Every now and then a book comes along that grabs the reader, pulls them into the plot, and drags them through the twists and turns, ups and downs, and then at the end, turns the readers loose rather worn out and feeling like they have been drug through a knot-hole backwards. The Engineer's Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood is one such novel.

Based in fact, this novel reads like a diary, detailing the step-by-step building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the people involved--especially Emily Warren Roebling; her husband, Washington Roebling; and all their families and employees.

What starts as a dream by Washington's father becomes an obsession for Wash and his wife Emily. While Wash was a certified engineer, Emily became one by teaching herself when circumstances dictated that she must.

I've never encountered Tracey's writings before this, but I must say her research is spot on, her characters are three dimensional, and her descriptions of the work done on the bridge are historically accurate, even to the point where PT Barnum paraded elephants across the bridge to show how strong it was.

This is a five-star book, with two thumbs up, and an elephant to test the strength of your endeavors.

NetGalley.com and SourcebooksLandmark Publishing provided the copy I read for this review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Emily is married to Washington (Wash) Roebling, an engineer that builds bridges in the 1800s. When Wash’s health is effected by the dangerous aspects of bridge building, Emily has a more prominent position in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. All of this is at a time where women do not have rights and there is much pushback from her male counterparts.
A story of perserverence, love, and finding ones-self, The Engineer’s Wife is a wonderful piece of historical fiction! Emily is a character I found easy to connect with. She is a free spirit, a fighter, and quite the adventurous lady! She discovers the trials and tribulations of marriage, and questions the sanctity and commitment of it.
I loved knowing that this story was based on the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and while the author took some liberties, I like to think the real Emily was just like the fictional one! I love reading aspects of fictional stories I know to be true in real life (for ex. Jumbo the elephant was mentioned with relation to PT Barnum and Jumbo was actually killed in the city next to mine!!) as it has the ability to bring a personal element to the story for the reader!!!
I highly recommend this book for those that are drawn to historical fiction and strong female characters!!!!

What a delightful book! The Engineer’s Wife is a fictional account, centering around the true story of the Roebling family and the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. The book gives a unique account of everything that went into the planning, funding, building, and behind the scenes happenings of the bridge, in that it is written in the perspective of Emily Roebling. This is especially fitting because it is only because of Emily’s involvement that the bridge was successfully built, at least as a Roebling project. John Roebling died before construction began, and Washington, Emily’s husband, was basically incapacitated at home due to the caisson disease he contracted during his time building the bridge. Emily, during a time when women were not allowed to work, relayed messages from her husband to the workers at the bridge, and basically became the chief engineer herself. She worked tirelessly for over a decade to make sure the bridge was completed, and was the best it could be.

I recently walked across the Brooklyn Bridge myself, and it was an incredible experience. While walking, I listened to a guided tour and was fascinated by what I learned. When I discovered this book, I knew I had to read it. It didn’t disappoint. I enjoyed learning about more of the story, and even though many parts of the story were obviously fiction, I knew many details, especially about the building processes, to be true. Some readers could find the book a little bogged down with details about the bridge construction, especially towards the middle of the novel, but again, I find it all really interesting. I also enjoyed the family components, the portions about the women’s suffrage movement, and Emily’s personality and spunk.

P.T. Barnum plays a large supporting role in the story, and I enjoyed that storyline as well. I don’t want to give anything away, but I appreciated where the author went with their relationship.

The Engineer’s Wife, by Tracey Enerson Wood, is a great read about something I don’t often get to read about. I loved the characters and setting, and would recommend the book if you would like to learn more about the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Between 3 and 4 stars. I'll round up for the ultimate history lesson.

The Brooklyn Bridge. I have walked it and didn't know the story of how it came to be. This book tells that story.

Emily Warren married Captain Washington Roebling, an aid to her older brother, after the Civil War. Wash joins his family company after the war, which is a bridge building business. Using the design of his father, Washington pushes forward and begins the build on this unique structure. After serious side-effects of the bends (a condition not understood at the time), Washington is no longer able to be at the construction site. Emily is given the opportunity to share all her husband's desires by running back and forth to the site. Soon Emily studies and understands what is happening and is able to run the site without her husband's assistance. The only problem is, it is illegal for a woman to work, especially in that capacity. Not one to shrink from a challenge, Emily is a huge success and a huge part of the success of this bridge. Barnum shows up in this story as well, which is an interesting addition to the story.

Fascinating story. Loved to hear about all she was able to do, even with the prejudice of the time against women. At times the story did bog down with the technical engineering jargon. Overall I love that I learned the story of this amazing bridge.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC for my honest opinion.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

We often take for granted things that exist. We don't question how they came to be or what life was like for the people who were involved in their creation. The creation of the Brooklyn Bridge is one such creation that millions of people utilize, and probably never think about the history of. The Engineer's Wife tells the story of the difficulties faced in the bridge's creation, with a focus on Emily Roebling, the woman married to the bridge's engineer, Wash Roebling . During the bridge's 13 year construction, she stood by, supporting her husband, offering helpful insight, setting aside her own desires, all in order to help create the Brooklyn Bridge.

When Wash comes down with a case of caisson disease, Emily takes a lead role in managing the bridge's construction - a role that was unheard of for women in the late 1800's. As expected, this was not a role that was readily accepted by all the men involved. The strength of the Roeblings as they faced many tribulations in both their personal and work lives is admirable.

This book discusses the creation of bridges before the Brooklyn Bridge, how the Brooklyn Bridge was different, and explores the many dangers that workers faced, including caisson disease. The book also imagines some less factual information such as the family's involvement with PT Barnum and the creation of roasted peanuts as snacks for people. There are also insights into other inventions of the time such as the evolution of the hair pin, events of the suffrage movement and PTSD in soldiers - at the time referred to as "Soldier's Heart."

The only quip I have with the book is the amount of factual things that the author changed. When I read the afterward, I was slightly disappointed with a few things, but the book was still very much enjoyable.

This is my most favorite type of historical fiction. I learned so much about the history of the world at this time. When an author can educate as well as entertain, they are superb in my mind! I will never again be able to cross an old bridge without thinking about all the time and work that went into it's creation, as well as thinking about all people who were injured, died, or permanently disabled during it's creation.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and and Tracey Enerson Wood for the ARC of The Engineer's Wife in exchange for my honest review.

This is a compelling novel of historical fiction about Emily Watson Roebling, a fascinating woman who was instrumental in the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1864 Emily Warren meets Captain Washington “Wash” Roebling, a civil engineer. After they marry Emily leaves her own ambitions behind to help her husband and father-in-law, John Roebling, fulfill their dream of building a bridge connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan. During the project John Roebling dies of tetanus, and Wash is stricken with “caisson disease”. It is up to Emily to take charge of the project. She begins by running back and forth with messages between her husband and those at the work site, but she eventually becomes an integral part of the processes. From handling the PR, to coming up with creative ways to solve technical problems, Emily is soon the person keeping the project going.

Emily is a pioneer for working women, overcoming her own fears and insecurities, she earns the respect and admiration of many of the men around her. She must balance her role as a wife and mother, with a career in a time with few role models to guide her. The characters in this novel, and their many strengths and weaknesses, are richly drawn, especially the portrayal of P. T. Barnum. This is a well-researched, richly detailed novel evoking the sights and smells of New York City in the later part of the 19th century. There are detailed descriptions of the engineering behind bridge building, and the innovative design behind the Brooklyn Bridge. We are given a compelling portrait of Emily Warren Roebling and her contributions to engineering and history. I highly recommend this book to historical fiction fans and fans of the history of bridges, especially for those who enjoy the books of Marie Benedict and Melanie Benjamin.

Spanning 1864–1884, this impeccably researched debut narrates the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge from the viewpoint of a woman central to its creation. It's a richly satisfying historical novel that feels true to its era yet also powerfully relevant to women’s lives today. It will have particular fascination to lovers of Brooklyn and New York City, but it's also a novel with themes—personal growth and fulfillment, women's roles and history, marriage, caregiving—that have wide appeal.

This is a great read and a current back story on the bridges in Manhattan. I really enjoyed reading this other side of history. Not my usual pick for a theme but I was happy to have the opportunity to read this book and it did not disappoint.

I had high hopes for this book, as I love historical fiction, and am myself an Engineer's Wife :-), but I couldn't get very far through the story. It seemed to be very dull and predictable. I did not finish the book, which rarely happens for me.

Designing and building a bridge is quite a feat-even for an engineer and all the skilled laborers involved. But especially for the “engineer’s wife!”

Washington D.C. 1864- At a ball attended by Union soldiers, Miss Emily Warren is introduced to Captain Washington Roebling. The rest, as they say, is history. Washington Roebling had already worked with his German father to design and build a bridge connecting Kentucky and Ohio and announced at the ball that they would be designing an even grander bridge connecting New York and Brooklyn.

