User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
I don’t usually enjoy books with a lot of suspense or turns in the story and I don’t enjoy when there are so many secrets kept from me. I find it hard to explain it. They just don’t work for me. BUT, BUT, I was totally taken with this novel, the characters and omg what an ending when all of the secrets are divulged and everything perfectly comes together ! I hope there’s a movie ! Despite these things that usually don’t appeal, there are so many things here that make for the kind of book that I’m drawn to. It’s a terrific work of historical fiction depicting San Francisco in 1906 when the well known earthquake hit. The writing is so good, I swear I felt the earth rumble and saw the devastation that it left. There are characters with so much heart. A heartless polygamist is the exception. It’s a gripping telling how his three wives come together as secrets are slowly divulged. The thread that holds them together - a shared violation of their lives, a developing friendship, decency, but most of all a little girl named Kat who simply wants to be home with the people she loves.
This is probably one of my shortest reviews because I find it hard to say more without giving away the secrets held here. You really need to find them out for yourself.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Berkeley through NetGalley.
Rating: really liked it
The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner (Author), Alana Kerr Collins (Narrator), Jason Culp (Narrator)
It's the early 1900s and Sophie is a young Irish immigrant, running from a hurtful and possibly dangerous past in Ireland. Living in a squalid tenement in New York, she is anxious to escape this new life so answers an ad for a wife, placed by San Francisco widower, Martin Hocking. The man she meets when she arrives in San Francisco is extremely handsome but very cold and she finds she is left on her own to raise his five year old daughter, while Martin travels for days on end, doing "insurance" work. But, Sophie now lives in a nice house, with her own room, has all that she needs to survive in a very comfortable manner, and she adores Martin's mute daughter, Kat. By the next year, 1906, Sophie loves Kat as if she was her own daughter and she does everything she can do to make up for Martin's coldness to Kat and herself.
On the eve of the massive San Francisco earthquake, April 18, 1906, Sophie and Kat's world is rocked when pregnant Belinda arrives on their doorstep looking for her husband. Soon the two women know that they are connected to other women, including Kat's mother, in devastating ways. Martin isn't just cold, he's evil and dangerous and they must get away from him before he causes more harm. But before they can leave, the earthquake hits and the women must work together to save themselves and Kat.
The earthquake plays a part in the story but in many ways, it's just a side character. This story is more about a devious and dangerous man who destroys all in his path and the women who attempt to continue on in life, after they know the true nature of this man. Sophie has the most to lose if all the events right before the earthquake are brought to light. But she also has her secrets of her time in Ireland that she must keep hidden. She is walking a tightrope of wanting to do what is best for Kat, who she feels is hers now, and allowing Kat to find her real mother, if possible. This is a story of good people getting caught in the snares of an evil man but also of good people coming together to help each other in times of physical and emotional upheaval.
There are a lot of places in this story where the characters seem to repeat words and phrases over and over. I'm not sure if I would have noticed this as much as I did if I had been reading the book rather than listening to it. Still, I enjoyed the book and I had no idea just how much damage and death was caused by the 1906 earthquake. Thanks to this story, I have another subject I want to research.
Published February 2nd 2021
Rating: really liked it
***HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY***
Wow this was a wonderful book and I really don’t want to let go of these characters! This novel had all of the elements that I look for in a great historical fiction and is a solid 5+ stars.
The Nature of Fragile Things has such a unique way to look at the devastating earthquake that took place in San Francisco in 1906. I have visited San Francisco at least 4 times many years ago and it was a beautiful city then. This book took me right into the time prior to and during this great earthquake. I was transported, right into some of the areas I knew including Golden Gate Park.
As the novel opens Sophie has just arrived from New York to California and is about to meet her future husband, Martin Hocking. She answered an ad for a woman to marry him and also care for his 5 year old daughter. Sophie’s life in New York was inhospitable for immigrants at that time, there were just too many. Her tenement “was just a shared room with sagging mattresses, a place where dreams . . . unravel”
Sophie and Martin married as soon as they could get to the courthouse. Martin has a beautiful home and he introduces her to Kat, who has not spoken since her mother died. They form a bond over time that becomes stronger with. Her relationship with Martin is very “distant” even when he is at home and not traveling for work.
