The Long Winter Ends by Newton G. Thomas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
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.
Pegg Thomas 