In 1905, Irish immigrant Sophie Whalen, desperate to escape the squalid New York tenements, answers a newspaper ad to become the bride of Martin Hocking in “The Nature of Fragile Things” by Susan Meissner. Her new life in San Francisco seems almost idyllic; she particularly loves her new stepdaughter. But things begin to fall apart. First, a woman shows up looking for her husband James—and recognizes a picture of Martin as being the same man. Next, only hours later, the devastating San Francisco earthquake of 1906 hits, followed by a fire which burns her…
Stories highlight the travails of women
From Irish immigrants to buddy capers, these books spotlight the strength and fortitude of female characters.
