The Nature of Fragile Things is a novel full of intrigue, strong women, resiliency, and the exploration of why we do what we do - or what we choose not to do. The author draws us into the stories of several women as they learn about who their husbands really are... And with that knowledge, with the backdrop of the devastating San Francisco earthquake and fire, they have to make some tough calls. I loved considering how these women's stories intertwined and how they made their choices. Finally, there was an underlying theme regarding motherhood and the love of a mother for her children that I found really powerful. I couldn't put this book down!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reading copy. All opinions are my own.

It is 1906, and a big earthquake hit San Francisco. Sophie and her little girl Kat, leave their house in search of safety. Sophie has only been in San Francisco a little over a year after answering a mail-order bride ad from Martin Hocking. Martin has recently lost his wife and is searching for someone to help care for his daughter, Kat. Sophie does not know much about Martin as he travels a lot but she quickly grew to love Kat. What she does not know about Martin will soon turn her life upside down as well as the lives of two other women.

The book opens with a detective interviewing Sophie about the disappearance of Martin. It quickly goes to the story and Sophie's journey from the east coast to San Francisco to become Martin's wife. At first, Sophie's life is normal with the exception of her husband away on business trips frequently. The day before the earthquake a woman appears at Sophie and Martin's house asking for Martin. This is when Martin's secrets start to unravel and Sophie begins to learn about her husband's past and present.

The story itself is very interesting but when you add in the earthquake and its aftermath, it makes the perfect setting for the book. The earthquake is not a central part of the story but more of a background. I enjoyed this glimpse into history. What I loved most about this book is the strength of the woman involved in this book. They are forced to make difficult choices but do so with the best intentions. I won't give away the ending but it is perfect. Things end exactly as they should in my opinion.

This amazing book is coming out on February 2, 2021 and would be a perfect addition to your TBR stack. You will especially love this book if you like a pinch of history mixed with independent women. Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book and allowing me to share my honest thoughts.

This is the first book I've read by Susan Meissner but it surely won't be the last. The Nature of Fragile Things, set in San Francisco at the time of the great earthquake, is a mesmerizing page-turner. The plot, which in lesser skilled hands would be seen as hopelessly improbable, is anything but that. It is filled with twists and turns, mysteries and secrets. Meissner drops enough hints that the reader knows more twists are coming and the resolution of those twists ultimately is satisfying, although the last chapter is a slight cop-out in terms of its convenience in tying up some "loose ends." Meissner paints her characters deeply and realistically and her scenes of our main characters fleeing from the dangers of the earthquake's aftermath are nothing short of heart-racing. Highly recommended.

A mail-order husband that turned out to be perfect until one morning a knock at the door shattered Sophie’s life.

Actually there are two more women whose lives are shattered by Sophie’s husband.

THE NATURE OF FRAGILE THINGS takes us into the lives of Sophie, Belinda, Candace, and six-year-old Kat.

Each woman has a different story, but Martin, Sophie’s husband, is at the center of all of them.

This book was about life’s choices, the resilience of women, the beauty of friendship, the support women give each other, and an added bit of mystery.

You will wonder where it is heading in the beginning, and it heads to another marvelous book by Susan Meissner.

Ms. Meissner wove the story line around her well-researched account of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake which added to the tension and beauty of this book.

