Sixteen-year-old Margaret Rose Nolan, newly arrived from Ireland, finds work at New York City’s Triangle Shirtwaist Factory shortly before th...
read full description
reviews
Jan 05, 2010
Andrew
rated it: 
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 wit
More...
Jan 15, 2009
Ginny
rated it:
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 somewha More...
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 somewha More...
0 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Feb 26, 2009
Mary
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Sep 23, 2010
Ashley
rated it:
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
More...
Dec 17, 2009
When Margaret Rose Nolan dreams to come to the so called "land of oppurtunity", of which the "streets are paved with gold", she finds her self in more trouble than she can with hold. Rose, as she calls herself in America, leaves her father and younger brother to go back to Ireland, because of his trachoma. Her mother, and two sisters, accompany her to her relative's home, to which they humbly invite themselves, and are generously taken in by, by their uncle atleast. Their aun
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Sep 09, 2009
Rose Nolan is thrilled to be starting a new life in America. Though she'll miss Ireland, she can't wait to see what opportunities await her and her family in New York City. Her hopes for a bright future are shattered, though, when half her family - including both her parents - are forced to return to Ireland because of her baby brother's illness. Rose and her sister, Maureen, are left to fend for themselves. After a traumatic experience in a corrupt man's sweatshop, the sisters find work at
More...
Feb 07, 2010
Kiana
rated it:
Ashes of Roses was a great book. You never think about the things immigrants have to face. Mary Rose and her family, are on a ship that is sailing to New York City. They left their home in Ireland hoping that America would give them new opportunities and a better life. Unfortunately, her little brother had to go back to their homeland with their father because it was discovered her brother was diagnosed with trachoma.Her, her mother and sister Maureen decide to stay with their father's brother.
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 09, 2010
Anniesa
rated it:
This book was a great addition to my studies of immigration. It combined both fact with fiction and the imagery in this book was very vivid which I loved. When Mary Jane Auch was telling the story of Rose Nolan, I felt as if I was in the story experiencing everything Rose was feeling and seeing. This book also made me realize how fortunate I am to be an American. It shows how past generations before me tried very hard to get into America for a number of reasons and my generation and other
More...
Dec 23, 2009
Abdiel
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 09, 2010
Julie
rated it:
I read this book for a school assignment. At first I thought that the book would be a quick read and nothing but that, like most of the other books that my school assigns to read. However, as I started to read it, I got absorbed into the story and found myself staying up until midnight reading. This is the story of an irish immigrant, named Rose who travels to America in search of a new life, away from Ireland where the only life that she would have was getting married at sixteen and nothing mor
More...
Apr 30, 2010
Cinnapatty
rated it: 
To be fair this is probably a three star book, but I gave it one star because I didn't like it at all. It was too traumatic for me. It is an historical fiction regarding the Triangle Waist Company fire. I had nightmares all night long with images of those girls on fire leaping to their deaths below. A type of 911 situation where those poor people also leapt to their deaths. Horrific images painted in the recovery and identification of bodies. Not light reading. Plus it's the story of an I
More...
May 29, 2010
Jill
rated it:
I thought this book was very good!
This book is about immigrants' lives in the early 1900s and then it focuses on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. I learned a LOT about Ellis Island, scary working conditions for the new immigrants in New York, what the city was like back then, what people did for fun... man. I just feel like I learned a lot!!
I LOVED the strong female characters and I also loved the ethnic minorities represented in the book. Although they were all Euro More...
This book is about immigrants' lives in the early 1900s and then it focuses on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. I learned a LOT about Ellis Island, scary working conditions for the new immigrants in New York, what the city was like back then, what people did for fun... man. I just feel like I learned a lot!!
I LOVED the strong female characters and I also loved the ethnic minorities represented in the book. Although they were all Euro More...
Jan 27, 2010
Stephanie
rated it: 
I heard about Ashes of Roses when Ms. Luo told us were going to read it in class. Personally I enjoyed the book, not as much as I would have enjoyed another book of my choice but more then any other school book we have ever had to read in class. I think that the author wanted readers to take away the knowledge of the tragic day that the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.
I would recomend this book to anyone. If I would have to sum up this book in one sentence it would be...When Rose Nolan's More...
I would recomend this book to anyone. If I would have to sum up this book in one sentence it would be...When Rose Nolan's More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 03, 2010
Khalil
rated it:
Margaret and her family set off to america for a new life. They have a hard and long voyage riding in steerage. Only to reach Ellis Island and finding out that her baby brother has the trachoma. Which keeps them from alowing him in the country. So after a long discussion of who should go back with baby,they decide it is Da. So Ma and the rest of the children go on to america to stay with Uncle Patrick. Which does not work out well. So Ma leaves America to go back with Da and the baby along with
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jun 12, 2010
Deb
rated it:
Mary Jane Auch's historical fiction tells the story of Margaret Rose Nolan's first experiences in 1911 New York City as an immigrant from Ireland. Rose, as she prefers to be called, eventually finds work in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, but not before she experiences some scary moments. She makes friends with Gussie Garoff, her landlord's daughter and a labor union activist. This novel does a good job of presenting the difficulties many immigrant girls faced without going into explicit
More...
Dec 26, 2009
Nicole
rated it:
Ashes of Roses was a meritorious book based on reality that mostly happens everyday, immigration. Immigration is the occurance of people who enter a foreign country either by push or pull factors. Margaret Rose, destined to be an American, came with her family who then has to split up because her brother has trachoma. Even with this dissappointment Margaret Rose is not one bit in doubt of going back. This was a heart-warming story of the struggles and sacrifices families have to make. I recco
More...
