Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
For the most part, my book club adored this book. But it wasn't for me. Though this is loosely based on history, the main character's pick-me attitude and constant flirting with PT Barnum was off-putting.
Well-written and engaging historical fiction.True enough to the general details and challenges of the bridge construction. I also enjoyed the inner world of motivations the author created for Emily... to a point.
She went, uh, a bridge too far and contrived a romance between Emily and P.T. Freaking Barnum. I get that it's historical fiction and the author has to fill in some blanks, but NO. Just NO. Reading between the lines is one thing. Making a fabricated romance the central conflict of the novel just to make the story flashier? It really rubbed me the wrong way, perhaps most because this was supposed to be Emily's story. She had a pretty extraordinary life even without the circus magic.
Instead, P.T. comes in and steals the show like the showman he is at every relevant plot point. I get that the author needed a character to serve as a foil for Wash. She should have created one from someone plausible in the historical record, instead of riding on Barnum's red-sequined coattails.
I wanted to love this, but I just can't. Talented author, but a tragic waste of a good story.
She went, uh, a bridge too far and contrived a romance between Emily and P.T. Freaking Barnum. I get that it's historical fiction and the author has to fill in some blanks, but NO. Just NO. Reading between the lines is one thing. Making a fabricated romance the central conflict of the novel just to make the story flashier? It really rubbed me the wrong way, perhaps most because this was supposed to be Emily's story. She had a pretty extraordinary life even without the circus magic.
Instead, P.T. comes in and steals the show like the showman he is at every relevant plot point. I get that the author needed a character to serve as a foil for Wash. She should have created one from someone plausible in the historical record, instead of riding on Barnum's red-sequined coattails.
I wanted to love this, but I just can't. Talented author, but a tragic waste of a good story.
DNF. I *really* wanted to like this book; but the lack of autonomy in the title should have given me a clue as to the personality of the MC. Weird pacing, flat characters, and too many unnecessary side stories made this book more effort than it was worth.
Emily was a very interesting person with quite a story! I don’t think the author was able to capture any sense of urgency or high stakes drama in the story. It went kind of like this:
“Oh no! There may be a problem with the bridge!”
“No, they solved it.”
Repeat ad nauseam.
“Oh no! The relationship between Emily and Wash is doomed!”
“Well…I guess they are just going to stay together because that’s what you did in the 1800s.”
400 pages of that.
“Oh no! There may be a problem with the bridge!”
“No, they solved it.”
Repeat ad nauseam.
“Oh no! The relationship between Emily and Wash is doomed!”
“Well…I guess they are just going to stay together because that’s what you did in the 1800s.”
400 pages of that.
This book is one you will appreciate more once you finish it. It is not a fact paced read. I did not particularly feel a connection with the characters so much as I felt a connection with the place. I feel Wood did a good job in humanizing the trials that both the workers and engineers went through on both a personal and professional level. Wood detailed the complex construction terms and procedures in easy layman terms. This sometimes took away from the flow but it added clarity and provided gravitas for the build process. Wood gave an in depth look at how women had to weigh the consequences of wanting to fight for suffrage.
I grew up in Brooklyn - nowhere near the Brooklyn Bridge (closer to the Verrazano in South BK) but some of my fondest memories involve walking across this bridge or seeing a glimpse of it while crossing from street to street. That’s why I was thrilled to get this @netgalley copy of THE ENGINEER’S WIFE by Tracey Enerson Wood.
Did you know a woman was key to making sure the Brooklyn Bridge could be completed? Emily Warren Roebling took up the project after her husband, Washington Roebling, became ill with “caisson disease”, now known as decompression sickness, partway through construction. How cool is that?
Enerson dives into Emily’s story, and you can tell there was depth and dedication to her research. It was fascinating to read about how the Bridge project came about, and I truly bought into the love behind Wash and Emily’s relationship. I even loved the engineering elements - I don’t think I fully comprehended quite how groundbreaking a feat this Bridge truly was at the time.
