Emily Roebling's fight for women's suffrage is put on hold, and her life transformed when her husband Washington Roebling, the Chief Engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, is injured on the job. Emily then became increasingly involved in the project as a liaison for her husband. It's a compelling premise for a story, but I found it to be slow moving and it did not hold my interest.

This is fairly based on the wife of the man who was the engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge. He worked right with his men from the true story I read about him and when he got sick with cassion disease she began showing up with his work requests for the workers. After some time she began working and adding her ideas which were also in the book I read. The part of the story here I think to make it more appealing was adding P.T. Barnum to it even though nothing was ever found and in the book I read nothing was found in that book or even mentioned as well. I do know she was out to make sure the project was completed and that her husband's name would be intact, she was also highly looked up to by the crews working at the bridge. This was a good book.

I enjoyed this historical fiction novel. It was interesting to learn about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the woman who turned out to be very instrumental in its creation. The part I didn’t care for was the fictionalized account of an affair between PT Barnum and Emily.

This was a fantastic historical novel. I love books about women breaking traditional roles for their time, and the added NYC setting in this one was just a cherry on top! If you like books like Her Hidden Genius, you’ll love this one.

I'm so sorry, but this was a DNF for me. While I use to finish all books I start, I found it would be a great disservice to the author and her time spent on this book if I forced myself to finish knowing it wouldn't be a review that would encourage readers to pick it up. Thank you for the opportunity.

Thank you to Sourcebook Landmark publishers for allowing me to read The Engineer’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are complete my own.

The Engineer’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood was a fascinating and powerful book about a woman history neglected to document and give credit to for her important contributions. Emily Warren Roebling came from Cold Spring, New York. She lived during the Civil War and met her husband Washington Roebling during that time. Washington (Wash) was an officer in the Union Army in her brother’s infantry. Emily’s brother had a hand in introducing his sister to Wash. Washington Roebling was a civil engineer. His life time dream was to build a bridge that connected Brooklyn to Manhattan. Wash’s father, John A. Roebling, initially designed the bridge but did not live to see it completed. Emily supported her husband wholeheartedly in this endeavor but its construction impacted her marriage in ways she never could have imagined. When Wash developed caisson disease from working under the East River to secure the footings for the bridge he became bedridden. The disease took a firm hand on him and he suffered greatly from it. His limbs were greatly affected by this disease as was his breathing. Emily had no choice but to run the project for her husband as his liaison. She became the supervisor on the job much to the dislike of those in charge. Wash remained her chief advisor but little by little Emily taught herself the principles of engineering. She poured over Wash’s engineering books and consulted her husband when she had questions. Emily Roebling oversaw the design and completion of the Brooklyn Bridge over a ten year period.

The position she took in seeing the Brooklyn Bridge to its completion was no easy feat during that time. Her marriage suffered greatly and it limited the time she was able to spend with her only son John. She was met with resistance at every decision she tried to make in her male dominated world. Women were expected to stay at home, raise children and keep house. It was unheard of for women to hold meaningful and important positions in the workplace during the nineteenth century. Emily was a big advocate of women’s rights. She was forced to take a back seat while women were fighting for the right to vote while she worked tirelessly and completely on the construction of the bridge. She still supported these courageous women and hoped to rejoin the cause after the bridge was completed. Emily learned to face not only discrimination she encountered but corruption, scandalous government officials and the knowledge of bribes. Emily persevered and did see the bridge open in 1883.

The characters in The Engineer’s Wife were well etched and vivid. I loved all the descriptions of the fashion of that time as well as the portrayal of the opulent and impressive homes. Emily’s friendship and relationship with P.T. Barnum also added flair and excitement to the story. The Engineer’s Wife was about a dream come true, family, motherhood, friendship, struggles, sacrifice, allegiance, marriage, women’s roles and the on going fight for women’s right, especially the right to vote. This book portrayed the strength and resolve of one very determined woman, Emily Warren Roebling that lived during the nineteenth century. Emily was not credited with all she deserved. This book portrayed the story of a woman who was an anomaly of her time. The Engineer’s Wife was well written, impeccably researched and fast paced. It was an outstanding historical fiction novel. I highly recommend it.

This novel had an interesting premise about the wife of the man who built the Brooklyn Bridge. However, the story was drawn out. I would have liked it better had it been shorter. There is not much action. Still, I recommend this for fans of The Paris Wife!

This is a book is about a woman married to a man with a huge mission and dream, building the Brooklyn Bridge. It starts out slow with a lot of technical explanations of what he did to research and build bridges. She was just along for the ride and there to support him. But eventually there came a time when her help became very important. There is a little love, a little action, and a lot of setting. I loved learning about what life was like in NYC during this time period and for women. There were also a few well-known historical figures as part of the story, which made it really interesting. I did have a hard time getting into it in the beginning, but was glad I stuck with it.

This was the first book I have ever read by this author. I enjoyed reading it. I felt immersed in the story. Will be looking out to other books by this author in the future. Definitely recommend.

I was not able to get interested in this book and I did not finish it. The characters and the plot were not able to catch or keep my attention.

Very interesting historical fiction with a strong female lead and a great insight in to the building of the Brooklyn Bridge.

