A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner

by Unknown Author

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 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?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Book Club, Fiction, Audiobook, Romance, Historical, Adult

Audio CD

First published February 4, 2014

About the author

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Reviews

[♞ Pat Gent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book could quite possibly be my most favorite book of all time. I can't remember when I've read a story that resonates with me as deeply as this one. I feel richer for just having read it.

The story is about two women, their lives lived a century apart yet entwined with a single scarf and a shared grief. Meissner masterfully weaves the stories together, blending the edges in a smooth flow, making their lives almost one and the same. Both harbor pain as the result of tragedy, both are stuck in an in-between place - unable to go back, incapable of moving on. The scarf pulls both of them out of their inertia and forces them to see the truth - that love is a gift, something we choose, and that our lives move forward and change us whether we like it or not.

This book is historical fiction on two fronts, both the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and the Twin Towers tragedy. Being connected to the reality of September 11 - watching those events unfold on live television, watching the towers fall, watching the people who chose their own destiny from the windows - made Clara's shock and grief over the events of August 1911 more real to me. I found myself in tears over passages at several different points in the story.

But the overall message is one of hope, "Life goes on, and it is far too short to spend it on wishing you'd made a different choice or taken a different path. Rejoice in today and be happy."

[Stephanie Steinberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story set in 1911 was kind of ridiculous. The main character falls in love so many times and so easily that it is not believable. Her despair at losing someone who she barely knew can not compare to the heartache of the main character of the modern story. The modern story of a woman whose husband died in the Twin Towers is very touching and sad. Overall, while entertaining, it was just o.k.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

"The marigold insisted I not give up. They are very resilient flowers, you know.... They aren't fragrant like roses and sweet peas, but they can stand against odds that the more fragile flowers cannot.... They can bloom in the fall, even after a frost. Even after all other flowers have given up."

A scarf connects two women both coping with tragic events which lead to loss and heartache.

In 1911, Nurse Clara Wood survived the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. The fire was the deadliest industrial disaster in U.S. history. The fire resulted in the death of 123 women and 23 men. In the book, Clara was able to get out of the factory in time only to see those who jumped, including a man she had feelings for, to their deaths rather than face the flames. However, the trauma of the fire and what and who she has lost haunts her and she accepts a job on Ellis Island caring for sick immigrants. There she meets a man with whom she feels a connection as he has a loss like her own. She is drawn to the scarf he has, and the name embroidered on it. In helping the man obtain some of his belongings, she learns some truths and is left with a decision concerning the "truth" and whether to tell the truth and in doing so will she herself learn some "truths"?

In September 2011, widow Taryn Michaels is working in a specialty fabric store. Her life is turned upside down when a photograph of her is published in a magazine. The photograph shows her and a man who helped her on September 11, 2001 when she was attempting to meet her husband at the World Trade Center when tragedy struck. In the book, her husband dies in the collapse in the World Trade Center. The attacks on 9/11 killed 2,996 people and injured 6,000 others (according to Wikipedia).

"Everything beautiful has a story it wants to tell. But not every story is beautiful."

The book is about both women but mainly focuses on Clara's story. With dual story-lines, I find I always enjoy one more than the other and this was the case here. I did enjoy Clara's story more but wonder if that is because her story was given more attention in this book. Her story takes up most of the book. I did learn some about scarlet fever and how immigration was handled during that time specifically when dealing with ill immigrants. I enjoyed how the Author showed Clara being unwilling to move on with her life as her friends were gently prodding her to do just that. To move on, to stop being stuck, and to finally see the “truth” about not only how she was living but also about the man who died the day of the fire. Having said that, I also feel that the Author could have moved things along a little faster in this aspect.

I would have liked to have seen Taryn's story-line fleshed out a lot more. She lost her husband in 9/11 and is coping with the guilt that he was on a certain floor in the tower because she asked him to meet her there. She is also wrestling with what her daughter's reaction will be when she learns this information. I remember watching the towers fall on television. I can't even imagine what it must have been like to be in NYC during that time and after or what it was like for those who lost loved ones, survived or in any way were affected by the tragedy that day. In this book Taryn was saved by a stranger as so many were that tragic day. I really would have loved more about Taryn's experiences in this book. Her story line got the short end of the stick here and I would have liked to have known more about her and her daughter.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read about two women who share the theme of loss and have a connection to a scarf. Their story-line's eventually merge, and it was rewarding to learn how. As the Author used real life tragic events, I wish she would have given both equal time. I know I have said that before in my review, but I just wanted a little bit more. I realize that Clara's story-line is necessary for setting up the reason for the connecting of both story-lines, but I feel that could have been done with giving more focus to Taryn's story-line as well.

This is a great book for books clubs as there is a lot to discuss here: historical events, loss, tragedies, love, denial, what constitutes love, survivor’s guilt, moving on, coping with loss of a loved one, transference, ethics, etc.