But there were a few issues for me. Enerson takes a lot of historical liberties - chief among them the appearance of P.T. Barnum - yes, that one - as a key part of the story and of Emily’s life and career. I was really challenged by that element of the storytelling and wasn’t fully bought in even when I turned the last page.
Well-written, fascinating, and an interesting glimpse into a woman who doesn’t get enough acclaim for her accomplishments, THE ENGINEER’S WIFE falls short when it comes to plot and a convincing historical re-imagining. If you enjoyed The Greatest Showman (I have to admit...I did not) you may really enjoy this one. But unfortunately, it was a bit of a disappointment for me.
Did you know a woman was key to making sure the Brooklyn Bridge could be completed? Emily Warren Roebling took up the project after her husband, Washington Roebling, became ill with “caisson disease”, now known as decompression sickness, partway through construction. How cool is that?
Enerson dives into Emily’s story, and you can tell there was depth and dedication to her research. It was fascinating to read about how the Bridge project came about, and I truly bought into the love behind Wash and Emily’s relationship. I even loved the engineering elements - I don’t think I fully comprehended quite how groundbreaking a feat this Bridge truly was at the time.
But there were a few issues for me. Enerson takes a lot of historical liberties - chief among them the appearance of P.T. Barnum - yes, that one - as a key part of the story and of Emily’s life and career. I was really challenged by that element of the storytelling and wasn’t fully bought in even when I turned the last page.
Well-written, fascinating, and an interesting glimpse into a woman who doesn’t get enough acclaim for her accomplishments, THE ENGINEER’S WIFE falls short when it comes to plot and a convincing historical re-imagining. If you enjoyed The Greatest Showman (I have to admit...I did not) you may really enjoy this one. But unfortunately, it was a bit of a disappointment for me.
I was given a free ARC of this book by @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
If you've ever been to New York and seen the Brooklyn Bridge, or even seen a picture, it's hard not to be impressed! What is even more amazing, and I had NO IDEA about was that it's construction in the late 1800s was largely overseen by a woman! When Washington Roebling, the chief engineer on the project and son of the bridge designer, becomes ill due to his work on the bridge his wife Emily takes over for him. She teachers herself engineering, makes speeches to the board, rallies supporters and financial backers, and even bucks society even more by wearing a bloomer outfit so she can get into some right places along with the workers to make sure things are being done well! The story follows Emily and Wash from the time they meet and ends with an image of life after the bridges completion. In between those two points is a great story of commitment, determination, hard work, and women's ingenuity! I would definitely recommend reading this one.
#NetGalley #TheEngineersWife
If you've ever been to New York and seen the Brooklyn Bridge, or even seen a picture, it's hard not to be impressed! What is even more amazing, and I had NO IDEA about was that it's construction in the late 1800s was largely overseen by a woman! When Washington Roebling, the chief engineer on the project and son of the bridge designer, becomes ill due to his work on the bridge his wife Emily takes over for him. She teachers herself engineering, makes speeches to the board, rallies supporters and financial backers, and even bucks society even more by wearing a bloomer outfit so she can get into some right places along with the workers to make sure things are being done well! The story follows Emily and Wash from the time they meet and ends with an image of life after the bridges completion. In between those two points is a great story of commitment, determination, hard work, and women's ingenuity! I would definitely recommend reading this one.
#NetGalley #TheEngineersWife
TW: work injuries, cheating, and problems relating to childbirth.
Starting this book was a little slow. We have to get to know Emily and Washington (Wash for short) and how they got together before we get to see the drama of the bridge building. And when I say drama I do mean drama the entire build from the beginning sounded like a giant headache and stress. Part of this is because Wash was just living out his father's dream, he didn't like bridge building all that much but felt like it was his responsibility as he was the one who had always worked with his father on bridge builds and had gone to school for it. Emily in turn wanting to be with her husband and always striving to be allowed to do and be more became involved in it slowly. With this, she was slowly learning about the important parts of bridge building and how every little piece especially the foundation needed to be perfect or the bridge would cause catastrophe. While overwhelming at times for her, you could tell she loved learning all of this with her husband and being able to be by his side.
When it came to work-related injuries I had no idea something like that could happen, but it also made sense that such volatile conditions would take a huge effect on the human body.
