Playing St. Barbara

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Barbara presents a highly unique story of four women and uses it as a mirror to reflect the political pressures and social prejudices that still affect women today. A favorite line in a less significant scene that made me smile is this: One more thing on that point: Finally, let me close by returning to that fourth thing that thrills me in a good piece of fiction—finding a hint of the mystical or spiritual woven throughout a tale.

Barbara is a play on words, as you might have guessed. Barbara herself, the patron saint of miners. Jan 02, Grace Troxel rated it really liked it. This review first appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures: Barbara by Marian Szczepansi is the story of four women living in a Depression-era coal mining town in Western Pennsylvania. Clara marries a coal miner and union leader, but Fin is an abusive asshole, and one of the first things he demands in their marriage is that she change her name to something that sounds less German.

Their relationship continues to go downhill as she bears h This review first appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures: Their relationship continues to go downhill as she bears him three daughters, Deirdre, Katie, and Nora. Nora spends her weekends seeing films and dreaming of one day becoming as fashionable as her favorite stars. Each character faces her own challenges, and each becomes empowered in a different way.

I loved reading Playing St. Barbara because it was set in a town similar to the one where I grew up. Reading the novel gave me a glimpse into what sort of lives my grandparents might have led minus the domestic abuse, of course. Szczepanski explored many of the major issues that people faced at the time—low wages, alcoholism, and the fact that coal mining companies controlled every facet of life, including where you lived, where you shopped, and how you socialized. There was a lot of tension between different ethnic groups, as well as the general feeling that you had to become Americanized to be successful.

My only wish is that Playing St. Barbara could have painted a more balanced picture of the unions; since Fin was the main representative of unionization that we saw, it was harder to see that normal people really did have valid concerns when standing up to mining companies. Overall though, I thought that Playing St. Barbara did a fantastic job showing how average people lived and the challenges that they faced every day.

As a part of the blog tour, I had an opportunity to do an author interview with Marian Szczepanski. Szczepanski explains some of her motivations behind Playing St. Barbara, which was partly inspired by her work at a domestic violence hotline. Dec 02, kim rated it really liked it Shelves: I really liked this book, so much so, that I am having a bit of trouble getting into my next read. This one is going to stay with me for awhile. It is hard to actually get my thoughts down in a coherent way. The book is set in a depression era coal mining town in Pennsylvania and centers around the Sweeney family.

The have three daughters, Norah, Dierdre, and Katie. It is impossible to describe how much I really liked this book, so much so, that I am having a bit of trouble getting into my next read. It is impossible to describe how much I disliked Fin and how angry he made me. There were a couple of moments where he acted almost human, and then I was mad because I had to consider not being so mad! Each of the three girls makes her escape from their life in the coal patch town, and each in a different way. I had a difficult time watching her continue to put up with the crazy old man!

One thing I really enjoyed about the book was the interaction of the women in The Hive, the company town where they all lived. Many families had immigrated from different areas of Europe and I really enjoyed the bits of Italian, German, and Slovak thrown in. It reminded me of my Grandma! I grew very fond of several of the neighbors. I did have a little difficulty at the beginning of the book. There was some vocabulary I was not familiar with, and descriptions on the mining process.

I spent a bit of time googling. However, once I got past the first few chapters, I could not put this book down! The other part some readers may have difficulty with is the amount of violence. Not only was Fin a mean drunk, but domestic violence was a way of life for him. In addition, there is cruelty and violence in the form of the Klan and the Cossacks during the mining wars and strikes. But it was part of the story and part of the times, and was realistically told.

The discussions would range from domestic violence and why a woman would choose to stay in that situation, to the history of labor relations and violence during strikes. This book just begs for a good discussion! I was sorry to see the book end and to have to say goodbye to these women! I received a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Feb 02, Darlene rated it really liked it. This novel can feel quite bleak but it also shows the power of relationships Playing St.

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This novel can feel quite bleak but it also shows the power of relationships between mothers and daughters and the courage it takes to once again love yourself enough to change your future. The novel is told from the viewpoints of the three daughters Deidre, Norah, and Katie along with their mother Clare and always in the background is their father Fin, a very volatile and abusive man who handles the hard life of a miner and the poverty of the times by turning to alcohol.

