The Engineer's Wife
Tracey Enerson Wood
She built a monument for all time. Then she was lost in its shadow. Discover the fascinating woman who helped design and construct the Brooklyn Bridge. more
352 pages, Hardcover
First published Sourcebooks Landmark
3.76
Rating
10878
Ratings
1441
Reviews
Tracey Enerson Wood
9 books 331 followers
Tracey Enerson Wood has always had a writing bug. While working as a Registered Nurse, starting an interior design company, raising two children, and bouncing around the world as a military wife, she indulged in her passion as a playwright, screenwriter and short story writer. She has authored magazine columns and other non-fiction, written and directed plays of all lengths, including Grits, Fleas and Carrots, Rocks and Other Hard Places, Alone, and Fog. Her screenplays include Strike Three and Roebling's Bridge. The Engineer's Wife is her first published novel.Other passions include food and cooking, and honoring military heroes. Her co-authored anthology/cookbook Homefront Cooking, American Veterans share Recipes, Wit, and Wisdom, was released in May, 2018, and all authors' profits will be donated to organizations that support veterans.
A New Jersey native, she now lives with her family in Germany and Florida, and loves to travel, so be careful giving out casual invitations, she will show up anywhere.
(source: Amazon)
Community reviews
I finished this novel because I was curious about Emily Warren Roebling, an engineer who helped build the Brooklyn Bridge. But it was a chore because of the pedestrian writing and wooden characters. It was a helpful sleep aid. . more
Many of us have walked over the Brooklyn Bridge, but probably most of us don’t know the story behind this bridge and what an enormous achievement back then it was to build such grand bridge and to take on such massive project. And the dedication it took. 1865, Emily Warren marries Captain Washington ‘Wash’ Roebling. She marries into the family of engineers. Father and son are working on finishing “the Cincinnati-Covington Bridge, which had been long delayed by the war (…),” linking Ohio and Kentucky. more
Thank to NetGalley, Tracey Enerson Wood and Lume Books for my copy of The Engineer's Wife. In 1865, Emily Warren married Captain Washington Roebling, they met during the American Civil War and Wash was her older brother’s Gouverneur Kemble Warren’s aide. The couple was instantly attracted to each other, their courtship was conducted by mail and they didn’t spend a lot of time together due to the war. Wash and his father John were both engineers, they needed to finish the Covington Cincinnati Bridge construction and it had been delayed due to the Civil War and they had plans to build a much bigger bridge. John Roebling had a dream to build a bridge called the New York and Brooklyn Bridge or as it’s called today the Brooklyn Bridge. more
Though written for the suffragist movement I found the Engineer’s Wife disappointing. A bit boring and anti-climatic. The last of action made the book long. I almost DNF a few times but chose to continue. Never disappointed when I persevere to the end. more
The Engineer's Wife is an entertaining historical novel that is intelligently narrated and full of emotions as well as clever conversations. The story starts off in Washington, D. C. , Feb. 1864 and deals with the establishment of the monumental Brooklyn Bridge. more
This is a compelling novel of historical fiction about Emily Watson Roebling, a fascinating woman who was instrumental in the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1864 Emily Warren meets Captain Washington “Wash” Roebling, a civil engineer. After they marry Emily leaves her own ambitions behind to help her husband and father-in-law, John Roebling, fulfill their dream of building a bridge connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan. During the project John Roebling dies of tetanus, and Wash is stricken with “caisson disease”. It is up to Emily to take charge of the project. more
This was a wonderful and wonderfully enlightening novel based on the life of Emily Warren Roebling, wife of Washington Roebling and daughter in law of John Roebling who designed both the Cincinnati-Covington Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge. With John’s untimely death and Washington’s unfortunate incapacity due to the bends, Emily finds herself tasked with not only supervising the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge but verifying the integrity of the supplies and components necessary. She is also the one who must meet with the politicians and various committees who provide funds, oversee the project, etc. Due to Washington’s guidance, mentoring and her own diligence in studying his engineering texts, she does an incredible job. One of the major historical characters injected into this story was P. more
Whenever I read fiction based on a true story I go in skeptical. Does the story feel too perfect. Is our lead character too strong or too unbelievable. And while there are people in the world that are incredible human beings; the reality is that most of us are just average and incapable of most feats in our favourite novels. In The Engineer's Wife it's 1865; and so women are arm candy, the suffragette cause is protesting forward, and white men believe themselves to be the best of the best. more
