The Nature of Fragile Things

By Susan Meissner

The Nature of Fragile Things - Susan Meissner
  • Release Date: 2021-02-02
  • Genre: Historical Fiction
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 1,113 Ratings

Description

April 18, 1906: A massive earthquake rocks San Francisco just before daybreak, igniting a devouring inferno. Lives are lost, lives are shattered, but some rise from the ashes forever changed.

Sophie Whalen is a young Irish immigrant so desperate to get out of a New York tenement that she answers a mail-order bride ad and agrees to marry a man she knows nothing about. San Francisco widower Martin Hocking proves to be as aloof as he is mesmerizingly handsome. Sophie quickly develops deep affection for Kat, Martin's silent five-year-old daughter, but Martin's odd behavior leaves her with the uneasy feeling that something about her newfound situation isn't right.

Then one early-spring evening, a stranger at the door sets in motion a transforming chain of events. Sophie discovers hidden ties to two other women. The first, pretty and pregnant, is standing on her doorstep. The second is hundreds of miles away in the American Southwest, grieving the loss of everything she once loved.

The fates of these three women intertwine on the eve of the devastating earthquake, thrusting them onto a perilous journey that will test their resiliency and resolve and, ultimately, their belief that love can overcome fear.

From the acclaimed author of The Last Year of the War and As Bright as Heaven comes a gripping novel about the bonds of friendship and mother love, and the power of female solidarity.

Reviews

  • Amazing

    5
    By Caly56
    The story grabs you. A fascinating page turner!
  • Loved this book !

    5
    By Angela EG
    Loved this book !
  • I stayed up reading until 2AM, I couldn’t put it down!

    5
    By BonnieArnold
    A intriguing tale of a Scottish lass living in the immigrant slums of Boston who accepts a marriage proposal from a man in San Francisco who she has never met.
  • Great Book. Hard to put down.

    5
    By Sandy Kendall
    I couldn’t put this book down! And I loved so many of the characters. And I felt like I knew them ! And I liked the understanding of the earthquake in San Francisco.
  • The Nature of Fragile Things

    5
    By Vmikoff1965!
    I loved this book. It grabs your interest immediately and keeps you guessing through to the end. A must read!
  • Wow

    5
    By KBugg's Mom
    Wow!! Just wow, is all I can say.
  • *****

    5
    By Lynnc1505
    Such good writing! And such a good story! I loved it!
  • The Nature of Fragile Things

    5
    By 323EL
    This was a good story that kept me interested and has a strong protagonist with a past you want to find out more about. Add to it excellent descriptions of San Francisco after the Great Earthquake, and the tale gets more interesting, with evil hiding in plain sight.
  • Amazing!

    5
    By Enchanted Spellcaster
    A hauntingly beautiful story held together by the delicate secrets of each character. I could hardly stop reading.
  • Such an incredible book!

    5
    By Rachjessee
    I could not put this one down! Brilliant writing and an awe inspiring story with characters that feel like best friends. Such heart and soul and fierce emotion. This is a book I’ll be recommending for years to come!