Ellis Island (novel) facts for kids
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First edition
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| Author | Fred Mustard Stewart |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Published | 1983 |
| Publisher | William Morrow & Co. |
| ISBN | 978-0451126719 |
Ellis Island is a historical novel written by Fred Mustard Stewart in 1983. It tells the story of several immigrants who travel to America in the early 1900s, hoping for a better life. A year after the book was published, a TV miniseries based on the story was made in the United Kingdom.
Contents
Journey to America
The story begins in 1907. Jacob Rubinstein, a young Jewish man from Russia, leaves his village after it is attacked. He travels to Hamburg, Germany, hoping to sail to America. In Hamburg, he meets Roscoe Haines, an African American musician. Roscoe sees Jacob's talent for playing Ragtime music and suggests he meet a music publisher named Abe Shulman in New York City.
On the ship to America, Jacob meets Marco Santorelli, an Italian man from Sicily. Marco used to be a gardener for an English actress named Maude Charteris. She wanted him to move to London with her, but Marco dreamed of making his fortune in America.
New Friends on the Ship
One night, many passengers from the ship's lower decks dance together. Jacob and Marco meet two Irish sisters, Bridget and Georgiana O'Donnell. Bridget had worked at Wexford Hall, a large home in Ireland. She was involved with a secret group working against the British landowner, Jamie Barrymore. Jacob also has a short chat with a Czech man named Tom Banicek.
Arrival at Ellis Island
When the ship arrives in New York, first and second-class passengers go straight to immigration. However, all passengers from the lower decks must go through Ellis Island. This island was the main entry point for immigrants coming to the United States.
Challenges at Ellis Island
Marco passes through Ellis Island without any problems. Jacob needs treatment for a wound he got in his village. Bridget is also allowed to enter. Sadly, Georgiana is not allowed in because she has trachoma, an eye disease that can cause blindness. Bridget is upset with the Ellis Island doctor, Carl Travers, but the decision is final. The sisters' Uncle Casey, a powerful businessman, arranges for Georgiana to return to Ireland. He plans for her to come back later on another ship, traveling in second class, so she won't be checked as closely.
Tom Banicek, the Czech man, meets his cousin in New York. Recruiters for the Staunton Mining Company in Virginia try to hire Tom. His cousin warns him that the pay will be low, he'll have to live in company housing, and he could be fired for even talking about joining a union. Tom says he doesn't have many choices. He believes the conditions will be better than serving in the Austro-Hungarian Army, which he wanted to avoid.
Life in America
After two years, Marco has been working hard. He decides to borrow money to start his own delivery business. He buys a horse and cart, competing with Casey O'Donnell's business. But he crashes and loses his cart. When he can't repay the money, Marco faces serious trouble.
Desperate, Marco learns that Maude Charteris, the actress, is in New York. He visits her, and she agrees to give him money for a truck, new clothes, and a nice place to live. In return, he spends a lot of time with her, even though she is much older. One day, while making deliveries, Marco meets Georgiana, who is now blind. They start going on regular dates.
Family Concerns and New Beginnings
Georgiana and Bridget's aunt doesn't approve of Marco and Georgiana's relationship. She asks Uncle Casey to handle it. Casey tries to use his power to get Marco sent back to Italy. Someone tries to get Marco into trouble, and he is taken to Ellis Island to await a ship back to Italy. A fellow prisoner helps Marco escape. They swim through New York Harbor. Marco stays in a hotel in New Jersey and asks Jacob to tell Georgiana he will return.
Jacob becomes a successful writer for Broadway shows after Abe Shulman gives him a chance. Nellie Byfield, a rising Broadway star, marries Jacob, and they have a child. Nellie uses their marriage to help her career.
Bridget meets Doctor Travers again and apologizes for how she spoke to him at Ellis Island. She tells him Georgiana is now blind, just as he had predicted. He accepts her apology. When he learns she is good with a typewriter, he offers her a job as his secretary at Ellis Island, where he is now the chief doctor.
Georgiana works at the New York Library for the Blind. One day, she learns that Marco is engaged to Vanessa Ogden, the daughter of Senator Ogden.
New Paths and Decisions
Marco feels bad about how he treated Georgiana. But he decides that marrying Vanessa will help him become part of high society. Senator Ogden approves of the engagement, hoping it will help Vanessa. After Marco and Vanessa marry, they have a son named Frank. Marco often visits New York to see Georgiana, though he never approaches her directly.
Marco wants to run for the state senate. Senator Ogden agrees, thinking an immigrant from Ellis Island would be a good candidate against the current Irish politician supported by Casey O'Donnell. Vanessa starts acting strangely at a party. She is admitted to a hospital in Rhode Island, where she becomes close friends with an artist named Una Marbury.
Fighting for Workers' Rights
After a miner dies, Tom Banicek tries to organize his co-workers against the bad working conditions at the Staunton Mining Company. The owner, Monty Staunton, refuses to listen and fires Tom right away. Tom goes to Pennsylvania to talk to union leaders about getting union representatives into the mines. They explain it might take a long time, but they will eventually help.
When Jacob and Nellie's daughter passes away, Nellie admits she only married Jacob to help her career. She refuses to divorce him, even though she knows he is seeing another woman, Rebecca Weiler. Jacob writes a play that a producer wants to make. Jacob insists that Flora Mitchum, Roscoe Haines's African American girlfriend, must be the star. The producer agrees, and Jacob tells him he can own the entire show if he casts Nellie in one of his Hollywood movies. When Nellie finds out, she agrees to the divorce because she wants to be in Hollywood films. Jacob immediately marries Rebecca.
Love and Politics
Una and Vanessa become very close friends after leaving the hospital. Senator Ogden tries to separate them to avoid family problems. Sadly, Vanessa dies, and Una also passes away. Marco decides to see Georgiana. After some hesitation, she admits she still loves him, and they get married. Soon after, Marco is elected as the first Ellis Island immigrant to the New York State Senate.
Meanwhile, Bridget has married Doctor Travers. One day at work, she sees Denny Flynn, a former colleague from Wexford Hall. She worries that Denny might reveal her past involvement with a secret group. Georgiana tells her that Marco can help, and she won't be sent away or face any trouble.
