This was such a poor book.
I just expected so much more from it.
A major disappointment……..
…….

(DNF @36%)

Charming and brilliant Emily-a self-taught math genius, hopeful engineer, a suffragist, and strong independent women-is hampered by the men in her life (her husband, her father-in-law, and PT Barnum) who only view her/use her as they see fit.

First off, what's the obsession with PT Barnum? I see so many films and books alike that describe him as if he were some kind of heroic Lothario. The man was unattractive and evil to the core! Now I must admit I didn't finish this book, so maybe eventually Emily sees the error of her ways and regrets so much as the idea of flirting with Mr. Barnum, but his involvement alone in this story was so cringe worthy it was reason enough for me to stop reading. The characters were just too dull for me to get attached to or to care about and anything regarding PT Barnum is most likely going to bother me, unless he's portrayed as the truly abhorrent man he was.

Read a finished copy from the library
Review will be posted August 22nd, 2022
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.

This novel had an interesting premise about the wife of the man who built the Brooklyn Bridge. However, the story was drawn out. I would have liked it better had it been shorter. There is not much action. Still, I recommend this for fans of The Paris Wife!

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

Tells of the hardship of the early days of building large bridges. Great historical look into how our bridges were made.

How there were women who helped the projects of building a bridge to unfold.

Emily helps her husband Wash to build his bridge and bring up their son. Emily has to wait to fight for what she believes in after the bridge was nearly finished.

A very well researched and beautifully written novel with inspiring characters. A must read for every female at this point of time in life.

Do you know anything about the construction of Brooklyn Bridge? I must admit that I didn't give it much thought until I began to read this book which tells of Emily Warren Roebling - who had a huge role in the design and construction of this famous bridge.

I thought this was excellently written and researched. I loved getting to know Emily and found her to be a really likable and inspirational character.

The research that the author has done is incredible and I found myself wondering what it must have been like for a woman in those times to work with so many men and lots of constraints. It makes you think about how much we have moved on as a society.

Brilliantly written.

A historical fiction account of a lesser known real life woman who was smart and compliable on her own. Almost an engineer in her own right. How come we never learned about her in school.

i really wanted to like this book but unfortunately it just did not work for me.. i'm so sorry, but i hope that you pick it up and that you love it so much!! but i do hope yo uadore it more than i did.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a great historical fiction with lots of facts behind the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. Emily, main character, is a female and ends up being the engineer for the chin due to sickness of her husband. I enjoyed her stronghold model of fighting for herself. A great read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction!

I love historical fiction. To the point, where if it sounds even remotely interesting I'll read it.

When I saw this title, I was hoping for a great addition to my library, but the characters weren't padded enough. Reading about bland characters is not a way I enjoy passing my time.

Unfortunately, this one didn't work for me. However, I know a lot of readers adored this one, so I'm figuring maybe it's just me.

My thanks to Tracey Emerson Wood, Lume Books, and NetGalley for the eARC of this title in exchange for my honest opinion.

I've only seen pictures of the Brooklyn Bridge, but just seeing those it is amazing to think that after 120 years it is still standing. The sheer majesty of it, with all the limestone, cables, and steel - how they all work together. It is mind-boggling to me.

This was the story of Emily Warren Roebling, the wife of Washington Roebling, who was the engineer to the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. After suffering from caisson's disease and rending Washington Roebling physically unable to work at the bridge, it fell on Emily to be the messenger/manager of the construction of the rest of the bridge. With details from the complexity of building the stone structures, going feet down in the water to bedrock, how the wires were strung from one side to the next, and the vastness of it in the end. It was the story of a couple who wanted to fulfill the dream of one's father, all the while raising a young son, the stressors on their marriage, and the strength of Emily to do what no woman was supposed to do at that time.

I enjoyed this book, more so the details of the building of the bridge, the trials they went through to get things just right, the heartache when something went wrong, and the sheer toll it took on everyone. I enjoyed Emily's character, although there were times I felt she was a bit selfish, but maybe that was because of the ignorance of her husband. She was a determined woman with the building of the bridge, woman's rights, and realizing her dreams even though late in life. Wash to me was a bit of a self-centered man, used to getting his way, excessively smart in terms of architecture and math, but lacking sensitivity where it mattered. I didn't like the relationship of Emily and PT Barnum, I felt it forced to be part of the story, and at times the center of the story rather than the building of the bridge. But in the epilogue learned it may have happened, although to what extent shall not be known. In all I enjoyed the book and would give it 4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the historical period. It was a enjoyable read that worked for the time period.

