Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Overall I enjoyed THE ENGINEER'S WIFE and learning more about the role of Emily Roebling in the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. I struggled with some of the fiction aspects of this historical fiction though the author does share some of the liberties she took in writing. It was also quite slow in a few places for me.

I did like seeing it through Emily's viewpoint and how she persevered through so many challenges and helped her husband and father-in-law's dream of building the Brooklyn Bridge come true.

An excellent historical fiction novel about Emily Warren Roebling, Washington Roebling’s wife . Wash as he was known completed the Brooklyn Bridge after his father’s death. Wash, the chief engineer is injured with Caisson disease and Emily must take over the day to day operation even though she has no training. At first Emily serves as a messenger for her husband but eventually adds her own ideas to the project. Caisson’s disease effects their marriage in various ways. Emily finds solace in her relationship with P.T. Barnum who makes her laugh and feel carefree. Wash harbors the thought that Emily is having an affair with Barnum and that effects their marriage also. At the end of the story he makes Emily choose between the two of them. The history of the building of the bridge is fascinating. Thanks to netgalley and Sourcebook for allowing me to preview this great historical novel.

The Engineer’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood
In honor of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, I’m making it a point to read literature that shines a light on women who persevered. When I saw, The Engineer’s Wife, I knew I had to read it right away. Emily Warren Roebling’s story is remarkable. I knew just bits and pieces of her involvement with the Brooklyn Bridge. She persevered despite many obstacles. I found the bridge building information interesting. It was a realistic retelling of all the joys and tragedies involved in the project. The discussion around women’s suffrage and other women’s issues was eye opening. The hindrances 19th century women had to face are mind-boggling. The author introduces us to a female inventor who had to use a man’s name just to get attention for her product. Emily’s decision to switch to Bloomers instead of corsets and full length gowns is another example of her innovative behavior. After the bridge’s completion, the author mentions Emily’s desire to attend law school. A goal she accomplished later in life.
While most of the book is true to the historical record, I wasn’t comfortable with the liberties the author took with Emily’s relationship with P.T. Barnum. In her notes, the author explains that this part of the story was based on reasonable speculation. With this plot line, I would have appreciated more authenticity and less fabrication. Barnum is such a colorful character with flair and wit.
The story moved at a good pace for me. I also appreciated the related plot lines such as her brother’s Civil War experience, Caisson disease and how best to minimize the effects, other bridge projects, and the tragic consequences caused by an unscrupulous contractor who used an inferior product for greater profits.
I would recommend this book with enthusiasm to fans of historical fiction. I received a complimentary copy of the ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. #TheEngineer’sWife #NetGalley

I really enjoyed the historical aspects of this story but had a hard time connecting with the characters. Their development felt a little bland or fell a little short for me. I did enjoy learning about this period of history though!

While the historical events that inspired this book are fascinating to me, I'm not sure how I feel about this retelling. The writing and overall structure of the story is fine. However, I found the characterization bland, which made it hard for me to really connect with Emily and Wash as real people. Emily was your basic Mary Sue "I'm not like other girls" heroine. While the book is told in first person, I never felt like I understood her. The pacing was also strange to me. Important events were rushed through, while at the same time the building of the bridge was very long and drawn out. The author also took several liberties to the actual historical story, and while I understand some of the changes for dramatization, I didn't really care for some of them. For example, the main conflict of the book is based around a fictitious affair involving another historical figure which was my least favorite part of the book. Overall I did learn from the history behind this story, I just personally had some problems with the execution.

I adored this book. I loved learning about bridge building and all that was involved but the characters and what happened next really pulled me in. A great read.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who’s really into historical fiction. But overall, it was a good book. There was so much information in this book about the Brooklyn Bridge and Emily Warren.

I thought the description sounded so neat but since it was super historical fiction it was a bit dry for me at some points.

A wonderful blend of fact and fiction (be sure to read the author's notes at the end, where she clarifies where she took liberties and how the story evolved) based on the life of Emily Warren Roebling, a force behind the building of the Brooklyn Bridge.

A woman not afraid to break norms, Emily hopes to take part in the women's suffrage movement. When her brother, GK, introduces her to Washington Roebling, her life takes a turn as she marries the man whose dream, shared with his father, is to build a bridge in Brooklyn.

The story follows the trials the couple face - professional, as Wash suffers decompression sickness, and personal, as the illness and his passion, which becomes hers (in a way) put a strain on her marriage. Adding to the strain is her unconventional friendship (?) with PT Barnum. (I confess, this was the part of the story where it went off the rails a bit for me.)

She is a smart woman who quickly takes over Wash's roles in a time when it was very unacceptable for her to do so. She makes waves in the community while proving herself more than capable. She was brazen, passionate, and a risk-taker - and she made for one fascinating character!

PT Barnum was an unexpectedly complex character, as was Wash, her husband. The Brooklyn Bridge herself becomes another character in this book.

The author does an excellent job of conveying what had to have been a very technical and complicated language of the bridge-building process. I knew very little about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, and nothing about Emily Roebling's hand in it, so I'm always pleased to finish a book knowing a little more about history than I did previously. In this aspect, I was not disappointed, either.