Deidre is one to stand up to her father and she takes it to the extreme when she decides to take up with a boy from the Company police. Now Norah is the one with secrets but also a desire to be something more than just another girl from the wrong end of town. However her secrets keep her tethered to home and her mother. Clare just made me sad. Overpowered by a man who took away her identity and life she struggles with secrets from the past that have her believing this is the life she deserves. Each of these women must learn to find their own way to a better life.

Throughout it all the legend of St. Clare was my favorite of the women even though I got so frustrated with her for enduring the abuse she did although she had her reasons. Add to that an abusive husband and that life of hardship multiplies tenfold. Or will she just accept her lot in life? I enjoyed this novel. It transported me to another time and place where I became invested in the characters and the lifestyle of this coal mining town.

Jan 23, Lloyd Russell rated it really liked it.

Playing St. Barbara: Shining Light on the Dark History of Coal Mining

Marian Szczepanski's debut novel, Playing St. Barbara, is quite a book. It's difficult to describe and was difficult to rate. But I'll get to that. Barbara, patrones Marian Szczepanski's debut novel, Playing St. It took me almost pages to get into the rhythm of this book. But here's the thing: The next pages really picked up, and the last pages flew by. Goodreads and Amazon readers were more generous with their ratings than me. But that's a bit misleading.

Playing St. Barbara by Marian Szczepanski

By and large, that's a lot of love. Let me tell you what I particularly liked. I really liked the setting and the history. Marian makes you feel the brutal nature of the mining industry in the late 's through the early 's. I also really liked some of the ancillary characters, especially the ones associated with the eldest daughter, Norah. In fact, I felt the most emotional connection with Norah, more so than her 2 sisters, Deirdre and Katie, and their mother, Clare.

The father, Fin, was a beast. Some of what he did was tough to read after just seeing the movie 12 Years a Slave, what Fin did to his family was not so different from what many of the slave masters did to their slaves.

So, all in all, it's a very good read. If the 1st part of the book hadn't been a bit slow, I would have given it a 3. As it is, there's nothing wrong with a solid 3. If you can pull yourself away from Coben, Brown, Child, Baldacci, et al, then pick this one up. It's different from the usual cast of literary characters. And it's got some meat to it. If you go to Marian's website - www. This can be very helpful, take my word for it. Apr 06, Angele rated it really liked it.

Barbara begins on a baseball field in the s--but the players aren't boys or professional athletes. Instead, they are hard-bitten Pennsylvania coal miners locked in a fierce inter-town rivalry, which serves both to mirror their daily struggles against bosses and grinding labor and to provide a temporary release from them.

One of the best, most reckless, and most ruthless players is Fin Sweeney, union activist and all-around troublemaker. Fin's drab and seemingly dutiful wife--whom Playing St. Fin's drab and seemingly dutiful wife--whom he calls Clare--and his three blooming young teenage daughters Deidre, Norah, and Katie are watching from the hill.

And then a handsome young cop working for the mine owners makes a move In Marian Szczepanski's debut novel of working class immigrants which draws on local and familial history men are viewed from the outside. It is women--Deidre, Norah, Katie, and the unfolding mystery who is their mother--who narrate this story. These four women and the people around them move, like America in the Depression years, through personal and political struggles that are by turns uplifting and sordid, tragic and triumphant. The Sweeney women want and try to do good--but they also want more, and better.

Better even than being chosen to play the beautiful martyred virgin who also is the patron saint of miners--St. Barbara--in their town's annual pageant. Barbara is utterly new and strange to you, I promise that you will be drawn into this compelling novel. Mar 19, Roberta rated it it was ok. Marian Szczepanski is a better speaker than she is a writer. I saw her on her recent promotional tour and she was so intriguing, in fact, that I decided to purchase her book, a book that had held no real appeal for me before that evening. She spent nine years researching and writing this book.

I feel like it took me nine years to read it. Her characters are caricatures: Clare is the timid, abused wife, Fin is the drunken, abusive, predictably Irish spouse, Norah is the ambitious career girl, and Marian Szczepanski is a better speaker than she is a writer. Clare is the timid, abused wife, Fin is the drunken, abusive, predictably Irish spouse, Norah is the ambitious career girl, and so on.

