Review of Cloth

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Sahana G B
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Latest Review: Cloth by Elizabeth Anderson

Review of Cloth

Post by Sahana G B »

[Following is a volunteer review of "Cloth" by Elizabeth Anderson.]
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2 out of 5 stars
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The author of "Cloth" was Elizabeth Anderson. The book's introduction discusses the importance of cloth. Mills employ weaving materials such as cotton, hemp, wool, and flax. What led to the industrialization of these fibers? What led to the establishment of mechanized cotton mills? Additionally, I would like information on cotton from India. This chapter was educational because I learned about specific fibers.

Following the introduction, we move on to John Grant's life story. It began with his early years, his family, and his way of living, until he got to a point in his life when he began to dream of achieving something. In the later stages of his life, John was surrounded by mills and industries as he aspired to establish himself in that field. Throughout this, the author provides detailed explanations of several facts and anecdotes regarding ship slaves.

His path was not an easy one once he, his wife, and his children entered the textile industry. He met several people for jobs and assistance, and he visited plantations to learn more. He met Hector at that time and started sailing, which was hazardous and difficult. With some assistance, he overcame all of these obstacles and started his store, "Fancy Goods." As the name implies, it is a shop where John intended to sell fabrics and patterns. The name of the store and its advertisement caught my attention. Although business was doing well, the war completely upended the textile industry, including John's store. Wars consistently upend the world and never usher in peace. John had that experience.

Among the many characters in this book, Ridgway's family tale was one of the most significant. John, therefore, joined Caleb for further business points following the incident. New people arrived, the family grew, and the business encountered new challenges. The current generation moved on to the next one once they felt that their adventure had come to an end. For example, John's children were tasked with carrying on the family tradition. However, how did the following generation respond to it? How did the family manage to survive? What has happened to the family, and how are they doing at the moment? The book discusses all of this material.

I rate this book a score of 2 out of 5. The book's one redeeming feature is the small amount of knowledge on textiles that I learned about. The following elements disappointed me and caused me to lower the ratings: First of all, the book's title is inconsistent with its content. It's neither John Grant's only family book nor is it a book on textiles. The book includes many people, details about their extended families, descriptions of their way of life, and even information about their children. Thus, the narrative is not a directional story. This book was a disappointment; it was slow, and I couldn't figure out what happened because of the chaos and excess material. It takes several reads to keep track of the characters because there are too many of them. They performed well in terms of editing because there were no mistakes. In terms of suggestions, I would advise against reading the novel because, other than a few facts and anecdotes concerning mills and slave ships, there is no appropriate content.

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Cloth
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