Official Review: Cloth by Elizabeth Anderson
Posted: 04 May 2021, 14:50
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Cloth" by Elizabeth Anderson.]
At the dawn of the 19th century, Britain’s newly blossoming textile industry was suffering greatly. Fallout from the Napoleonic wars led cotton millers and merchants alike to seek better lives abroad. One such was John Grant, a young cotton merchant, who found himself afoul of the hard economic times. Having heard tales of the magical life awaiting him in the New World, Grant gathered up his wife and young children and set sail for America with a hopeful song in his heart, ready to make his fortune.
But life in the fledgling United States was not as rosy as he had anticipated. Wild economic fluctuations swelled hopes only to dash them, social experiments within the developing society produced mixed results, and the perils of frontier life exacted harsh tolls on the family. Within the 50 years that followed, John, his wife, eight of their nine children, and several of their grandchildren would all be dead. Cloth, written by Elizabeth Anderson, is the story of the Grants' fortunes and misfortunes as they braved the New World together.
While the events are somewhat dramatized, the story is based on true, first-hand accounts in the form of letters and diaries written by the Grants, which were carefully preserved, passed down through the author’s own family, and recently rediscovered. Excerpts from these documents are integrated seamlessly into the text to provide support for Anderson’s imaginings. Where there are gaps in the documentation, possible explanations are offered with corroborating evidence from other sources where possible. I found the book to be remarkably well-researched; despite Anderson’s personal connection to the subjects, Cloth is far more than a mere presentation of the author’s own family history.
I felt that the story, because of its base in fact, was not written as cohesively or as compellingly as a purely fictional novel would have been. In keeping with real life, some events that seem pivotal are actually minor, and some characters that seem destined for a prominent role quickly fade into obscurity. I can’t fault the author for this, since she cannot change the past to make it a better story, but I did find myself wishing there had been more to know about certain people and events.
One would not expect profanity in a book such as this, and while it is true that Anderson herself chooses not to use any, profane language still exists in a few of the quotations from historical sources. This, in combination with the somewhat dry nature of the material, bars children from reading the book. These are the only audience-limiting factors, as there is neither sex nor violence anywhere in the text.
Cloth earns a score of 3 out of 4 for its well-researched and creative retelling of the true story of an early 19th century immigrant family. It loses a star for its inclusion of small but numerous typographical errors, but it would deserve a full score after another round of editing. It would most appeal to fans of the history of the early American pioneers, particularly readers who prefer solid fact over tales of pure imagination.
******
Cloth
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
At the dawn of the 19th century, Britain’s newly blossoming textile industry was suffering greatly. Fallout from the Napoleonic wars led cotton millers and merchants alike to seek better lives abroad. One such was John Grant, a young cotton merchant, who found himself afoul of the hard economic times. Having heard tales of the magical life awaiting him in the New World, Grant gathered up his wife and young children and set sail for America with a hopeful song in his heart, ready to make his fortune.
But life in the fledgling United States was not as rosy as he had anticipated. Wild economic fluctuations swelled hopes only to dash them, social experiments within the developing society produced mixed results, and the perils of frontier life exacted harsh tolls on the family. Within the 50 years that followed, John, his wife, eight of their nine children, and several of their grandchildren would all be dead. Cloth, written by Elizabeth Anderson, is the story of the Grants' fortunes and misfortunes as they braved the New World together.
While the events are somewhat dramatized, the story is based on true, first-hand accounts in the form of letters and diaries written by the Grants, which were carefully preserved, passed down through the author’s own family, and recently rediscovered. Excerpts from these documents are integrated seamlessly into the text to provide support for Anderson’s imaginings. Where there are gaps in the documentation, possible explanations are offered with corroborating evidence from other sources where possible. I found the book to be remarkably well-researched; despite Anderson’s personal connection to the subjects, Cloth is far more than a mere presentation of the author’s own family history.
I felt that the story, because of its base in fact, was not written as cohesively or as compellingly as a purely fictional novel would have been. In keeping with real life, some events that seem pivotal are actually minor, and some characters that seem destined for a prominent role quickly fade into obscurity. I can’t fault the author for this, since she cannot change the past to make it a better story, but I did find myself wishing there had been more to know about certain people and events.
One would not expect profanity in a book such as this, and while it is true that Anderson herself chooses not to use any, profane language still exists in a few of the quotations from historical sources. This, in combination with the somewhat dry nature of the material, bars children from reading the book. These are the only audience-limiting factors, as there is neither sex nor violence anywhere in the text.
Cloth earns a score of 3 out of 4 for its well-researched and creative retelling of the true story of an early 19th century immigrant family. It loses a star for its inclusion of small but numerous typographical errors, but it would deserve a full score after another round of editing. It would most appeal to fans of the history of the early American pioneers, particularly readers who prefer solid fact over tales of pure imagination.
******
Cloth
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon