Hope Mills

By Constance Pierce

It is 1959 in Hope Mills, amill town in North Carolina. Cotton is losing the market to the new easy care fabrics, men are losing their jobs, and race relations are on the verge of explosion. Hope Mills' women are trapped economically, socially, and psychologically; at the mercy of their men in a strongly patriarchal society. Young girls live on dreams of escape, yet reality hold them in a firm grip. Told from the perspective of Tollie, who hopes to go to college, and der best friend Lily, who has her sights firmly set on Hollywood, this is a powerful portrait of life in the rural South at the cusp of a new age, and provides a compassionate yet sanguine glimpse at the inner torments and triumphs of two young women facing the challenges of adulthood with tremendous endurance and determination.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 038073219X
• ISBN13: 9780380732197
• Release Date: June 1999
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 1.0" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Balanced between then and now

For anyone familiar with present day Hope Mills this book will provide a wonderful insight into the town that was and the moment when it began to turn into the town it is. Told from multiple perspectives the story is an adolescent coming of age tale, when the innocence of youth is lost to the confusion and change of adulthood. The story of the girl in the book acts as metaphor for the changes the town of Hope Mills is undergoing at the same moment. Sad and poingant, the book captures the era and the feelings perfectly.

Life as Metaphor

The pacing of this novel reflects the era it is set in. That long pause the nation took while it shook off the dust of the Great Depression, and the Second World War. Before television ruled the world. The country that produced the greatest military machine in history and defeated, simultaneously, two nations , either of which was a match for all the remainder of the worlds armies combined, now set about re-inventing itself. To raise its standard of living to unimaginable heights. As a result, many small towns whose residents had depended on a single industry, gradually found themselves as outdated as spinning wheels. For many, those who could not leave , who lacked entreprenurial skills, it seemed the Depression had returned, to single them out for its hellish amusement. Young people, helpless in this environment, often turned to self destructive behaviors. (Many of the songs popular with teenagers of this era focused on death and suicide.) Of course, there were also those who saw hope for themselves, in the unfulfilled promise of tomorrow. Tollie and Lily, whatever their shortcomings, were two of these.

Life as Metaphor

The pacing of this novel reflects the era it is set in. That long pause the nation took while it shook off the dust of the Great Depression, and the Second World War. Before television ruled the world. The country that produced the greatest military machine in history and defeated, simultaneously, two nations , either of which was a match for all the remainder of the worlds armies combined, now set about re-inventing itself. To raise its standard of living to unimaginable heights. As a result, many small towns whose residents had depended on a single industry, gradually found themselves as outdated as spinning wheels. For many, those who could not leave , who lacked entreprenurial skills, it seemed the Depression had returned, to single them out for its hellish amusement. Young people, helpless in this environment, often turned to self destructive behaviors. (Many of the songs popular with teenagers of this era focused on death and suicide.) Of course, there were also those who saw hope for themselves, in the unfulfilled promise of tomorrow. Tollie and Lily, whatever their shortcomings, were two of these.

You'll miss these people when the novel is over

At once funny and touching, this novel is an excellent evocation of time and place. The characters are complex and they grab you. You'll hear them breathe as you turn the pages.