Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

9 reviews

stephaniealysse's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

franklola's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death, Infertility, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, and Abandonment

ltulisiak's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

3.75 stars. This book was a very quick read (listen) with enough drama and emotion to keep me hooked throughout. It centers around a young lady who is an Irish immigrant who initially lived in NY, but chose to answer a mail-order bride advertisement to move to San Fransisco to take care of a widower and his young daughter. However, not everything is as it appears. There are secrets to behold from every adult in this book. Ultimately it ends up being a story of strong motherly love, female relationships/friendships, and sometimes having to leave trauma or tragedy behind to start anew. 

This is not one of my all-time favorites, and realistically I will probably have to re-read my review and the synopsis in a year or more in order to jog my memory as to what this was about. But I was looking for something quick and enjoyable, and this did just the trick. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Child death and Miscarriage

bookmaven17's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Infidelity and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Child death, Infertility, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Pregnancy

This story centers around the history of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The main characters contend with injuries, encampments for the displaced, and the fear and uncertainty surrounding escaping the city following a natural disaster.

mwvandermeulen's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring fast-paced

4.5

Tugged my heartstrings with the story of an almost-orphaned 5yo girl needing a mom, the bond that she forms with her dad’s “mail order bride”, the  destruction of the San Francisco earthquake at the turn of the century, and female friendships. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

cursedepub's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Blood, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Suicide

emileereadsbooks's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the free digital copy I read in partnership with the audio.

Reading this book is like peeling back the layers of the story as you get more and more intimate with the characters. Sophie is a mail order bride arriving in San Francisco from Ireland by way of New York. She is satisfied with her marriage to Martin and comes to love his 5 year old daughter Kat. When some truth about Martin rises to the surface, she has to dig deeper to find some firm footing to stand on. Which is difficult to do when a literal earthquake shakes the whole city throwing everyone and especially Sophie and Kat into chaos.

This story tells the tale of female friendship. It is about the strength of women and their bond amidst catastrophe. I found this compulsively listenable and didn't want it to end.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity

teacupsandfirereads's review

emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I had never read a book by Susan Meissner prior to this one. It is evident she is a talented writer. The synopsis leads you to believe it is about the 1906 earth quake in San Francisco that devastated the city.  It is about that, but also so much more. It is about belonging, what makes a family and so , so much more. I have to say I definitely was not expecting where this story went, but it ended up being alright with me that it did that. The characters are richly developed and the plot supports great and interesting detail without being over powering. I have to say at first I wasn't jiving with this book, I self it dragged a bit, but then around thirty percent, I found my rhythm with it and finished it before I knew it. It was nice to read a historical fiction not surrounding WW I or II and a book that carried both a historical aspect and broader story, which in this case held much mystery and intrigue. I would definitely recommend this to historical fiction fans.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

bookish_allie's review

emotional inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

#bookishthemesong : No Body, No Crime by @taylorswift
.
First of all, thank you so much to @uplitreads and @berkleypub for the #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
.
I LOVED this book. Reading historical fiction about a time/place I’m mostly unfamiliar with? Count me in! This book has all the things: an exploration of the meaning of motherhood, mystery & intrigue, a look into female friendship and #womensupportingwomen . So good.
.
I learned so much about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake as well—Susan Meissner did an amazing job weaving in facts without the book ever coming across as dry or dull. You simply must add this one to your TBR 💕
.
I will add, there are a few Content Warnings for miscarriage, infant loss, death, terminal illness, abuse, death of a parent, and infidelity.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Moderate: Infertility and Miscarriage