Book Review of
A Fall of Marigolds
A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner is a historical fiction book published in 2014.
Two lives, one hundred years apart, are woven together by a scarf.
This dual-timeline book is set on Ellis Island in September 1911 and in Manhattan in 2011.
In 1911, Clara, a nurse, saw the man she loved fall to his death in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Through a patient she is treating, she is forced to face the real life she is avoiding.
In 2011, widow Taryn, whose husband died on 9/11, is forced to relive the tragedy when a lost photo appears in a magazine.
Lynn's Review
A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner is a dual timeline book set in 1911 New York City and 2011 New York City.
I think A Fall of Marigolds has been in my to be read stack for at least seven years. I decided that I wanted to read it this year before the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11. I also knew that this book would be a great book to read for my New York book in my reading challenge.
I think the main reason I haven’t picked this book up is that I wasn’t sure I was ready to read a book about 9/11. I knew that I would have to be ready to read a book on such a tragic event.
I should not have worried about this book, though. Susan Meissner did such a great job blending two horrible events in New York City history into one book.
The 1911 timeline is set on Ellis Island, where Clara is trying to escape the events she witnessed in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, which killed someone that she cared about.
The 2011 timeline follows Taryn, a widow, who has struggled to recover after her husband died in the collapse of the World Trade Towers.
The stories and timelines are woven together through a scarf that survived over one hundred years.
I learned so much reading A Fall of Marigolds, especially the 1911 timeline. I knew nothing about the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. I also don’t think I have read a book about Ellis Island, so I enjoyed learning about Ellis Island and what it was like to work there in 1911.
I put off reading this book because I was not ready to read a book about 9/11, but this book was about so much more than 9/11. Yes, the main character of the 2011 timeline is a widow who lost her husband on 9/11, but half the book is set in 1911, so it does feel as heavy as a book only about 9/11 would.
If you are like me and have had this book on your to be read list for a while, I encourage you to pick it up. September is a great time to read this one, especially this year, as it is the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
This is the fourth book by Susan Meissner that I have read, and I have loved them all. I plan to keep making my way through her backlist. She also has a new book coming out next year titled Somewhere, Something Incredible, which sounds really good.
About Susan Meissner
Susan Meissner is a bestselling and award-winning historical fiction author. She has written over twenty-five books. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband.