Genre: Historical / Contemporary
Book Type: Audio
Author: Adele Myers
Narrator: Shannon McManus / Janet Metzger
Pages / Length: 352 pages / 10 hours and 18 minutes
Publisher: William Morrow (March 1, 2022) / HarperAudio
Book Description:
North Carolina, 1946. One woman. A discovery that could rewrite history.
Maddie Sykes is a burgeoning seamstress who’s just arrived in Bright Leaf, North Carolina—the tobacco capital of the South—where her aunt has a thriving sewing business. After years of war rations and shortages, Bright Leaf is a prosperous wonderland in full technicolor bloom, and Maddie is dazzled by the bustle of the crisply uniformed female factory workers, the palatial homes, and, most of all, her aunt’s glossiest clientele: the wives of the powerful tobacco executives.
But she soon learns that Bright Leaf isn’t quite the carefree paradise that it seems. A trail of misfortune follows many of the women, including substantial health problems, and although Maddie is quick to believe that this is a coincidence, she inadvertently uncovers evidence that suggests otherwise.
Maddie wants to report what she knows, but in a town where everyone depends on Big Tobacco to survive, she doesn’t know who she can trust—and fears that exposing the truth may destroy the lives of the proud, strong women with whom she has forged strong bonds.
Shedding light on the hidden history of women’s activism during the post-war period, at its heart, The Tobacco Wives is a deeply human, emotionally satisfying, and dramatic novel about the power of female connection and the importance of seeking truth.
Thoughts: I don't even know where to being with this book, as I found it powerful for so many reasons. I love a book about the strength of females, specifically those who are strong with the help of others. I also love a book that is set in a different time period (historical), yet still applicable to today. So much of this story could be transferred into a version for today's issues.
I read the book and loved the audio voice, as it fit how I pictured the book being read. I also have the physical book, and the book itself is just beautiful. I LOVED the physical pages, and how letters and portions of the font changed when there was an article or letter. When a book can be an experience, and be both visually well done, as the story itself, I'm a very happy reader.
Loved this one. Not normally one for much historical reading, but this one was well worth it!
Favorite Quotes:
🚬 The radio station cut in and out [...] A woman speaking, her voice high and clear, like a bell.
"Say, what's that lovely scent, Jane?" asked the radio actress.
"Oh, it's MOMints, the new, mild cigarette that's coming out soon. It's made right here in Bright Leaf."
"Made in North Carolina for North Carolina," said a second voice, this one low and sultry. "My doctor suggested I try them. Did you know that according to a statewide survey, more doctors recommend MOMints for their female patients than any other cigarette brand? Only MOMints are made with North Carolina bright leaf tobacco and mint oil to calm our fragile nerves, which means they're great for expectant mothers - and also for brand-new ones, just like you, Carol! Here, you must try one!"
There was a pause, follwed by the sizzle of a match beig lit, and then a long, slow exhale. The first actress sighed with pleasure.
"Oh, Jane, you're absolutely right. A MOMint is exactly what I needed!"
"New MOMints," said the two voices in unison. "Coming soon. Because every woman deserves a moment to herself." (Page 9)
🚬 It was on one of these long-ago drives that Aunt Etta taught me about tobacco's many uses. It wasn't just for cigarettes and cigars, she'd said. Farmers and gardeners misted their plants with tobacco-soaked water to keep moles and gophers away. Doctors often prescribed a combination of shredded tobacco with Desert Sage to ward off asthma attacks; and, of course, we all used tobacco poultices to calm a croupy cough or beat back a bad cold.
"There are a million ways to use it," she explained. "And thank the Lord for that. Tobacco means money for all of us. Without it, we'd be a bunch of dirt-eaters around here." (Page 19)
🚬 Maybe I could sneak one when Aunt Etta wasn't looking. I'd been smoking since I was twelve, all my friends too. The adults likely knew, but there was an unwritten rule that girls didn't do it in public until we completed schooling or got married, whichever came first. (Page 53)
🚬 Both Aunt Etta and Daddy made sure to tel me that the plantation owner took the credit for the bright leaf variety, that the slave didn't get any mention at all until many years later. I said that wasn't fair, and Daddy agreed with me. "That's the way the world is, honey. There are those who have and those who haven't. It's those who have that get to tell the stories." When he saw the look on my face he added, "Things are changing, Maddie, there's no doubt about that. And you can be part of changing things for the better." (Page 74)
🚬 "Shug, you just have to act as if," he said, dabbing at my tears eith his handkerchief. "You act as if you are confident. Act as if you are calm and assured. Act as if and so it will be."
Act as if and so it will be, I thought. (Page 136)
🚬 "Rose had big dreams. [...] That girl was Broadway bound, I tell you. Then Dr. Hale spotter her with that crown on her head, waving from the back of a convertible in the Bright Leaf Thanksgiving parade. And once she got wind of his family money, that was that."
"What do you mean, that was that?"
"She was set," he said. "Dr. Hale's family has more money than the Vanderbilts. I mean, he's a respected doctor who inherited his father's seat on the board and a big piece of Bright Leaf Tobacco to boot. Rose saw her ticket out of poverty, and she took it."
"She never made it to New York City?"
"No, she surely did not. Oh, maybe for a visit, but certainly not to live and work. She chose a life of leisure over adventure."
"Maybe she fell in love with him," I said.
Anthony turned to face me, hands on his hips. "Honey! Have you seen that man? Believe me, the only thing he got that Rose wants to love on is that big fat bank account."
I wasn't sure about this whole marriage business, but to marry just for money?
"You know what they say," Anthony continued. "A woman who marries for money and a man who marries for beauty are both equally robbed in the end." (Page 147)
🚬 Knowledge is power, she had argued. And conversely, the withholding of knowledge is an act of oppression. (Page 155)
🚬 "It's wonderful, it is," she said. "Being a mother. But no one tells you what it's really like, how much of yourself you give up."
I shifted in my seat, curious.
"I love my husband," she said, glancing at me and returning her eyes quickly to the road. "Silas is a good man - he's trying hard to understand why I want to work when I don't have to, especially now that the war is over, even though I can tell it doesn't make sense to him. Of course, I adore my boys. Motherhood transforms you in miraculous ways. But just like marriage, it does come at a cost."
[...]
"Every woman should have the opportunity to work," she said. "Men would have us believe that it's too difficult, that we're weak, but it's actually just the opposite. [...] Keep at it, Maddie. That feeling of satisfaction, knowing you can take care of yourself. That's something no one can take away from you." (Pages 202 - 203)
🚬 "But I'm talking about a different kind of sin, young man. A sin of omission. [...] Let me explain. Isiah 56:1 tells us 'This is what the Lord says: Maintain justice and do what is right for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed.' And James 4:17 describes the sin of omission in beautifully simple language - 'So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is a sin.'" (Page 219)
🚬 But I came to realize that none of us leave this life unscathed. Each of us experiences loss, grief, disappointment. In fact, sometimes our most painful moments and trying times turn out to be the opportunities that bring us more fully to ourselves. That life is best lived when you open yourself up to it, all of it. (Page 337)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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