The Cold Millions

A Novel

By: Jess Walter

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Gary Farmer, Marin Ireland, Cassandra Campbell, MacLeod Andrews, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Mike Ortego, Rex Anderson, Charlie Thurston, Frankie Corzo

“One of the most captivating novels of the year.” – Washington Post

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A Library Reads Pick • An Indie Next Pick

A Best Book of the Year: Bloomberg | Boston Globe | Chicago Public Library | Chicago Tribune | Esquire | Kirkus | New York Public Library | New York Times Book Review (Historical Fiction) | NPR's Fresh Air | O Magazine | Washington Post | Publishers Weekly | Seattle Times | USA Today

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins comes another “literary miracle” (NPR)—a propulsive, richly entertaining novel about two brothers swept up in the turbulent class warfare of the early twentieth century.

An intimate story of brotherhood, love, sacrifice, and betrayal set against the panoramic backdrop of an early twentieth-century America that eerily echoes our own time, The Cold Millions offers a kaleidoscopic portrait of a nation grappling with the chasm between rich and poor, between harsh realities and simple dreams.

The Dolans live by their wits, jumping freight trains and lining up for day work at crooked job agencies. While sixteen-year-old Rye yearns for a steady job and a home, his older brother, Gig, dreams of a better world, fighting alongside other union men for fair pay and decent treatment. Enter Ursula the Great, a vaudeville singer who performs with a live cougar and introduces the brothers to a far more dangerous creature: a mining magnate determined to keep his wealth and his hold on Ursula.

Dubious of Gig’s idealism, Rye finds himself drawn to a fearless nineteen-year-old activist and feminist named Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. But a storm is coming, threatening to overwhelm them all, and Rye will be forced to decide where he stands. Is it enough to win the occasional battle, even if you cannot win the war?

Featuring an unforgettable cast of cops and tramps, suffragists and socialists, madams and murderers, The Cold Millions is a tour de force from a “writer who has planted himself firmly in the first rank of American authors” (Boston Globe).

History Well Told

This may not be Jess Walters’s best book, but he has recreated a time in our history that transforms the reader back in time and succeeds in feeling as if you were there through the images he pens. But for a few digressions I felt were unnecessary and too long, I would have given 5 stars. That said, it’s a story well told and one that held my attention to the end. I felt the multiple narrators worked well, and the primary narrator who does the heavy lifting was very good.

Completely engrossing read

My husband and I listened on our many road trips back and forth to the mountains and loved this book. Stories and characters are fascinating tied in with the history of the time. Don’t miss this book. The narration was outstanding.

Forgotten history

Lovely story, compelling characters and a great reminder of humanity in history. Truly a forgotten part of history!!

Excellent read

One of the best books I have read. The voices wereu phenomenal. Like the best books, I didn’t want it to end.

Excellent

I struggled a bit at the beginning, but it is totally worth it to let the author take you on this journey.