"Synopsis:~

 

April 18, 1906: A massive earthquake rocks San Francisco just before daybreak, igniting a devouring inferno. Lives are lost, lives are shattered, but some rise from the ashes forever changed.

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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.

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Then one early-spring evening, a stranger at the door sets in motion a transforming chain of events. Sophie discovers hidden ties to two other women. The first, pretty and pregnant, is standing on her doorstep. The second is hundreds of miles away in the American Southwest, grieving the loss of everything she once loved.

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The fates of these three women intertwine on the eve of the devastating earthquake, thrusting them onto a perilous journey that will test their resiliency and resolve and, ultimately, their belief that love can overcome fear.

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From the acclaimed author of The Last Year of the War and As Bright as Heaven comes a gripping novel about the bonds of friendship and mother love, and the power of female solidarity.

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My take:~

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Susan Meissner’s talent with words and her understanding of the human heart ensures every story she pens is evocative, complex, and moving. As a long time reader of her novels, from her debut to her compelling new release, it’s been a joy to immerse myself in her stories.

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The Nature of Fragile Things is a mysterious tale of female friendships forged through desperation, heartache and betrayal. The sense of impending doom flavours the story from the beginning, which heightens the tension of the story even when the pacing in the early stages is somewhat slow. As the story unfolds through the eyes of Sophie, the secrets she is holding tight, along with the mystery surrounding emerging characters, build a tension that is partially released when the life-altering San Francisco earthquake strikes.

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Days after finishing this story, I continue to ponder the choices made by pivotal characters and the resulting consequences. The ambiguities surrounding matters of justice, integrity, and compassion that arise from those decisions make this story both memorable and provocative.

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An absorbing and informative read, The Nature of Fragile Things is a story I won’t soon forget."

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