The Nature of Fragile Things

In 1903, nineteen-year-old Sophie Whalen arrives in America and for nearly two years lives in Lower Manhattan in filthy and overcrowded conditions. In 1905, she answers a newspaper advertisement for a mail-order bride. When the arrangements are finalized, she moves to San Francisco and marries a man she has never met, Martin Hocking, the father of a five-year-old girl named Kat. In some ways, Sophie has bettered herself, since she now has decent food to eat, a nice bed in which to sleep, money for new clothing and, best of all, a child to care for. In other ways, however, she has jumped from the frying pan into the fire. Martin is aloof and enigmatic, Kat barely speaks a word, and on April 18, 1906, an earthquake levels a substantial show more portion of the city.

Susan Meissner's "The Nature of Fragile Things" is an engrossing and well-researched novel that is cleverly constructed and evocatively narrated by Sophie, a sensitive and courageous heroine. In her native Ireland, she had been emotionally and physically scarred by a series of tragic events. Therefore, she is wiser in the ways of the world than most individuals her age. However, her past experiences did not fully prepare her for life with a deceitful husband.

The complex plot involves secrets that are hidden and later revealed. In addition to riveting scenes of intrigue and suspense, Meissner effectively underscores the vulnerability of lower-class females in the early twentieth century. It is heartwarming to observe women in distress making sacrifices for one another during tough times. The dialogue rings true, and the author's evocative descriptive passages add to the book's power. It is a pleasure to root for the good-hearted and resilient Sophie who, despite having endured so much heartache, retains her ability to love. This imaginative and poignant tale will resonate with fans of beleaguered but stalwart heroines who, after being brought down by circumstances not of their own making, pick themselves up and continue to pursue their dreams. show less

Protagonist Sophie, an Irish immigrant, is living in the slums of New York in 1905 when she answers an ad for a mail order bride, which requires moving to California. Recent widower Martin Hocking tells her he wants a wife to take care of his five-year-old daughter and to keep up his image for work. During the early part of their marriage, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake hits.

The plot of this book revolves around a number of mysteries. Martin may not be what he seems. Sophie is harboring her own secrets. A pregnant woman appears at Sophie’s door, creating more questions. We know from the early chapters that a US Marshall is interviewing Sophie about her husband.

For me, the star of the book is five-year-old Kat. She is traumatized show more by the death of her mother. When Sophie arrives, Kat will not speak, but Sophie gradually earns her confidence. I also enjoyed the depiction of female friendships. The portions on the earthquake seem historically accurate. The epilogue ties everything up a bit too neatly. I could have done without it, especially since it contains a major anachronism. The undercurrent of tension is well done, but the author seems to be trying to pack too much into a single book.

3.5 show less

"‘Oh what a tangled web we weave/When first we practice to deceive."
(from Sir Walter Scott’s epic poem, Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field)

This captivating story by Susan Meissner, shines brightly upon the author's tremendous gifts as a fine storyteller. This is an historical fiction piece surrounding the days leading up to, through and following the great San Francisco earthquake of April 18,1906. Yet, to my understanding, it is the quake itself which is the sole real character of the story.

Ms. Meissner weaves an intriguing tale of mystery and suspense shedding light upon the lot of women of the day. It shows how they subjugated themselves to the men in their lives in exchange for protection, security and hopefully, affection. As show more the story opens, we discover that New York Irish immigrant, Sophie Whalen, tired of living in a cramped tenement and working under horrible conditions, answers an ad submitted by a widower from San Francisco in need of a wife to look after his 5 year old daughter. Letters are exchanged and off to San Francisco Sophie goes. Upon her arrival in the city, they immediately marry, collect his daughter from a rooming house and move into their Russian Hill home. Sophie finds her husband enigmatic and merely attributes it to his grief from the loss of his previous wife. Kat, the young reticent daughter, also appears mired in grief over the loss of her mother. To the outside world, all appears as it should until that day a stranger comes to call. The husband is away on business and narratives begin to unravel.