While the historical events that inspired this book are fascinating to me, I'm not sure how I feel about this retelling. The writing and overall structure of the story is fine. However, I found the characterization bland, which made it hard for me to really connect with Emily and Wash as real people. Emily was your basic Mary Sue "I'm not like other girls" heroine. While the book is told in first person, I never felt like I understood her. more
The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge was a massive undertaking in the late 19th century. It is fascinating to discover the integral part a woman played in keeping the project going. Emily Warren Roebling was a woman ahead of her time. When her husband and father-in-law were busy building a bridge in Cincinnati, she kept herself occupied reading engineering books. Then it was time to move onto the East River bridge or the Brooklyn Bridge. more
THE ENGINEER'S WIFE is a historical fiction novel that should be great, but it just fell flat. Based on the true story of Emily Warren Roebling, the wife of Washington Roebling, who designed and built the Brooklyn Bridge, I really thought I'd love this book. Emily had to take over the building and supervising of the bridge when her husband was afflicted with Caisson disease (the bends). The book spans from the Civil War to the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883. The problems I have with this book start with the characters. more
'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. more
The Engineer’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood was a fascinating and powerful book about a woman history neglected to document and give credit to for her important contributions. Emily Warren Roebling came from Cold Spring, New York. She lived during the Civil War and met her husband Washington Roebling during that time. Washington (Wash) was an officer in the Union Army in her brother’s infantry. Emily’s brother had a hand in introducing his sister to Wash. more
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an egalley in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely adore when authors choose to write their books about women that history has forgotten. The Engineer's Wife is the tale of Emily Warren Roebling, wife of the chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge. The story begins with Emily and Wash's first meeting during the height of the American Civil War and follows the years until the completion of the building of the bridge. Along the way there are many hardships both marital and with the business. more
The Engineer’s WifeThis book is a yummy mix of history (just after the Civil war, then through 1890ish), growing up, falling in love, marrying, having a career and family – all in a New York setting – Brooklyn to be exact – right at the feet of that wonderful old Brooklyn bridge. I love a sticky read, and this stuck from the very first chapter. The reader follows Emily Warren, and soon is introduced to Washington Roebling. From there, the story grows like an oak tree spreading out in all directions. From civil war generals to PT Barnum there is something for everyone in these pages. more
I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. It was a book club selection and recommended by a friend whose opinion I value very highly. Unfortunately I did not enjoy the book as much as she did. Emily Warren Roebling was the wife of Washington Roebling, whose father John Roebling designed the Brooklyn Bridge. After John’s death, Washington was tasked with ensuring the building and completion of the bridge. more
The Engineer's Wife is a fascinating piece of historical fiction about Emily Warren, the wife of Wash Roebling, who was the Chief Engineer on the Brooklyn Bridge project. The Brooklyn Bridge is such an iconic and impressive landmark, but I didn't know much about its history. And I certainly didn't know that a woman contributed considerably to its building. After Emily's husband, Wash, developed decompression sickness from working in high-pressure tanks and was unable to continue overseeing the project, she started managing it, first with his help, and later all by herself, when Wash's health deteriorated even further. Emily had no formal engineering training but with her husband's guidance and her formidable intellect, she succeeded in bringing the project to completion, despite all the hurdles and suspicions she faced as a woman. more
Have you ever been in a situation where you randomly pick up a book and give it a chance. Well that was me with this one and I'm so happy I did. As a historical fiction junkie this took me back to the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the amazing woman who was instrumental in the success of the bridge. There were a few slow parts and details about bridge building that may not be for everyone. . more
