A Fall of Marigolds
A beautiful scarf connects two women touched by tragedy in this compelling, emotional novel from the author of As Bright as Heaven and The Last Year of the War. 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 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. What she learns could 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. But a chance reconnection and a century-old scarf may open Taryn's eyes to the larger forces at work in her life. "[Meissner] creates two sympathetic, relatable characters that readers will applaud. Touching and inspirational."--Kirkus Reviews
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Community Reviews
“People who say everything happens for a reason usually say that only when they agree with the reason. Those people are not the ones who wish they could fold back time and make different choices. They don’t lie awake at night and whisper, If only . . .”
Clara is a nurse working at the Ellis Island hospital in 1911 who struggles with the loss of a man she hardly knew but loved very deeply in the terrible Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. She witnessed him falling to his death. Taryn mourns the death of her husband in the terrible tragedy of 9/11 in 2001. She had asked him to meet her there but she was late arriving. Love, loss, grief, and survivor's guilt tied together by a beautiful scarf connect these women one hundred years apart. The choices they made had unexpected results; results they both struggled to accept.
My personal 9/11 connection didn't let me enjoy this book as much as it deserves to be enjoyed.
However, I was able to recognize and appreciate the overarching messages: life is full of cross-roads and the choices we make can mean big changes; change is neither good nor bad, it's just... change.
A little schmaltzy, but I'm here for it. Interesting interwoven histories between the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 and 9/11 and their lasting effect.
This tale is told from the perspective of two women, one in this century (Tayrn) and one in the last century (Clara).
About 3/4 of the way through the book, I became a little frustrated because it didn't seem like Tayrn was getting much of her story told. Definitely a 2 or 3-star, I muttered to myself. Towards the end of the book, when Clara decides to do something that I feel was unnecessary to the story, I again muttered to myself - Definitely a 2 or 3-star tale.
But when I finished, Clara last hurrah in Manhattan made more sense, and I felt better. The book left me with a happy feeling. And that was what I was looking for this time.
About 3/4 of the way through the book, I became a little frustrated because it didn't seem like Tayrn was getting much of her story told. Definitely a 2 or 3-star, I muttered to myself. Towards the end of the book, when Clara decides to do something that I feel was unnecessary to the story, I again muttered to myself - Definitely a 2 or 3-star tale.
But when I finished, Clara last hurrah in Manhattan made more sense, and I felt better. The book left me with a happy feeling. And that was what I was looking for this time.
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