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Ashes of Roses
Sixteen-year-old Margaret Rose Nolan, newly arrived from Ireland, finds work at New York City’s Triangle Shirtwaist Factory shortly before the 1911 fire in which 146 employees died.
Sixteen-year-old Rose Nolan and her family are grateful to have finally reached America, the great land of opportunity. Their happiness is shattered when part of their family is forced to return to Ireland. Rose wants to succeed and stays in New York with her younger sister Maureen. The sisters struggle to survive and barely do so by working at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Then, just as Rose is forming friendships and settling in, a devastating fire forces her, Maureen, and their friends to fight for their lives. Surrounded by pain, tragedy, and ashes, Rose wonders if there’s anything left for her in this great land of America.
Sixteen-year-old Rose Nolan and her family are grateful to have finally reached America, the great land of opportunity. Their happiness is shattered when part of their family is forced to return to Ireland. Rose wants to succeed and stays in New York with her younger sister Maureen. The sisters struggle to survive and barely do so by working at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Then, just as Rose is forming friendships and settling in, a devastating fire forces her, Maureen, and their friends to fight for their lives. Surrounded by pain, tragedy, and ashes, Rose wonders if there’s anything left for her in this great land of America.
250 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 2002
111 people are currently reading
3475 people want to read
About the author
Mary Jane Auch
48 books70 followersMary Jane Auch also writes as MJ Auch.
The thought of becoming a writer never occurred to MJ Auch as a child. Her only literary efforts in those days were the plays which she and her girlfriend, Noreen, wrote for their marionettes. They produced these extravaganzas in Noreen’s garage and organized the neighborhood boys into a sales force to sell tickets and refreshments.
Summer visits to both of MJ’s grandmothers led to her fascination with chickens. One grandmother had a small backyard flock and the other grandmother and two bachelor uncles had a large farm that supplied eggs to half of Long Island. MJ learned that a flock of chickens had almost the same range of personalities that could be found in a classroom, from the quiet, shy chicken to the big bully.
MJ loved books and read constantly. She wrote stories, drawn in comic book style with speech balloons for the dialog. Her interest in drawing continued through high school, and she went on to become an art major at Skidmore College. After graduation, MJ headed for New York City to seek fame and fortune, but after a year of designing prints for men's pajamas, she decided she wanted to do something more meaningful with her life. She enrolled in the Occupational Therapy program at Columbia University, which led to some wonderful years of working in a children's hospital near Hartford, Connecticut.
On a brief stop home to visit her parents before transferring to a new job in Denver, she met Herm Auch, a graphic artist and editorial cartoonist for the Rochester newspaper. It was love at first sight, and MJ never made it to Denver. They were married in 1967 and within a few years had produced a daughter, Katrin and a son, Ian. They moved from the city to a small farm, complete with chickens, ducks, and geese. Armed with a huge collection of Mother Earth News and absolutely no practical experience, they tackled farm life with gusto, gaining much comedy material for books MJ’s future books.
As the children grew older, MJ began to look for work in her original field of art. Like Jenna's mother in Mom Is Dating Weird Wayne, she had a brief stint as a “zit zapper” at a school picture factory. Then she started illustrating for Pennywhistle Press, a national children's newspaper, and this sparked her interest in illustrating children’s books.
In the summer of 1984, MJ took a week-long children's writing conference on Cape Cod. She tried to write a picture book manuscript to take to the conference, but instead found herself writing a middle-grade novel. When her instructor, Natalie Babbitt, told of starting out as an artist and finding she could paint better pictures with words, something clicked. MJ finally knew that she wanted to a writer.
She started sending manuscripts to publishers, writing four full-length novels before she sold the first one. Then she sold a second book to another publisher that same week. It had taken two years and thirteen rejections, but MJ had finally reached her goal!mShe continued writing books for older kids and abandoned her dream of illustrating for a while. Then, after nine books, she wrote and illustrated The Easter Egg Farm. This set in motion a series of picture books featuring poultry involved in the arts.