Then as the blurb states a woman appears on Sophie’s doorstep, her name is Belinda and these two will discover some incredible secrets about Martin!!
After this the story really explodes with the sounds, smells and visions of what it would be like to try to find shelter during an earthquake. The people were not prepared in any way but the police helped as many as they could find shelter. WHAT WASN’T KNOCKED DOWN BY THE EARTHQUAKE WAS CONSUMED IN THE FIRES THAT RAGED FOR DAYS.
Through the eyes of our main protagonist, we will envision what these events would look like, we can almost smell the fires and the smoke which permeated everything for weeks. Watch the ashes continuing to fall like snow throughout the city. The author’s notes are filled with additional research and information on the earthquake which today would have registered “a magnitude 7.9 on the Richter scale.”
For Sophie, Belinda and Kat their trials are just beginning. They will unlock Martin’s secrets and are resolved to stay together as a group
To divulge any more would spoil the story for the reader. I enjoyed this book tremendously and can highly recommend it.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.
Rating: really liked it
Mysterious, riveting and hard to put down! A mail order bride named Sophie, from Ireland, marries a man she knows nothing about in 1906. She answers his ad and they settle into the home he has purchased in San Francisco. Its the most comfortable home Sophie has ever had and she adores his five year old daughter, Kat.
Its not long before Sophie starts questioning her new husband's actions and his secrecy. She fears something isn't quite right.
So much begins to happen, their world rocks, a massive earthquake hits San Francisco and
BANG! things get complicated as they navigate the situation. I felt invested in the story and enjoyed the characters very much.
A memorable story that was filled with suspense and the right amount of tension. Don't want to give any of the secrets away, so I'll leave it at that.
Highly Recommend. Thanks Berkley/NG for my advanced review copy. OUT February 2, 2021 and still available on NG
Rating: really liked it
ALL. THE. STARS. Susan Meissner completely swept me up with her exceptional storytelling, transporting me to San Francisco 1906 and into the lives of these characters. Sophie is an Irish immigrant who travels to San Francisco as a mail order bride. When Sophie meets Martin she is attracted to his luxe but not certain about his personality. His daughter Cat however completely captures Sophie‘s heart. As the bond between Sophie and Cat grows martin becomes more and more shady. Then one night a young pregnant woman shows up at Sophie‘s door and confirms Sophie‘s suspicions that she doesn’t know the man she married at all. The next day the earthquake strikes and the women find their lives even more deeply intwined. What follows is such a captivating tale of survival, family, Secrets, and love.
This is a historical fiction book that will appeal to absolutely everyone. It was the perfect blend of historical fiction, mystery, and family drama. I absolutely fell in love with all these characters and was sad to say goodbye to them at the end of the story. The earthquake was so vividly described I almost thought I felt the earth shake. As a Californian I was surprised at how little I really knew about this historical Quake. It also made me realize how much better our infrastructure is now than it was then. I truly cannot say enough good things about this book! I strongly encourage everyone to read it!
This book in emojis 🚂 💍 👩👧 ⛺️ 🍑
*** Big thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
Rating: really liked it
**4.5-stars**When Sophie Whalen, an Irish immigrant, comes across an ad in a NYC-newspaper of a rich widower in search of a new wife and mother for his young daughter, she feels hopeful.
She responds immediately and puts herself forth for the position. She's got nothing to lose.
The widower in question, Martin Hocking, lives in San Francisco and Sophie wants nothing more than to escape from New York.
After she arrived from Ireland, her circumstances didn't end up as she expected. She's been living in an overcrowded tenement building, barely making ends meet.
Upon arrival in San Francisco, Sophie marries Mr. Martin Hocking that very day at the city Courthouse. He then takes her home and introduces her to his 5-year old daughter, Kat.
Kat is a beautiful girl, bright, though quite serious. The young girl has been silent since the loss of her mother.
Sophie is taken with the child from the very start. She can tell sweet Kat is hurting and she vows to do whatever she can to make the child feel safe and loved.
For his part, Martin is very handsome, as well as a good provider, but he is rarely around, traveling frequently for work. Even when he is home, he isn't affectionate with Sophie, or Kat.
