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Call the Darkness Light
Call The Darkness Light is an epic novel of a young woman's passionate struggle for independence in 19th century America.
Set in Massachusetts during the two decades before the Civil War, the novel tells the story of Sabra Palfrey - a Lowell "mill girl" who with her sister weavers and spinners was one of the first generation of American women to work and live apart from the traditional patriarchal family. It encompasses an entire panorama of nineteenth century New England: the Utopian dreamers; adherents of new religions like the Shakers and MIllenarians; the abolitionists; and the onrushing immigrants from war-torn, starving Europe - Irish, German and others.
564 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
8 people are currently reading
422 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Zaroulis
14 books22 followersNancy Zaroulis aka Cynthia Peale writes fiction and nonfiction. In her spare time she enjoys photography, museums, a good movie, knitting, and cooking. Not a sports fan, but keep your eye on that 8-year-old chess champ (in 2019) in New York!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
June 12, 2020
I picked this up at a flea market, thinking it looked like something I would enjoy. For most part I did. The story telling is good and the setting interesting enough. It's amazing how little has been done with employee rights in the United States. The only thing that seems to have changed is the reduction in domestic help and possible, a somewhat higher focus on safety. The poor women working the clothing mills were exposed to all sorts of horrible accidents if their attention slipped. Worth reading, if nothing, as a lesson for being grateful that we live in the times we do. For most part any way. And for some of us, to be glad that we're on the right side of the pond.
December 14, 2015
Not the first Zaroulis' tome of historical fiction that I have read. I'm a fan of her writing style. Nancy Zaroulis is adept at creating believable characters and settings. And it's evident that she did copious research on the the Industrial Revolution for this novel.
"Call the Darkness Light" offers an understanding of what life was like in Lowell, Massachusetts for a stoic young Yankee woman come to town to work in the cotton mills. Zaroulis uses the life story of her main character, Sabra Palry, as a vehicle to expose us to the emerging growth of the industrial Northeast, its ties to the cotton plantations in the South, and to a number of the major movements of the mid 1800's: Utopian societies, the beginnings of labor organizing, Abolitionism, and the formation of political societies. This is an entertaining read with lots of history to cover. My belief is that Zaroulis did such extensive research she wanted to include everything, but by including so much history the narrative takes a hit on believe-ability. Therefore 4 stars of 5.
Having said that, the reader is absorbed by the Lowell, Massachusetts of the "mill girls", which also is home to Irish and German immigrants, all seeking work, and to the mill overseers and managers and the shopkeepers. Zaroulis' descriptions of the mills, the dormitories for the workers, and the general aspirations for women during this time period are revealing. She communicates both the poverty, the struggle, and the hope of this time.
As I was finishing reading the final pages of this book, someone nearby inquired about what I was reading. She informed me that there is a national park in Lowell, and that visitors can visit an old mill and hear what it sounded like. They can actually visit one of the dormitories and see many of the areas written about in the novel. I hope to visit this site and will include the link: http://www.nps.gov/lowe/index.htm
"Call the Darkness Light" offers an understanding of what life was like in Lowell, Massachusetts for a stoic young Yankee woman come to town to work in the cotton mills. Zaroulis uses the life story of her main character, Sabra Palry, as a vehicle to expose us to the emerging growth of the industrial Northeast, its ties to the cotton plantations in the South, and to a number of the major movements of the mid 1800's: Utopian societies, the beginnings of labor organizing, Abolitionism, and the formation of political societies. This is an entertaining read with lots of history to cover. My belief is that Zaroulis did such extensive research she wanted to include everything, but by including so much history the narrative takes a hit on believe-ability. Therefore 4 stars of 5.
Having said that, the reader is absorbed by the Lowell, Massachusetts of the "mill girls", which also is home to Irish and German immigrants, all seeking work, and to the mill overseers and managers and the shopkeepers. Zaroulis' descriptions of the mills, the dormitories for the workers, and the general aspirations for women during this time period are revealing. She communicates both the poverty, the struggle, and the hope of this time.
As I was finishing reading the final pages of this book, someone nearby inquired about what I was reading. She informed me that there is a national park in Lowell, and that visitors can visit an old mill and hear what it sounded like. They can actually visit one of the dormitories and see many of the areas written about in the novel. I hope to visit this site and will include the link: http://www.nps.gov/lowe/index.htm
Want to read
August 7, 2020A part of The Hera Series by Soho Press
November 9, 2020
The Lowell (MA) mills that hired an army of New England farm girls in the mid 1800's are at the center subject of this pre-Civil War Industrial Revolution historical novel: long hours, overwork, poor pay, dangerous working conditions, and shabbily constructed factories.