Overall I did like and enjoy this book. Seeing how Emily handled everything and took charge when she had to was amazing. The relationship between Emily and Wash and how they were able to work together was so nice to see. Obviously, Wash was not the usual husband of the day who thought the wife's only place was at home, as he had Emily helping out with the bridge build a huge amount even before he was injured. But then he also put a huge amount of pressure on her when he was injured and gave very little help at first, but after a while started teaching her more and helping her be able to do the job confidently. When it came to gaining the respect of the men at the work site this took time and always seemed to be a little rocky, and she was always having to prove herself not just to the men at the site, but to the men on the board as well. Yet she was the one doing all the behind-the-scenes work and making sure things were done properly and orders were given to keep everything on schedule and as many men safe as possible. Emily did amazing things, and while she was lost to history, for the most part, she also helped pave the way for women in other ways. She proved that women could do a man's job and do it well. Yes, Emily had money, and privilege on her side, but she still helped the cause of women's suffragette in her own way. At times though it did seem like Emily lost herself and was just doing what her husband needed her to do because the bridge had to be completed no matter what. I would have liked to see maybe a little bit more after the bridge build and how she was able to adjust back to a more 'normal' life after having had so much pressure and a type of freedom that most women didn't have of that time.
I personally could have done without the whole drama that was constantly happening with Mr. Barnum, but I get why the author added him in as a character to create interest and drama. However, the liberty that was taken and the way it made the main character Emily act made me not love this book as much. I feel like we could have just had Emily doing what she was doing with the bridge builder and helping her husband out and the drama that was around that and had it be enough.
Starting this book was a little slow. We have to get to know Emily and Washington (Wash for short) and how they got together before we get to see the drama of the bridge building. And when I say drama I do mean drama the entire build from the beginning sounded like a giant headache and stress. Part of this is because Wash was just living out his father's dream, he didn't like bridge building all that much but felt like it was his responsibility as he was the one who had always worked with his father on bridge builds and had gone to school for it. Emily in turn wanting to be with her husband and always striving to be allowed to do and be more became involved in it slowly. With this, she was slowly learning about the important parts of bridge building and how every little piece especially the foundation needed to be perfect or the bridge would cause catastrophe. While overwhelming at times for her, you could tell she loved learning all of this with her husband and being able to be by his side.
When it came to work-related injuries I had no idea something like that could happen, but it also made sense that such volatile conditions would take a huge effect on the human body.
Overall I did like and enjoy this book. Seeing how Emily handled everything and took charge when she had to was amazing. The relationship between Emily and Wash and how they were able to work together was so nice to see. Obviously, Wash was not the usual husband of the day who thought the wife's only place was at home, as he had Emily helping out with the bridge build a huge amount even before he was injured. But then he also put a huge amount of pressure on her when he was injured and gave very little help at first, but after a while started teaching her more and helping her be able to do the job confidently. When it came to gaining the respect of the men at the work site this took time and always seemed to be a little rocky, and she was always having to prove herself not just to the men at the site, but to the men on the board as well. Yet she was the one doing all the behind-the-scenes work and making sure things were done properly and orders were given to keep everything on schedule and as many men safe as possible. Emily did amazing things, and while she was lost to history, for the most part, she also helped pave the way for women in other ways. She proved that women could do a man's job and do it well. Yes, Emily had money, and privilege on her side, but she still helped the cause of women's suffragette in her own way. At times though it did seem like Emily lost herself and was just doing what her husband needed her to do because the bridge had to be completed no matter what. I would have liked to see maybe a little bit more after the bridge build and how she was able to adjust back to a more 'normal' life after having had so much pressure and a type of freedom that most women didn't have of that time.
I personally could have done without the whole drama that was constantly happening with Mr. Barnum, but I get why the author added him in as a character to create interest and drama. However, the liberty that was taken and the way it made the main character Emily act made me not love this book as much. I feel like we could have just had Emily doing what she was doing with the bridge builder and helping her husband out and the drama that was around that and had it be enough.
3.5 stars rounded down. Okay but kind of boring for a while there.