The tobacco wives : a novel

Title:

Author:

Summary:

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. -- Amazon.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

344 pages ; 24 cm

Genre:

Historical fiction.

Subject Term:

Women dressmakers -- Fiction.

Tobacco use -- Health aspects -- Fiction.

Tobacco industry -- Fiction.

World War, 1939-1945 -- Fiction.

Corruption -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

North Carolina -- History -- 20th century -- Fiction.

Publisher:

William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers,

Publication Date:

2022

ISBN:

9780063082939

Publication Information:

New York, NY : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2022]

Call Number:

MYERS

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003557371	Adult Fiction	MYERS Adele	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Most anticipated by USA Today, W Magazine, New York Post, Parade, Bustle, Buzzfeed, Reader's Digest, and PopSugar and named one of the best historical fiction books of the year by Cosmopolitan!

"A beautifully rendered portrait of a young woman finding her courage and her voice."--Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times bestselling author

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.

"This is a story of courage, of women willing to take a stand in the face of corporate greed, and most definitely a tale for our times." --Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Myers makes a sparkling debut with a coming-of-age tale about the limited opportunities available to the women of a tobacco town. In the spring of 1947, 15-year-old Maddie Sykes assists her seamstress aunt in Bright Leaf, N.C. When Etta is hospitalized with the measles, Maddie takes over Etta's client list, sewing gowns for the wives of the top tobacco executives. Mitzy Winston, Etta's most valued customer and wife of Richard Winston, the president of Bright Leaf Tobacco, takes a maternal interest in Maddie and invites her to live in the Winston home. The teen's initial enchantment with the town--its seemingly happy workers and uniform prosperity--is dashed when she stumbles on a confidential letter in Richard's study from a doctor who helped create Bright Leaf's new MOMints cigarettes, marketed for women, which reveals cigarettes are harmful to pregnant women and infants. Maddie then finds out about a cover-up and begins to recognize that the women around her are being unfairly treated, from factory and field workers to the executives' wives, whose contributions to the businesses go unpaid, and she considers blowing the whistle about the letter. The ending comes a bit too abruptly, but the fabulous fashion descriptions and Maddie's unwavering determination more than make up for it. Historical fiction fans will be pleased. Agent: Stefanie Leiberman, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Mar.)

Library Journal Review

In 1947, Maddie Sykes joins her aunt's flourishing sewing business in Bright Leaf, NC, the tobacco capital of the South, and soon becomes lead dressmaker for the town's most important women. She's puzzled, though, by the spate of illnesses troubling these women, and as she discovers its cause, she's in a bind: how can she challenge Big Tobacco, which rules the town and its fortunes? Debuter Myers gets a 100,000-copy first printing.