Tom Grogan

by Francis Hopkinson Smith

Something worried Babcock. One could see that from the impatient gesture with which he turned away from the ferry window on learning he had half an hour to wait. He paced the slip with hands deep in his pockets, his head on his chest. Every now and then he stopped, snapped open his watch and shut it again quickly, as if to hurry the lagging minutes.

Genres: Classics

116 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1896

About the author

Francis Hopkinson Smith (October 23, 1838 – April 7, 1915) was a United States author, artist and engineer. He built the foundation for the Statue of Liberty, wrote many famous stories and received awards for his paintings.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman who takes on her injured husband's name and job not only succeeds, but flourishes despite the machinations of competitors.

While mildly marred by stereotypes and anti-union sentiment common to the time, the novel is shockingly feminist for its 1890s publication. "Tom" is accepted by the community, surrounded by fiercely loyal employees, respected by business partners, and so good at managing her haulage company that she's targeted by unscrupulous union members who see her as a threat. There's a touch of overly cheerful Pollyanna-ism, but very little moralising and refreshingly, no "I was just waiting for a man to rescue me all along" erasure. After her trials Tom is just as strong and independent as ever, not only continuing to provide for her family, but a fallen enemy's as well.

A bestseller in its day, I'm thrilled to know there were books like this back then. And bonus- it's slyly funny

[Sarah Berk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This really picked up about halfway through; I was surprised how much I was able to connect to the characters even with this short of a book.

[Jennifer Booth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tom needs a little spice

The book was dated, but the wording was ok. There was not much action until the fire at the end

[clare martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

karl stan

[Carolyn Nowotny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

This one's an exciting and compelling book! It was hard to put down while I was reading it. Contains a lot of historical information about life during this period in New York. Read it and you will find it worth your time

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Grogan details the lives of stevedores living in a small Staten Island tenement during the end of the nineteenth century. Francis Hopkinson Smith knew this world well (He built the foundation of Bartholdi's Statue of Liberty). I would have given this book five stars, but Smith's political views were a constant undertone. He loathed Union workers and the book carries heavy derogatory remarks about them. The story itself is well written and filled with clever sobriquets.