I'm not a fan of historical fiction in which real people are given thoughts and placed in situations that may never have happened, for the purpose of building interest in an historical event or person. This book struck out for me on several levels:1) Don't make things up about real people that you can't document and support. Gossip and speculation at the time don't count as historical sources. To say, "hey, PT Barnum and Emily Warren Roebling were in the same area at the same time, and may have interacted, sure," and then to create a romantic history between them to add tension to the history feels shabby. It's hard enough to protect living people from living gossip, without impugning motives and emotions to the dead. more
Reading this compelling novel, I was introduced to Emily Warren who marries into the Roebling family of engineers, with many famous landmarks in their portfolio. But none to rival the bridge which John Roebling envisions building to span the East River and connect Manhattan with Brooklyn. John's unexpected death forces his son [her husband] Washington [Wash] to carry on with the project. Early drawings and fund raising begin in earnest in 1864 as the Civil War raged. The bridge was finally completed in 1883 and it is a testament to the workmanship and design that it still stands today. more
The Engineer’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood is an amazing and fascinating historical fiction that focusses on Mrs. Emily Warren Roebling, as the main character, as the woman that should have been standing next to the men, Captain Washington Roebling and his father John, as the chief engineers that created and built the stunning and ingenious Brooklynn Bridge that was completed in 1883. This story recounts the life dedicated to the creation and building of this breathtaking monument of human ingenuity and perseverance, as well as the numerous obstacles that were placed in front of an intelligent, fiesty, and unique woman that was present during this time. I loved learning about Emily, her story of struggles, and her path to hard-won success. I loved learning more about the Brooklynn bridge and the construction that took place for it to be. more
I love the Historical Fiction genre because I get to learn about different people and eras while enjoying a compelling story. I'm often enticed by books featuring strong female characters and The Engineer's Wife sounded like it fit the bill on both counts. Emily Roebling isn't a name many people will recognize but she is a woman who became increasingly vital to the building of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge back in the late 19th century. This story revolves around her personal and professional lives as the wife of the chief architect of the Brooklyn Bridge. Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. more
There is a good book ready to be written about Emily Warren Roebling, the unsung hero of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, but this book isn’t it. The author rushed through the real life of this amazing woman so that she could focus her interest on a fictional romance between Mrs. Roebling and P. T. Barnum. more
It's always great to read a historical fiction on a subject that I never thought about so there's lots of new information. So, a star each for covering a new person, a new subject and a debut novel. Things I liked--there's not too much engineering and structural information to weigh down the story but enough so you know what's going on. There's plenty of details about the mishaps of those building the bridge which can be a little squimishing to imagine. Things I might have changed--Adding some line drawings of plans, how the wires were formed, perhaps even a map; maybe adding a fictional neighbor who adds color of the neighborhood and the local and national news of the day and more of Emily's younger days. more
I love historical fiction that includes a strong pioneering woman facing uphill challenges and doggedly striving for well-deserved respect in what is presumed to be a man’s world. This was a great entry into that genre. I feel so satisfied when I've finished a book having learned something. The well researched details about the design and building of the Brooklyn Bridge included here make me feel a bit smarter. . more
I won't rate this one because DNF. I may try at a later date but the story just not pull me in and it did sound like an interesting story. Sorry to the author. more
The story is a work of fiction. A historical fiction representing the brain behind the Brookly Bridge. An extremely powerful and inspiring story about a woman who made her father in laws dream come true. The fact that this book is based on a true story makes it even more inspiring. The story takes place in 1865, Emily warren marries her brother’s dear friend, Captain Washington Wash Roebling. more
Emily Warren is not the conventional woman, and knows what she wants in life. She is all for women's right, and is not afraid to speak out about it. Her brother G. K. is back on leave from the war, and brings along the man who will become her husband, Washington Roebling. more
A great historical novel. I really like this book. It was so interesting and you’ll learn so much. It is inspired by the true story of Emily Roebling who married Washington Roebling at the end of the Civil War. Washington Father John Roebling worked on several construction projects, like the bridge over Ohio river at Cincinnati. more