Also studied are the Shakers--my favorite part of the book--and Anglo-American hatred of the new Irish immigrants. The anti-slavery movement and beginnings of organized labor are involved . . . but those areas just drift around.
Swarms of vermin, stench of urine . . . this is the most depressing book I've ever read. It just cries for some comedy relief. Other gripes: 1) unfinished business. So what ever became of Rachel's sisters? What was the weird attraction between Silas Blood and Josiah all about? How did these people die at the Shaker complex? And the introduction of a whole new set of Germans at Part Five?
I admire the incredible research put into this effort and learned much about the era. She does an excellent job of showing women as second class citizens--no equal pay or opportunity in those days--whose most important quest in life was to find a husband.
Talented sophisticated writing, but you really have to have a tolerance for the morbid to enjoy this story that fills in interesting historical niches.
Also studied are the Shakers--my favorite part of the book--and Anglo-American hatred of the new Irish immigrants. The anti-slavery movement and beginnings of organized labor are involved . . . but those areas just drift around.
Swarms of vermin, stench of urine . . . this is the most depressing book I've ever read. It just cries for some comedy relief. Other gripes: 1) unfinished business. So what ever became of Rachel's sisters? What was the weird attraction between Silas Blood and Josiah all about? How did these people die at the Shaker complex? And the introduction of a whole new set of Germans at Part Five?
I admire the incredible research put into this effort and learned much about the era. She does an excellent job of showing women as second class citizens--no equal pay or opportunity in those days--whose most important quest in life was to find a husband.
Talented sophisticated writing, but you really have to have a tolerance for the morbid to enjoy this story that fills in interesting historical niches.
August 8, 2011
Torn between marking it ok or liked it. It was ok and I did like it most of the time. Historical fiction is not one of my favorite genres and sometimes this book seemed like the author was trying to put everything that happened in this era into the life of the protagonist Sabra. So not only was she a Lowell mill worker, she also ran into Shakers, immigrants (Irish and German),the mystical craze, and the beginnings of the Civil War. I did learn a lot about the mills and how enchanted the outside world was at first with them. I am glad this is a book discussion book because I am looking forward to hearing from those who do love this particular genre, they help me to see what I missed.
September 6, 2017
Excellent. This story is set in the early factory town of Lowell, Massachusetts on the 1800s, offering a glimpse of the beginnings of industrial America. It touches on a wide range of topics whose ripple effects, whether large or small are still felt today, including: growing unrest over slavery, the slowly shifting role of women in society, rural versus city life, the greed of corporation shareholders who drive unrealistic production, the dire lives of those workers and their unheard pleas for a 10 hour work day, various religious and utopian movements, and friction between native-born Americans and immigrants.
July 2, 2014
This book was a page turner and could not put it down. I happened to have the book laying dusty in book case. The coincidence was that I had gone to dinner w/ friends, who lived in Lowell, the day I started it. I was completely in awe of those monstrous mills lining the river bank, like the pyramids in Egypt. What a great history lesson of the mid 19th century. The ending was a bit dull. Is there a sequel? I still gave it 5 stars.
September 10, 2020
It was a little longer and harder than books that I usually read, but overall I enjoyed the plot. There isn't really a super noticeable character arch or heroes journey or stuff. Man Sabra cannot catch a break.
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December 23, 2010The setting of this book was in Lowell, Ma where I grew up. It was amazing to brought back in time and read about such places as the Shaw Hospital, the Acre, the mills, etc.
August 18, 2023
Very depressing, but illuminating about Lowell in the years leading up to the Civil War.
November 15, 2024
Todo lo que acontece en sus 769 páginas no te va a dejar indiferente. A cada capítulo pensaba que no podía ocurrir nada peor, es muy crudo pero compensa la gran cuota de historia, el buen desarrollo y los giros en la trama.
Los temas centrales que toca este libro bajo un manto de cotidianidad versan sobre la sociedad y la mujer, la política y la convergencia de distintas étnias (las grandes olas de inmigración tanto legal como ilegal en el siglo XIX).
...
Las pésimas condiciones laborales, el abolicionismo de la esclavitud, la inmigración en masa, la lucha de las mujeres por la jornada laboral de diez horas ya que por ese entonces las mujeres trabajaban en turnos de catorce a dieciocho horas diarias y en ambientes de trabajo muy precarios donde los accidentes laborales eran moneda corriente.