It is on one of these occasions while he is away, that a stranger comes knocking on Sophie's door and changes everything.
Shocking revelations regarding Martin are revealed immediately prior to the entire city erupting in chaos. The year is 1906, and one of the most powerful earthquakes in history has just hit San Francisco.
While the drama of this novel revolves around an earthquake, it felt like a roller coaster!
The highs, lows, drops and turns that Sophie goes through were intense and emotional. Just when you think it can't get any worse, it does.
Meissner has such a gift with storytelling. I am always transported while reading her novels and it is hard not to become attached to her characters.
I do not read a lot of Historical Fiction, but I will continue to pick up anything Susan Meissner writes. I loved how she added a real mysterious tone to this novel. It's intriguing from start to finish; there was never a lull in the pace.
This one didn't bring me to tears as some of her other novels have, but it was definitely impactful nonetheless. Sophie's story is one I will remember for a long time to come.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I really appreciate it and look forward to Meissner's next release!
Rating: really liked it
After so many 5 star reviews... I was looking forward to reading “The Nature of Fragile Things”....as much as the next person.
The beginning was ‘terrific’, with an interesting premises.....
I liked the ending too....
And most of the fiction storytelling was engaging —
but parts of the second middle half lost momentum— and became repetitive and a little too sappy for my taste.
I also felt the weakest link.... was the ‘historical fiction’ aspects of 1906 earthquake....
but as a mysterious/ suspense novel.... it kept me curious and engaged.
The strength of “The Nature of Fragile Things”, were the characters...
especially the fragility of the women.
I felt how ‘fragile’ they each were. I cared for their developing women-friendships. I enjoyed watching them become stronger - in spite of the tragedy they had endured....
but....
If San Francisco was supposed to be ‘fragile’ ....during the quake and fires... I thought it skimmed the surface with ‘more telling’....and less gut wrenching experiencing.
It felt to me that the 1906 earthquake was a plot device..... that only partially worked.
Author, Carol Edgarian wrote a book (comes out this), month, called
“Vera”.
It too, covers the catastrophe of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake ....
but with more experiential depth of the history.
However .... even with a few of my little pet peeves ...
“The Nature of Fragile Things”, was a captivating novel that kept me reading to the end.
3.7 rating
Rating: really liked it
Holy moly, a real winner! Loved loved loved this historical fiction, a masterpiece of storytelling. This is a tight, character-driven book that takes place in San Francisco in 1906—when all hell broke loose with an earthquake, then a devastating fire. I was on the edge of my seat for a large chunk of the book. There is plenty of mystery and suspense—way more than you’d usually find in this genre, and for me this was a huge plus. And it’s all doled out in the right amounts at the right places; oh, the story is so well put together! Another way that it’s different from your basic historical fiction: descriptive text doesn’t rule. The pictures are vivid without tedious descriptive paragraphs being thrown in. It’s one of those books you can’t put down.
I don’t want to give away anything; part of the fun is not knowing where the story is going. All I’ll say is there’s a mail-order bride, a stoic man, a knock on the door. Add an earthquake and a fire, and what a situation we have here, folks. A perk was getting a peek of what it could have been like to live in San Francisco during the historical disaster. I felt like I was right there through the chaos and destruction. The grumbling and tumbling of the city was one thing, but we had a whole other drama going on in the middle of it.
You’ll love the three woman who are joined together in weird ways, and you’ll feel like you know them. Great character development. I will say that the language isn’t special; the sentences didn’t pop out and make me tingle. But still, the language doesn’t get in the way, either. It’s a good, swift vehicle for getting us to the places we need to go to.
I want to check out more books by this author; I want to—need to—read another book like this one! In its earnest and urgent pace, this book reminded me of Diane Chamberlain’s Big Lies in a Small Town, which I also loved.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 rounded to 5 stars
What a wonderful novel this is! This is my first Susan Meissner novel, and I am impressed. I was first attracted by the intriguing title, the fantastic cover, and the fact that it is set during the catastrophic 1906 San Francisco earthquake. I knew few details about this tragic event and wanted to learn much more about it.