The Auchs have now become a family of artists. Their children are grown and pursuing art careers of their own. Kat, a graphic artist, is now working as Associate Art Director for Scrapbook Answers Magazine in San Francisco. Ian has been a graphic artist and 3-D animator and is now Assistant New Media Editor for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper. Ian is also a metal artist and created the chicken-sized beauty parlor chair for [b:Beauty and the Beaks|1918127|Beaut
The thought of becoming a writer never occurred to MJ Auch as a child. Her only literary efforts in those days were the plays which she and her girlfriend, Noreen, wrote for their marionettes. They produced these extravaganzas in Noreen’s garage and organized the neighborhood boys into a sales force to sell tickets and refreshments.
Summer visits to both of MJ’s grandmothers led to her fascination with chickens. One grandmother had a small backyard flock and the other grandmother and two bachelor uncles had a large farm that supplied eggs to half of Long Island. MJ learned that a flock of chickens had almost the same range of personalities that could be found in a classroom, from the quiet, shy chicken to the big bully.
MJ loved books and read constantly. She wrote stories, drawn in comic book style with speech balloons for the dialog. Her interest in drawing continued through high school, and she went on to become an art major at Skidmore College. After graduation, MJ headed for New York City to seek fame and fortune, but after a year of designing prints for men's pajamas, she decided she wanted to do something more meaningful with her life. She enrolled in the Occupational Therapy program at Columbia University, which led to some wonderful years of working in a children's hospital near Hartford, Connecticut.
On a brief stop home to visit her parents before transferring to a new job in Denver, she met Herm Auch, a graphic artist and editorial cartoonist for the Rochester newspaper. It was love at first sight, and MJ never made it to Denver. They were married in 1967 and within a few years had produced a daughter, Katrin and a son, Ian. They moved from the city to a small farm, complete with chickens, ducks, and geese. Armed with a huge collection of Mother Earth News and absolutely no practical experience, they tackled farm life with gusto, gaining much comedy material for books MJ’s future books.
As the children grew older, MJ began to look for work in her original field of art. Like Jenna's mother in Mom Is Dating Weird Wayne, she had a brief stint as a “zit zapper” at a school picture factory. Then she started illustrating for Pennywhistle Press, a national children's newspaper, and this sparked her interest in illustrating children’s books.
In the summer of 1984, MJ took a week-long children's writing conference on Cape Cod. She tried to write a picture book manuscript to take to the conference, but instead found herself writing a middle-grade novel. When her instructor, Natalie Babbitt, told of starting out as an artist and finding she could paint better pictures with words, something clicked. MJ finally knew that she wanted to a writer.
She started sending manuscripts to publishers, writing four full-length novels before she sold the first one. Then she sold a second book to another publisher that same week. It had taken two years and thirteen rejections, but MJ had finally reached her goal!mShe continued writing books for older kids and abandoned her dream of illustrating for a while. Then, after nine books, she wrote and illustrated The Easter Egg Farm. This set in motion a series of picture books featuring poultry involved in the arts.
The Auchs have now become a family of artists. Their children are grown and pursuing art careers of their own. Kat, a graphic artist, is now working as Associate Art Director for Scrapbook Answers Magazine in San Francisco. Ian has been a graphic artist and 3-D animator and is now Assistant New Media Editor for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper. Ian is also a metal artist and created the chicken-sized beauty parlor chair for [b:Beauty and the Beaks|1918127|Beaut
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 470 reviews
May 3, 2016
This is probably one of the few times I will ever say this: this book was too short. I could have used maybe another hundred pages. This book isn't normally the kind of story I would read, but for some reason (cover, maybe? I'm not sure) I picked it up and began reading it. It begins with an Irish family making the crossing into America. The author's descriptions of their arrival on Ellis Island really made me feel as though I was there. But after this, events happen at a rapid pace and are never really settled to my satisfaction.
The first thing to go wrong is that the baby brother of the heroine, Rose, is not allowed to come into America because the medical examiners tell them he has an infection in his eyes. After brief discussion, the father decides to be the one to go home with the baby and the mother is left with her three daughters, Maureen, Rose, and Bridget, in the overwhelming city of New York. Do we ever hear from the father for the entire remainder of the novel? No. So there's no real resolution to this problem.