Las mujeres estaban completamente oprimidas, las controlaban tanto en las empresas por las que eran contratadas como por fuera de ellas, de cualquier excusa se valían para echarlas y ponerlas en "la lista negra" para que ninguna otra empresa de la región las empleara.
Sus maridos tenían el poder absoluto sobre ellas, disponiendo de sus cuerpos, sus pensamientos y su tiempo.
La pobreza, la prostitución por necesidad, los abortos clandestinos, los inexistentes métodos anticonceptivos (las mujeres parian y morían). Los movimientos de izquierda (demócratas) exigían condiciones de trabajo justas, igualdad para ambos sexos, menos explotación del sistema capitalista, salarios dignos y reducción de las jornadas laborales. Convergencia de distintas religiones y filosofías.
Los ciudadanos norteamericanos que exigían mejores sistemas de trabajos se fueron de las empresas y no les quedó otra que contratar inmigrantes irlandeses ya que a estos no les importaba en absoluto el cercano debate nacional; les importaba sobrevivir, nada más. O sea podían explotarlos a su goce y beneficio.
...
Con libros como este es cuando agradezco a ésas mujeres que lo sufrieron todo, que levantaron la voz a pesar de las represalias, gracias a esas mujeres fuertes, valientes y luchadoras es que hoy el mundo es un lugar más justo; aún queda un largo camino por recorrer razón para seguir alzando la voz más fuerte que nunca, se lo debemos a la impronta y al legado que dejaron esas mujeres y nos lo debemos a nosotras mismas.
Fue muy duro el libro pero necesario, porque más allá de todo lo que te hace sufrir realmente plasma la vida de aquellas épocas (las injusticias y todo todo lo que tenían que vivir(sobrevivir) las mujeres) es tan tan pero tan crudo y tan necesariamente real que lo sea. Es absolutamente necesario leer debes en cuando estás historias de superación, dolor, y pérdidas que desgarran el alma, porque la vida no es color de rosas.
Los temas centrales que toca este libro bajo un manto de cotidianidad versan sobre la sociedad y la mujer, la política y la convergencia de distintas étnias (las grandes olas de inmigración tanto legal como ilegal en el siglo XIX).
...
Las pésimas condiciones laborales, el abolicionismo de la esclavitud, la inmigración en masa, la lucha de las mujeres por la jornada laboral de diez horas ya que por ese entonces las mujeres trabajaban en turnos de catorce a dieciocho horas diarias y en ambientes de trabajo muy precarios donde los accidentes laborales eran moneda corriente.
Las mujeres estaban completamente oprimidas, las controlaban tanto en las empresas por las que eran contratadas como por fuera de ellas, de cualquier excusa se valían para echarlas y ponerlas en "la lista negra" para que ninguna otra empresa de la región las empleara.
Sus maridos tenían el poder absoluto sobre ellas, disponiendo de sus cuerpos, sus pensamientos y su tiempo.
La pobreza, la prostitución por necesidad, los abortos clandestinos, los inexistentes métodos anticonceptivos (las mujeres parian y morían). Los movimientos de izquierda (demócratas) exigían condiciones de trabajo justas, igualdad para ambos sexos, menos explotación del sistema capitalista, salarios dignos y reducción de las jornadas laborales. Convergencia de distintas religiones y filosofías.
Los ciudadanos norteamericanos que exigían mejores sistemas de trabajos se fueron de las empresas y no les quedó otra que contratar inmigrantes irlandeses ya que a estos no les importaba en absoluto el cercano debate nacional; les importaba sobrevivir, nada más. O sea podían explotarlos a su goce y beneficio.
...
Con libros como este es cuando agradezco a ésas mujeres que lo sufrieron todo, que levantaron la voz a pesar de las represalias, gracias a esas mujeres fuertes, valientes y luchadoras es que hoy el mundo es un lugar más justo; aún queda un largo camino por recorrer razón para seguir alzando la voz más fuerte que nunca, se lo debemos a la impronta y al legado que dejaron esas mujeres y nos lo debemos a nosotras mismas.
Fue muy duro el libro pero necesario, porque más allá de todo lo que te hace sufrir realmente plasma la vida de aquellas épocas (las injusticias y todo todo lo que tenían que vivir(sobrevivir) las mujeres) es tan tan pero tan crudo y tan necesariamente real que lo sea. Es absolutamente necesario leer debes en cuando estás historias de superación, dolor, y pérdidas que desgarran el alma, porque la vida no es color de rosas.