They all seem one-dimensional. I found it incomprehensible until nearly the end of the book why Clare always spoke German. It was annoying to have to read the German, then to have to read the translated English. Late in the book you find out that she is actually Clara and that mean old Fin forced her to abandon her heritage and pretend she's Irish. I felt obligated to finish reading this since I enjoyed Marian's presentation so much, but it not a book I would recommend. Jan 27, Sharon Chance rated it it was amazing. Barbara" is a fascinating look at one family's experience during the turbulent time period in Pennsylvania's coal mining history.

Author Marian Szczepanski tells the heart-wrenching story of the Sweeney family through the voices of mother Clare and her three daughters, Dierdre, Norah and Katie and through their eyes the reader gets a very personal look at how hard life was for the women of the mines back then, and the struggles they went through because of and for their men. This hi "Playing St. This historical novel is well written with a mesmerizing cast of characters that will resonate with readers. Many emotions revolve through this story, ranging from romance to heartache, joy to sorrow.

Szczepanski mixes in historical facts with this brilliant tale and readers will thoroughly enjoy the experience. I highly recommend this novel. Jan 16, Sheila DeChantal rated it it was amazing. I felt as though I had donned my own pair of coal mining boots as I sunk dust deep into this amazing read. This was such a change from what I have been reading so far this year and I enjoyed it so much.

Sometimes I forget how much I enjoy good historical fiction. And really, who better to tell it? Author Marian Szczepanski whose own grandparents were immigrant miners. I have a feeling I will be gushing about Playing St. Barbara for some time to come. It was amazing to me, who honestly knew little of this history, how the KKK played a role in what happened. Exasperating, breathtaking, and awe inducing…. Barbara is a must read for lovers of historical fiction novels.

I want to say more, but more than that, I want YOU to read this book. Nov 15, Kate rated it really liked it Shelves: I had the opportunity to hear Marian Szcepanski speak about this book and to purchase a signed copy. Having grown up in a coal "patch" town, even though my dad wasn't a coal mine, I really appreciated the research that she did and the way she so accurately portrayed what life was like for those who worked and lived in the "coal".

While the characters are all fictional the author based some of their stories on the current work that she does with battered women. I know from growing up that women w I had the opportunity to hear Marian Szcepanski speak about this book and to purchase a signed copy. I know from growing up that women were often battered in the coal towns as we saw it firsthand, even in the 's.

I would like to see her do a sequel to this book perhaps focusing on some of the other characters that weren't central to this story but could be quite interesting. This is a keeper and one I will most likely read again. Nov 30, Ima rated it really liked it Shelves: Barbara is a revealing tale of the lives of women of Pennsylvania's early 20th century coal-mining community. Encompassing the essence of true historical fiction, this novel is well-researched. The details are amazing, from the coal company and its reach over the lives of its workers, to the myriad phrases of different languages incorporated into the dialogue.

At times, the details could be overwhelming if I tried to pay to close attention. Even so, it made reading feel real, like th Playing St. Even so, it made reading feel real, like these characters, though fictional, could really have lived at that time, in that place. Apr 08, Lenore Pettinger rated it really liked it. Great story about a time and industry I knew very little about.

I knew of coal miner's strikes, the brutal working conditions, the Union organizing. On a personal level, the story is somewhat frustrating that an abused wife finds no way to stand up for herself until her 3 daughters escape the father's house. This time frame is late 's - early 's. The mores, prejudices, and limitations of the times are prevalent. One example is that the year-old daughter is a 'spinster' because she is Great story about a time and industry I knew very little about.

One example is that the year-old daughter is a 'spinster' because she is not married and must live at home until she gets the gumption to leave. Oct 06, Cathy Lutz rated it it was amazing.

This book was excellent on many different levels. An historical bevel that teaches me about a particular time, place and attitude of an era we tend to romanticize, along with telling a fascinating story is a winner. This would be an excellent book club choice because there is so much to discuss. Dioscorus, in pursuit of his daughter, was rebuffed by the first shepherd, but the second betrayed her. For doing this, he was turned to stone and his flock was changed to locusts. Dragged before the prefect of the province, Martinianus, who had her cruelly tortured, Barbara held true to her Christian faith.