And then the mother, who is homesick and tired of living on her brother-in-law's charity, decides she wants to return home, but allows her two elder, though still underage, daughters to remain behind. Apart from seeming very unlikely, we also never hear from the mother again after her departure. So for all the reader knows, these characters may never even have made it home.
The last thing is that, after there is a fire in the factory where Rose works, she decides to remain in America where she can fight for workers' rights. But we have no idea what happens to her after this decision.
That being said, the book is still pretty good. We get to see Rose grow some as a character as she becomes more accustomed to living in America. I just wish the book was longer so we could see more satisfying character development. There were nuggets of great characters in here that needed a little more shine so they could become gold. And the fire seemed to come up pretty abruptly. I hadn't even become used to the idea of Rose's working in a factory and earning her own money and doing things with her new friends. I wasn't ready to let go of those happy moments so soon. But this book was a nice glimpse into life in this time period and the problems surrounding workers of the day.
The first thing to go wrong is that the baby brother of the heroine, Rose, is not allowed to come into America because the medical examiners tell them he has an infection in his eyes. After brief discussion, the father decides to be the one to go home with the baby and the mother is left with her three daughters, Maureen, Rose, and Bridget, in the overwhelming city of New York. Do we ever hear from the father for the entire remainder of the novel? No. So there's no real resolution to this problem.
And then the mother, who is homesick and tired of living on her brother-in-law's charity, decides she wants to return home, but allows her two elder, though still underage, daughters to remain behind. Apart from seeming very unlikely, we also never hear from the mother again after her departure. So for all the reader knows, these characters may never even have made it home.
The last thing is that, after there is a fire in the factory where Rose works, she decides to remain in America where she can fight for workers' rights. But we have no idea what happens to her after this decision.
That being said, the book is still pretty good. We get to see Rose grow some as a character as she becomes more accustomed to living in America. I just wish the book was longer so we could see more satisfying character development. There were nuggets of great characters in here that needed a little more shine so they could become gold. And the fire seemed to come up pretty abruptly. I hadn't even become used to the idea of Rose's working in a factory and earning her own money and doing things with her new friends. I wasn't ready to let go of those happy moments so soon. But this book was a nice glimpse into life in this time period and the problems surrounding workers of the day.
January 16, 2009
16-year-old Rose Nolan has one good dress in a color called “ashes of roses,” but the title of this book refers to the fact that "Rose' was the most common name among the girls who died in the Triangle Waist Company fire.
Rose is newly arrived in America and making her own way on New York’s lower east side in 1911. It’s a good story, well-written and entertaining. I especially liked that the author gives us a glimpse of life among immigrants who have managed to achieve a somewhat higher standard of living (Rose’s uncle’s family has a 5-room flat with hot water) and also that she showed that the young immigrant girls living in tenements enjoyed their lives and even their work. The description of the fire and its aftermath is, of course, heartbreaking.
Rose is newly arrived in America and making her own way on New York’s lower east side in 1911. It’s a good story, well-written and entertaining. I especially liked that the author gives us a glimpse of life among immigrants who have managed to achieve a somewhat higher standard of living (Rose’s uncle’s family has a 5-room flat with hot water) and also that she showed that the young immigrant girls living in tenements enjoyed their lives and even their work. The description of the fire and its aftermath is, of course, heartbreaking.
December 3, 2018
Sisley really wanted me to read this book. I bought it about two years ago. Finally after me asking Sisley to read some of my favorite books she reminded me that I still hadn’t read her recommendation. This was a sad, sad book. I had read some things about the shirtwaist fire so I knew the premise of the story. It made me ponder if coming to America really did make better lives for most people. I value my family and those relationships high above everything else. I couldn’t imagine being separated from any of my kids or husband to make a few extra dollars. It wouldn’t be worth it to me. These poor young girls who worked so incredibly hard in filthy, dangerous, unhealthy and labor intensive jobs. I kept wishing I were the owners of the shirtwaist company and could really change the situations of these poor young women and make it a place where the environment had mutual respect and humane working conditions. The fire made me sick to my stomach. When the book was describing the circumstances and details I was left stunned and sickened. Reading and trying to understand the lives my ancestors had to endure by leaving their beloved countries makes me so grateful and proud. I am humbled by their sacrifices, courage and forward thinking.