June 24, 2021
Finished Call the Darkness Light by Nancy Zaroulis, a 1979 historical novel that explores the impact of industrialization upon society through the travails of Sabra Palfrey, the heroine of the story. I became interested in this book because it is set in Lowell, MA in the years just before the Civil War. Many of the key issues of the day are covered, slavery, abolition, poverty, immigration, medical risks of birth and the awful working conditions in the textile mills. I plan to visit the Lowell National Park after reading this book. It moves a bit slowly in places but worth the journey.
March 10, 2023
This is an epic sweeping tale of the industrial revolution, child labor and burgeoning cities all wonderfully told through the young female lead Sabra. Textile mills were synonymous with wealth and prosperity in New England but the flip side of that reality is the life and death struggle of the mill workers to acrue those profits. Touch points of history are marked as the passage of time through a lifetime of toil. Find it and read it!!
October 7, 2017
Very good story
June 20, 2019
The tale of Sabra Palfrey as she goes from poor orphan to mill worker and beyond. Historical fiction based on mid-1800s Lowell Massachusetts. Long but great! Now I want to visit the historical site.
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September 3, 2020Read this book prior to 1982
January 11, 2025
Outstanding novel about 19th century Massachusetts and the Lowell mills.
The author doesn't pull punches or romanticize events.
Not a pleasant place or time.
The author doesn't pull punches or romanticize events.
Not a pleasant place or time.
March 13, 2018
I was drawn to this because it is a story of a young girl working in a textile mill in Lowell, Mass., but it is so much more. This is a panoramic novel of life in Massachusetts in the thirty or so years before the Civil War, told through the eyes of young Sabra Palfrey as she works in the Lowell mills. Zaroulis touches on many of the social issues to the time, as they relate to Sabra’s life. Unrest among the mill workers, Utopian communities, the Shakers, and the Irish immigrants are all part of the story as Sabra goes from mill girl to marriage and single motherhood. I enjoyed all 560 pages of this book.
July 30, 2012
(By a Hampton Beach kid of the '40's, '50s: Anyone remember the fisherman 'statue' in a 'pond' on the main road in Amesbury signaling "We're almost at the 10 cent wooden toll bridge to Hampton?)
Zaroulis' "Call..." blew my mind away in the '80s by vividly enlightening me about what happened 150 years earlier on the streets, e.g. Church/Andover to Belvedere and other neighborhoods, I trodded as a teen to woo gals! to thus appreciate what the Mill Gals forged for me to later enjoy the birthing of the Rock n Roll era at record hops while still being able to dance the night away as the era of the Big Band sounds passed at the Commodore, The Totem Pole of Norumbega Park and Hampton's Bandstand. Once ya read "Call..." it'll be a no brainer to make the hour's drive to tour the preservation of the textile mills and on their water powered canals as they existed, via NPS tours http://www.nps.gov/lowe/index.htm
I went off to college in '58 knowing nothing of the greatness/importance of LowellLand...which was pretty much the springboard for all those other kinds of mills ya see in New England!!!...as we weren't taught anything of the mills that were dead/dying in my time. Today, kids get hands-on field trips through the Tsongas Industrial History Museum in Lowell which you can peek into as well. Don't forget the American Textile Museum or the New England Quilt museum.
Lastly, if you think "Call..." is good, I'll betcha pesos to bischochitos you'll then read Z's Massachusetts:a Novel.
Alas, if I be so bold: while on your next stroll along the boardwalk while fresh salty sea air envelopes Y'all (and if ya be a couple Y'all must be holding hands if not otherwise) please raise you Coffee Frappee on high for me as ya scarf up a deliciouso Fried Clam!!!! Maybe Y'all will hear this if yaz strain just a tad http://tinyurl.com/cwbqmq wafting across the night air...as I remember my last dance there, albeit in '56 not '55, and alas albeit not with YumaYumaYuma Kim, but,nevertheless, OMG!!! so haughtingly enchanting Ev. Salud, Slainte, n Na Zrowie!
Zaroulis' "Call..." blew my mind away in the '80s by vividly enlightening me about what happened 150 years earlier on the streets, e.g. Church/Andover to Belvedere and other neighborhoods, I trodded as a teen to woo gals! to thus appreciate what the Mill Gals forged for me to later enjoy the birthing of the Rock n Roll era at record hops while still being able to dance the night away as the era of the Big Band sounds passed at the Commodore, The Totem Pole of Norumbega Park and Hampton's Bandstand. Once ya read "Call..." it'll be a no brainer to make the hour's drive to tour the preservation of the textile mills and on their water powered canals as they existed, via NPS tours http://www.nps.gov/lowe/index.htm
I went off to college in '58 knowing nothing of the greatness/importance of LowellLand...which was pretty much the springboard for all those other kinds of mills ya see in New England!!!...as we weren't taught anything of the mills that were dead/dying in my time. Today, kids get hands-on field trips through the Tsongas Industrial History Museum in Lowell which you can peek into as well. Don't forget the American Textile Museum or the New England Quilt museum.