This book has it all. It’s a captivating story and a pacy read. To read details of the mass destruction wrought by the 1906 earthquake was rendered even more impactful for me as I love San Francisco and know it well having visited many times. The characterization is excellent. I bonded immediately with the protagonist, Sophie, and her young, damaged charge, 6-year-old Kat. Embedded within their story is a mystery enhanced by numerous twists and turns (including a real biggie) that completely fooled me. The mystery is very well written—as good as those penned by full time mystery writers. The heart of the novel, however, relates to interpersonal relationships and how things happen that can completely change the nature of family. This was my favorite theme of the story. Finally, I appreciated the satisfying epilogue.
The book lost ½ star as I would have liked just a bit more detail on the repercussions of the earthquake on the city.
To throw one more compliment out there, this novel reminds me of those written by Diane Chamberlain, a favorite of mine.
I highly recommend The Nature of Fragile Things to all readers of historical fiction. I am pleased to see Ms. Meissner has a sizable back catalog that I look forward to delving into.
Rating: really liked it
A terrific story set in in 1906 San Francisco, engaging characters and a plot that is intriguing and keeps the reader guessing right to the end. A lovely, easy to read historical fiction story. This is my second novel by Susan Messiner and I really enjoyed this mysterious and satisfying read.
Sophie Whalen, a young Irish immigrant answers a mail order bride advertisement in the Newspaper and agrees to marry a man she knows nothing about. She wants to escape the tenements of New York and her poorly paid job and is happy to embrace a new life even if it is with a man she has never met and his young daughter. April 18th 1906, a massive earthquake rocks San Francisco and also changes Sophie’s life forever.
The nature of Fragile things engages the reader from the very first page and I enjoyed the mysterious aspect of the novel. I haven’t read anything previously on the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 and this was interesting and encourages me to seek out a non fiction account of this natural disaster. It’s a well written story, with dark secrets that the readers longs to untangle and three interesting and likeable women at the heart of the novel.
Another novel for my favourites shelf and a lovely hard copy to add to my real life book shelf.
Rating: really liked it
Review to be posted on blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...
Completely Captivating! Sophie is an Irish Immigrant, who after arriving in New York, answers an ad for a mail-order bride. Arriving in San Francisco shortly thereafter, she immediately marries Martin Hocking, though she does not know him. He is looking for a mate and most importantly a father to his 5-year-old daughter Kat. Little does Sophie know, Martin is not who he appears to be.
A few years later, a woman appears on her doorstep, her name is Belinda. Between the two of them, they uncover many a secret about Martin Hocking. Then he arrives home. Immediately thereafter an earthquake hits.
The earthquake of 1906, destroying most of San Francisco and many lives.
From that moment on, Sophie, Belinda, and Kat forge a bond. Through trials and tribulations, these three become a family and vow to overcome.
An incredibly well-written, character driven novel that completely enveloped me in the storyline. This is now the 3rd book that I’ve read by Susan Meissner and she is fast becoming one of my favorite historical fiction authors. Thank you to my local library for loaning me a copy of the audiobook.
Published on Goodreads, Twitter, and Instagram.
Rating: really liked it
The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner was a riveting and captivating book set in the early 1900’s. The elements of the plot drew me in and made me want to keep reading to discover what would happen next. Many strong themes meshed throughout the book. Among them were female friendship and trust, the unconditional love for a child and the instinctive nature to protect a child at any cost, hope, loss and a web of lies. The Nature of Fragile Things was masterfully written and depicted a time in American history that burdened some with great hardships and loss. The women characters in The Nature of Fragile Things were strong, determined and resilient.
Sophie Whalen arrived in New York from Ireland as a young and determined young, twenty year old woman immigrant ready to carve a place for herself and create a whole new life for herself. She was met with the hardships of tenement life. Sophie shared a minuscule room with four other women. The only running water was located in the back alley and came from a single spigot. There were no functional bathrooms. A chamber pot was placed in each apartment and was often emptied through an open window. Sophie knew that she had to do something to change her life and living conditions so she answered an ad for a mail-order bride. She had answered an ad placed by a widow, Martin Hocking, looking for a wife and mother for his five year old daughter. Martin Hocking had recently moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco and had purchased a home. He wanted a wife from back East where he grew up and not from the local area. Martin wanted a wife that needed no coddling or hand holding and someone who could be a good mother to his daughter. Sophie found herself on her way to San Francisco to meet her new handsome husband and selectively mute new daughter, Kat. From early on in her marriage to Martin Hocking, Sophie was curious and also suspicious of her new husband’s behavior. Somethings did not seem right about Martin’s behavior, secrecy and actions to Sophie.
