January 1905: A Novel - by Katharine Boling (Paperback)

About the Book

The winter has been a tough one for Pauline and Arlene's family. Though only 11 years old, the twins know what it is to work to exhaustion and to be blind with hate. Each is certain that the other has the easy life, but each discovers how wrong she is as this extraordinary debut novel unfolds.

Book Synopsis

The winter has been a tough one for Pauline and Arlene's family. Though only eleven, the twin girls are old in too many ways: They know what it is to work to exhaustion, to be hamstrung by longing, to be blind with hate.

Pauline labors from dawn to dusk alongside the other members of her family at the local cotton mill, and wishes she could stay home like her sister. Meanwhile, crippled Arlene takes care of all the housework and cooking, dreaming of one day working at the mill and earning money and respect. Each is certain that the other has the easy life, but each discovers how wrong she is as this extraordinary novel unfolds.

Review Quotes

"A vivid account . . . will draw readers into the period."--The Horn Book

"The author brings to light the earthy and exhausting elements of daily life during this era."--Publishers Weekly

"A rich historical novel."--BookPage
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