January 11, 2016
I couldn't put this book down! It was beautifully written. The protagonist Rose is a very relatable character. This is a wonderful book for girls in middle school. It was very empowering for young women.
January 29, 2014
An immigrant story that highlights all the hardships of coming to America, that culminates in the notorious Triangle shirtwaist factory fire.
It's well written and would be a useful teaching tool for the time period and learning about the immigrant experience as well the rise of unions.
The central character is a 16 year old Irish catholic girl, Rose, who immigrates to America with her family. From their very arrival there are problems, her baby brother doesn't pass the Ellis Island medical (eye) exam and her father opts to travel with him back to Ireland. The uncle who was supposed to meet them at Ellis Island never arrives, and when they manage to sneak past the guards (un-escorted women are not allowed into the country) and find his home, they discover not only that he did not know they were coming but that his new wife (a German Lutheran) does not want them there and considers them an embarrassment. (The Uncle is heavily involved in city politics and his wife considers her own family to be middle class, and her greenhorn Irish relative to be lower class). In attempt to be less of a burden, and to earn enough money to find housing away from her aunt, Rose manages to find a sweat shop job, further embarrassing her German Aunt.
At about the 1/2 way mark Roses mother decides enough is enough and asks the Uncle to buy them tickets back to Ireland, only at the last minute Rose and her younger sister both refuse to go. Rather than return to the Uncle's home as promised, they decide to try to survive on their own, and opt to move into a room in the lower east side. From that point on we begin to learn about the struggles of young girls who worked in the sweat shops of New York, the rise of unions, and finally the we live inside Rose's head as she struggles to survive while locked inside the burning triangle shirtwaist factory where she works.
It's well written and would be a useful teaching tool for the time period and learning about the immigrant experience as well the rise of unions.
The central character is a 16 year old Irish catholic girl, Rose, who immigrates to America with her family. From their very arrival there are problems, her baby brother doesn't pass the Ellis Island medical (eye) exam and her father opts to travel with him back to Ireland. The uncle who was supposed to meet them at Ellis Island never arrives, and when they manage to sneak past the guards (un-escorted women are not allowed into the country) and find his home, they discover not only that he did not know they were coming but that his new wife (a German Lutheran) does not want them there and considers them an embarrassment. (The Uncle is heavily involved in city politics and his wife considers her own family to be middle class, and her greenhorn Irish relative to be lower class). In attempt to be less of a burden, and to earn enough money to find housing away from her aunt, Rose manages to find a sweat shop job, further embarrassing her German Aunt.
At about the 1/2 way mark Roses mother decides enough is enough and asks the Uncle to buy them tickets back to Ireland, only at the last minute Rose and her younger sister both refuse to go. Rather than return to the Uncle's home as promised, they decide to try to survive on their own, and opt to move into a room in the lower east side. From that point on we begin to learn about the struggles of young girls who worked in the sweat shops of New York, the rise of unions, and finally the we live inside Rose's head as she struggles to survive while locked inside the burning triangle shirtwaist factory where she works.
March 27, 2019
3.5 STARS
Read
May 28, 2025i don't really know what to think of this book bc the blurb says that it's going to be about an Irish immigrant in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory and I like that concept, but it felt more like a book about an Irish immigrant finding her way in America and she experienced the Triangle Shirtwaist during that. so the story didn't exactly live up to what the blurb made it to be.
growl count: 1
growl average: 0.004
growl count: 1
growl average: 0.004
February 26, 2009
This is a children's story I happened to pick up in a random selection at the library. I read it without reading the back or knowing anything about it. If you want the most impact from this book then do the same. However it is for an older child who has some maturity.