I highly recommend this book for fans of historical fiction.

NetGalley provided me with a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are my own!

I was quickly drawn in to The Engineer’s Wife. The writing style and the story of Emily and Wash is quite engaging. I recently read a children’s biography about Emily and that is what prompted me to read this book. I love historical fiction where I can learn more about a time period (the mid-late 1800’s has always been one of my favorites) and I never really knew anything about the Brooklyn Bridge so it was neat to learn about that as well. If you enjoy historical fiction I’d say you’d most likely enjoy this book.

This was a book that sounded super sweeping and intriguing - Emily Warren wasn't a person I'd ever heard about before, and I wanted to read her story, and the idea of this book being about her relationship with her husband and how that messed with her aspirations, etc., was super intriguing to me. (I love any form of relationship drama, especially if it's unique - e.g. not just your average soap box drama about love and whatever.)

Since I knew almost nothing about this, it was definitely a journey of discovery for me. I found myself bored at several points, which is the reason for the lower rating, but it was overall a fascinating story. Maybe not quite as relationship heavy as I would've liked - I would have prefered less details about other things.

So well written so fascinating as a woman born in Brooklyn books about New York the Brooklyn bridge draw me in.This is a novel I will be recommending to my book club as one of our choices.# netgalley #sourcebooklandmark.

This book was really interesting - despite living in NYC, I didn't realize that the Brooklyn Bridge's history was so tied in with a woman's life, one spent supporting her husband and eventually learning his trade so meticulously that she was able to lead the entire project for the bridge. It was so impressive and inspiring. The writing felt slow to me, and somehow didn't capture the magic I'd hoped for but the story itself was interesting for a history buff.

The Engineer’s Wife

This book is a yummy mix of history (just after the Civil war, then through 1890ish), growing up, falling in love, marrying, having a career and family – all in a New York setting – Brooklyn to be exact – right at the feet of that wonderful old Brooklyn bridge!

I love a sticky read, and this stuck from the very first chapter. The reader follows Emily Warren, and soon is introduced to Washington Roebling. From there, the story grows like an oak tree spreading out in all directions. From civil war generals to PT Barnum there is something for everyone in these pages. There is a little bit of everything. I find it is a hero(ine)’s tale, and Emily truly does save the day – we have this bridge today because of her persistence, courage and intelligence – she believed in her father-in-law’s design, and proved herself willing to be taught, pupil to her husband’s guidance and scholarship. Family, friends, and Suffragettes poke their noses in. Elephants on the bridge? Maybe. Almost. Who introduced peanuts for human snacks? TGS. Sex? Yes – even nipple-twisting (although the specific mention was a first aid assist, it was implied for other functions). Tensions rise when questions of love, and the relentless press corps threaten her family and her happiness. But wait! There’s more! Bridge tragedies during the building and after – yes! The author catches up all of these and weaves them in as the bridge goes up. All in all a very satisfying read.

4 stars from this Satisfied Reader, on this mix of fact and fiction.

A sincere thanks to Tracey Enerson Wood, Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Engineer's Wife, by Tracey Enerson Wood, was a wonder!  The main character, Emily Roebling, becomes a force in the building of The Brooklyn Bridge.  In the late 1800's she takes on a job that no woman had ever dreamed of.  The job of Project Engineer was first assigned to her husband, but when he falls ill, it is Emily that steps in to fill his shoes.  With no professional training, Emily works hard to grasp this groundbreaking construction project.  Emily is brutally thrown into a man's world.  She is constantly faced with adversity and poor treatment by her male counterparts.  The men of the day have little faith in Emily.  Worse yet, they have little tolerance of a woman on their job site, making decisions, and acting as their supervisor.  Emily becomes educated in her skills by way of her husbands guidance, the study of math and science, and by trial and error.  Emily makes some poor decisions, some even costing lives.  Although struck by these fatalities, Emily pushes on.  Her proactive and reactive behavior proves herself both physically and mentally.  If not for Emily's drive and ambition, the project would not have become the monumental structure that it is.  Emily followed this project through completion, but may have lost her somewhat neglected family along the way.
As a female engineer myself, I can't tell you how much I could relate to Emily and her strive for equality.  The obstacles she faced  in trying to lead men in this industry were near impossible, if not a bit shady.  I am sad to  say, not much has changed in our world since this time.  Respect and equality do not come without price.  I found the story, especially the technical writing, to be of great interest.  An engineering project like this is an engineers dream.  I was sorry to hear that lives were lost and some less than casual accidents incurred.  I was sometimes shocked at the confidence Emily demonstrated with such new design and structural elements.  I also enjoyed the side story of Roebling, Emily's husband's family, who played part in the wire industry, as well as her interactions with the famous PT Barnum.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with the opportunity to review this ARC  in turn for my honest opinion of the book.

