Ashes of Roses

"The last thing I saw was Joseph reachin' his little arms over Da's shoulder, his eyes wide with the shock of betrayal. I hadn't even kissed my poor brother goodbye." Sixteen-year-old Rose Nolan and her family come to America looking for a better life. An eye infection on baby Joseph splits the family leaving Rose and twelve-year-old Maureen alone in a new country. Struggling to survive, they work at a shirtwaist factory, and finally are settled. Then, a devastating fire takes everything that they worked for away. "Surrounded by pain, tragedy, and ashes, Rose wonders what is left for them in the great land of America". Ashes of Roses is overall a good book, though there are some parts that you have to reread to get the thought into your head. It is always entertaining, and very hard to put down. Though there are some sad parts, there is always a happy part to balance everything out. There are some bad people in this story, but that is just life. Mary Jane Auch puts a vivid image into your head of what life was like back then, and how hard it was simply to survive. There are some sad parts in Ashes of Roses, such as when Rose had to leave her baby brother and her Dad at Ellis Island, because baby Joseph had an eye disease and ended up going back home to Ireland. Another sad part was when Mama and Bridget chose to go back to Ireland, because of grief. Rose and Maureen were supposed to go with them, but they both said they wanted to stay in "the great land of America." Finally, the last sad part was at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire because so many young girls died trying to escape from the burning building. Most died trying to land on the nets, but when you are nine stories up, nets do not work too well. Though there is sadness, there is always a happy part to balance everything out. One example was when the Nolan family finally got off the ship and entered America. They were so happy to leave the gross, nauseating ship that they did not care about anything else. Another time was when Rose and Maureen finally found a place to stay. Though they had a tiny room in another person's apartment, it felt like the greatest thing in the world to those two. One of the best happy parts in the story was when Rose found Maureen alive after the Triangle Fire, and both were very relieved to know the other was alive. Although they lost several people close to them, Rose and Maureen were thankful to have each other. Lastly, some bad people would be like Mr. Moscovitz. Mr. Moscovitz was Rose's first employer when she worked at a Paper-Rose sweatshop. Mr. Moscovitz mistreated the girls that worked in his shop, and he kissed Rose against her will. Another bad person was Elsa, Rose's aunt. Elsa was very rude when Mama, Bridget, Maureen, and Rose stayed in their family's apartment. Elsa would talk bad things about them behind the Nolan family's back, and one time Rose even listened in on what she was saying. That was the time when Els

I really enjoyed this book. It showed how immigrants had a hard time when they first arrived in the United States. It showed how many families were torn apart by the testing of Ellis Island and that countless people who were very hopeful to live in the U.S. and start a new life were sent back to their old countries. Rose is the main character of the story. She comes from Ireland and her uncle first moved to the United States of their family. She came 3rd-class with her Father, Mother, older brother and two younger sisters. She is the oldest child in her family. In Ellis Island she passed the test, but her younger brother had an eye disease and the opfficials said he couldn't enter the United States until it was cleared up and he had to go back to his homeland. Rose and her mother and two sisters go to live with her Uncle, Aunt, and step-counsins. Her two step-cousins are her age and look down on her and call her a "greenhorn" and treat her unkindly. They didn't want them to bring their belongings into their spacious apartment in fear it would dirty everything, draw bugs, and have lice inside. Rose decided to get a job to earn money so someday they would have lodgings of their own. She went to a flower place and quickly quit after some harassment from the boss. After her mother decided to leave after having enough from her sister-in-law and neices, she decided to go home. Rose wanted to stay so badly and yearned to have a life in the United States. She knew if she went back to Ireland the only life ahead of her would be marrying, having children, and taking care of the house. Her mother agreed and her younger sister decided she wanted to stay too. They went to their uncle and got some money and moved into their own place. They looked for a place to rent and they decided to stay with a Russian man. He was skeptical about letting them stay. When they met his daughter, Gussie, she decided that they would and befriended Rose. Gussie worked at the Triangle Shirt Waist company. She brought a sewing machine home one day and taught Rose how to make the shirts. Rose soon started and make many friends. Two of her closest friends names were Rose. She continued to enjoy her life. Her sister didn't want to go to school and she rebelled and worked. Finally Rose gave in and let her work at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory too. She was very happy until the fire that occurred at the factory. From then on her life changed. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it to anyone. It also had a lot of history in the book along with how the fire affected people and the pooor working conditions in the factories. It also showed how many immigrants were looking for the country with "gold paved on the street" when all they found were slums with hundreds living in them and not the country they wanted to be in. It showed how people had to work hard to get ahead and some people acutally did. A lot of the people were prejudice about the new immigrants because they felt

The book was obtained for our daughter. However my wife and I ended up reading it before our daughter ever saw it. Not only reading it but fighting over whose turn it was to read. Mrs. Auch recreates the trials of the immigrants who built our country. It is difficult to imagine what it would be like to move to another country and start all over. But this book gives some insight into the difficulties of finding work. The ease with which young immigrants were taken advantage of; in many ways. The importance of finding friends who could guide the newcomers. The reader feels they are a part of life at the turn of the century with all its tribulations and triumphs. Although directed at juvenile readers it is a great adult read and one that would make for good discussions with children or grand children.

Breathtaking in its intensity, the vivid details of time and place put you right in the scene--from the opening with 16-year-old Rose and the other hopeful Irish immigrants crowding the side of the boat for their first glimpse of New York, through the disappointments and triumphs of an exuberant young working-class girl in New York in 1911, to the horrific fire that claims the lives of so many. Rose Nolan is a likable narrator: determined, impatient, and sometimes cranky. Her adventures range from amusing (trying, more or less, to fit in with the family's German in-laws) to heartbreaking--all told in a memorable voice whose realness will shake you, particularly during the scenes of the fire and its aftermath.