Spoiler alert ahead! I thought it was an informative story about immigration to America, in the early 1900's. It would be hard to be treated like cattle as you came into Ellis Island, families were sent back or split up if someone was too ill to enter America. This is what happens to her family. Later her mom gives up and goes back but because the two girls are determined lets them stay. I read it and thought about it and thought it was about the early workers strikes etc... never even connecting the title to a deeper ominous meaning. Oh my goodness when tragedy spoke I was stunned, horrified and I cried. This is why I gave it 5 stars. Few books recently have moved me like this one. It would've made me think and feel if I'd realized what it was about BUT not knowing made it hit me so much harder had a much deeper impact on me. I felt anger over the employers lack of responsibility in the situation. And even though I haven't given it all away...I'm close (the back cover does give even more away)
Caveat: Children who read this need to be able to process a horrible tragedy. It's a little intense. The reading is simple but some caution is in order as to the tragedy and the slimey advances of her first boss.
Oh as to the writing I'm not sure the mom's character development makes it believable she just let her girls stay...But the main characters development was done well, I became really interested in her story.
Spoiler alert ahead! I thought it was an informative story about immigration to America, in the early 1900's. It would be hard to be treated like cattle as you came into Ellis Island, families were sent back or split up if someone was too ill to enter America. This is what happens to her family. Later her mom gives up and goes back but because the two girls are determined lets them stay. I read it and thought about it and thought it was about the early workers strikes etc... never even connecting the title to a deeper ominous meaning. Oh my goodness when tragedy spoke I was stunned, horrified and I cried. This is why I gave it 5 stars. Few books recently have moved me like this one. It would've made me think and feel if I'd realized what it was about BUT not knowing made it hit me so much harder had a much deeper impact on me. I felt anger over the employers lack of responsibility in the situation. And even though I haven't given it all away...I'm close (the back cover does give even more away)
Caveat: Children who read this need to be able to process a horrible tragedy. It's a little intense. The reading is simple but some caution is in order as to the tragedy and the slimey advances of her first boss.
Oh as to the writing I'm not sure the mom's character development makes it believable she just let her girls stay...But the main characters development was done well, I became really interested in her story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2016
If you liked the movie Brooklyn you will probably like this book. The title, Ashes of Roses, refers to the lovely color of the special dress Rose Nolan's mother has made her for her trip emigrating from Ireland to America but also
(Spoiler Alert!) to the loss of Rose's best friends, also named Rose, in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. This tragic ending follows a few weeks of anguish as Rose encounters one difficulty after another in New York, from an employer who won't keep his hands to himself to the humiliation of being so obviously a "greenhorn" to the return of her mother and little sister (her father was already forced to return to Ireland because the youngest Nolan child is infected with trachoma), leaving Rose and sister Maureen to cope on their own.
My one problem with the book was the distracting removal of the final "g" in verbs and gerunds: "talkin,'" "workin'" etc., not just in dialogue but in the text of the narrative. I don't want to discourage people from reading this well-written historical fiction, hard to find in the YA genre. The author has researched the subject well. The book could be used in a junior high school unit on immigration in U.S. history.
(Spoiler Alert!) to the loss of Rose's best friends, also named Rose, in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. This tragic ending follows a few weeks of anguish as Rose encounters one difficulty after another in New York, from an employer who won't keep his hands to himself to the humiliation of being so obviously a "greenhorn" to the return of her mother and little sister (her father was already forced to return to Ireland because the youngest Nolan child is infected with trachoma), leaving Rose and sister Maureen to cope on their own.
My one problem with the book was the distracting removal of the final "g" in verbs and gerunds: "talkin,'" "workin'" etc., not just in dialogue but in the text of the narrative. I don't want to discourage people from reading this well-written historical fiction, hard to find in the YA genre. The author has researched the subject well. The book could be used in a junior high school unit on immigration in U.S. history.
