RaveThe Pittsburgh Post-Gazette... keeps a lightness to the read while delving into often difficult situations that test its heroines. Yet, by the last page, the weight of women’s burdens in past and present America has been hammered home ... Condensing a woman’s lifetime into a relatable read, Connie Schultz’s effortless writing answers this and more ... While guys often cause the turmoil, women and their choices, or lack thereof, set the pace. Ms. Schultz refuses to stereotype her female characters. Even with those whose decisions cause harm, she delves into the circumstances that influenced those acts with a nonjudgmental understanding ... tackles the so-called class divide with compassion. Too often, novels feature the extravagant trials and tribulations of the wealthy while ignoring the working men and women who live paycheck to paycheck. Not Ms. Schultz ... The child of card-carrying union man, Ms. Schultz brings authenticity to her writing about working class families. From the canned peaches as an after-dinner dessert to long, tedious hours of overtime work, the McGinity family represents a childhood many of us in the Midwest understand and one we see disappearing. The Daughters of Erietown does not seek to deify union workers, but instead tells their tale with humanism and care ... More so, the stories of the women supporting these workers are being told by someone who understands their importance. In reality, The Daughters of Erietown could be the daughters of every town. And Ms. Schultz should be proud to be called its mother.
