***contains spoilers***

This tale of Emily Warren Roebling, daughter-in-law of the Brooklyn Bridge designer and wife to its chief engineer, was fun to read. Learning about the history of the bridge, some of the technical details, and Wash and Emily's romance all came together in a sweet swirl of fiction. The marital problems and loneliness the Roeblings experience, including miscommunications and a hint of depression, are something that most people who have ever been married can relate to. Emily's struggle against the preconceived notions about women at the time - and how she blew them out of the water - was particularly admirable. Overall, I enjoyed the book.

Historical fiction is a genre I generally like to read, with two exceptions: I don't like overt, descriptive sex in books, and I don't like political "preaching" at the reader. Unfortunately, this book contained both, and I was admittedly a little disappointed. To be fair, the sex was minimal and mostly tasteful. The political preaching mostly came in the form of the tired caricaturization of women who devote themselves 100% to raising a family, and the mistaken notion that this work just isn't important as compared to other goals outside the home. I wasn't thrilled with the main character's emotional affair with PT Barnum, either. That being said, my favorite takeaway was the beautiful advice one of Emily's mom's friends gives her about marriage. First of all, I appreciated Emily's resolve to talk to an older woman and actually ask for that advice in the first place. The advice itself - that when things get rough, essentially "just keep swimming" until you reach the other side of the rough waves - was SO GOOD and not at all where I thought the author was going to go. I LOVED that after all of the will-they-or-won't-they tension with PT, Emily ultimately chose the love of her life, and recognized that she was better for it.

***I was given an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.***

Initially, I chose this book based on the title, The Engineer's Wife, as I am also the wife of an engineer.

The author, Tracey Enerson Wood, filled the book with actual historical facts and occurrences, interspersed with fiction - love, family issues, health issues. In the Afterword, the author labels many of the pertinent events in the book as fiction or non-fiction. I learned more about the Brooklyn Bridge than I ever knew; learned more about life in that period than I ever knew.

Not only was I fascinated by the story of Emily Warren Roebling's difficult but successful effort to follow the plans of her late father-in-law, along with instructions from her ill husband, to build the Brooklyn Bridge, even when she had no training or education in engineering. I also found the book to be quite inspirational and a lesson in keeping a marriage together and honoring a commitment, when other than having taken a vow, there's not much else holding a husband and wife together.

I judge a book based on how hard it is for me to put it down. I found myself trying to knit and cook, while also trying to read this book. I would wake up during the night wanting to read one more chapter. Therefore, I highly recommend The Engineer's Wife.

Many thanks to Net Gally (netgally.net) and Sourcebooks Landmark for ARC in exchange for my honest opinion about the book.

The Engineer’s Wife is a fascinating historical account of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. Research done is excellent. Tracey Emerson Wood’s tale makes you feel like you are living right there during every step of the grueling years taken to build this famous iconic New York and American monument. Of course, there are personal backstories which make this book so interesting. Once into it, the book was hard to put it down ...truly a very enjoyable read.

The Engineer’s Wife is a fictionally-based account of the life of Emily Warren Roebling and her pivotal involvement in the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. Blended throughout the novel are details of her marriage to General Washington Augustus Roebling, whose affliction with cassion disease effectively prevented him from the physical demands of onsite supervision of the bridge construction. Emily’s fictionalized struggles as a mother and as a woman living in the last half of the 1800s are also threaded throughout the book. Tracey Emerson Wood does a masterful job of weaving together factual information from historical accounts of Emily’s life as well as imagining her daily activities.

Most Americans are familiar with the iconic landmark of the Brooklyn Bridge, but, for most of us, the details of Emily’s major contribution have largely been lost. It was truly a joy to pick up The Engineer’s Wife and be transported back to the days of construction. The interwoven stories of the bridge worker’s families and the description of the city at the time make the book come alive.

As with most fictionalized accounts of actual events, we the reader are blessed with knowledge of the actual outcome, such as successful completion of the bridge, but I found myself immersed in the book and hopeful that Emily would not only find success in her role in the construction, but also personal happiness. Readers would be well advised to put this book on their TBR list!!

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in return for my honest opinion of the book!

I have mixed feelings about this book. I admire the author's writing about Emily and the courage she had to overcome so many obstacles. I found the PT Barnum relationship a distraction, however. I read David McCullough's book on the Brooklyn Bridge many years ago and don't remember how she was portrayed there.
All in all a compelling read.

This book was quite interesting as it covered the history of the Brooklyn Bridge being built, and the role that Emily Roebling played in its completion. There was a lot of research that went into this book and I learned a lot about the techniques for building such a large structure at that time in history, as well as the role that Emily played in learning and providing leadership once her husband was injured. The time that the project took, as well as the danger to the workers is something that is harder to comprehend in this day and age, but quite interesting to consider.

1865, Emily Warren married Captain Washington Roebling, they met during the American Civil War and Wash was her older brother’s Gouverneur Kemble Warren’s aide. They were instantly attracted to each other, their courtship was conducted by mail and they didn’t spend a lot of time together due to the war. Did they know each other well prior to getting married, no not really and it did effect their relationship later on? Wash returned from the war looking, tired, thinner and older. He also had funny turns called “soldiers heart” he couldn’t handle loud noises and he was suffering from shell shock. Wash and his father John were both engineers, they needed to finish the Covington-Cincinnati Bridge construction and it had been delayed due to the Civil War and they had plans to build a much bigger bridge.

John Roebling had a dream to build a bridge called the New York and Brooklyn Bridge or as it’s called today the Brooklyn Bridge. The plan was to build a suspension bridge for Brooklyn residents to use to get to work in Manhattan and not have to catch water ferries. It was huge project, it was expensive, it would take years to complete and they didn’t have all the funds they needed to build it.

Eventually they worked out the funding, Wash was to be the chief engineer, guided by his father and they would build a suspension cable-stay bridge supported by two huge towers that are built on two caissons. Caissons are watertight retaining structures used to build the foundations of bridges, they are large upside wooden boxes and had false bottoms. The false bottoms were removed so men working inside them could dig away at the mud and bedrock at the bottom of the river and compressed air was pumped into the chambers to keep the river water from running in and drowning the men. It was dangerous work, Wash didn’t mind getting his hands dirty and he worked alongside his workers while building the bridge. He developed a bad case of Caisson sickness, we now refer to it as the bends, he was too sick to oversee the building of the bridge and spent months in bed.

Emily became her husband’s messenger, despite having no formal education in maths, science or engineering. She had always been interested in her husband’s work, as a bored new bride, she read his text books on engineering and understood the basics of building bridges. Emily was smart, soon she was not just the messenger, and she was managing the construction of the bridge and in charge.

It wasn’t easy for her, how could she walk around a construction site wearing a big dress, with her toddler son John tagging along and attitudes towards women working were different back then. She hired a nanny, wore bloomers, people talked about her, some women snubbed her and it wasn’t easy for her. Emily had to deal with grumpy foremen, dodgy suppliers, criticism, questions about if the bridge was strong enough for both pedestrians and traffic to use. It effected her relationship with her son, also her marriage and at times she and Wash lived apart. Emily Roebling was a remarkable women, she was a wife, a mother and she managed the project of building the world’s longest suspension bridge at the time. She was also interested in women’s rights, the women’s suffrage movement and so was her mother.

I found the technical terms a little confusing and I had never heard of a caisson before. But once I googled what a caisson was it made more sense and I had no trouble following the story. The Engineer’s Wife uses facts about building the Brooklyn Bridge, to create a story about a strong, determined woman, who didn’t follow the traditional roles of being a wife and mother during the time the story was based in and Emily was a woman before her time.

I enjoyed reading The Engineer's Wife, if you like Historical Fiction, want to read something different, I highly recommend reading it and I gave the book five stars.

Thank you to Net Galley and Sourcebook Landmark for giving me the chance to read and review this book. This is the story of a forgotten woman, Emily Warren Roebling, who helped build the Brooklyn Bridge. It is based on facts, although the author explains at the end of the story that some things in the story are fiction. When Emily's husband, Wash (Chief Engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge) is injured on the job, Emily takes over. Both of them think it is a temporary thing, but Wash's health only gets worse. Soon, Emily has to give up her life and her work and take over her husband's dream. It is very hard for Emily and Wash-lots of work hazards, jealousy, and just the pressure on their marriage. This is just a remarkable story! I learned so much about the Brooklyn Bridge and how difficult it was to build it. I also admired Emily's strength determination-she really should get more credit for building the bridge.

I wish I could rate this book higher, but I found it very difficult to get through. I love that it is based on real events and the life of a woman ahead of her time, so that was certainly a plus. There were a few elements that kept me from fully enjoying the book. Too much time was spent on the technical aspects of bridge building. I found myself skimming over those parts as the book went on. Because of the repetitive and horrific losses of life that were detailed in the book (losses that were based in reality), I had hoped that there would be more uplifting moments to balance it out. Instead I just left the book feeling sad. I did learn so much about this trailblazer and the men who sacrificed their lives for America's infrastructure, something I think we tend to forget about in this modern age of technology and machinery. .

Welcome to my book review blog! I’m a happily married mother of 2. I became an avid reader in college but the past 5 years it has become a passion. A wonderful escape from reality. I enjoy reading and reviewing and over the past couple of years have enjoyed receiving Advanced Readers Copies. I look forward to selecting books to be on my to read list and love reviewing them when I finish. Please follow me and like my page to see what I’m reading next.

This incredible historical fiction book takes you to life just after the Civil War. We follow Emily Warren and the impact she has a woman in the early 1900’s. She marries an engineer Captain Washington Roebling and their family embarks on building the Brooklyn Bridge. During this time period Emily is hoping to take a place on women’s suffege movement. Emily becomes front and center serves messenger and ends up working first hand on decisions when life through a a curve ball. A beautiful story line of love, heroism and how many lives were changed due to the building of the bridge. I wasn’t aware of the story behind the bridge that at times were heartbreaking as well as all the dangers to the workers during this construction. I fell for the characters and felt that the author provided deep descriptions that really transported me in this time period.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for providing me the e-arc for my honest review of The Engineer’s Wife. I will keep my eye on Tracey Enerson Wood.

I could tell I was going to love this book after 3 sentences! The writing is fantastic!

The Engineer's Wife is the story of Emily Roebling, whose husband and father-in-law designed and began the building of the Brooklyn Bridge just after the Civil War. Her hand, whose first name is Washington (Wash) gets a bad case of the bends during underwater construction and is basically bedridden. Emily, having an interest in his work, takes over supervision of the project, at first shuttling orders back and forth, but learning more, and becoming integral to the project. The story is interwoven with real events and characters, although some situations are construed for dramatic effect.

The story is so well-told, the author does a great job of painting a picture of the era and the people with her words. The action moves along really nicely most of the time, not too fast, and not too slow. There is a secondary storyline involving PT Barnum that is lots of fun, and really enjoyable. It also made me want to learn more about what a caisson is, and how the bridge was built.

The only downside to the story for me, and this may actually be true to the period is that after his illness, Wash never really appears to be sexually active/interested in his wife again, and she ultimately is OK with that. I don't know how it would be possible to live the rest of one's life without physical love.

This book is an excellent jumping off point for discussions of womens right, womens suffrage, etc. I think it would be a great choice for book clubs, and there are some book club notes at the end that are very thoughtful.

I could also see this book being a film- I think it would be a great adaptation, it really lends itself to the visual, there are many scenes that would be so dramatic in nature.
All in all, this was an excellent book, I'd give it 4 1/2 stars if that were an option!

Thanks very much to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy of this book at NC, my opinions are unbiased and my own.

This book was received as an ARC from SOURCEBOOKS Landmark in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I could not be more inspired by this book and the fact it was based on a true story was even more striking to read. Emily was the wife of the engineer Wash of whom she put her dreams on hold of fighting for women's suffrage and follow her Husband's dreams of building to what is now known as the Brooklyn Bridge. When Wash gets a terrible injury, Emily is now in place to take over his job in constructing the bridge. With Wash not being able to return, the project becomes Emily's and she is now consumed by it. With her marriage at risk and all she has ever known, she wonders whose legacy this really is, hers or her husbands? Will she be the one recognized in constructing this American Icon? This is a great book to read in schools and a good history lesson to definitely teach in the curriculum.
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We will consider adding this title to our Historical Fiction collection at the library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

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 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.