The Widows: A Novel

by Jess Montgomery Narrated by Susan Bennett

Overview

Inspired by the true story of Ohio's first female sheriff, The Widows by Jess Montgomery is a powerful debut about two women's search for justice as they take on the corruption at the heart of their community.

Kinship, Ohio, 1924: When Lily Ross learns that her husband, Daniel Ross, the town's widely respected sheriff, is killed while transporting a prisoner, she is devastated and vows to avenge his death.

Hours after his funeral, a stranger appears at her door. Marvena Whitcomb, a coal miner's widow, is unaware that Daniel has died, and begs to speak with him about her missing daughter.

From miles away but worlds apart, Lily and Marvena's lives collide as they realize that Daniel was not the man that either of them believed him to be-and that his murder is far more complex than either of them could have imagined.

Praise for The Widows:

“The Widows kept me on the edge of my seat. Jess Montgomery is a masterful storyteller. This is a novel about courage and the good hearts of women, and it builds, almost unbearably, to its stunning end.” - Lee Martin, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Bright Forever

"Set when coal was king and the Pinkertons its strikebreakers, The Widows is a gripping, beautifully written novel about two women avenging the murder of the man they both loved."-Hallie Ephron, New York Times bestselling author of You'll Never Know, Dear

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

11/19/2018
Montgomery’s deeply felt debut, set in hardscrabble Appalachian Ohio coal-mining country in 1925, centers on two determined women on opposite sides of the law—Lily Ross, a sheriff’s wife, and moonshiner and union organizer Marvena Whitcomb, a miner’s widow—who are based on a pair of formidable historical figures, Maude Collins, Ohio’s first female sheriff, and activist Mary Harris “Mother” Jones. Only six months after the disastrous cave-in at a mine managed by Bronwyn County sheriff Daniel Ross’s ruthless half-brother, Luther, who has hired head-cracking Pinkertons to keep his increasingly mutinous workers in line, Daniel’s shocking murder—allegedly at the hands of a miner—thrusts secretly pregnant mother of two Lily into the crossfire as acting sheriff. As Lily starts to investigate her husband’s killing, she swiftly discovers a lot that doesn’t add up, as well as some of his carefully guarded secrets, among them his connection to Marvena. Some of the plot twists prove more surprising than convincing, but the feisty female protagonists do their real-life foremothers proud. Agent: Elisabeth Weed, Book Group. (Jan.)

From the Publisher

"With compassion and skill, Jess Montgomery deftly smashes stereotypes and puts a human face on the cost of coal mining in 1924 Appalachian Ohio. Rich with historical details, yet fast paced, The Widows revolves around a murder investigation. But it was the vivid voices of Lily Ross and Marvena Whitcomb that completely captivated my heart and kept me reading long into the night."

—Ann Weisgarber, author of The Personal History of Rachel Dupree

"Pulling back the curtain on a time and place where women's roles were too often overlooked, The Widows is full of characters who surprise those who underestimate them. A rich, empowering, and satisfying read." —Jessica Strawser, author of Not That I Could Tell

JANUARY 2019 - AudioFile

Two widows in an Appalachian mining town in 1924 have nothing in common—until they discover a shared love for the same man and a remarkable courage to stand up for social justice. Narrator Susan Bennett portrays the resolve of well-bred Lily Ross, who is determined to discover who killed her husband, the sheriff. Bennett provides a less-mannered, slightly accented voice for Marvena Whitcomb, the illiterate widow of a miner who was killed in a mine collapse. Lily and Marvena reluctantly join forces to bravely support unionization, and Bennett isn’t perfectly consistent in differentiating their voices in lengthy dialogues. But she believably portrays the male characters, especially the coldhearted Luther, who controls the mine and the financial survival of everyone in the town. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2018-10-15

Montgomery's debut novel introduces Lily Ross, a sheriff's widow in 1920s Appalachian Ohio who takes on her husband Daniel's work in order to solve his murder, and Marvena, Daniel's childhood sweetheart, who helps Lily while also organizing mineworkers.

Marvena shows up at Lily's house on the day of Daniel's funeral, looking for Daniel to ask if he's learned anything about her missing daughter, Eula, or her brother Tom, a miner who's been jailed recently for his union talk. The women have more than Daniel in common: Marvena's common-law husband, John, a veteran of the real-life Battle for Blair Mountain mineworkers' uprising, and Lily's father, the town grocer, died together trying to rescue trapped miners six months earlier. Bonded by their common losses, their determination to learn what happened to Daniel, and their concern for better working conditions for miners, Lily and Marvena become allies. Montgomery portrays their class differences—Lily grew up in a prosperous family, Marvena has had a hardscrabble life—while convincing readers that the two women's strong wills and shared tragedies are grounds for their alliance. The mysteries of Daniel's murder and Eula's disappearance lead to an unexpected outcome and a surprising murderer. As the book draws to a close, Lily, who was appointed sheriff by men who thought she'd cause them no trouble, is running for the position in her own right, perhaps setting the stage for further installments. Montgomery effectively provides backstory through her characters' memories, but some of those passages are longer than necessary. Occasional interruptions to explain things like how to make sorghum are distracting, and many of the minor characters are not well fleshed-out. However, these are small problems in an otherwise engaging debut. An extensive Author's Note provides insight into the women and historical events that inspired Montgomery.

Vivid historical details, an intriguing mystery, and strong female characters.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172040665
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	01/08/2019
Series:	Kinship Series , #1
Edition description:	Unabridged

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