I’m very grateful to UpLit Reads, Sussan Meissner, and Berkley-Random House for gifting me an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Nature of Fragile Things is a historical fiction set in 1906 San Francisco, filled with dark secrets and hidden pasts. It kept me reading with sense of urgency, much like a suspense novel. Although the book takes place during the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, the natural disaster is a is merely a character in the backdrop of the story. Each main character has a mysterious identity; as each secret unravels, hidden connections are revealed.

Three women take up the heart of the novel and are joined together by a web of lies. As they unite, they become stronger than ever. I especially love how the female heroine, an Irish immigrant, is depicted as a strong, smart, courageous, and resilient woman, especially considering the historical timeframe the book is written in. The main characters will stop at nothing in order to resist not only the forces of nature but the forces of evil, itself. Some of these themes actually reminded me of the book, The Giver of Stars— if you enjoyed the female camaraderie in that book then you’d most likely appreciate this story as well (it’s faster paced, too).

It is obvious Susan Meissner did her part in researching the horrific events that took place in San Francisco during 1906. I felt like I was transported through time reading this book and love how descriptive the scenes are. I also felt like I could smell, taste, and hear all of the chaos that came with the earthquake and fires that are depicted so well. My favorite sections are the broken up interviews that are interwoven throughout the story, adding to the overall suspense.

There were many passages and quotes that resonated with me. A quote that encapsulates the heart of the story well is: “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” (217). This story is about the power of women uniting and is one of resilience and strength in times of devastation and tragedy.

I would not be surprised to see The Nature of Fragile Things on a future bestseller list. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fictions and mystery novels. For me, this was the perfect blend of the two genres, and I will be sharing it with many!

The Nature of Fragile Things is a story about how the bonds between family can be more fragile than they appear, but those forged in love are enough to withstand the most earthshaking deceptions. Mail order bride Sophie Whelan knows that her marriage match with Martin Hocking is not one based on love, but she leaps at the chance to become his wife and a stepmother to his daughter Kat when she responds to his ad seeking a wife. Desperate to make a new life for herself in San Francisco, Sophie finds a deep bond with the little girl who lost her mother if not her father. But Sophie's marriage is not what it seems, and Martin Hocking is something altogether different, a horrendous lie that she discovers when a pregnant young woman arrives on her doorstep looking for her missing husband. As a great earthquake descends on San Francisco, Sophie must undo the horrors her husband has perpetuated and make things right for the little girl who has captured her heart, even if it means losing her.
I thought that the Nature of Fragile Things was a satisfying story with enough twists and compelling characters in it to make it interesting. Nothing in this book is ever what it seems. The second you think you know something or someone in it the author rips the rug out from under both the characters and the reader, which is one of the things I loved about it. I thought Sophie was strong and resilient, and the bond between her and Kat really captures what beautiful and fragile things relationships between family not made of blood can be. The truth behind who Martin was was both horrifying and fascinating, and I loved to hate him. I really enjoyed how the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 was symbolic of the earth shattering truths about Sophie's marriage came to light, and how the aftermath of both disasters both geographical and personal are synonymous with each other. Overall, The Nature of Fragile Things is a really solid historical fiction novel, one about found family and the complications inherent to them.

The Nature of Fragile Things-4.89⭐

This book is coming in hot as one of my new favorite historical fiction novels! I had a stellar reading month in January, but this one might be my favorite from the month. Sometimes historical fiction gets a bad wrap for being a stuffy genre… but this book takes you on a wild ride worthy of a Lifetime movie in the very best way.

Sophie moves to San Francisco as a mail-order bride, set to a marry a man she really knows nothing about. She’s pleased to have the opportunity to escape the tenant housing in New York City, and she is looking forward to being a mother for her new husband’s young daughter Kat. While she quickly falls in love with Kat, her marriage with Martin remains quite cold.

The novel is set in San Francisco during the events of the 1906 earthquake, and the sensory descriptions of the earthquake really made me feel like I was living through the experience. There’s a lot more that unfolds with Sophie’s story, but all I can say is that there is a twist halfway through the book that will make you audibly gasp while reading. This book should definitely be turned into a movie!

This is only the second book of Meissner’s that I’ve read and I have loved both. This book takes place in San Francisco around the time of the massive 1906 earthquake. As usual with Meissner, the characters in this book are fascinating. The web of their lies isn’t fully revealed until the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishers for a copy of this book.

I’m a huge fan of historical fiction that centers on disastrous events. Not just the world wars, but other major events that youve heard about, learned about in school but never considered from an every day person’s experience standpoint. I love books that delve into these events so we can see how we would feel being at the epicenter of something like the great earthquake of 1906 and subsequent fires. Absolutely breathtaking story and excellent writing. This book will stay with me.

Thanks to the publisher for the eARC.