September 23, 2010
I recently read Ashes of Roses. It was exciting and interesting! Ashes of Roses, which was written by Mary Jane Auch, takes place on a ship that left Ireland where Maragret Rose Nolan and her family travel to America to start their new life. Maragret and her family all have to pass an inspection in order to get into America. If they don't pass then they are sent back. Everyone except Joeseph, Maragret's younger brother, passes the inspection. Joseph can't cross the ocean by himself so his Father has to go with him. So Maragret Rose and her mother and younger sister all go to live with their uncle until her father gets back. Maragret has to support her family. I like Maragret because she is very brave and hardworking for her age. Like some familes today, a father is not there to help support and a teen has to make sacrifices. This book draws you in because you never know what is going to happen to young girls who are in the city by theirselves. In my opinion, I really liked this book. I think it would be a great book for anyone. I give this book an A, a 9 out of 10. Go read Ashes of Roses now! :)
December 23, 2009
I finished reading the book "Ashes of Roses." This is another book i enjoyed reading alot. I finished reading this book in 2 weeks. Every time I would read a page, I would never want to finish. Sometimes i would even get in trouble for reading in class.
This book is all about an Irish girl named Rose who plans on living in America to start a new life. Throughout the book, more and more family members start going away and she ends up alone with her little sister Mauhreen. This book helped me understand how immigrants had to go through immigration process, and how they had to live in America to support themselves or their family. Also, the tragic accident that happened in the Triangle Factory. Now I have a better sense of what had happened and how so many workers were killed.
This book is all about an Irish girl named Rose who plans on living in America to start a new life. Throughout the book, more and more family members start going away and she ends up alone with her little sister Mauhreen. This book helped me understand how immigrants had to go through immigration process, and how they had to live in America to support themselves or their family. Also, the tragic accident that happened in the Triangle Factory. Now I have a better sense of what had happened and how so many workers were killed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2011
I realy enjoyed this book. It is more about the immigrant experience in NYC than the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, but a very good read about the immigrant experience. The characters are well formed and keep you reading and wanting to know what happens to Rose, Maureen and Gussela.
I want to read more about the Irish experience of traveling to America, Ellis Island and early 1900s NYC after reading this book, along with more about the fire at the factory. i am going to read "Uprsing" by M. Haddix next about the same time period with an emphasis on the labor movement at the time.
I would recommend this book to others
I want to read more about the Irish experience of traveling to America, Ellis Island and early 1900s NYC after reading this book, along with more about the fire at the factory. i am going to read "Uprsing" by M. Haddix next about the same time period with an emphasis on the labor movement at the time.
I would recommend this book to others
December 13, 2016
Though I've only read little about the Triangle Waist Company, it's an interesting event that I'm interested it. Reading about the culture surrounding the horrific event was an interesting experience. I love reading strait up historical fiction like this. It was nice to read a book about American history that wasn't centered around a love interest.
May 18, 2017
An Irish immigrant girl is working for the Triangle Shirtwaist Company when the tragic fire occurs in 1911.
Excellent description of the garment industry and the problems of immigrants at that time.
Excellent description of the garment industry and the problems of immigrants at that time.
July 1, 2021
I was most pleasantly surprised by this story, it is classified as a young adult novel but I found it to be not in the least dumbed down and it did not hold back any punches when relating the atrocious events at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York in 1911.
The Nolan family are immigrants to America via the renowned Ellis Island, Father, Mother, daughters Rose, Maureen, little Bridget and baby Joseph. They have such hopes for a great life in the new country, that is once they get through the rigorous tests carried out on all entrants to the country on Ellis Island. When they have problems getting in, the family is split and despite having a brother in New York Mr Nolan and his family are on their own quite soon after they arrive. Rose is a most competent and resourceful girl, just sixteen years of age and her sister Maureen is only twelve but they are determined to find good jobs and provide money for the family. After a couple of unpleasant false starts, Rose gets the girls jobs at the Triangle factory and they are very happy, they make friends and enjoy the work. One fateful day that has gone down in history in America, there was a dreadful accident at the factory and this is the story of Rose, her sister and their friends.
I truly felt for the Nolans, I admired their tenacity and courage and my heart broke for their sorrows. Not only a very educational book as I knew nothing about this incident, but a riveting read too.
