The year try 1905 and you can Sophie Whalen are an earlier Irish immigrant residing New york. But she is not way of living . . . the brand new conditions where she finds herself is actually horrific. Indeed, she actually is so nervous to leave the low Manhattan tenement you to she offers with other ladies, she responses an offer agreeing is a mail-order fiance. She’ll travel to San francisco bay area, and you can marry a man she has never ever met and you may understands virtually little in the.
But widower Martin Hocking proves to be because aloof as he is mesmerizingly handsome. Sophie easily develops a-deep affection for and desire to care to have Kat, Martin’s four-year-old daughter who avoided talking just after their unique mom’s death away from use. Martin’s weird decisions actually leaves their on unpleasant perception you to anything regarding the their own newfound problem actually proper, but she tolerates they to possess Kat’s purpose.
Martin has the benefit of Sophie the opportunity to has actually just what she has always desired – a stable home and you can a child to love
Up to an earlier-springtime nights, that’s. A strange lady at doorway set in action a converting strings from situations. Sophie finds out Martin’s invisible connections to 3 almost every other feminine. The original, fairly and you will pregnant, is looking at their own home. Plus the 3rd? Inactive.
The ways the spot where the fates out-of about three women are intertwined is actually found on eve of devastating 1906 earthquake. Suddenly, they are push to each other into a beneficial perilous journey that tests the resiliency, manage, and you will faith you to love can really overcome fear.
The second reason is hundreds of miles away for the Arizona, grieving the increasing loss of what you she just after adored
The nature from Fine Something are an exploration of bonds of feminine relationship and solidarity, additionally the fuel from maternal love.
Susan Meissner have wrote 20 books, many of which are ready resistant to the backdrop out of tall historic events and have now received played feedback from inside the Publishers Each week and you may BookList. A ca local, she lived-in Minnesota, in which she is actually the new dealing with publisher off a weekly paper, England, and you can Germany, before to their particular home town, Hillcrest. She have practise classes to the creating, and you will getting together with their particular husband and five grown up students.
The sort out of Fragile One thing reveals towards transcript out of Sophie Whalen Hocking becoming questioned because of the Ambrose Logan, a good U.S. Marshall, to the November 6, 1906. First, Meissner indicates that Sophie hitched Martin Hocking to the March ten, 1905, and you will reported your destroyed six-weeks adopting the disastrous April 18, 1906, San francisco disturbance. From that point, the story is related thru Sophie’s basic-people narrative, which is disturbed where to find beautiful Corinth women sporadically of the extra excerpts of your interviews. The process is extremely productive, quickly pull members towards a puzzle concerning Sophie and you will Martin. Sophie’s narration opens into the March 1905 – on the extremely time she happens in the San francisco bay area of The brand new York City which can be satisfied at the ferry from the Martin – and you will continues into the a great linear fashion because timeline gradually catches to the brand new date of the interview and two time attacks blend.
Sophie had never fulfilled otherwise verbal that have Martin when she conformed to go in order to San francisco, wed your, and you can manage Kat, the little girl that scarcely spoken since losing their particular mother, Candace. Martin is stunningly good looking, with striking vision with which the guy generally seems to fellow towards the Sophie’s really spirit. She’s already been looking at picture he delivered their own and you will is actually relieved when she disembarks from the ferry and you can finds out your waiting for their. He in reality appears same as their picture and you will smiles readily whenever the guy locations their. Following that, they quickly move on to Area Hall where he’s married in a fast, no-frills service no matter if Martin really does give Sophie’s demand that they buy a couple photo commemorating this new celebration – one to for Sophie’s mom into Ireland and another to store. Then they go to the boarding household in which Martin and you can Kat were staying. Indeed there, Sophie match Kat the very first time and about three out-of all of them keep on on the family Martin features bought towards Polk Highway, a few blocks away from Russian Slope. Sophie try pleased observe that it is large, conveniently provided, and she has her very own room. She explained to help you Martin your relationship wouldn’t be consummated before two of all of them developed passion each almost every other. It actually was a term of the contract that Martin readily acceded. After all, their mission into the ads to own a wife was to give good brand new mother to possess their daughter and be able to opportunity the image of a profitable business person, instead of “a ridiculous widower and you can father.” Martin informed me he struggled to obtain a coverage providers and you may traveled generally into organization. Sophie presumed which he failed to seek out a romantic relationship once the regarding his suffering more losing Candace and wish to has “company and scorching meals and you will a clean house but not romance. Not love.”