Bringing to light the back story of the wonder of design and engineering that became the Brooklyn Bridge. It happens through the woven lives of finally etched characters with all their foibles, passions and dark secrets. The author captures the kaleidoscope era of mud streets, PT Barnum s circus, fires, dangers, deaths, changing technologies and women corseted by fashion and society. Emily Roebling who was self taught and who against all odds took charge from her failing husband, completed and finally opened the bridge in 1883. All this happened during a pivotal time of change with the civil war still an open, fresh wound from the past, the Statue of Liberty erected 3 years after the bridge was opened and the consolidation of what we now know as NYC 15 years later (made in part possible by the bridge). Emily achieved this feat despite intrigue, middle of the night political backdoor deals and women s limited legal standings. It happened thirty seven years before women earned the right to vote..

Unfortunately I was too late in reviewing this book before it was archived so I never got to read it and I so wanted to that I bought it.

The story is about Emily Roebling nee Warren she a woman before her time as in those days woman could not do engineering as it was a man's world. Her husband Washington was the engineer who was building the Brooklyn Bridge and he ended up getting sick so Emily took over the running of building the bridge with the help of her husband.

Emily found many problems in the building of the bridge but she overcame them. A dozen people died building the bridge in which there could have been a lot more but the safety of them were paramount to Emily.

I would recommend you to read this book.

This book was super good. It was super original and I flew through it. It didn't feel like anything I've read in the past. Can't wait to read more from the author!!

The Engineer's Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood provides an excellent insight into the career and emotional experiences women encountered during historical times. Emily Roebling's husband the Chief Engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge during the 19th Century played an extraordinary role as a wife but also a person with a career in mind.

Her husband experiences a terrible blow when he became injured and his wife replaced his role. Emily's strong-minded personality and steadfast approach to follow her dreams became a reality when she accepted the position to oversee the development of the Brooklyn Bridge. The author's writing style makes the book one of the best historical novels on the market. I would recommend this book to any person who enjoys history but also interested to understand the complexities women dealt with during the 1900s.

I looked forward to reading the book about Emily Warren Roebling who was the wife of the chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge. Emily was an amazing woman and her determination to accomplish things despite the fact that she was a woman…who were not respected in that day and time.

The author obviously did a lot of research. I also appreciated all of the efforts Emily put into the suffrage movement. She was a strong woman and, despite the lack of affection from her husband, was willing to accomplish awesome feats.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

The cover struck me first, I am a huge love of book covers and they certainly do thier job, where I am concerned.
Being a lover of Historical Fiction, I could see straight away that this was a book that I needed to look further into.
THE ENGINEER'S WIFE is a true account of a lady in American history that I had no idea exsisted, not being from that part of the world I was unaware of the exceptional task she undertook all those years ago.
Our Main Charecter, Emily is a determind and vivacious woman, who through hard work and determination helped to build the Brooklyn Bridge.
The novel opens in 1864, Washington DC, a Feburary party, Emily bedecked in a ballgown surrounded by Military men, talking to wounded soldiers , meeting and greeting and we get a taste of the Emily that fills the whole book.
"So pleased to meet you. I'm Emily." I offered my hand to a soldier with one brown eye, his face cobbled by burns. (Taken from Chapter one)
We learn that Emily marries her husband Washington 'Wash' Roebling a civil engineer, whom she leaves behind her hopes and ambitions and sets helping him and her father in law John with their dreams of building a bridge that spans between Brooklyn and Manhatten.
Again, not being from this part of the world I have never set my eyes upon this area / Bridge and had to resort to looking at images on the internet, just to get an idea of this massive undertaking.
Unfortuntatly, the health of her husband and the death of her father in law sets Emily in a direction that she never saw coming, initially becoming a messenger between her stricken husband and the building site, but later becoming an integral part of the team.
I really think that she was driving force of this project after a while, being a woman, I feel she had the capability to solve all the problems that beset the project, she was able to look at things in a different way, a female way.
I also enjoyed the involvement she had with the womans sufferge movement at the time, I only really know about the British movement and was nice to read about it from overseas.
We even get introduced the P T Barnum, the entertainer.
This book is so much more than I can write about here, the story is so much more involved that i can give it credit for and it entertained me and my 'little grey cells' as it made me want to know more about the actual woman, and , as mentioned, reserach more about the bridge, I really like it when a book incites this in me.
Sometimes, I do have an issue when a Historical figure is written into fiction, has the author made them too perfect for example, were they really like how they are portrayed?
But, you know what, I actually don't really care, I enjoyed the book and saw Emily through the eyes of the author, it is obvious that Enerson Wood took her time to make sure that the research was thorough and reliable and I accept that fact.
I am a huge audiobook fan, and am interested to see who they would get to narrate it, if this was to be turned into audio.
I thank the publishers and Netgalley for letting me read this for an unbiased review, I am happy to keep this in my ebook library because, I know at some point, i will re visit.
Also, with Christmas only a few months away, I know of quite a few people who would like to see this poking out of their stocking!