The Long Winter Ends

Great Lakes Books Series

by Newton G. Thomas

A reprint of the 1941 novel by Newton G. Thomas, The Long Winter Ends tells the story of a year in the life of a young emigrant miner who leaves Cornwall in the southwest of England to work in the copper mines of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Through Jim's story, The Long Winter Ends offers a glimpse into the lives of an often neglected emigrant group that played an important role in the development of the Great Lake and American mining industries since the 1840s. Drawing on his own experiences as a young Cornish immigrant in the mining communities of the Upper Peninsula, Thomas incorporated firsthand knowledge of the work routines and vocabulary of underground mining into this novel. With an introduction providing information about the cultural history of the Cornish, this narrative traces the Cornish emigrant experience from the failure of the mines in Cornwall, their hopes to preserve Cornish traditions in America, and then finally the acceptance of a future in America.

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Pegg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book to do some research on Cornish miners who immigrated to Michigan's Upper Peninsula to work in the copper mines. It's a wonderful book for that research, with dialogue written in the full Cornish brogue so the reader is steeped in the sounds of the miners as well as reading about their everyday life and struggles. As a research tool, the book is excellent.

As a story, it leaves a lot to be desired. The biggest issue is, there isn't an ending. It just stops. In an awkward place. Without wrapping up the characters' storylines or leaving any sort of satisfaction in a story well told.

But if you're interested in the Cornish miners of the U.P., then it's definitely worth the time to read. Allow yourself some extra time to grow accustom to the dialect and speech patterns though, it takes a while to get into the rhythm and cadence of the brogue.