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The Cold Millions

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The Cold Millions

By: Jess Walter
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, MacLeod Andrews, Marin Ireland, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Cassandra Campbell, Gary Farmer, Mike Ortego, Rex Anderson, Charlie Thurston
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

An enthralling novel of early 20th century America from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins

It is 1909 in Spokane, Washington. The Dolan brothers live by their wits, jumping freight trains and lining up for day work at crooked job agencies. While sixteen-year-old Rye yearns for a steady job and a home, his dashing older brother Gig dreams of a better world, fighting alongside other union men for fair pay and decent treatment. When Rye finds himself drawn to suffragette Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, her passion sweeps him into the world of protest and dirty business. But a storm is coming, threatening to overwhelm them all . . .

The Cold Millions is an intimate story of brotherhood, love, sacrifice and betrayal set against the panoramic backdrop of an early 20th century America. Jess Walter offers a stunning, kaleidoscopic portrait of a nation grappling with the chasm between rich and poor, dreams and reality, in a sensational tale that resonates powerfully with our own time.

PRAISE FOR JESS WALTER

'A ridiculously talented writer' The New York Times

'An ambitious, large-hearted, exhilarating novel that leaves you wanting more . . . Very, very funny' The Times, on Beautiful Ruins

'Magic . . . A monument to crazy love with a deeply romantic heart' New York Times, on Beautiful Ruins

© Jess Walter 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Action & Adventure Genre Fiction Historical Literary Fiction Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Political Thriller & Suspense Fiction

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Critic reviews

A riotous, propulsive adventure story, packed with captivating characters
A brilliantly multifaceted panorama of early 20th-century America . . . Walter is a writer whose work deserves a wide readership
A beautiful, lyric hymn to the power of social unrest in American history. It's funny and harrowing, sweet and violent, innocent and experienced
A work of irresistible characters, harrowing adventures and rip-roaring fun ... bursting with a dazzling range of outrageous characters. One of the most captivating novels of the year
Reminiscent of the stylistic tricks of F Scott Fitzgerald...With its rebellion against inequality and debates about capitalism, there are clear echoes from 1909 to the US today. Incitement to riot, dreadfully topical since the assault on the Capitol last month, also gets a look in. But The Cold Millions offers more: a study of individuals living, willingly or unwillingly, through tumult.
Colourful and punchy
Walter is a class act...the fierce struggle for free speech and workers' rights is genuinely stirring. (Max Davidson)
A timely and poetic read that vividly depicts the American melting pot at its most unequal and volatile . . . a compelling portrait of America at the dawn of the 20th Century
Expansive, beguiling . . . A thrilling yarn that simultaneously underscores the cost of progress and celebrates the American spirit
It's a tremendous work, a vivid, propulsive, historical novel with a politically explosive backdrop that reverberates through our own
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