The Engineer's Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood

 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. And this “is just a prototype. The real challenge is the East River.”

And that’s when Emily is asked to help with “Speeches, meetings, dinner receptions, whatever necessary. We have to raise about seven million dollars.”

She is left speechless. “They were responsible for finding the project as well as building it?”

An office is established to run all the logistics pertaining to building the bridge. And the most qualified person to manage the office turns out to be Mrs. Roebling.

She meets challenges with officials as she performs man’s job. But she is not afraid to put man’s pants on, even if it means punishable offense.

An accident happens at the work site and she becomes a messenger, bearing a journal with drawings and instructions. Further events push her to get even more involved with the construction.

Richly imagined and beautifully woven story of a woman who refuses to bend to old conventions. A woman who craves changes and progress and makes a difference by taking part in it.

She is not a bystander. She is a woman of action. She wants to see more and do more, and “meet people pushing in new directions.”

But in a world when a woman meddles where she shouldn’t be, it usually results in some consequences, including being shunned by other woman and disrespected by men. Nevertheless, she is a woman of great strength. She tilts her head up and she lives her life as best as she can.

With intelligent prose, this expertly detailed account weaves a touching story of how a famous bridge comes to be and a marriage that is tested through its ups and downs like the construction of a bridge. It seems to be a parallel story (maybe not meant to be, maybe it just came through that way) that paints a powerful picture what it takes to build a bridge – a solid foundation. And what it takes to build a successful relationship – trust.

The story interestingly weaves many aspects including heart-touching story of what led Wash to become an engineer, through detailed construction and its challenges including caisson disease (decompression sickness), to undeniable determination of a woman to see completion of a bridge.

Release date: 7 April 2020

Source: Sourcebooks Landmark