Review of Cloth

[Daniel-Davis]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Cloth" by Elizabeth Anderson.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Here is the Grant Dynasty! Why follow the story of just one hero when the generations of a family could enthrall your sense of adventure. In the time of Napoleon and between the American Revolutionary War and American Civil War, the Grant Family traveled the world. Their vexation was the cloth trade – its manufacture and its sale. Follow the rise and fall of the Grant Family.

Cloth, written by Elizabeth Anderson, conveys four generations of the Grant Family from the shores of Scotland, to the City of Philadelphia, to the winding curves of Southern Illinois’ rivers. It’s a sad story of death, despair, and turmoil. The reader is gripped by the coming of age of each succeeding Grant child – risking their lives to attain their ambitions. All the while, Anderson describes the intricacies of the clothing industry: the world market, the political climate affecting world trade, technology, transport and shipping, and more. These are the lives of the author’s ancestors, recorded in letters, public documents, census data, even newspapers from the 1800s. Anderson captures their memory in these pages.

Anderson shows extreme detail about the creation of fabrics and so many discrete nuances of clothing. For instance, Anderson describes that the Gossypium Seed could only be grown in the Caribbean’s tropical climate. I adore the profound amount of travel details. The author describes the locations in great detail to include landmarks, rivers, ports, and even street names; Anderson includes footnotes throughout the text to show factual detail. I love the dynasty development. Instead of building the main character, Anderson constructs the entire Grant family as the main character. When your favorite character dies, the story doesn’t even pause but picks right up with a son or daughter.

I have some issues with the story. The entire book is like a critique against capitalism, pointing at the evils in making money without regard for human lives. And Anderson touches on the possibility of Socialism being a better form of government. There is a lot of focus on death, disease, and despair. Anderson briefly describes the seasons of comfort or joy the family experienced before plunging back into the family’s misery. Anderson also brings apostasy (falling away from or disregarding religion) into focus several times. For example, the Grant family moved from Philadelphia to the Illinois wilderness, knowing their son would not receive any religious education.

Regarding errors, I only found one spelling error in the whole text and just a few grammatical errors. This book would be great for anyone with ties to Scotland, Philadelphia, or Southern Illinois, as they are the primary locations in the book. If you’re intrigued by boats, shipping, travel by river or across the ocean, you’ll enjoy the myriad details. Business-minded people will understand all of the business strategies wrapped up in the story. Emigrants would empathize with the Grant family. I would give Cloth, by Elizabeth Anderson, a 4 out of 4 rating for her articulate crafting of this family history.

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Cloth
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[markodim721]

I like that the plot of the novel includes members of four generations of one family. Thanks for the informative review.

[Daniel-Davis]

I like that the plot of the novel includes members of four generations of one family. Thanks for the informative review.

I love how shocking it is when you have been following a Grant for chapters and chapters, only to suddenly lose him to disease. Just as suddenly, the author moves on to a daughter. Shocking!

[katerina_12]

Thanks for such a detailed and organized review. Despite its radical position on capitalism, the book seems interesting.