Wow, this book blew me away. It covers such a unique, the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, and a woman instrumental in the creation of it: Emily Warren Roebling. Really, I was so interested and invested, it was hard to put down. I love historical fictions that cover a new topic, that I have never heard of or thought of before, and does it in a way that is both educational and entertaining. This book did that perfectly.

I will say, the book falls into one of my niche interests: historical engineering. I love learning and reading about how great feats of engineering were completed in a time before modern tools that are used today. This book covers that so well and does it in such a way that is interesting but not overwhelming, which is why I think people who aren't engineers will also absolutely love the story. It never turned into a textbook, but the building of the bridge and the techniques involved were discussed a lot throughout the story.

Besides just the engineering, the book covers so many other important aspects. It included the safety of the workers, the place of women in society during that time, and a woman working and dealing with family. All of the characters, both fictional ones and ones based on real people, were very well fleshed out. The backstories were so interesting and the beginning of the novel, before the bridge, was well done.

I think Tracey Enerson Wood is one of my new go to authors for historical fictions. I know this is a debut, but I cannot wait for more from her. It is such a unique book that you won't find elsewhere in the historical fiction sphere (at least out of the ones I've read). It was so well done and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

New York is always a great setting, and this book tells the story of the private and professional life of theBrooklyn Bridge project. The couple, Emily and Wash, felt a bit distant, as I struggled to get to know them, and for me the detail of the technical information was too much. A lot of detail about the surrounding social issues were interesting and added to the story, but I wish the story had focused more on the interesting lives and times.

If you know anything at all about the Brooklyn Bridge, it is probably one of these pieces of trivia: a con man “sold” it numerous times to gullible people, giving rise to the expression, “If you believe that, I’ve got a bridge I wanna sell you.” In 1982 Ken Burns produced a fascinating documentary about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. After 9/11 manyNew Yorkers fled the city by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Obviously there is a great deal more to the story of this remarkable structure, and as the author,Tracey Enerson Wood, recounts in the afterword, there had not been a work of fiction telling this dramatic story before she tried her hand. The title The Engineer’s Wife immediately alerts us to the approach Wood is going to take. Due to dangers encountered supervising the construction, the head engineer, Wash Roebling, is incapacitated and his wife, Emily, becomes first his spokesperson and eventually the unofficial project manager. This promises to be a great story about a resourceful woman who not only excels in science and engineering but also has a part to play in promoting women’s suffrage.
Unfortunately the book did not live up to its promise for a variety of reasons. The author made the decision to let Emily tell the story. Sometimes that gives a story a greater immediacy, but in this case she speaks in the somewhat formal language of the 1880’s which creates some distance from the action. In addition Emily has a certain blindness to her situation and spends entirely too much time bemoaning her fate with little insight into the part she plays in it. Frankly she reminds me of many of those women's romances where the governess has to deal with two handsome men. Which brings me to one aspect of the story with which I take major issue. Because of problems in Emily and Wash’s marriage, Emily develops a friendship with showman P.T. Barnum. He provides admiration and warmth that seems to be lacking in the Roebling marriage. He holds out the promise of something better for Emily. But here’s the thing, this part is totally fiction. Wood admits there is no evidence of any such relationship between Barnum and Emily. To me this is contrived and is a betrayal of the basic principles of good historical fiction.
The major story line running through the book is of course the construction of the bridge itself. This is a fascinating tale with many interesting details but frankly it became too long and I just wanted the project to be over. That’s not a good thing when you are reading a book about the making of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Even the aspect dealing with women’s suffrage is disappointing since we already know that the women’s right to vote becomes reality 30 to 40 years in the future.
All in all this book was not very good. Do yourself a favor and track down Ken Burns’ documentary.

Emily could not have imagined the turns her life would take when she meets Wash Roebling at a ball in Washington during the Civil War. Wash, who emerged from the war with what we would now term PTSD, is an engineer and part of a famous family of bridge builders. After the marriage, Emily feels stifled at home and is fascinated with the construction which is a good thing because when Wash and his father die, she becomes the person who continues their work on what is now known as the Brooklyn Bridge. This is rich in historical information (and real people) and may send you to check what's fact and what's fiction. You like me may learn something. What's key though, is how Emily came into her own. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a good read for fans of historical fiction.

this book was not to my taste at all. I assumed it would be a little more.. women power then it proved to be.

As my daughter's name is Brooklyn, I've always loved all things Brooklyn. This book was perfect for me (besides that I love historical fiction!). I love how empowering this book is and how it gives the reader a view into how women had to work so much harder in a man's world! I couldn't put this down and I highly recommend it!

I enjoyed this historical fiction based around the woman who basically engineered the Brooklyn Bridge. I enjoyed learning about her story and life during a time when women were thought to be second class citizens. She was quite an anomaly for her time. There was a great deal of detail about how the bridge was built that went over my head but overall I enjoyed the book.

I love historical fiction set around real life events. The Engineer's Wife is no exception. I had no idea about the history of the Brooklyn Bridge, but I really have a new appreciation for both women as engineers and that structure that is still standing today. I feel this is a well researched book.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Emily, a strong, intelligent and determined woman, marries Wash, a bridge engineer. When Wash is named Chief Engineer on the Brooklyn Bridge project, Emily is excited and willing to help in whatever way possible. When Wash is injured on the job, she steps in and takes over for her. As her marriage begins to crumble, Emily asks herself if the sacrifices she is making are worth it.