After coming back and rereading the synopsis, I no longer believe I would enjoy this book to it’s full potential. Some of my most trusted book friends have written reviews that show me that I am probably not going to enjoy this one so I am going to spend my time elsewhere. I look forward to reading her future books.

I enjoyed the historical content, but did not enjoy the fantasy relationship between Emily Warren and PT Barnum. It was interesting to learn about how long it took to construct the bridge, how Emily did much of the work, and later got to follow her dream of becoming an attorney. I did research her, her husband and brother to see what was "real" and what was fiction. Used this book for a Historical book club - it was nice to read about a different time period than WWII.

The Engineer’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood gripped me from the very first chapter and I finished the story in one sitting.

I felt from the start that the story was extremely interesting and well paced. I felt there was enough descriptive detail to picture the events, but not so much that is slowed the story.

The life of Emily Warren Roebling was an interesting and full one. A name lost to history but being found again. Her husband is best known for his work on the Brooklyn Bridge. In this story you learn just how much she had her hand on this momentous project and undertaking. You also learn about her husband through their interactions.

I was not expecting for P.T. Barnum to be such a huge part of the story, although when I first read his name in the story all I could think about were the elephants he paraded across the Brooklyn Bridge. The authour notes that a lot of the Barnum interactions are fictionalized, but I think he is such a hot subject right now that it might grab some more reader’s interest.

The Engineer’s Wife is one of the best historical fiction books I have read in a long time. It was captivating and gripping and had a good amount of history and fiction. I always enjoy reading the authour’s notes at the end to see where the authour took more liberties. It is a period and subject in history I hope to explore more in the future, after completing this book.

I received an eARC from Sourcebooks Landmark through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

The Engineer’s Wife

by Tracey Enerson Wood

Historical fiction is a difficult genre for both writer and reviewer. The writer has to juggle how much history should be included with the amount of fictitious information needed to establish the setting and especially to flesh out the characters. The reviewer then must judge the book based less on plot, which is to some degree predetermined, than on the author’s ability to combine history and fiction into a package that is both believable and pleasing.

In many ways I appreciated Tracey Enerson Wood’s The Engineer’s Wife. The subject is interesting. Emily Warren Roebling, a woman restricted by the social conventions governing the women of the mid to late nineteenth century, marries a Union officer. After he resigns his commission, he dedicates his life to his father’s project, the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. This is a controversial project that proves dangerous to many, including her husband Wash who is an engineer. Rather than choosing to devote herself to the project after Wash is injured, Emily is subtly and progressively sucked into supervising the construction to completion.

The author has a wonderful way with words, and her research into the engineering aspects of the bridge is thorough. My only complaint of this work of historical fiction is the inclusion of Emily’s extended friendship and romance with the famous P.T. Barnum. Given that they lived and worked in the same city, their paths probably did cross, but in her notes at the end of the book the author freely admits that she had no basis for the creation of their relationship. It is such a major part of the story that I felt cheated as a reader. This is a work of fiction with a real setting rather than fictionalized history. Perhaps this work simply lies at the opposite end of a continuum from my preferred reading tastes in this genre.

I would like to extend my thanks to Netgalley and to Sourcebooks Landmark for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3/5

Category: Historical Fiction

Notes: Contains two added sections: Reading Group Guide and A Conversation with the Author

Publication: April 7, 2020—Sourcebooks Landmark

Memorable Lines:

Autumn had painted the trees with brilliant oranges, reds, and yellows. Soon, cold, clear nights would rob the forest, leaving the trees to face the winter stark and barren.

Her lips were drawn tight enough to sling the arrows her eyes aimed at us.

The panic I had successfully tamped down returned like a lion for the kill.

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It's always great to read a historical fiction on a subject that I never thought about so there's lots of new information. So, a star each for covering a new person, a new subject and a debut novel!

Things I liked--there's not too much engineering and structural information to weigh down the story but enough so you know what's going on. There's plenty of details about the mishaps of those building the bridge which can be a little squimishing to imagine.

Things I might have changed--Adding some line drawings of plans, how the wires were formed, perhaps even a map; maybe adding a fictional neighbor who adds color of the neighborhood and the local and national news of the day and more of Emily's younger days.

When you read the epilogue, you may be surprised at what was made up and what wasn't. I was a little deflated when I found out that (view spoiler)

Whee!

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This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I quite enjoyed this Historical Fiction novel on the building of the Brooklyn Bridge!
It was often scary with accidents happening and killing workers. I loved that a woman was "mostly in charge" of the overeating if it being built.
Emily was hardly ever afraid of getting in there and overseeing things. She had a rough go with her husband Wash for most of the book and that made me sad. It was interesting to put PT Barnum as a very good friend to Emily though historically, we don't know if they ever ran into each other even if he really helped financially with the bridge.

I am obsessed with this book. I already bought it for a friend and shipped it to her. It is the kind of book you can curl up with in a comfy place and spend all day reading. I got lost in the story, was engaged in the characters, and really felt like the author was taking me along for a ride through history. A great book. Highly Recommend.

Love historical fiction and love reading about the silent women behind the man. Well researched and well written.