Through Ms. Meissner's deft writing, one can easily visualize the utter chaos in the city as china is catapulted off its shelves, water and gas lines burst open, fumes ignite, walls tremble, shake and collapse and fire consumes five square miles of the crippled city. So much devastation, sorrow and helplessness concentrated in such a small area. Yet through it all, the women of this grand tale rise above their condition and build their future. show less

Young Irish immigrant Sophie has agreed to become the mail order bride of California widower Martin Hocking and mother to his small daughter, Kat. After her mother’s death, Kat stopped speaking. Under Sophie’s care, Kat slowly emerges from her shell. Everything changes the day of the San Francisco earthquake in 1906. Whatever happens from this point on, Sophie is determined to protect the child she’s come to love as her own daughter.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. The story is well-paced and the relationships between Sophie, her friends, and Kat are beautifully depicted. The audio narrator’s delivery is outstanding. However, the plot hinges on some glaring inaccuracies. First of all, Martin is repeatedly referred to show more as a polygamist when the correct term for his behavior is bigamist. Secondly, Sophie finds documents in Martin’s desk that she keeps as proof of his identity theft and his bigamy, and the U.S. marshal who interviews Sophie about Martin’s disappearance reveals that he has the same kind of documents proving her real identity. These documents include birth or death certificates for people who were born in and who died in the 19th century. Birth and death certificates are a twentieth-century development. Most states were just beginning to issue them at the time that this book is set. show less

Sophie is a young Irish immigrant, eager to get out of New York. She answers an ad for a mail order bride, and moves to San Francisco to become the wife of a widower, Martin, and the mother to his young child. There is no love or even affection between husband and wife, but Sophie soon comes to love the child, Kat. One evening, while Martin is away on a business trip, a woman shows up, seeking information about her husband, who was doing a favor for Martin. A chance look around Sophie’s house is the beginning of a startling chain of events that will tie these two women together, and lead them to a third woman, unknown to either of them. In the midst of this personal turmoil, an even bigger disaster is about to happen: the San show more Francisco earthquake of 1906. This complex and well executed novel is a gripping account of the disaster superimposed over the heart wrenching deceit that was forced on these women. The characters come to life on the page, living in a real disaster as they cope with their shattered lives. The novel illustrates that true friendships can be born out of adversity, and that love can be the catalyst behind acts of bravery. And not all acts of bravery would stand up in a court of law. This well written novel is highly recommended show less

My book club chose The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner as our April selection. This twisting novel full of secrets and deceptions features a point in time that triggers all things hidden to come to light. The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a devastating natural disaster that is hard to wrap a mind around. The setting had to be daunting — the details that needed to be searched through and chosen to best depict the magnitude of the event. Meissner did a great job of putting the reader in the middle of the terror of the first moments and the determination needed to survive and rebuild. If the novel was just about the earthquake, Meissner would have done a creditable job. However, she weaves a story of three very show more different women brought together in unbelievable circumstances. And I’m, not talking about the earthquake. The first person, present tense narrator ( which is done extremely well) is Sophie Whalen, a recent immigrant from Ireland who comes to California for a new start. She seems to get everything she dreamed of until the night before the quake. As one of our members said, the book gets exciting from that point! I don’t want to share any spoilers — the book is rich in surprises you don’t see coming — so I’ll just say that the tangled stories of the three women kept me furiously turning the pages. There are themes of female friendships, mother love, and incomplete justice. I can’t recommend this book enough! Enjoy the historical context, the intertwining mystery, and the thought-provoking storyline. I look forward to our discussion of this book — it will definitely make for a great conversation.

Highly Recommended.

Great for Book Clubs.

Audience: Adults.

(I purchased the ebook from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) show less

Solid historical fiction from a not WWII era. Sophie Whalen is an Irish immigrant and after a couple miserable years in NYC, answers a mail-order bride ad that brings her out to San Francisco and Martin Hocking, who needs a wife to care for his 5-year-old daughter, Kat and keep up respectable appearances. His good looks sweeten the deal, as well as the well-appointed home he has. While it isn't instant love or even attraction, Sophie settles into her new life, and is smitten with Kat and comfortable with enough food and warmth for the first time in her grown-up life. All seems well until the reader notices the dates - leading up to the massive 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Part of the story is told in police interview - Martin goes show more missing in the disaster and Sophie has not tried urgently to find him - and the reasons why slowly unfold - both to her and to the reader. On the eve of the earthquake - which no one knows is coming - a woman shows up at Sophie's door looking for her own husband who she believes is employed by Martin. What the two discover and the dark places that leads them is the tension and drama that makes up the compelling 2/3 remaining of the book. It definitely messes with the idea of victim and aggressor and who fits which definition. The destruction of the city may just be the fortuitous re-start that Sophie needs. A few things come together a little too conveniently, but the story never devolved into that annoying formulaic result, in part because Sophie is such a well-written character, and the author has a knack for keeping information just out of reach, and keeping an ominous cloud just overhead. show less