During the night, the dark prison was bathed in light and new miracles occurred. Every morning, her wounds were healed. Torches that were to be used to burn her went out as soon as they came near her. Finally, she was condemned to death by beheading. Her father himself carried out the death-sentence. However, as punishment , he was struck by lightning on the way home and his body was consumed by flame.

Barbara was buried by a Christian, Valentinus, and her tomb became the site of miracles. This summary omits picturesque details, supplemented from Old French accounts. According to the Golden Legend , her martyrdom took place on December 4 "in the reign of emperor Maximianus and Prefect Marcien" r. Williams of the Anglican Community of the Resurrection The name of Saint Barbara was known in Rome in the 7th century; [3] her cult can be traced to the 9th century, at first in the East.

Since there is no mention of her in the earlier martyrologies , her historicity is considered doubtful. Her legend is included in Vincent of Beauvais ' Speculum historiale xii. Various versions, which include two surviving mystery plays , differ on the location of her martyrdom, which is variously given as Tuscany , Rome , Antioch , Baalbek , and Nicomedia. Saint Barbara is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. Her association with the lightning, which killed her father has caused her to be invoked against lightning and fire; by association with explosions, she is also the patron of artillery and mining.

Her feast on December 4 was introduced in Rome in the 12th century and included in the Tridentine Calendar. In , that date was assigned to the celebration of Saint Peter Chrysologus , reducing that of Saint Barbara to a commemoration in his Mass. In the 12th century, the relics of Saint Barbara were brought from Constantinople to the St.

Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv , where they were kept until the s, when they were transferred to St. Volodymyr's Cathedral in the same city. Barbara's relics to St. Her feast day for Roman Catholics , [5] and Anglicans is December 4. Saint Barbara is venerated by Catholics who face the danger of sudden and violent death at work. She is the patron of miners, tunnellers, armourers, military engineers, gunsmiths, and anyone else who worked with cannon and explosives.

Within the tunnelling industry, as a long-standing tradition, one of the first tasks for each new tunnelling projects is to establish a small shrine to Santa Barbara at the tunnel portal or at the underground junction into long tunnel headings. This is often followed with a dedication and an invocation to Santa Barbara for protection of all who work on the project during the construction period.

The Irish Army venerates her as the patron saint of the Artillery Corps where she appears on the corps insignia, half dressed, holding a harp, sitting on a field cannon. In the mining town Kalgoorlie , Australia, as patron saint of miners she is venerated in the annual St. In Germany, Saint Barbara is revered as a patron saint of miners and in extension, the geosciences in general, including the tunelling industry.

In the Czech Republic , a statue of Saint Barbara is placed near the future tunnel portal during the groundbreaking ceremony of most major tunneling projects, owing to her being the patron saint of miners.

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The Spanish military artillerymen, mining engineers and miners also venerate her as patron saint. Parades, masses, dinners and other activities are held in her honour. A portion of the coast of California , now occupied by the city of Santa Barbara, California and located approximately miles northwest of Los Angeles , is named after her.

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Artillery camps throughout the two countries host celebrations in honor of the saint, where the traditional sweet of loukoumades is offered to soldiers and visitors, allegedly because it resembles cannonballs. Some Macedonians celebrate with their closest family and friends at home, while others refrain, believing that people who step in their house on Saint Barbara's day will give them either good or bad luck for the rest of the year. In Armenia , a cave shrine to Saint Barbara Kuys Varvara is located on the slopes of Mount Ara and lit candles and flower garlands are used as tribute.

Walnuts or almonds can be added. Members of both the United States Army and United States Marine Corps, along with their military and civilian supporters, are eligible for membership. There are two levels of membership in the order. The Honorable Order of St. Barbara , a silver medallion with red ribbon, is granted for long-term distinguished service in the Field Artillery or Air Defense Artillery corps. Appointment to the Honorable Order may be approved by the first colonel or the seniormost lieutenant-colonel in the chain of command.

The most distinguished level is The Ancient Order of Saint Barbara , a gold-colored medallion with red ribbon. Those who are selected for this honor have achieved long-term, exceptional service to the field artillery surpassing even their brethren in the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara.

The name of the barbiturate family of pharmaceutical drugs is believed to derive from the suggestion by an artilleryman commemorating the feast of Saint Barbara in , whom the chemist Adolf von Baeyer encountered at a local tavern whilst celebrating his recent discovery of the parent compound.