This was a very interesting historical fiction story. Set in around the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco.

It follows Sophie as she begins her new life as a new bride & mother. When a pregnant woman shows up on her door, her husband’s secrets are revealed. Sophie comes to find a 3rd woman whose life is intertwined with hers.

I really enjoyed seeing how the story unfolded and how the lives of all three women intertwine. I liked seeing how they supported each other and found a way to make a happy life for themselves.

Sophie is escaping her life. She fled Ireland to American and then answered an ad to become a bride on the west coast. Life seems better until a pregnant woman shows up on her door stoop claiming she is married to Sophie’s husband. Then they both discover that there is another wife. Life is not what it seems.

I was very excited to get the chance to read this novel. Irish immigrant Sophie Whalen accepts a proposal of marriage to a widower raising his young daughter in San Francisco that she has never met. Knowing she will never have children of her own, she willingly takes on the responsibility of raising his child who hasn’t spoken much since the death of her mother. One day while her husband is gone for business, a pregnant woman shows up on Sophie’s doorstep and her life begins to unravel. Then with the earthquake of 1906, the avalanche of deception and death overwhelms the two women as they attempt to understand what has happened to Sophie’s husband and the choices he has made that impact them both.

The characters were woven together in a way that helps you to fully understand their role in the story. Just when you think the story is complete, Meisser throws another curve ball. Lovers of historical fiction will thoroughly enjoy this book.

#netgalley #thenatureoffragilethings

The Nature of Fragile Things is the new book from Susan Meissner.

"Sophie Whalen has come to America from Ireland hoping to start over. Her job is terrible, her bed is full of bugs and there is little prospect of life getting better. She answers an ad and moves to San Francisco to be the wife of a widower and the mother to his young child. Life is not what Sophie expected but it's still better than what she had. One night a stranger appears at the door and Sophie realizes that her husband has been very bad. When a terrible earthquake levels much of San Francisco, Sophie must decide how far she is willing to go to protect her daughter and herself."

Meissner takes these catastrophic events and puts people in the middle of them. People with big problems and a lot to lose. Sophie takes a big chance to marry a man, sight unseen. How bad does life have to be to make someone do that?

The book starts with Sophie being interviewed by a detective about her missing husband and goes back and forth from what happened to the interview. The first person account of the earthquake is terrifying. You have to love the strength in Sophie - wanting a better life and wanting to protect her new daughter. But she is not willing to put up with any crap and makes some hard choices. I'm glad that we get to see what happened in Ireland. I like the ending - it's good to see some justice.

Another great book from Meissner.

Such a well-written story!

While the main character, Sophie, and I have little to nothing in common, it was so easy to slip into her story. She is brave, she is grounded, and she is loving. The story follows her from Ireland to New York to San Francisco in the early 1900s, ultimately finding herself answering an advertisement for a wife and mother. She travels across the US and meets a man and marries him the same day. Wild concept, right!?

Watching Sophie act as a wife in her new life, as well as become a mother to sweet, almost-mute Kat, is so endearing. What I didn't expect was the twists and turns that started to happen as the chapters rolled on. I mean, what!?

Usually I'm not "all in" on novels that are told from one perspective, but this one kept me engaged and plowing through to the end. What a ride! And that epilogue -- ughhh, my heart <3.

Who should read it? I found similarities in the writing style of Sarah's Key or The Alice Network. Obviously completely different points in time, but something is telling me if you enjoyed those titles, you'll love this one!

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. ...


This book was a compelling story that really started to kick off about halfway through. The first half felt a little jumbled with a mystery plot point, an earthquake, and not a lot of setting up about our main character Sophie. From the beginning the only character I really connected with was Kat. She had me wanting to know her story. When all the different threads of the plot began to connect around 50% is where I began to enjoy it. Overall, a decent Historical Fiction, with an interesting history.

This book was fantastic! I mean, I'm not surprised because Susan Meissner is a wonderful storyteller. I think I've been enthralled with pretty much every book of hers I've read...but this one, to me, took things to a new level. I was legitimately shocked at one point in the story and HAD to keep turning pages to figure out what in the world was going on. Absolutely loved this!

The Nature of Fragile Things follows a young Irish immigrant, Sophia, who responds to a newspaper advertisement to marry a widowed San Franciscan man and raise his daughter as her own. Interesting, right? The setting: 1906 San Francisco, best known for the Great San Francisco Earthquake and subsequent fires that destroyed the majority of the city. As Sophia is finding out her new husband isn’t exactly what he seemed, she’s rattled by the disasters (both natural and not!) of 1906. Her path intertwines with two other women affected by her mysterious husband and the bond they build… is more powerful than expected. This is a story of love, loss and regrowth.

I was immediately drawn to this novel based on the setting. So many historical fictions are based around WW1/WW2, 1920s in NYC, etc. and it is very rare to find a west coast historical fiction… especially the great earthquake of 1906! The city, the experiences of this disaster and the recovery response were transcribed in such a fabulous way… I felt I was present!

This story was not what expected… and everything I needed. I would recommend this to any fan of historical fiction. I would recommend this to anyone with a soft spot for San Francisco. I would recommend this to anyone who loves female friendships. Thank you for the opportunity to read.

I loved this story! Look, this isn’t high literature, but it’s an entertaining story about strong, intelligent women and the power of maternal love. Meissner sure can craft a page turner and the writing is solid but not flashy. I really liked the female friendships and how brave and resilient the women were. Overall, I really enjoyed it and there’s a nice resolution at the end.

This book was not what I expected. I actually requested it by accident thinking it was another book. I read all books I request for review...so I was going to read this with an open mind, even if it was a romance novel. I made a snap judgement based on the book blurb -- mail order bride, a move across the country, a huge earthquake....must be a romance novel....but one with an intriguing enough plot, even for someone who avoids the romance genre.
Like I said -- this story surprised me. This book is not a romance novel....it's a novel about women coming together in the face of disaster and life-altering events. Sophie moves across the country to marry a man she doesn't know and comes to love his young daughter like her own. Kat is grieving the loss of her mother. The five year old hasn't spoken a word since her mother died. And Belinda, a woman who shows up on the doorstep unexpectedly, has details about Sophie's husband and his past. Then the 1906 San Francisco earthquake hits....and these women go on a journey that will require them to be very strong.

A beautiful and suspenseful story! I loved it! Sometimes it's good to journey outside favorite genres and discover something unexpected and wonderful. I have the audio version of this book on hold at my local library because I want to enjoy this story again -- and have it read to me this time!

This is the first book I've read by Susan Meissner. I'm definitely going to read more by her!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Berkley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

This is my first book from Susan Meissner and probably won't be my last. I thought this book was well written. I've been really getting into historical fiction lately and I really enjoyed this one.

I liked that Susan told a great story about an event that I actually didn't know anything about. This story was about the 1906 earth quake that took place in San Francisco and caused quite a bit of devastation. I also enjoyed that this book had some mystery to it. Unlike other historical fiction novels I have read, this one actually had a few twists that I wasn't able to see coming.

This story was, at times, quite heartbreaking. But what I loved most was the way the three women's stories were woven together so beautifully. I really felt their feelings. I loved the bond that they created with each other, the way they helped each other and managed to stick together despite all odds. I thought they were each strong individually.

Overall, this was a book that I really liked and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. However, because of the mystery elements and plot twists, I feel that even people who are not fans of the genre will still like this book.

Some trigger warnings include death, abusive relationships and infant mortality.

Not familiar with the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 the author was vivid in her descriptions of what happened and the after effects of this devastating event. The story of Irish Sophie and her journey to escape Ireland and begin a new life in America is intriguing. Sophie must reinvent herself for a variety of reasons and she managed quite well until some unforeseen events and people enter her life. This book describes these events and people . An interesting read about human nature and the obstacles often encountered.

The Nature of Fragile Things is not a writing masterpiece or particularly deep but it was a compelling story and I found it hard to put down. Set in the early 20th century in California, the story starts around the time of the San Francisco earthquake and focuses on the story Sophie tells about her marriage to a man she meets through a newspaper advertisement. From the beginning, we know that the man disappeared during the earthquake and that Sophie did not report his missing until some time later. There are multiple layers of mystery in the story so I will say no more to avoid spoilers. I liked Sophie's personality and her voice. I liked the slow unveiling of the mysteries. I liked how the story ended. Good entertaining novel with plenty of drama and feel good moments. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to an advance copy.

I love Historical Fiction, now put that front and center of a true historical event, and I am a very happy camper. Even if the story, the characters, the mere premise, is a sorrowful set-up. Author Meissner weave together women's life, feelings, hope, and sorrows is what is called fiction but is all too much real in every detail. It's not just Sophie, Kat and Martin's story. It's a lost generation's story. And a well-done historical novel.

Reading this book is like peeling back the layers of the story as you get more and more intimate with the characters. Sophie is a mail order bride arriving in San Francisco from Ireland by way of New York. She is satisfied with her marriage to Martin and comes to love his 5 year old daughter Kat. When some truth about Martin rises to the surface, she has to dig deeper to find some firm footing to stand on. Which is difficult to do when a literal earthquake shakes the whole city throwing everyone and especially Sophie and Kat into chaos.

This story tells the tale of female friendship. It is about the strength of women and their bond amidst catastrophe. I found this compulsively listenable and didn't want it to end.

Content Warning: Death, Domestic Abuse, Infidelity