The Nolan family are immigrants to America via the renowned Ellis Island, Father, Mother, daughters Rose, Maureen, little Bridget and baby Joseph. They have such hopes for a great life in the new country, that is once they get through the rigorous tests carried out on all entrants to the country on Ellis Island. When they have problems getting in, the family is split and despite having a brother in New York Mr Nolan and his family are on their own quite soon after they arrive. Rose is a most competent and resourceful girl, just sixteen years of age and her sister Maureen is only twelve but they are determined to find good jobs and provide money for the family. After a couple of unpleasant false starts, Rose gets the girls jobs at the Triangle factory and they are very happy, they make friends and enjoy the work. One fateful day that has gone down in history in America, there was a dreadful accident at the factory and this is the story of Rose, her sister and their friends.
I truly felt for the Nolans, I admired their tenacity and courage and my heart broke for their sorrows. Not only a very educational book as I knew nothing about this incident, but a riveting read too.
February 1, 2025
First read this book in 5th grade and it was just as captivating, could not put it down!
March 25, 2023
A great historical fiction novel for YA’s. It is an easy and quick read full of details from this time. It is also perfect because it covers workers rights in the early 1900’s which is a historical topic covered by students!
October 27, 2014
first I will state that I had too read this book for school. next I will state I am a guy and into science fiction/ high fantasy. third, I write myself so I have a respect for most literature, and the time that it takes to create it. so it will not come as a surprise when I say I dislike this book. it will come as a surprise when this book should burn in hell and never should have been written. I understand, that there our people behind these books, who usually work part time jobs, and spend countless hours of their life writing, but this is just lazy writing from an author who clearly does not respect literature as an art, and only thinks of it as an way to score an extra paycheck from unsuspecting 9 year old girls who don't know any better than to read this crap. my first complaint about this book is the text on the back of the book. it ends with should rose return to ireland, or stay in america after the devastating triangle fire.(not an exact quote(btw rose is the main character))well let me tell you, the final chapter is rose thinking about what to do with her life after the triangle fire. of course she stays in america. another problem is the stakes, look I personally prefer high stakes, even medium stakes and I can still feel engaged at small stakes. but this book has no stakes. I mean if the best excuse you can find for not wanting to go back to ireland is that you don't want to have ugly babies, then I just don't give a fiery ******. I can imagine what you are all thinking about now "okay so we look back at the fact that we know everything that will happen in the book ahead of time, and there is no stakes to the plot at all, well atleast we have interesting characters don't we... don't we?" well dear reader I can answer that question for you, every character is as flat as paper. and you know what else makes those characters unbearable, the fact that even though they are 16, they all act like they are in kindergarteners half the time. so now you have absolutely no investment in the book, the only hope you have left is that it has a good message. well let me crush your hopes and dreams and tell you that a first grader can tell you the point of the story, don't judge people by their position in life (I am not saying that this is not a problem, I am just saying most people understand this concept, they just don't apply it to everyday life). if I were you, I would never read this book and share this review with anyone you respect as a human being to spare them the torture that is this book(no that is not an exaggeration).
January 5, 2010
Ashes of Roses was about a girl who was one of the many people that made the long journey to wonderous land of America. Through the harsh living conditions of the boat, she is very relieved when they arrive at Ellis Island. There hard times getting to the island are made even moredifficult when Rose's baby brother is deemed unworthy to enter the United States of America. Him and his father are sent back to Ireland. So after the sad goodbye, Rose began her first steps in America. She moved in with her Uncle and his family where they are really not welcome either. Her mother understands that they are not welcome and eventually move out of her Uncle's house. But her mother then decides to take her little sister back to Ireland. The two then move in to their own apartment under their own money. They meet this couple of a father and daughter who put them up in an apartment. The man's daughter got her a job at a shirt waist company. She even gets her 12 year old sister a job to. But a deadly fire leaves Rose and her friends fighting for their lives. Many of her friends die and she fears that her sister was one of them. But she is relieved to see that her sister is alive and well. But the damage caused by the fire would take many years to heal.
June 7, 2018
GENERAL:
- read with my 7th grade Honors students
- about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
- did this in conjunction with history, which was focusing on immigration
LIKES:
- my students absolutely loved this book. Many of them read ahead.
- led to interesting conversations about immigration and labor rights.
- they also really enjoyed reading about the Nickelodeon, and seeing what kids did back then for fun.
- drips with pathos
DISLIKES:
- pacing felt strange. Would've preferred more lead up to the fire.
