family. Frankie and Winslow settle into a very nice lifestyle and Frankie gives birth to a son.
Things start to go wrong when Joe comes back home from the war wounded. Frankie has second thoughts abot the marriage to Winslow, and wonders if Joe is indeed he true love.
Joe becomes a major part of the labor movement for the cotton workers in an industry that is quickly being replaced by newer, better, and cheaper factorties in the South.
Frankie must decide if she will stay with Winslow and her son, or follow her heart and follow Joe, who has now become a rich entrepreneur.
A very good read that gives a realistic picture of this time in history and the problems that many people faced both in their work and social life.
October 12, 2020
Huge bias alert: I knew the author when I was fourteen years old and she was twelve. I'm not usually good at reading books by people I know because knowing them interferes with how the prose sounds in my head as I read it. In this case, though, considering that I knew her forty-five years ago, that's no longer true. I'd read her other two books and I was more impressed by the fact that someone I knew actually wrote a book than by the books themselves.
That's not the case with Leaving Rock Harbor. It stands on its own for me and earned an Editor's Pick in the Sunday New York Times Book Review. If you have any interest in what New England, labor movements and people were from 1916 to 1934, this book is for you. When I knew the author she was more interested in the visual arts than writing. I mention this because her descriptions of places are so vivid that her talent for drawing transferred well to words. Other senses are evoked too. The smell of the sea and the mix of tobacco and aftershave on a man's neck, the taste of lobster dipped in butter and lemon, the feel of cold wood on a bare foot.
Though published in 2010, the subplot about the demise of New England's cotton mills and what came next is a prescient one.
That's not the case with Leaving Rock Harbor. It stands on its own for me and earned an Editor's Pick in the Sunday New York Times Book Review. If you have any interest in what New England, labor movements and people were from 1916 to 1934, this book is for you. When I knew the author she was more interested in the visual arts than writing. I mention this because her descriptions of places are so vivid that her talent for drawing transferred well to words. Other senses are evoked too. The smell of the sea and the mix of tobacco and aftershave on a man's neck, the taste of lobster dipped in butter and lemon, the feel of cold wood on a bare foot.
Though published in 2010, the subplot about the demise of New England's cotton mills and what came next is a prescient one.
November 29, 2010
this really is Frankie's story. she is a girl of fifteen at the beginning of the novel and her family has moved from from the city to the seaside town of Rock Harbor, MA. this city is divided in large part by those with and those without.
frankie is befriended by two boys that fit both categories: winslow (with) and joe (without). it seems an unlikely threesome, but both boys flirt with frankie without making any moves.
the story takes us into all of the characters' adulthoods, but the focus is really frankie and how she grows and comes to view life in rock habor.
i thought the writing good and the story well-developed. what holds me back from giving this a higher rating is the lack of feeling between the characters. i wanted to know more about frankie's marriage to winslow and not just the suggestion of what might be going on. but perhaps chace is keeping in times with the time period - the early part of the turn of the century - when women felt they had little voice in marriage and in life.
frankie is befriended by two boys that fit both categories: winslow (with) and joe (without). it seems an unlikely threesome, but both boys flirt with frankie without making any moves.
the story takes us into all of the characters' adulthoods, but the focus is really frankie and how she grows and comes to view life in rock habor.
i thought the writing good and the story well-developed. what holds me back from giving this a higher rating is the lack of feeling between the characters. i wanted to know more about frankie's marriage to winslow and not just the suggestion of what might be going on. but perhaps chace is keeping in times with the time period - the early part of the turn of the century - when women felt they had little voice in marriage and in life.
January 28, 2011
A principal "character" in the book was the town of Rock Harbor. It tells the story of cotton mill towns in boom years and then the sadness when the mills go South and the towns become depressed areas. Frankie gets out of Rock Harbor. These two facts are probably why I liked the book because I could identify personally with them. As to the love triangle, it was well done until the ending. The three people illustrated the different economic levels in the town. The denouement in the bar I did not find to be realistic - offering to go into business, the three of them. Really! Also Frankie's choice and the manner in which she carries it out was selfish. This was a messy situation and her idea of cleaning it up did not seem possible. But then it took her seven years to find out she loved her son.
September 12, 2014
I’m so glad I finally got around to reading this. It has been on one of my bookshelves ever since I got it at a Borders Bookstore that was going out of business.
My overall opinion of this book is that it was a great read. I can see how some people would be put off, though, by certain aspects of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though.
I love books that tell multiple stories like this: Three friends essentially torn apart by war, prejudice, and the Great Depression. There is so much going on, but it’s not hard to follow.
I honestly can’t do the story justice with a review. I’ve sat here for a while trying to type out exactly how I feel about this book and I can’t even come close. So I’ll just go with this: definitely recommend.
My overall opinion of this book is that it was a great read. I can see how some people would be put off, though, by certain aspects of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though.
I love books that tell multiple stories like this: Three friends essentially torn apart by war, prejudice, and the Great Depression. There is so much going on, but it’s not hard to follow.
I honestly can’t do the story justice with a review. I’ve sat here for a while trying to type out exactly how I feel about this book and I can’t even come close. So I’ll just go with this: definitely recommend.