Then on the day before the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, a young and very pregnant young woman showed up at the Hocking residence. The woman introduced herself to Sophie as Belinda Bigelow. Sophie and Belinda began to discover that they shared the same man as their husbands. As Sophie began to search for evidence that supported Belinda’s claims she also began to realize that all her suspicions had been justified about Martin. Sophie discovered evidence that tied “her Martin” to at least two other women. The more she discovered about the lives of these women and Martin’s involvement with them the sicker she felt and the more she began to despise Martin for the things she found out he had done. All this knowledge came to Sophie just hours before the devastating earthquake gripped the city of San Francisco and shook it violently and mercilessly created fires throughout the city. All three of these women’s lives would be changed as a result. In each other, they would find friendship, courage, love, hope and truth.
Susan Meissner’s new book, The Nature of Fragile Things was well written and explored how one man’s actions changed the lives of three strong and resilient women. It used the San Francisco earthquake as its backdrop. I was captivated from start to finish and enjoyed reading this book. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: really liked it
Meissner is mesmerizing.
It’s 1906. Sophie, an Irish immigrant, has answered an ad for a mail in bride and marries a man she doesn’t know to escape to San Francisco. A loveless marriage but she adores his 5 year old daughter. But as the months go by, a knock at her door will change her life. Then an earth shattering earthquake further shakes her life a little more.
3 women whose lives are entwined with a man. What is solid does not break.
What is fragile does.
The ending took a twist I was not prepared for.
Meissner could have renamed this one, “3 ladies and a scoundrel” or a more modern title, “3 Women and a snake” as some characters never change even as the centuries do :) 4⭐️
Rating: really liked it
3.5 stars rounded up
“When people are thrown into an abyss and together find their way out of it, they are not the same people. They are bound to one another ever after, linked together at the core of who they are because it was together that they escaped a terrible fate. It doesn’t seem like Kat and I met Belinda only last Tuesday. It seems we have always known her.” The dramatic centerpiece of this novel is the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Author Susan Meissner gives credit to Malcolm E. Barker’s book, ‘Three Fearful Days’ and its first hand accounts of the earthquake as being invaluable.
Sophie Whalen is an Irish immigrant who landed in deplorable conditions in a New York tenement. Desperate to improve her life, she answers an advertisement for a mail-order bride. When she arrives in San Francisco to meet the handsome widower Martin Hocking, they go immediately to the courthouse to be married. It is Martin’s five-year-old daughter, mostly silent and grieving the loss of her mother that wins Sophie’s heart. Kat wins my heart, too. Kat is not hostile, she’s despondent and sad. It takes the steady drip-drip of Sophie’s attention and love to make incursions upon the walls that Kat has built. Martin travels for an insurance business and stays away from home for days, but he is a good provider.
The day before the earthquake, a woman that Sophie doesn’t know shows up at her door. Martin is out of town. Events begin to cascade toward the earthquake that will occur the next morning. There were nearly half a million people living in San Francisco on that fateful day, all of them bent upon their own plans. The earthquake broke the water mains that lay underground as well as broke gas lines which erupted into fires. It is one of the largest natural disasters to hit America. 3,000 people died and half the population of San Francisco was left homeless by the fires and the effects of the earthquake. Meissner’s narrative causes me to think of all the people whose lives were changed in minutes when this disaster hits. Meissner shows the chaos and how lives were imperiled.
Meissner does a fine job of delineating her characters, giving them full-fleshed lives. I enjoyed this novel, but for me, I missed something in Sophie, some spice possibly of interior dialog, something that would move me toward her a little more. She is a sympathetic character and I rooted for her, but still, I felt a little aloof. All in all however, a fine novel, and one I have no trouble recommending.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars.
This is story with really great characters and an unbelievably despicable con man.
This is set just prior to, during, and following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Quite a bit of suspense in this story.
I’m going to keep this brief so I don’t let any of the story out.. just read it, you’ll like it!
