A beautiful scarf, passed down through the generations, connects two women who learn that the weight of the world is made bearable by the love we give away….September 1911. On Ellis Island in New York Harbor, nurse Clara Wood cannot face returning to Manhattan, where the man she loved fell to his death in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Then, while caring for a fevered immigrant whose own loss … whose own loss mirrors hers, she becomes intrigued by a name embroidered onto the scarf he carries…and finds herself caught in a dilemma that compels her to confront the truth about the assumptions she’s made. Will what she learns devastate her or free her?
September 2011. On Manhattan’s Upper West Side, widow Taryn Michaels has convinced herself that she is living fully, working in a charming specialty fabric store and raising her daughter alone. Then a long-lost photograph appears in a national magazine, and she is forced to relive the terrible day her husband died in the collapse of the World Trade Towers…the same day a stranger reached out and saved her. Will a chance reconnection and a century-old scarf open Taryn’s eyes to the larger forces at work in her life?
From the Trade Paperback edition.
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Wonderful characters! Very moving and an easy read.
I loved this book because it was such a great story and made you think deeply about life as well!
This was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It really made me see how the triangle fire and 9/11 were devastating to those who lost loved ones. It was a story about healing.
Moving back and forth between centuries and the tragedies of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire and the horror of 9/11, a scarf with a marigold pattern connects the two heroines of this book who feel guilt for the deaths of the men they loved.
Susan Meisner does it again. I always enjoy her books and this was fulfilled. I was confused at the end though when Clara marries Stephen. We are invested in Ethan so hearing someone else was a bit of a shock.
This book was so touching! Emotional, and historical. I cried a lot, but was so moved by the characters and their situations. I learned a lot about Ellis Island and the plight of the immigrants who passed through. It also brought back memories of 9/11, but from the perspective of a character who lost a loved one right before her eyes. Loved this novel!
Wonderful story!
This is the story of two women. Clara – a nurse in 1911 who is caring for immigrants coming to Ellis Island. She has escaped to the island after a fire has killed the man she loved. The fire -where she witnessed 140 people die – haunts her, and she feels like she cannot return to the main land. She grieves for the loss of the man she cared for as well as the life she had. Taryn is a quilt shop owner in 2011. She also has dealt with loss. Her husband was killed in the World Trade Center on 9/11. She never got to tell her husband he was going to be a father. She was heading to meet him that day when the towers fell.
One thing binds the two women – a scarf with Marigolds. Clara saw it first on a patient she cared for when he came to her ward. It story unfolding as she spent time with him. Taryn – who was given the scarf by a client. The client wanted Taryn to try and find fabric to match it so that the client could have a scarf made for her sister. Taryn has the scarf with her the day the towers were hit. For 10 years, Taryn has looked for the Marigold fabic – always morning the loss of the scarf along with the loss of her husband.
The scarf appears in a magizine article on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. This sends Taryn searching again for a link to her husband and her past. And in the end, she also is linked with Clara. Both women must come to terms with the loss of love and learn the ability to move forward and heal.
This was a FANTASTIC book. I loved every sentence. The way the women’s stories intertwined, and how the scarf became a way for them to move on. How circumstance plays a part in all of our lives and that things that happen to us help shape us who we are. Clara and Taryn come to terms with the death of their loved ones. They form connections through their grief, and with the scarf, that lead them to heal.
This is a definite read. You will love every minute.
Enjoyed both of the intersecting stories. Couldn’t put it down.
A heart-felt read. Highly recommended.
Excellent writing style
The characters were well developed. The story twists two lives and times to define the story. One of the best books I have read.
I couldn’t put it down. A completely different story from any others I have read.
Susan Meissner delivers another solid novel
I really enjoyed reading this book. It is well researched and it gave me a lot of information about Ellis Island and the plight of the immigrants and the process of accepting then into this country. It is also a homage to the nurses and doctors who provided medical care and support. There are parts of the book that were very sad but it is balanced by the power of love and new beginnings. This book has stayed in my mind. It is well written and the main characters discussed their feelings and thoughts very well so I connected with them There are two different stories but the author connect them well thru a transitional object which is a beautiful scarf. Themes of loss , strength and hope were presented and explored well. I am glad I read the book and satisfied about how the author ended the story.
Two characters, living 100 years apart, have faced similar historical tragedies in New York City. Both accounts give a look at the characters’ emotions in the wake of these tragedies and amazingly, the characters’ stories intertwine. Susan Meissner is my favorite historical fiction author!
Awesome read!!!
I’ve read this twice and streamed once… it is my book selection for October for my book club. All of Susan Meissner’s books are wonderful
Loved it! Historical fiction at its best!
I had never heard of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. The two tragedies were interwoven with great sensitivit y and gave me greater rapport with the victims