Ashes of Roses

By Mary Jane Auch

Rose Nolan and her family are Irish immigrants on their way to New York City where they are hoping to get a slice of the American dream. But things go bad right from the start at Ellis Island. Rose's baby brother is ill and refused entry into the US. This means the family has to make a hard decision. Should they all go back to Ireland or should some stay behind, waiting for the others to join them later? Rose's dad decides he will go back to Ireland with the baby while Rose, her mom and her two younger sisters will stay, living with the dad's brother until the dad and the baby can come back.
Next bad thing, the dad's brother wasn't expecting them. He never got the letter informing him of their arrival. Also the brother is married to a mean wife with two mean daughters and they make the immigrants feel very unwelcome. Finally the mom gets fed up and, when the brother offers to pay for their fare back to Ireland, she accepts.
Only problem is Rose doesn't want to leave New York. She has been looking forward to starting a new life there. When they get to the docks just before boarding the ship home, she informs her mom that she isn't going. She will cash in her ticket and use the money to live on until she can find work. And her sister, who is a few years younger, decides to stay too. The mom doesn't like the idea, but the ship is ready to go and she gives in.
Rose finds a cheap room for rent and their landlord's daughter arranges to get her a job at the place where she works...the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory! Oh, no! Rose has gone from the frying pan and into fire, literally. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory is a death trap just waiting to burst into flames and kill hundreds of the people that work there.

Based on a true, tragic event, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was a fire in which 146 people perished because the doors that should have been open were locked, trapping them inside the burning ten-story tall building. Many of those who died jumped to their deaths, trying to escape the flames.
I have to laugh at myself because I hadn't a clue as to where the novel was going, not recognizing the name of the factory from history. Of course, I think most people are familiar with the dangerous working conditions of sweatshops, of which this plant most certainly was. It was not until the last part of the story, when Rose put on her best dress to wear to work that day that I figured she was going to ruin her pretty, ashes of roses colored dress. Even then, I didn't tumble to how it was going to happen, so the fire and death and destruction came as an nasty surprise. Up to that point it had just been an engrossing story about a young immigrant woman's experience trying to make her way in New York City. Rose manages to escape the fire, but two of her good friends, also named Rose don't. It was a good read with a terrifying, true ending.