- felt like 2 different stories: one about immigration and one about the fire. I wish Auch had tied the two together at the end of the book.
- writing wasn't spectacular, but it was fine for a middle grade book.
- read with my 7th grade Honors students
- about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
- did this in conjunction with history, which was focusing on immigration
LIKES:
- my students absolutely loved this book. Many of them read ahead.
- led to interesting conversations about immigration and labor rights.
- they also really enjoyed reading about the Nickelodeon, and seeing what kids did back then for fun.
- drips with pathos
DISLIKES:
- pacing felt strange. Would've preferred more lead up to the fire.
- felt like 2 different stories: one about immigration and one about the fire. I wish Auch had tied the two together at the end of the book.
- writing wasn't spectacular, but it was fine for a middle grade book.
April 12, 2019
My Social Studies class got to read Ashes of Roses when we were learning about immigrants working in factories and the conditions in which they worked. This was an the best book I could have read in order to understand how the United States was operating in the late 1800s-early 1900s. I’m not generally THAT interested in realistic fiction or just history in general (though I would love to be) but this book kept me engaged and interested! The characters in this book were very independent and strong-willed and I loved them! Hard not to get attached... Overall a very nice and recommended read!
April 24, 2013
I didn't like the perspective the author took of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911. If you want to read a really good version, try Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Most of the book is about the main character's first time in America. She works at the factory for less than a month before the fire. The author has her facts straight, but most of the story is fictional. I did like the ending, though, but the rest of the book wasn't very well written in my opinion.
February 7, 2019
I love these types of books. Good historical fiction without all the added fluff of love triangles or other teen issues. I wish it had been a little longer and I would have liked to see what happened to the family. An epilogue would have been great. But I was hooked from the beginning and loved the characters. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was so horrible, but such an important part of history.
February 22, 2016
Ashes of Roses is about a 16 year old girl who makes her way over from Ireland who comes to the states and works in a factory that catches on fire. Read to find out what they have to do to survive.
I loved this book! I have read it before and every time it is just as good. If you like books from older time periods that is action... this is the book for you
I loved this book! I have read it before and every time it is just as good. If you like books from older time periods that is action... this is the book for you
July 2, 2019
✮ summer reading 5/? ✮
The story was so short, I felt like I couldn’t build a connection with any of the characters to actually feel their pain. At the same time, the story was choppy because Auch tried to cram so much in so little. I did enjoy the photographs at the end and the list of names of the girls who died in the Triangle Shirtwaist fire
The story was so short, I felt like I couldn’t build a connection with any of the characters to actually feel their pain. At the same time, the story was choppy because Auch tried to cram so much in so little. I did enjoy the photographs at the end and the list of names of the girls who died in the Triangle Shirtwaist fire
March 13, 2019
we read this book as a group for social studies i was very plesently supriesed with how much i liked it.
February 12, 2021
A story of the awful Triangle fire in NYC in 1911 told form the point of view of a young Irish immigrant who was a survivor of the fire.
June 2, 2025
Ehhhhh didn’t really stand out to me but not that bad
January 24, 2018
While Ashes of Rose's is moderately well written, I realized that when I got to the back information pages, it was mainly supposed to be about the triangle shirtwaist factory fire! I thought that was weird, since the book was more about Rose's adjustment to America, and not very much about the fire itself. In reality, the fire was only a few pages long, and in my opinion the author should've written input in the middle so that we'd gotten to see how Rose adjusted afterwards. The ending was so abrupt, it seemed rushed, as if the author thought she just needed to end it. Even, there wasn't enough tragedy, since only a few of the main characters died. I think Mary should have made more tragedy so it would've broken Rose more.
January 28, 2020
Margaret Rose Nolen has come to America in the early 1900's with her family to seek the streets of gold, and better life. From the start, the twists and turns wrest the family apart and sets Margaret Rose, now claiming "Rose Nolen" as her American name fighting for her future, despite a mounting number of odds that seem to be trying to stop her, as members of her family are forced to return to Ireland. Beautifully written, poignant, touching, and tragic. Will Rose rise above it?
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