There was a time (and even today) the saying goes if you believe something unbelievable you would say "If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.". This,of course, refers to the Brooklyn Bridge. That bridge is part of the historic landscape of New York and as a native New Yorker I never thought much about the bridge's history, just took it for granted. "The Engineer's Wife" gives a new perspective on that bridge and its history. This was a fascinating novel depicting the woman behind the man. A woman who when her husband is injured and unable to work surprises everyone by taking over, first as his eyes and ears and eventually she becomes completely in charge of the project. Not only amazing, but amazing for those times. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent recap of historical timeline of famous bridges built. Not only is the history intriguing but the tale of two people falling in love and their through struggles, love and mishaps in a world long ago. It does Patel with current times and the strength and power of women and earning respect and support of their fellow man.

The story of the woman behind the Brooklyn Bridge. Emily Roebling viewed herself as a partner to her husband in all ways and tried to learn about his job. But when he is injured and unable to work she surprises everyone by taking over, first as his eyes and ears and eventually she becomes completely in charge of the project. She faces opposition and challenges at every turn in her quest to make her husband's dream a reality. A story of a strong woman finding a way to live her best life.

Go back 150 years, to a time where a woman’s place was in the home and whose dreams seemed unobtainable due to women’s limitations and meet the very real Emily Warren Roebling....the woman behind the man that built the Brooklyn Bridge.

As a young woman, Emily has a dream of being a big part of the women’s suffrage movement with the goal of not just the right to vote but also to obtain achievements that were only acceptable of men. When she meets and falls in love with Washington Roebling, her dreams have to take a backseat to his. A man broken by the Civil War, Washington always has one wall up to Emily but his passion to build one of the most recognizable bridges in the world is contagious. Emily struggles with staying home with their young son as is expected of her but that changes when Washington is injured. Emily is suddenly thrust into his place...at first as a messenger but as time passes...a decision maker. Over the years that it takes to build the bridge, their marriage is tested and almost lost, constant scrutiny because a woman was in charge and unexpected tragedy. Emily’s strength through it all is remarkable and proof that women are completely capable...especially at a time when most thought they weren’t.

While the basis of this novel is based on truth, the author takes lots of liberties with the story. She does a great job of explaining in the authors notes so be sure to read those once you’ve finished. A lot of the little questions you may have will be answered. What I loved about this book is the way Emily is written...as a strong, intelligent, determined, independent woman who is always eager to expand her knowledge and skills. She is a great example of a woman rising to the occasion, especially at a time when the role of a woman was very clear. Another thing that I really liked was the fact that the author subtly touched on PTSD as a result of the Civil War. Even back then, men who served in a war had a great difficulty talking about all that they witnessed...and without the resources to help them.

I learned a great deal about this era in our history from this book. It left me wanting to learn more and that is one reason I absolutely adore historical fiction. I expand my knowledge but I also am introduced to real people who possess extremely admirable qualities that I can learn from!

Highly recommended read!!

New York City is one of my very favorite places and I am always intrigued by the Brooklyn Bridge and it's intriguing history. The Engineer's Wife was a fascinating read with strong, developed characters. Some of the description and terminology were hard to follow, but overall a highly enjoyable book.

Many of us have walked over the Brooklyn Bridge, but probably most of us don’t know the story behind this bridge and what an enormous achievement back then it was to build such grand bridge and to take on such massive project. And the dedication it took.

1865, Emily Warren marries Captain Washington ‘Wash’ Roebling. She marries into the family of engineers. Father and son are working on finishing “the Cincinnati-Covington Bridge, which had been long delayed by the war (…),” linking Ohio and Kentucky. And this “is just a prototype. The real challenge is the East River.”

And that’s when Emily is asked to help with “Speeches, meetings, dinner receptions, whatever necessary. We have to raise about seven million dollars.”

She is left speechless. “They were responsible for finding the project as well as building it?”

An office is established to run all the logistics pertaining to building the bridge. And the most qualified person to manage the office turns out to be Mrs. Roebling.

She meets challenges with officials as she performs man’s job. But she is not afraid to put man’s pants on, even if it means punishable offense.

An accident happens at the work site and she becomes a messenger, bearing a journal with drawings and instructions. Further events push her to get even more involved with the construction.

Richly imagined and beautifully woven story of a woman who refuses to bend to old conventions. A woman who craves changes and progress and makes a difference by taking part in it.

She is not a bystander. She is a woman of action. She wants to see more and do more, and “meet people pushing in new directions.”

But in a world when a woman meddles where she shouldn’t be, it usually results in some consequences, including being shunned by other woman and disrespected by men. Nevertheless, she is a woman of great strength. She tilts her head up and she lives her life as best as she can.

With intelligent prose, this expertly detailed account weaves a touching story of how a famous bridge comes to be and a marriage that is tested through its ups and downs like the construction of a bridge. It seems to be a parallel story (maybe not meant to be, maybe it just came through that way) that paints a powerful picture what it takes to build a bridge – a solid foundation. And what it takes to build a successful relationship – trust.

The story interestingly weaves many aspects including heart-touching story of what led Wash to become an engineer, through detailed construction and its challenges including caisson disease (decompression sickness), to undeniable determination of a woman to see completion of a bridge.