The Engineer's Wife

Every now and then a book comes along that grabs the reader, pulls them into the plot, and drags them through the twists and turns, ups and downs, and then at the end, turns the readers loose rather worn out and feeling like they have been drug through a knot-hole backwards.  The Engineer's Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood is one such novel. 

Based in fact, this novel reads like a diary, detailing the step-by-step building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the people involved--especially Emily Warren Roebling; her husband, Washington Roebling; and all their families and employees. 

What starts as a dream by Washington's father becomes an obsession for Wash and his wife Emily.  While Wash was a certified engineer, Emily became one by teaching herself when circumstances dictated that she must. 

I've never encountered Tracey's writings before this, but I must say her research is spot on, her characters are three dimensional, and her descriptions of the work done on the bridge are historically accurate, even to the point where PT Barnum paraded elephants across the bridge to show how strong it was.

This is a five-star book, with two thumbs up, and an elephant to test the strength of your endeavors.

NetGalley.com and SourcebooksLandmark Publishing provided the copy I read for this review.  The opinions expressed here are my own.