July 8, 2015
A historical fictional that was also a history lesson. While there is a love triangle amongst Frankie, Winslow and Joe there is also the story of social classes and ethnicity in the era of 1916 – 1930s in the small mill town of Rock Harbor, Massachusetts. Frankie, Winslow and Joe meet in high school and come of age together. Into their early 30’s they are sometimes still acting like carefree young adults. Frankie never really grows up – she marries young and well, but is basically still innocent and naïve. There is also the history of textile mills, working conditions and union formation that cause the decline of manufacturing and this town when business moves down South where labor and operating costs are cheaper.
July 24, 2016
It was very interesting to read about a mill town in the early 1900s. I thought the author did a good job with the characters and painting a picture of their lives. I also enjoyed that it was in the first person.
My opinion of Frankie, the main character, is roving. Thinking about her in today's world she can be seen as weak and unable to make decisions. Thinking about her in that time period allows for more compassion. She was a product of her time; new and old competing. She didn't know how to assert herself, ask for anything, or seek/give forgiveness. I guess overall I just feel sad for her.
My opinion of Frankie, the main character, is roving. Thinking about her in today's world she can be seen as weak and unable to make decisions. Thinking about her in that time period allows for more compassion. She was a product of her time; new and old competing. She didn't know how to assert herself, ask for anything, or seek/give forgiveness. I guess overall I just feel sad for her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2012
This novel was part of my haul from last year's demise of our local Borders store. What a bargain, because there is so much richness in the writing. In a nutshell, Leaving Rock Harbor is the tale of a love triangle with a time-honored rich man versus poor man set-up, but Rebecca Chace tells it so well, with many unanticipated turns that seem entirely natural and a reliance on nuance where others would turn melodramatic, so that the story shines on its own. Set in the early 1900's, the descriptions are vivid enough to make the reader a resident of a lived-in space. Very well done.
March 19, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. I was a little undecided at first, and being a serial throw-it-over-the-side-of-the-bed-if-it-doesn't-grab in 25-pages kind of gal, I actually liked this book enough to give it 50 pages, then 100 pages and before I knew it, it snuck up on me gently and there was no way I wasn't finishing this novel. The main female character was fascinating to me. Very human, very real. This novel begins in New England, in a mill town, during WW1. It is definitely a quiet read, yet surprising and compelling as well.
September 18, 2014
A story about 3 close friends: one girl and two guys who spend so much time together that it becomes unclear if they are only friends or feel much more. One guy goes into the service and writes faithfully to the girl about his deepest feelings. The other guy gets her pregnant and asks her to marry him. When the one guy comes home from the service he is hurt that the girl married the other guy. As time goes on, the three must come to terms with their real feelings for each other and make some hard decisions.
October 5, 2010
I really liked the main character, and the book travels through many of my favorite historical fiction topics, so this was totally a worthwhile read. I thought the first half was better than the second half, but maybe that's just because I'm more interested in child labor and suffrage than the great depression. Or maybe because I'm a YA fan at heart, and I like the book better when Frankie is a teen and young adult.
June 3, 2016
I judged this book by its cover, and the recommendations on the cover really were overstated. I found myself reading and slowly chugging through to see what happened, but I just was not truly interested. Did finish it, but for a small book, I really thought it would be a fast and easy read. It was not. Would not recommend. I read through tragedy only to have it ended with a mother's tragic decision. Bummer book, not "irresistible" or "seductive" in any of my ways...
July 27, 2011
This book was very unrealistic. It was like a made-for-TV-movie/miniseries. The author tries to set up the standard rich people/poor people divide and then has people move seamlessly between the 2 classes. You can't have it both ways. It was full of cliches and frankly I just didn't care about any of the characters at all.
September 22, 2010
I found the weaving of the very personal stories of the protagonists and families of the book, with the story of the unraveling of the NE mills and the union movement very compelling. It was enthralling all the way through, believable and written in a very confident voice.
Read
November 19, 2010Interesting story that takes place on the eastern side of USA during the 1916-. Lots of interesting information from that era. Did women really have to wear corsets during this era?
Didn't finish it because I had to get it back to the library and after reading the first part, I got a bit bored.
Didn't finish it because I had to get it back to the library and after reading the first part, I got a bit bored.
November 6, 2014
Story of 15 year old girl named Frankie who befriends a poor boy who works at the local Cotten mill, and a rich Senator's son in the early 1900's. Read til page 60, but didn't find story compelling enough to continue
March 16, 2016
I was slow getting into the book, but the three main characters were somehow magnetic.
A story of passions and unmet expectations, it is not for the faint of heart. I gave it 4 stars because after a point, the story pulled me along.
A story of passions and unmet expectations, it is not for the faint of heart. I gave it 4 stars because after a point, the story pulled me along.
May 8, 2010
- 3 Stars - Reviewed here: www.braincandybookreviews.wordpress.com
September 10, 2010
This book is an easy read. I didn't feel the need to finish it in one reading. However, I found myself upset at the end of the book with Frankie's decision.
October 12, 2010
Well written and an interesting portrait of a town and era, but the main character was not likable and so it was hard to care about her.
Shelved as 'abandoned'
December 12, 2010I read about 40 pages of this book and could not stand the writing. It was choppy, incoherent. I had to keep going back and re-reading. No interest in finishing it.
April 5, 2011
The story was just ok, but I liked the background with WWI, the politics of unions in the 20's and the depression. I found the historical stuff much better than the story.
Read
August 4, 2011complete and total waste of time and paper. hated the main character frankie. story line was stupid and utterly implausible
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