Lastly, if you think "Call..." is good, I'll betcha pesos to bischochitos you'll then read Z's Massachusetts:a Novel.
Alas, if I be so bold: while on your next stroll along the boardwalk while fresh salty sea air envelopes Y'all (and if ya be a couple Y'all must be holding hands if not otherwise) please raise you Coffee Frappee on high for me as ya scarf up a deliciouso Fried Clam!!!! Maybe Y'all will hear this if yaz strain just a tad http://tinyurl.com/cwbqmq wafting across the night air...as I remember my last dance there, albeit in '56 not '55, and alas albeit not with YumaYumaYuma Kim, but,nevertheless, OMG!!! so haughtingly enchanting Ev. Salud, Slainte, n Na Zrowie!
December 1, 2011
Amazingly rich and a superbly researched novel. Early 19th century history geeks such as myself had little to complain about the historical minutae of the book. I really appreciated the level writing of the heroine Sabra. She was perfectly written as a women in her own time and place.
So often histocical fiction can project modern ideals and concepts onto people in history. Rest assured this did not happen here. Without making Sabra seem like a dullard or uninformed in her time, Author Nancy Zaroulis paints her as a smart but temperate woman in a time of Utopian idealology, flashy excess and unbolted political extremism. In the first part of the novel Sabra is unsure of the mill girls who read Garrison and whisper about women's equality in pay. Being an itinerant minister's daughter she sometimes shows her naivete, but she proves to be an even keeled woman of strength and courage while being constantly surrounded by idealists and dreamers. In early 19th century novel fashion, Sabra ends up losing almost everything dear to her yet she remains a stoic character.
I highly recommend this book to fans of history and historical fiction.
So often histocical fiction can project modern ideals and concepts onto people in history. Rest assured this did not happen here. Without making Sabra seem like a dullard or uninformed in her time, Author Nancy Zaroulis paints her as a smart but temperate woman in a time of Utopian idealology, flashy excess and unbolted political extremism. In the first part of the novel Sabra is unsure of the mill girls who read Garrison and whisper about women's equality in pay. Being an itinerant minister's daughter she sometimes shows her naivete, but she proves to be an even keeled woman of strength and courage while being constantly surrounded by idealists and dreamers. In early 19th century novel fashion, Sabra ends up losing almost everything dear to her yet she remains a stoic character.
I highly recommend this book to fans of history and historical fiction.
September 7, 2007
After months, nay years, of reading Harry Potter books, it was nice to read a book written for adults. This was a book recommended to me by a friend. It's a very well written and engaging book about the turn of the century (Well, two centuries ago) and the rise of the factory industry. It's compelling and enticing. Well written and intriquing.
January 7, 2010
I read the first edition published in 1979. It's a long novel that is set in Lowell, Mass in the mid-1850s. The main character is an Irish woman who works in the textile mills. It's a great historical treatment of what life and working conditions were like then. One of the most unforgettable stories I've ever read.
March 1, 2011
Call the Darkness Light is one of my favorite books. The story of a woman making her life alone in that era affected me profoundly. All workers, but especially female workers, struggled just to survive.
March 21, 2016
Interesting story of young women working in the mills in Lowell, MA and other cities in MA. in the 1800's. Tough way to make a living. This story takes a lot of twists and turns not even straying from Lowell. Take a while to get into it. I would have cut out many details.
September 14, 2016
I LOVED this book. It helped me realize how much of America's literary, spiritual, educational , religious, intellectual and industrial history took place in New England but more specifically in Massachusetts. America has a lot for which to thank Massachusetts.
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July 26, 2009I'm currently reading it & will comment when finish!
January 16, 2010
I read this book many years ago and thought it was a good story of what it was like to be a worker in New England mills..
June 7, 2010
Swedish version of the book.Will keep me for some time I guess.It was a good book.
March 12, 2011
I read this book in 1996 and was enthralled with the history of it. I plan to reread it someday.
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August 4, 2011pretty good book about the life of a young woman working in the mills, falling in love and then being a single parent.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews