When I was newly married, there was a restaurant we would go to where there were several courses served as part of your meal. Between courses, they would serve a palate cleanser so that you'd be ready for the incredible flavors of the next course. It was one of my favorite places to go out to eat. When I read a book like The Nature of Fragile Things, I have to read something that is mindless while I mull over what I've read in the heavier/meatier book.

This book is described as the story of the growing friendships of three disparate women, but it's also the tale of a serial killer involved in all of their lives. If we look at the serial killer component, we see a man who takes on false identities, marries women who have some wealth that he wants, and then kills them off when they are of no more use to him.

The women populating this novel are strong in their own ways. Sophie has immigrated from Ireland, but has the love to mother Martin Hocking's daughter, Kat, which is what Martin needs from her most. Martin tells her that Kat's mother has died and that he travels for work so he needs her to care for Kat.

Sophie and Martin have been married a little more than a year when Belinda shows up eight months pregnant on the eve of the Great San Francisco Earthquake in 1906. This is where they find out they are married to the same man, and Sophie decides to get to the bottom of the issue. With a couple of hair pins, the two women break into Martin's desk and find that, in fact, Kat's mother, Candace, is still very much alive, but in a sanitarium in Arizona. So now, Martin has three wives, and from the information in the files they found, Candace is not his first wife.

Martin shows up just as the earthquake begins and seeing that he's been found out begins advancing on the women as they are trying to leave with all of the incriminating evidence they need to turn him over to the police. At this point, Belinda's waters break and the shaking of the ground makes Martin unsteady on the stairs. He falls and Sophie moves him to the kitchen so that Belinda, Kat, and she can leave to get Belinda help in delivering her baby.

Once the baby is born, the women are evacuated to refugee centers, but Belinda and Sophie are separated and it takes several days for them to find their ways back to each other. At this point, Belinda makes the offer to Sophie and Kat to come live with her at the Inn she runs in San Rafaelo. After a few days of settling in, Sophie takes Kat to see her mother in Arizona.

Susan Meissner is the kind of author that once you read one of her books, you want to read everything she writes. She is also the kind of author that writes meaty fiction that requires a palate cleanser before moving on to your next serious book. Her characters are easy to connect with, the settings in this book are historically accurate and easy to picture. The ending of this book was especially satisfying with no loose ends to tie up. Five Stars.

Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. This did not influence my review.

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner is a page-turner. I was immediately drawn in by the narrative voice and was quickly caught by the strangeness of the protagonist’s predicament and her eerily calm approach to it.

The novel begins in 1906 with the interrogation of the narrator, Sophie Whalen Hocking, by a U.S. Marshal who is investigating the disappearance of her husband, Martin Hocking. He was last seen just before the San Francisco earthquake. Sophie does not know what happened to him, but the marshal believes she does.

We then flashback to March 1905. Sophie Whalen is an immigrant from Northern Ireland who first arrived in New York City. Finding life in a tenement and work in a factory to be miserable and hopeless, she answers an ad from a man in San Francisco, a recent widower, who is looking for a wife and a mother to his young (five-ish) daughter. Sophie is intrepid and determined to make a better life for herself. She desperately loves children and wants one of her own to raise. Despite the fact that some of Martin Hocking’s reasons for wanting a mail-order bride seem a bit strange, she is pleased to have been chosen. They are married immediately and move to a lovely home in a nice neighborhood. Sophie believes she is fortunate and won’t dare complain, even if the situation is odd.

The daughter, Kat, has been traumatized and doesn’t speak. Sophie convinces herself it is the grief of losing her mother that has made her mute. Martin is standoffish, uninterested in his new wife (or his daughter), but not cruel or violent. He’s almost too calm. He works in insurance and has to spend most of his time on the road. Sophie is materially well provided for. She makes excuses for him–he is grieving his deceased wife and has walled himself off from further hurt. He just needs time.

Sophie is loving and generous and works hard to draw Kat out and make her feel safe and loved. She’s willing to be patient to earn Kat’s trust and, eventually, her husband’s affection. Meanwhile, little hints about Sophie’s own past are revealed. And inconsistencies in Martin’s tales start adding up.

The tension builds steadily as the reader grows more and more worried for Sophie and Kat. Things come to a head just as the earthquake hits San Francisco. Meissner paints a vivid picture of the quake and its aftermath. With extraordinary strength of character, despite her own suffering, Sophie takes on the task of keeping her loved ones safe.

This is a beautiful, gripping story, rich in historical detail, with a very memorable protagonist. Highly recommended!

I really enjoyed this read- i thought it was unique and very well written. I adored the main character and enjoyed seeing her story unfold. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Book Review 📖

The Nature of Fragile Things is set shortly before and after the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and follows an Irish Immigrant named Sophie, who answers an advertisement seeking a wife to care his young daughter. Immediately upon arriving in San Francisco from New York, she is married to Martin Hocking, a man she has never met. Martin is quite handsome but offers little information about himself. He soon has them set up in a comfortable home and Sophie does her best to be a good housewife and caregiver to his daughter, Kat.

Martin comes and goes on mysterious business trips and Sophie gradually realizes things are not as they seem and is soon forced to confront the first of many plot shifting revelations. On the morning of April 18, 1906 at 5:12 am, her world is further turned upside down as she finds herself fleeing her house and seeking refuge after San Francisco suffers a devastating earthquake and fire.

As a huge fan of historical fiction I thoroughly enjoyed this book—even more so since I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and could clearly picture Sophie’s environment as she works her way through one difficult situation after another. I loved the character of Sophie and her determination to find the solutions and answers she needs to take care of herself and those she cares about.

This was the first book by Susan Meissner I have read, and I definitely plan on checking out her other novels.
I was lucky to receive an e Advanced Reader Copy of this book courtesy of @Berkleypub and @beritaudiokilledthebookmark and thank them both.
The Nature of Fragile Things comes out on February 2 and a strong contender for your TBR list.

#thenatureoffragilethings #susanmeissner #berkeypub #Berkleybuddyreads #berkelywritesstrongwomen #bookreview #netgalley

I recently attended an author talk with Susan Meissner, so I started reading with some background information about the book in my mind. I have to say this book totally took me by surprise. It totally exceeded my expectations. Set in San Francisco just before and after the earthquake in 1906, the story weaves history with a compelling mystery, and at times a heartbreaking story. Several times I thought I’d figured it out, but then there was a curveball to keep me guessing. A very enjoyable book that was hard to put down.

I did receive a copy of book through NetGalley for an honest review.

This book really pulled me in from the very beginning and I had no idea where it was going until the end. This story follows Sophie an immigrant from Ireland who comes to America. We start this story with Sophie traveling by train from New York to San Francisco where she is meeting Martin a man who was looking for a new bride. He placed a ad in the paper and chose Sophie to marry. Martinis a widower and was needing a new wife to take care of his daughter to a previous marriage.

From here we are taken on a genre bending adventure full of twists and turns to find out what Martin is hiding and why he is needing a wife. I felt that this book was so unique although it is categorized as historical fiction there were many times throughout the story I felt as though I was reading a thriller with all the secrets and surprises . Even with this thriller feel to the book I felt like I was seeing a slice of this time period. There are few historical fictions that make you feel as if your seeing a piece of history instead of just being told about it but I feel like this story far exceeds these expectations. The writing pulls you into these characters lives and the only thing I can say is I wish there was more. I plan on looking into some of this authors previous works since I enjoyed this book so much.

Mysterious, riveting and hard to put down!

A mail order bride named Sophie, from Ireland, marries a man she knows nothing about in 1906. She answers his ad and they settle into the home he has purchased in San Francisco. Its the most comfortable home Sophie has ever had and she adores his five year old daughter, Kat.

Its not long before Sophie starts questioning her new husband's actions and his secrecy. She fears something isn't quite right.

So much begins to happen, their world rocks, a massive earthquake hits San Francisco and BANG! things get complicated as they navigate the situation. I felt invested in the story and enjoyed the characters very much.

A memorable story that was filled with suspense and the right amount of tension. Don't want to give any of the secrets away, so I'll leave it at that.

The Nature of Fragile Things

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley I was chosen as a reviewer after the book was published!

Out of desperation to get out of her poor living conditions in NYC, Sophie Whelan answers an ad in the newspaper to become the wife to Martin Hocking and a mother to his daughter, Kat. Martin tells Sophie he lost his wife, so was looking for a mother for his daughter. When Sophie is provided a “good” life, is it to good to be true? What happens when the truths are discovered? This book will have you turning the pages to find out. Sophie quickly realizes when life is fragile, surround yourselves by those who love you! Be sure to add this to your TBR list! A great book club read!

Sophie Whalen emigrated to the United States and found herself living in a New York tenement, not the future she had envisioned when she boarded the ship in Ireland. She stumbles upon an ad for a mail-order bride and jumps at the chance to move to San Francisco. There she meets Martin Hocking and they are married the same day she gets off the train. Hocking has told her that he is a widower with a small child, Kat. Sophie is becoming attached to her husband and even more so to her adopted daughter when her world is turned upside down by the arrival of a very pregnant woman at her door. The next morning, the infamous San Francisco earthquake turns their world upside down. They escape injury, but the events of that morning come together to reshape not only Sophie’s life but that of her surprise guest and yet another woman connected to Martin. This book was categorized as historical fiction, but the earthquake is really a small part of a story of three strong women in the midst of an awful tragedy. Well written with enough mystery and good characters, I think I got selected for the ARC of this book because I am a man! After I wrote my review, I checked others who had reviewed this book and found no men. I wavered between 3 and 4 stars as my rating and settled on the higher number as it kept my interest from start to finish. Thanks anyway to Berkeley Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my review.

This was a really enjoyable read. I did not at all anticipate the plot twists, and I loved the way the main character gradually built a found family for herself. For me, the shifts between the story and the interview with the main character some weeks after the earthquake were also very effective. This will definitely be on my list of books to recommend to customers at the bookstore where I work.

While I enjoyed the time period, the characters fell a little short for me. The plot was a bit predictable and the writing mediocre. Definitely was worth the read, and perfect for American History Fiction buffs.

The Nature of Fragile Things opens with the transcript of Sophie Whalen Hocking being interviewed by Ambrose Logan, a U.S. Marshall, on November 6, 1906. At the outset, Meissner reveals that Sophie married Martin Hocking on March 10, 1905, and reported him missing six weeks after the catastrophic April 18, 1906, San Francisco earthquake. From there, the story is related via Sophie's first-person narrative, which is interrupted occasionally by additional excerpts of the interview. The technique is highly effective, instantly pulling readers into a mystery concerning Sophie and Martin. Sophie's narration opens in March 1905 -- on the very day she arrives in San Francisco from New York City and is met at the ferry by Martin -- and proceeds in a linear fashion as the timeline gradually catches up to the date of the interview and the two time periods merge.

Sophie had never met or spoken with Martin when she agreed to move to San Francisco, marry him, and care for Kat, the little girl who has barely spoken since losing her mother, Candace. Martin offers Sophie the chance to have what she has always wanted -- a stable home and a child to love. Martin is strikingly handsome, with piercing eyes with which he seems to peer into Sophie's very soul. She has been gazing at the picture he sent her and is relieved when she disembarks from the ferry and finds him waiting for her. He indeed looks just like his picture and smiles readily when he spots her. From there, they immediately proceed to City Hall where they are married in a quick, no-frills ceremony, although Martin does grant Sophie's request that they purchase two photographs commemorating the occasion -- one for Sophie's mother back in Ireland and one to keep. They then go directly to the boarding house where Martin and Kat have been staying. There, Sophie meets Kat for the first time and the three of them continue on to the home Martin has purchased on Polk Street, a few blocks from Russian Hill. Sophie is delighted to see that it is large, comfortably furnished, and she has her own room. She made clear to Martin that the marriage would not be consummated until the two of them developed affection for each other. It was a term of their agreement to which Martin readily acceded. After all, his purpose in advertising for a wife was to provide a new mother for his daughter and be able to project the image of a successful businessman, rather than "a pathetic widower and father." Martin explained that he worked for a life insurance company and traveled extensively on business. Sophie assumed that he didn't seek out a romantic relationship because of his grief over losing Candace and desire to have "companionship and hot meals and a clean house but not romance. Not love."

Sophie settles into her new home and quickly finds herself caring deeply for Kat. While Martin travels, they occupy themselves with walks around the city and gardening, and Kat begins to speak. At first, she utters only an occasional word, just above a whisper. But as the months pass, Sophie realizes how bright and intuitive Kat is, as Kat beings to speak full sentences, and determines, with Martin's consent, to tutor her at home rather than send her to school. Sophie is gradually attracted to Martin and he does not rebuff her suggestion that they share a bed. But their physical relationship is devoid of intimacy -- Martin does not even kiss Sophie. He remains aloof and standoffish, but Sophie is steadfastly convinced that he is wounded inside. He shows no warmth or tenderness to Kat.

As much as Sophie loves Kat and is thankful to be able to mother her -- because, as she notes, she will never be able to give birth to a child -- she is troubled by Martin's secretive behavior. For instance, he keeps the drawers of his desk locked securely and when Sophie questions him, explaining that she attempted to look in the desk for a postage stamp and ink, he merely tells her to purchase whatever she needs from the stationer using the money he provides her to run the household. And one night Martin returns home and begins constructing a storage area in the boiler room, claiming that he has gone into business selling hair tonic with Candace's cousin, Belinda. He warns Sophie not to touch the bottles he stores there.

The tension and pace of the story accelerate dramatically on one fateful night when Sophie finds a pregnant woman on the doorstep. She claims to be looking for her husband, James Bigelow, who was asked by Martin to do him a favor. But James never returned so Belinda has left the inn she owns and operates in (fictional) San Rafaela and journeyed to San Francisco in search of him after finding Martin's address. When Sophie invites her in, and she sees Sophie and Martin's wedding photo, the two women break into Martin's desk . . . and form an unusual alliance that is cemented the following morning when the earthquake strikes.

Scientists estimate that the initial earthquake would have measured 7.9 on the Richter scale. It actually consisted of two shocks in quick succession, with the second being significantly stronger than the first and lasting for forty-five seconds. (Anyone who has experienced an earthquake can attest that forty-five seconds feels like a lifetime.) It was followed by numerous aftershocks. Between the initial earthquake and the resultant fires, about five square miles of San Francisco burned to the ground over the course of three days. Gas lines and water mains burst, leaving about twenty-eight thousand buildings in ruins and rendering four hundred thousand residents homeless. More than three thousand people died. Meissner conducted extensive research in an effort to portray the earthquake and its aftermath as accurately as possible. And she succeeds in conveying the terror that Sophie, Belinda, and her other characters experience, as well as their struggle to remain together and simply survive, as well as the toll it takes on little Kat.

Meissner credibly and compassionately illustrates how, armed with the truth, their circumstances bind Sophie and Belinda together, forging a friendship born of victimization and tragedy. But they refuse to remain victims. Rather, they are strong, determined women who know their own worth and are determined to be victorious. Sophie gradually reveals the secrets she has not shared with anyone, including why she left Ireland and is so adamant about keeping Kat with her, despite the obstacles she faces. Sophie, Belinda, and Kat are empathetic and likeable, and Meissner's story-telling prowess ensures that readers become fully invested in their futures.

Meissner portrays the choices her characters make -- some morally ambiguous -- and the lengths to which they go not just to survive, but to protect and secure what is theirs, and carve out the future about which they dare to dream. The story resonates emotionally, and is full of shocking twists and revelations of dark secrets that compel it forward. Through the events she depicts, Meissner examines female friendships and what cements women together as a family who, in another time and place might have been moral enemies. She shows how each woman, in her own way, adapts to the reality of her plight and place in society, and refuses to be defined or limited by either. On display throughout the story is the depth and power of a woman to love and protect a child, even one to which she did not give birth, and Meissner posits how justice should be meted out - and by whom -- making the book an excellent selection for book clubs.

Fans of historical fiction will find themselves completely engrossed in and mesmerized by The Nature of Fragile Things. It is an expertly crafted and lovingly-told homage to the human spirit, and the unbreakable bonds of a family formed by circumstances.

I loved everything about The Nature of Fragile Things. It was a compelling story, well-written, with sympathetic characters, and a lesson in history.
Sophie Whalen leaves Ireland a widow to come to the United States for a better life. Living in a tenement in New York City, she longs for more so she answers an ad from a man in San Francisco to become his wife. He has a young daughter and Sophie yearns to be a mother. At first sight, Martin Hocking is a handsome man and Sophie is looking forward to building a relationship with him. But he is distant emotionally as well as physically, travelling frequently for work. Despite the lack of a loving relationship with her husband, Sophie is happy in her lovely home with quiet, 5-year-old Kat. Sophie’s peaceful life turns to chaos on the eve of the great earthquake of April 18, 1906 when an unfamiliar woman arrives at Sophie’s door.
I would recommend this to those who enjoy historical fiction, stories that take place in San Francisco, stories about a mother’s love for her children, and strong women characters and the bonds of friendship.
Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the digital review copy.

This story is about a young immigrant named Sophie who marries a man through an ad in the newspaper. The year is 1906 and takes place in San Francisco. A year after marrying Martin, a pregnant woman shows up at Sophie and Kat’s house late in the evening. The following day is the large earthquake and fires that destroyed the city. What happens next will have Sophie questioning everything she knew and how her life will become entwined with two other women as well.


This story took me a while to get into actually. I quit it but was curious what happened with Martin in the end, so I picked it back up. The story became very interesting with some surprises thrown in that I never expected. I had a few issues with it though. Sophie was an Irish immigrant that spoke like any other American in the story except for a few random words sprinkled through out. That irked me a bit. Another thing that didn’t make sense, even though I liked reading it, was that the police interrogation always gave away what happened in the next part of the book. At times it made you wonder what could have happened but other times it just ruined the next few chapters of the book.

I would like to thank net galley , the publisher and author of The Nature of Fragile Things for an ARC of the book in exchange for my review.

"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."

Sophie Whalen is one of those characters in a book that is so well written and developed that she seems to come off of the pages. She has backbone, grit, determination and above all else she is just a good person trying to do the right thing in life. She finds herself in California with a new husband and a 5 year old step daughter. She ends up falling in love but not with Martin, her husband, but with her new found child Kat. It is sweet to be privy to that slowly budding relationship between a childless mother and a motherless child.

The morning of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 changes everything for this family and we find out what Sophie is really made of and the lengths she will go to do what is right for Kat. I highly recommend this book and really enjoyed my time reading it.

OBSESSED with this book! Set in San Francisco over the 1906 earthquake, and that is just the beginning of the drama in this story!

I love the mystery-like element, making it more than just your average historical fiction. I thought it was really really good and now I can't wait to read more form this author!

A great story with lovely characters, all except Martin. What a cad of the highest order!

Sophie is an industrious, curious and smart woman despite the fact that she traveled cross-country to marry a man she’d never met as she got off a train. She would soon find out that though her lifestyle would become more comfortable, her husband was mostly absent even during the rare times he was home. Martin traveled for work weeks on end, sharing few details and those shared were pretty sketchy. He was a handsome yet disconcerting man of few words and I could feel his piercing eyes.

Motherly Sophie embraced Martin’s 5-year old daughter Kat as her own from the start. Sophie and Kat were so much better off without Martin around. I loved sweet Kat, a quiet girl of few words and wise beyond her years. She captured my heart. Their lives change forever when a major earthquake strikes.

There was much mystery surrounding Martin. Why suddenly marry a stranger from the East Coast but then be so cold and distant to her? What did he really do on the road? There was a satisfying outcome. The story came together and everything made sense. I was hooked from beginning to end.

This story is set in 1906 and takes place during the San Francisco earthquake. I enjoyed this historical setting. Sophie arrives in San Francisco after agreeing to be a mail order bride to Martin and become the mother to his young daughter Kat. Their relationship lacked love and affection but Sophie was content and enjoyed seeing Kat come out of her shell after dealing with loss early in her life. Sophie's life changes one evening when a woman knocks on her door, and their conversation reveals some well-hidden secrets. The earthquake strikes that evening, and life was upended. However, these two women create a bond and continue to solve the mystery and unlock more secrets impacting both of their lives.

I am starting to think that Susan Meissner's novels are just not for me. Although I appreciated the flow of the story, the characters didn't seem real to me.

historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, early-20th-century, family-dynamics, friendship, loss, love, Ireland, California*****

She came from Ireland to New York to get away, then went to San Francisco to get away, then left 'Frisco to get away. Along the way she acquired a mail order husband, a lovely but emotionally scarred step-daughter, and some very interesting friends. And the professional attention of a US Marshall. The characters are impressively portrayed and the descriptives are awesome. But the flow and emotional impact of the story is what will remain. Already bought the audio.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley. Thank you!