That fateful night links the two families, including their “baggage.” Emily and “Wash” embark on a journey to not only survive the Battle of Gettysburg, but to continue as man and wife working side by side to build the Brooklyn Bridge. Wash’s father, Papa, sends them to Germany, France, and England to learn the latest technology in underwater foundation. Readers will delight in the Roeble’s travels to see the architecture of Christopher Wren at the Royal Navy Observatory, and in Scotland, the new clipper ship being made ready for launch, the Cutty Sark. By 1869 in order to raise funds and improve public relations, Papa has arranged meetings with consultants: engineers, political leaders, and the contractor William Kingsley. Straddling the political lines, the stock market investors, and the railroad engineers turns into quite an undertaking for the now ailing Wash and his suffragette wife, Emily. The infusion of trigonometry, geometry, chemistry, physics, and architectural concepts combined with the daily struggles of financially continuing the bridge building as a woman, makes for not only an educational experience for Emily, but an emotional journey as she explores her own feelings for Wash and the infamous, PT. Barnum. Yes, him.

Tracey Wood constructs a perfect blend of history and science; and readers will easily relate to the relationships and memories that haunt both Emily and Wash- the physical and emotional turmoil that shadow a soldier and his wife. Will Emily follow her heart or her brain?

The Engineer’s Wife will transport readers with a bit of anxiousness as bridge laborers live and die; marriages are taxed, presidents come and go and women fight for the right to vote-all while perched with a bird’s eye view of the progress on the stone towers and wired cables of a bridge spanning the East River from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Nothing is simple. Face that fear of heights- Emily did. Climb the tower and read Tracey Wood’s The Engineer’s Wife! GR

The Engineer's Wife was just an okay read for me. It was hard to get into at times. I am giving it two stars.

After reading this book, I so much want to go look at the Brooklyn Bridge up close and personal! I am entirely fascinated with this story, so much so that this is the second book in 2 years I've read about the building of the bridge and Emily Warren Roebling's crucial role in its completion! Reading a book like this makes me happy that I'm a librarian who has access to the advanced copies of forthcoming books like this one!

This book publishes in early April. Can't wait to put it in the hands of library patrons!

When I mentioned this book in the company of an engineer friend, she immediately knew Emily Warren Roebling's role in the building of that magnificent bridge.

There is an extensive author's note at the end which separates facts from fiction regarding the relationships that Emily developed with various well-known people of the day.

The Engineer's Wife was a really well written historical novel about a woman setting aside her own dreams to support the dream of her husband only to have his dream actually become her own. Emily Warren Roebling was not really going to be one of those women who sat at home waiting for her life to happen to her. She was a bold woman for her time, and a suffragette when she met her husband, Wash, and his family of prominent engineers. Wash had a destiny and his destiny was to endure. He would design the Brooklyn Bridge. When he fell ill, his wife had to relay his intentions, and after a while, she arguably more instrumental in the completion of this landmark than her husband.

This was a fast though rather dull read. I read it in the course of an afternoon. It was descriptive and not overly flourished. The prose wasn't heavy and I found myself zipping through it, but I did find it dry. I didn't connect with Emily or her story. I'm not sure why, but there wasn't any emotional depth to the story and I didn't feel anything for the characters. It read more like a history book than a fictionalized historical accounting of E.W. Roebling's life. I wanted more. It was a good book but just a bit dry for my tastes. Emma Donoghue is one of my favorite historical fiction authors because she takes the facts and wraps them in textures and weaves a narrative that one can get lost in. I couldn't get lost in The Engineer's Wife, and I wanted to.

3.5/5

The Engineer's Wife is a fascinating glimpse at the story behind the Brooklyn Bridge. Emily Warren is a wonderful protagonist, and I loved the rich historical details in this novel. Highly recommended!

In recent years, writers of historical fiction have offered an increasing number of books focused on those ‘hidden figures’ in history—the women who did incredible things that went unnoticed. Often, these books are titled in reference for the relationship of the central woman to the man who got all the glory. Such is the case for The Engineer’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood. While I recognize the title does reflect Emily Roebling’s relationship to her husband, Washington Roebling, who is better known for his role in the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, I feel the book is sadly misnamed. In this case, Emily was so much more than an engineer’s wife—she became a self-taught civil engineer when her husband could no longer fulfill his duties and she was the driving force behind a 13-year project that met many challenges.

In The Engineer’s Wife, we are first introduced to Emily at a dance, which she has attended at her brother’s behest, to give his soldiers some companionship and entertainment. She is quickly drawn to Washington Roebling (aka Wash). The two have a whirlwind romance even while Wash fights in the Civil War. As soon as they can marry, they do. Soon, Emily begins accompanying Wash, following him in his work, which she finds quite interesting. Wash and his father are bridge builders, and their loftiest goal is to span the East River, bridging Manhattan and Brooklyn. As they set out on this work, tragedy befalls them time and time again. When Wash can no longer personally see this project to fruition, it falls to Emily to carry it out, a daunting task considering the inequality women faced at the time, seen as incapable of working outside the home or even casting a vote in an election.

Wood weaves Emily’s story together with many other elements and events of the time. Despite being incredibly busy with the bridge, caring for her husband, and raising a child, Wood’s Emily finds time to have an ‘emotional affair’ with none other than PT Barnum. This aspect of the novel seemed to weaken Emily’s story. It was enough fodder for drama and triumph that she lived in the shadow of her husband but overcame it. To cast a second shadow from yet another man, and in this case a real showman, seemed only to diminish the story of an incredible woman. Moreover, Wash is sometimes written as callous and unappreciative of Emily’s efforts. However, research suggests in real life, he appreciated her work and saw her as “a strong tower to lean on…and a woman of infinite tact and wisest counsel.”

The book did have many strengths. Emily was largely a sympathetic character, reminiscent of many of today’s women—trying to balance her time between the commitments of work and the equally difficult work of being a parent. She struggled with her own tragedies and losses, was aware of Wash’s struggles, and strove to balance her longing for what was or what could have been with acceptance of her reality. Emily was such an amazing woman and a well-written character, that I was sad to see her story reach an end. I would have happily read more about her later life—her time building a family home, attending law school, and continuing her work on the endeavors she was passionate about.

Indeed, Emily was much more than an engineer’s wife. There are so many titles I would have preferred for this book. Perhaps ‘Bloomers and Badassery,’ though I am not sure that fits the tone… ‘Violets and Bloomers’? ‘The Bloomers that Built the Brooklyn Bridge’? Most realistically, two strong options come to mind that would have better exemplified Emily’s triumph over adversity. ‘Tower of Strength’ which would have highlighted the positive view her husband had of her (although this theme was somewhat missing from the text) and the true strength she demonstrated in her fight to build the Brooklyn Bridge. Or ‘Crossing the River’ which would have linked well to three elements of her story—her fear of water/drowning, her well-known first walk and then ride across the Brooklyn Bridge, and her lesser known work of being the true champion for the construction of the bridge, which crossed the East River.

Despite my critiques and suggestions, I would highly recommend this book. Even teasing apart fact from fiction, I learned a lot about Emily, her work, and her world. Wood’s writing also did a wonderful job of taking me back into the timeframe. I was keenly aware of the broader zeitgeist the book was set within, and all of the luxuries we have today, which were missing at that time (everything ranging from SmartPhones easing communication to the ability for women to wear pants to the right to vote). It was generally a good read and I am quite certain that fans of historical fiction would enjoy it.

To conclude, I would like to thank NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Tracey Enerson Wood for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

I truly loved this book. This is one of the best historical fiction novels I have read in a very long time. What I loved most was how much research went into this book. I was amazed at the detail that was involved in the writing. What amazed me even more was that, when I finished the book, in the afterword, the author goes through exactly what is true and what is embellished. I loved that she was transparent in her writing and her research. The book is better for it.

I loved the character of Emily and the struggles that she goes through. She is such a raw character. I loved the highlights to the plights of women in the post-civil war era America. Emily's mother and friends who constantly supported her were a reminder to me how strong female friendship can be. It was an amazingly well written novel with deep characters, strong themes, and rich history.

I thought this was a fine work of historical fiction about the strong, smart, faithful woman behind the creation of one of New York City's most notable landmarks and a marvel in engineering at the time. While the writing felt at times a little disjointed and moved slowly, I found the relationships held within the story to be the most captivating part of the piece, while the engineering facts lost me a little and I found I skipped paragraphs and even pages at a time to get back to the actual story. It was difficult to tell where history stopped and where fiction began though, which is the hallmark of seamless story telling -- I applaud Wood for this.

The word awesome does not do justice to this book, what a great read!! The writing is excellent, the storyline never drags, and the research must have taken years. After reading this it prompted me to google the Brooklyn Bridge construction, how impressive to look at the pictures and then have all this history to go behind it. It just amazes me that Emily Roebling was such a remarkable woman, and so instrumental in the building of this bridge at a time when women were expected to stay home with the children. She was such a vital part of her marriage and her work, I enjoyed every minute of this book, hated to put it down and was sad when it was over.
This is one of the best historical fiction books I’ve read. I recommend to any reader. Loved it!! Well done Tracey Wood, well done!!!!
I was allowed the opportunity to receive this book from Sourcebooks Landmark through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This one gets the highest 5 stars!!

I’m always interested in historical fiction. But this book did not hold my attention. The subject matter caught my eye, but the story telling seem to be at a jumbled pace. Some parts seemed to be rushed, while others were at a slow start. I found myself getting involved with a plot point, but only to have that point resolved in two paragraphs.
Thank you for letting me read this book early.