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I only discovered Susan Meissner's work this year and she has quickly become one of my favorite authors. Her stories always weave intriguing tales with solid characters, and the Nature of Fragile Things is no exception. Set amongst the chaos of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, this novel is a gripping tale of family, friendship, and the lengths to which people will go for personal gain. Irish immigrant Sophie Whelan is a spunky, likeable woman who finds herself newly married and mother to a six-year-old girl. She settles into domestic life in California only to grow suspicious of her new husband. As Sophie uncovers the complicated web of her husband's lies, an earthquake tears the world apart. The action in the novel moves at a quick pace, immediately drawing the reader into Sophie's world and ensnaring us until the final secret is revealed. I came to love Kat, Sophie's adopted daughter and truly felt sympathy for the hard decisions the pair had to make. From the very first page to the finale, I simply could not put this book down. Meissner has delivered another delectable historical novel, melding history with fiction to create a truly mesmerizing story. I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Another excellent piece of historical fiction from Susan Meissner, taking place in SanFrancisco in 1906. Sophie, a poor Irish immigrant in NY answers an ad from a man looking for a wife and mother to his child. After corresponding, Sophie marries and enters into a very strange relationship,the only positive being Kat, Martin’s daughter. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but much occurs to turn Sophie’s life upside down days before the earthquake. The details of the earthquake and subsequent fires add to the depth of the story. Sophie’s character is complex, strong and a bit mysterious. I throughly enjoyed this book, and high,y recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner is set during the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. The novel is more of a compelling mystery than a historical novel. The novel begins as Sophie Hocking is being interviewed by U.S. Marshal Ambrose Logan on November 6, 1906, several months after the San Francisco earthquake. The novel then takes a turn and goes back to March of 1905 presenting circumstances that have led up to why Sophie is being interviewed by a U.S. Marshall. The novel is full of twists, turns, and surprises. I even found myself gasp out loud in surprise. There is a strong connection between three women who bind together to help each other not only survive the after effects of the earthquake but to seek justice for a wrong that all three have experienced.
Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sophie is an Irish immigrant in New York that desperately wants to find a way out. She's living in a tenement, sharing quarters and not really getting enough to eat. She's working but she doesn't earn much. So when she sees an ad in the paper from a man looking for a wife, she answers it.

Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published February 2nd.

Sophie travels cross country and meets the man she's to marry. They get married immediately and he takes her to a new home he's purchased. She meets his little daughter and falls in love with her.

This is a tale of secrets. The man lies to her, is guilty of bigamy, and the mother of the little girl is not dead as he says. Sophie has some secrets of her own.

She meets another wife who is pregnant. They are both shocked that the same man has married them but with different names. He comes home while she's still there and rushes up the steps where his pregnant wife is standing with his daughter. The daughter shoves him and he falls back down the stairs. Sophie drags him out in the kitchen so the child won't see what she's done. He's not looking good and Sophie wouldn't care if he died.

Then a big earthquake hits. The women leave the house and go to a park where they are gathering folks. The pregnant woman has her baby early and she's taken somewhere else. Sophie and the girl keep looking for her. They get reunited and then they find the house is just ashes. They go to the other lady's house to live.

Sophie goes back and looks for bones but she's not sure he if he died or got away...

Will he come back?

I love Susan Meissner’s hf novels and her newest is a real page-turner with twists and secrets amid the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Meissner writes so convincingly that we feel the earth tremble, see buildings crack into kindling, watch massive fires engulf the city. We become immersed in the story of Sophie, an Irish immigrant who answers a mail order bride ad and moves to San Fran to marry widower Martin. Each has a past as explosive as the earthquake that erupts soon after she arrives.

Meissner covers her characters with compassion as she strips them bare during world calamities. In AS BRIGHT AS HEAVEN it was the 1918 flu epidemic, in SECRETS OF A CHARMED LIFE it was the London blitz. She’s one of my favorite authors precisely because she gives hope in darkness, as she does in THE NATURE OF FRAGILE THINGS. A perfect tale for our times!

5 of 5 Stars

Thanks to the author, Berkley Publishing Group, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

Pub Date 02 Feb 2021
#TheNatureofFragileThings #NetGalley

This is a new author to me.
I appreciated that this book is historical fiction and did not include dual timelines or war.

San Francisco in the early twentieth century is the setting of this book and is very detailed. The city almost feels like it is a character itself.
I found myself trying to read faster while learning about the earthquake itself.

This is a very good story full of secrets, disasters, and uncertainties while At the same time, the narrative carries a theme that will be with the reader long after the book has been read.
Highly recommend for lovers of historical fiction and book club readers.
This was an amazing story that I could not put down.
Thank you for an advanced opportunity to read this amazing book.