Jan 27, 2010
Melissa
rated it:
This book was indeed one of my favorite books ever. If I say that I liked this book, then that means anyone who reads this book should like it too because I am not a big fan of books, but this book exceeded my expectations. I first heard about this book when my teacher said we had to read it in class. At first I thought, great, another book to read. The book didn’t look that interesting to me. But when we read the first chapter, I was astonished! I realized that I can't "judge a book by its
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Dec 18, 2009
Kayla
rated it:
This book is about a 16 year girl called Rose and her family struggle to live in America. I heard about this book from my humanties teacher. I think the author's stytle of writing is realistic because she writes as how the irish immigrant would write making the whole story feel realistic. My first impression about this book was that it was going to be boring because it had a dull cover. I learned from this book that irish immigrants faced many hardships just coming to America. For exmaple, they
More...
Apr 17, 2010
Kathy
rated it:
This book is about the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, where 146 girls, mostly poor underpaid immigrants, died due to poor working conditions. It's one of the best historical fiction books I've ever read, and it's pretty heavily based on truth. After reading it, I became more interested in the story and read "Triangle, the Fire that Changed America", by David von Drehle. Both fantastic books. Highly recommended, especially if you aren't familiar with the story of the fire. This book is
More...
Jun 18, 2009
Rae
rated it:
I thoroughly enjoyed this teen novel of an Irish family coming to America. I liked the way the author depicted the atmosphere of New York City by using period details that flowed right into the story, rather than seeming "planted" or obvious. I had sympathy for the characters and their difficulties in finding a place to live and work in what was to them a foreign land. Auch's descriptions of Ellis Island really rang true and the tie-in with the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory and its fire
More...
Jun 15, 2011
Lina
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Feb 23, 2008
Kellyn
rated it:
Like many families in Ireland, the Nolans risked the terrible voyage to the United States in hopes of a better life. However, when the family arrives, the youngest child, Joseph, is not allowed to remain. Michael Nolan insists that his wife, Margaret, and their three daughters, Rose, Maureen and Bridget, go to his brother’s house and stay there until he can return.
With great effort Margaret and the girls find Uncle Patrick’s house and receive a mixed welcome. After a few weeks, Ma More...
With great effort Margaret and the girls find Uncle Patrick’s house and receive a mixed welcome. After a few weeks, Ma More...
Dec 22, 2009
Sydney
rated it:
The book Ashes of Roses was such a great book. It really made me appreciate a lot of differnt things. It made me appriciate that my country is not diesed or going through as tough times as others. It also made me apperciate, that I have a chance to get an education, rather then working the day away, doing the same thing over and over and over. I would recommend this book to anyone that is learning about immigration, new and old, and wants to know how things really went, almost like learning hand
More...
Feb 06, 2010
Victor
rated it:
Ashes of Roses is one of my favorite books because it shows the hardships a person must go through in life in order to be someone. The life Rose depicted in this book is a life that some immigrants really did live. She goes through things no one should have to go through. She loses her family and is alone to raise her sister in America. After a tragic loss and the loss of her job she realizes America isn't the best place to live in. Yet, through all her hardships she decides to stay.
Apr 02, 2009
Angela
rated it:
From when I first read it at age 12, I have loved Ashes of Roses. I'm now 5 years older and, of course, read at levels beyond this young adult level. However, it has stayed with me as a favorite. I've always loved historical fiction, and the realistic characters and historical accuracy hit it out of the park for me. I now read it every couple of months, because I love it so much. My copy is well worn, and although it's now rather simple for me to read, I'll always love it!
Feb 04, 2010
Kieran
rated it:
This book is about an irish immigrant who is struggling i her new life in the Big Apple. To start off her father and brother had to return home at Ellis Island because of her brothers trachoma. Then as things get frustrating between her Uncles wife and daughter they decide to get there own apartment. this never happened but mother could not take all of the stress so she decided to return home. after this happens you will have to read the book to find out.
Jun 06, 2011
Chyna
rated it:
I liked this book because it was a good book for kids to learn what it was like for people "back in the day", it also helped us learn that it was not so easy for immigrants to go from being on a boat that was filthy to going to Ellis island and having to be checked to see if all of your family could be free to go on a boat and not being able to take some of your family with you because they were sick or had pink eye or something really bad.
Dec 22, 2009
Robert
rated it:
This book is so good. It is a perfect mix between historical fiction and real history. Mary Jane Auch must be really talented if she could write a book that hooks the reader like it hooked me. It explains the trip of an immigrant to America. From the painful tests at Ellis Island. To the tragedy of when a family is split up. And surviving a real natrual disaster with almost no way to survive. I recomend this book to every one.
Apr 27, 2009
LaDawn
rated it: 
I picked this one randomly from the library shelf. Since I had recently read Haddix's Uprising, I decided to see how this book handled the same subject.
I liked it, though not as much as Uprising. There wasn't as much historical detail, though perhaps a bit more character development.
We don't often hear of the immigrants who returned to their homeland because they were disillusioned with what they found here. I think that was a nice touch.
I liked it, though not as much as Uprising. There wasn't as much historical detail, though perhaps a bit more character development.
We don't often hear of the immigrants who returned to their homeland because they were disillusioned with what they found here. I think that was a nice touch.