This was a well written and well paced book. Emily was a very likeable and very well crafted character. Overall, highly recommended.

This story is about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and in particular the family behind the scheme. It is a novel but with a huge depth of historical and scientific research behind it. I found it quite hard to read as it contains a lot of detail both of fact and relationships. You will learn a lot about civil engineering of the mid 19th century in reading this. I was also fascinated by cassions disease which I knew little about previously. Well done to the author.

As someone who lives near the John A. Roebling Bridge (Cincinnatti-Covington Ky bridge)... I found this book to be absolutely intriguing. I could not wait to read this book, and I absolutely hated for it to end.
An amazing insight into all that is involved in the building of such an immense structure....the Brooklyn Bridge..., while carefully weaving the story of an immense personal involvement. This is a story of a woman's determination to carry out her husbands dream and to make personal sacrifice in order to complete the project. There is great loss within these pages, the loss of life, the loss of love, the loss of personal dreams... all for the purpose of making her husbands dream come true. I found this book to be fascinating and feel that it would make wonderful reading for a book club project as there is so much to discuss. The story of Emily Roebling's commitment to this project has been largely lost to history. I was happy to learn that there is a plaque in her honor to be found on the bridge.
Thank you for the opportunity to review this book in advance of publication. This review is my own and is in no way required by the publisher.

This is a wonderful book that is hard to put down. This is a story I had never heard before. It is about an engineers wife, Emily, who takes over on part of the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge after her husband gets sick using her self taught knowledge of engineering. I highly recommend this book to all fans of historical fiction.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

This book was so enjoyable; it was hard to put down. I haven’t read a historical-fiction book in quite some time and I forgot how much I enjoyed them. The book was written in such a way that I could see the story played out in my head when I closed my eyes. I loved Emily’s character; she was so determined and simply brilliant.

In "The Engineer's Wife", we are introduced to Emily Warren Roebling, a woman ahead of her time who became the true crusader behind one of the world's most recognized landmarks, The Brooklyn Bridge. When her husband, Washington Roebling, takes over as chief engineer after his father's untimely death, Emily decides to study her husband's engineering books. After her husband is diagnosed with Caisson's Disease ( aka Decompression sickness), Emily using her self taught knowledge steps in to help complete the project. I was fascinated with not only Emily's story (which I had never heard of), but also of the herculean effort it took by so many to construct this engineering marvel. Tracey Enerson Wood brings to life the courage and fortitude of this amazing woman during a time of when women's minds and talents were so quickly dismissed. Like many of the best historical fiction books I love, this one has motivated me to read and learn more about Emily Roebling and the bridge she loved.

The Woman Behind The Building of the Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is a masterpiece. I have seen the documentary about the building of the bridge so much of this story is not new to me. The efforts of the engineer's wife were truly the reason the bridge was built. The author did a great job of sewing the pieces of this woman's life together in a cohesive story. Although this biography is fictionalized, it is all completely believable. This book is well worth reading. Those who enjoy learning about the construction methods of the time will love this book. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

In the author's note, she says that the purpose of historical fiction is to bring light to a time in history that we may not have previously experienced. This book does just that. I love when I get into a historical fiction novel and find myself on Wikipedia trying to sort out the fact from fiction. Did PT Barnum and Emily overlap? What did caissons look like? I knew about the bends from hearing about SCUBA, but how did that work in the late 1800s? It took a minute or two for me to adjust to characters that aren't in a love story. I have been face first in romance and rom-coms for several weeks and I think it absolutely affected how I went into reading this book. Once I got into the groove, Emily's story of sacrificing her dreams, family vision and love for her husband drew me in.

The Engineer's Wife reminded me very much of Marie Benedict's books and her tales of little known women who do great things in our history. Thank you so much for letting me read and review!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Papa and Washington Roebling drew plans and raise the funds to build the Brooklyn Bridge. Papa passes away and Wash develops a nervous condition brought on my the bends diving into the caissons during the building process. That leaves his wife Emily to finish building the bridge. With no formal training or education, she teaches herself the means to finish this bridge. Twenty of the 500 craftsman died but a lot was learned from these fatalities. This story was really good and I loved the history of this beautiful bridge! #theengineerswife #traceyenersonwood

I really enjoyed this story of the building of the Brooklyn bridge! I loved how Emily had so much input into this story..

First off, the cover of this book is sublime. I wanted to love this story. Historical fiction can be hit or miss for me, but this book had elements I love, such as a strong, pioneering woman, and a love story. In the end, though, I didn't enjoy it. The pacing was slow, and I didn't connect with the protagonist, Emily. Even so, the author has done tremendous research, and I enjoyed some unexpected aspects of the story, such as learning about Emily's brother. I Googled him to read more about him, all because of this book.

The only thing better than reading a well-written book full of substance and defined characters is learning something at the same time. I found the author's descriptions of bridge-building and the suffrage movement to be interesting and informative without being too heavy. Readers with connect with Emily as she struggles to fulfill her husband's dreams while placing her own on hold. Readers with empathize with and champion for Emily as she tries to balance the overwhelming responsibilities of building a bridge and being an advocate for women as well as a wife and mother.
#NetGalley #TheEngineer'sWife