This author is a go-to for me. I thoroughly enjoy how her books mark a historical event, while weaving into that an engaging fictional human interest story (or two). While most of her previous novels have had two time periods, this one focuses mainly on one, with brief flashbacks in the lives of the women. I liked this format as well as, if not more than, the others. There is also a detective interview woven throughout this one which I very much enjoyed as it followed along with the plot of the story. I was captivated by the characters and their plight, and learned a bit about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake along the way. Meissner does a great job of weaving the historical facts in without making it read like a documentary. The book is mostly about the residence of strong women, and their willingness to help each other in a moment of need. It also tackles the question of what makes a mother, and what qualities are important for the wellbeing of a child?

I can highly recommend this intriguing tale centered around an earthquake, but giving so much more insight into women, friendship, and motherhood. This author has still not disappointed me, and I look forward to whatever she writes next!

A woman moves across the country to get a new start in life. What starts as a situation with minor quirks becomes an earth-shattering reality, in more ways than one. Author Susan Meissner excels both in historical fact and compelling fiction in her newest book The Nature of Fragile Things.

At the turn of the 20th century, Sophie Whalen knows she needs to get out of New York City. She left behind her beloved Ireland to start life afresh, but the cramped, dingy living conditions in her tiny shared apartment are making it difficult to imagine anything clean and new. Add to that the horrible work in the factory, and Sophie is desperate to leave.

When she sees an ad in the newspaper offering her a way out, she jumps at the chance. A gentleman in San Francisco is looking for a mail-order bride. A widower, he needs a new wife to take care of his daughter. Sophie doesn’t even blink; she answers the ad, packs up her meager belongings, and jumps on the train across the country.

Sophie isn’t blind to the eccentricity of her situation, and she isn’t looking for romance. She just wants a quiet life in a home of her own, and she gets it with Martin Hocking…more or less. Martin doesn’t talk much, and his daughter, Kat, doesn’t talk at all. Martin confides in Sophie that Kat thinks her mother’s death is her fault but reassures Sophie that in time things will get better.

After bringing both Sophie and Kat to a new house in San Francisco, Martin leaves for a business trip. So starts Sophie’s new routine: getting to know her new home city and her new step-daughter. In no time, both charm her. Kat begins to open up to Sophie, and it seems as if life will finally start settling down. Although Sophie can’t quite figure out why Martin needs to be away so much for his job and why he’s so stiff around Kat, she decides not to question what is arguably a situation that favors her.

The questions do come from someone else, however. On an ordinary April day, a woman shows up on Sophie’s doorstep asking for answers that Sophie can’t provide. Within twelve hours, Sophie, the woman, and Kat barely survive a deadly earthquake and forever become tied to one another. As Sophie fights for survival, she starts to put together the odd pieces that make up her new husband in a brand new picture that first frightens her and then emboldens her.

Author Susan Meissner grounds her book in such authenticity that readers will feel like they’re standing right next to Sophie as she disembarks the train in California at the start of the story. Meissner also chose to tell the story in flashbacks, a risky endeavor, but here it works. The scenes in the “present,” as short as they might be, propel the narrative forward and readers will be flipping or swiping pages as fast as possible to find out what happens next.

The entire book is a gem, but the sections that hit the hardest come during the earthquake itself. One of the most devastating events in California history, Meissner gives readers a virtual tactility with the disaster. The descriptions are incredible, offering readers all five senses before, during, and after the tragedy.

Sophie will win readers’ hearts as the determined protagonist, and Meissner doesn’t make things easy for her main character. The harder Sophie fights for answers, though, the more readers will cheer her on. Kat’s mutism is heartbreaking, and all of the women Sophie gets to know along the way only go to show the strength of having a village full of loved ones.

Readers who enjoy historical fiction or a book about strong women will thoroughly enjoy this book. I recommend readers Binge The Nature of Fragile Things.

Full review will be available 2/3/21 on www.novelpastimes.com
This was an amazing story that I could not put down. Highly recommended.

Sophie Whalen fled Ireland, hoping for a better life in New York. But when she finds a mail-order bride listing from a widower in San Francisco, she says goodbye to her rat-infested tenement and heads west. Things seem to be going her way when Martin Hocking is handsome and respectful and his daughter Kat is sweet-- and silent. Martin's away often on business, and the bond between Sophie and Kat grows in his absence, as does Sophie's intuition that something is very wrong. 

The depth of his depravity is revealed when Sophie answers the door to a pregnant stranger on her doorstep. And the two women start digging to discover even more lies. They're set to bring those lies to light when, on the morning of April 18, 1906, a huge earthquake rocks the city and destroys the homes and lives of everyone in San Francisco. Can Sophie use love as a way to rebuild a life out of rubble?

I love everything Susan Meissner has written, and this is perhaps one of my favorites. I actually got goosebumps at the end!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

I had never really read much about the San Francisco Earthquake and fire so the historical part of this book was very interesting. But even better was the mystery surrounding the main characters. I especially liked the relationship between Sophie and Becky. I'm not going to write anymore because it would be too easy to give something away. I really enjoyed this book and will be recommending it.

4.5 stars
Definitely put The Nature of Fragile Things on your TBR. This is historical fiction set in 1906 San Francisco, when a massive earthquake rocks the area. I had a hard time putting The Nature of Fragile Things Down - there is an incredible storyline going on amidst the absolute destruction of the earthquake and wow is it twisted and so good. I won't say anything more than that! It was a relief to read non-war histfic, without the dual timelines. This is just an all around great read that I'd venture to say would get anyone out of a slump. Congrats to Susan on a wonderful book - I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

A gorgeous, fascinating tale of Sophie Hocking who answers a NYC newspaper advertisement for a new wife for himself and a new mother for his little girl to come marry him in San Francisco. Sophie is happy for a chance to be a moter and hopefully, that she will come to love Martin. As time passes, Sophie is wondering about Martin's job that has him on the road for a few days each week.Then comes the day before the big San Francisco earthquake when Belinda shows up at the door of the Hocking home looking for her husband, James. Read this story of what develops with Sophie, Belinda, and Kat [the 7 year old silent daughter].
Susan Meissner keeps you glued to the story which develops with love and compassion.

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner is a historical fiction novel filled with suspense and tragedy. The story centers around Sophie Whalen who is an Irish Irish immigrant that answers an ad for a man seeking a wife and a mother to his daughter. Would you marry a man you've never met?

Sophie Whalen had her reasons to accept Martin Hocking's proposal. She was a young girl living in New York with nothing to lose.

Martin Hocking had his reasons for wanting a wife and mother for his daughter, Kat, who has gone silent. Unfortunately, none of them good.

As times goes on, Sophie Whalen learns of Martin's misdeeds. What happens next? You'll just have to read.

I enjoyed the book for the most part. There was enough suspense to keep me reading, however I did fill the need to rush through a few parts. Some content was left like bread crumbs throughout the book, then near the end fed the loaf.

THE NATURE OF FRAGILE THINGS is one of Susan Meissner's best novels. That's saying a lot because I'm a huge fan of all her books. I especially loved The Secrets of a Charmed Life, As Bright as Heaven, and Fall of Marigolds.

The setting of San Francisco in the early twentieth century is fantastic--very detailed and evocative. The city almost becomes another character.

I very much enjoyed Sophie and Kat's relationship and how Sophie confronts various secrets she encounters upon arriving in the city. In some ways, Meissner has combined a domestic suspense story with historical fiction, which makes for a supremely satisfying read.

The earthquake is of course an important aspect to the novel and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

This is a dramatic story full of intriguing secrets, disasters, and peril. At the same time, the well-crafted narrative carries an over-arching theme that will stick with the reader long after the last page is turned.

Highly recommended for fans of historical and book club fiction.

I raced through this book in two days. I learned so much about the great earthquake in San Francisco. And about the city itself. The characters, men, women, and children, were all utterly believable. I absolutely loved Meissner's depiction of the child, Kat.

I am positive that this book will be a favourite of book groups all over the world. There are so many values to weigh. I anticipate arguments about good and evil, taking things into our own hands, and our ability to love an evil person.

Great job, Ms Meissner!