Read more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm sitting here covered in goosebumps. There is NO way my review can do justice to this beautiful, beautiful story. Here's just a piece of it: "perhaps you are thinking, as I once did, that love is too precarious to want to lavish it again on another. I want you to know that love is not a person. It is not of this earth at all. It wasn't until now that I realized I had mistakenly come to believe that love came from a place inside me and therefore I had to protect that place. It comes from heaven, Eleanor. It is given to us not to hold into or hide from, but to give away."
I wish I could give this book more stars. And because I know my words will fail me, I'll just say if you like Lisa Wingate or Carla Stewart you'll love this author. This is my first by her but most definitely not my last. What a joy!

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful book, an emotional read, one where I would suddenly find tears streaming down my face.

By some strange quirk of fate I was reading 2 books set partly around 9/11 simultaneously. Both 4 star reads.

'Everything beautiful has a story it wants to tell, but not every story is beautiful. '

A beautiful scarf passed down through the generations links 2 stories a century apart.

Very moving. And beautifully narrated by Tavia Gilbert.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when a story resonates with me as deeply as this one did.

It is that feeling of being richer for just having read it.

An interesting cast of characters with some predictability but overall a quick and enjoyable read.

The story is about two women, their lives lived a century apart yet entwined with a single scarf and a shared grief.

The author masterfully weaves the stories together, blending the edges in a smooth flow, making their lives almost one and the same. And you wonder how they will eventually connect.

This book is historical fiction on two fronts… the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 and the Twin Towers tragedy.

But the overall message is one of hope.

Do you think everything happens for a reason? Or that the effects of our choices spill onto each other?

If you enjoy a book that is shared through parallel stories, or even has you consider such questions, you may enjoy this one.

[Noeleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book tells the stories of two women after two horrific events in history and alternates in time periods one hundred years apart, 1911 and 2011. Clara and Taryn’s stories revolve around the aftermaths of events in New York, the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in 1911 and the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Nurse Clara Wood working on Ellis Island in 1911 is grieving the loss of man she loved, to the factory fires and Taryn Michaels is trying to put her life together in 2011, ten years after she lost her husband in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The one thing that connects them both is a scarf passed through the generations.

I’m afraid I was not a fan of this book. It was a huge disappointment. I had it on my list to read for a long time and I was delighted that it was chosen in my book club as I finally had an opportunity to read it and especially as it has many high ratings. I don’t even know where to begin with the aspects of this book that I didn’t like. Clara’s character and situation weren’t credible. In fact, I really disliked her character and it was unfortunate that most of the book revolved around her character, therefore there was a huge imbalance of the story being told in 2011. Clara was such a weak character. She was so frustratingly needy. At one point when one of the men called her over to their side, she 'obeyed' him. The fact that she had to 'obey' such a simple request, really got me riled up! It was difficult to believe that she was grieving over a man that she barely knew and only knew for a few weeks. She had everyone tiptoeing around her and I got very fed up very quickly with the 'woe is me' attitude. The scarf itself was a weak tool to connect the themes, every time is was mentioned, I felt myself gritting my teeth! Even more annoying is the ‘in-between space’ the characters found themselves in. Every time this 'space', 'place', whatever, was mentioned, I wanted to find my own ‘in-between space’ to get away from this book and be done with it. Additionally, the author had an annoying habit of explaining things that didn’t need explaining, I got it!...us readers can work some things out for ourselves, we are clever people!

Why am I even giving this book two stars? There are a few reasons and I feel it’s only right to balance out my thoughts on this book with some aspects that I did like. The writing was just okay, I’ve read a lot worse, but the only things I probably did like is that I had never heard of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, so I did learn something new and I always enjoy that I learn new things from my reading. Also the fact that it was set in the hospital on Ellis Island which was in itself an interesting setting.

I think if this book wasn’t one of my book club reads, I wouldn't have finished it to its conclusion and I would have given up long before I got out of my own ‘in-between space’. I felt obliged to finish it out. This book should make for an interesting book club discussion, like it or not and I’ll be very interested to hear what our group thinks of it and how it was received. I’m afraid this is not a book I would be recommending in the future, personally it just didn’t work for me.

[Betsy Robinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had an odd and ambivalent journey with this book that weaves together the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911 and the 9/11/01 World Trade Center attack. Obviously I wasn't alive for the Shirtwaist fire that killed three floors of locked-in garment workers, but I did live through 9/11. And, like every longtime (45 years) New Yorker, I still hold vivid visions of it. So when I realized Meissner was writing it as historical fiction, I jumped to the acknowledgements to deduce whether “she had a right to it.” And when I learned that she had pieced 9/11 together from interviewed people's experiences, even though she did a believable job, I felt defensive — as if she'd exploited something she doesn't own. (I'm not justifying this; just admitting it.)

Foiled! Why? Because Meissner did such a comprehensive and authentic job that my own defensiveness — this ownership of a traumatic story which many firsthand experiencers feel — is also part of the book. So what was I to do but surrender to the fact that she is a good storyteller who respects the material and read on?

However, some substantial complaints that have nothing to do with my psychological issues: I dislike the cover of this book so much that had it not been my book club's selection, I probably would not have picked it up. Gaudy marigolds frame such a faded, blued-out New York City skyline that for the longest time I didn't even realize it was there, and the title font screams “women's fiction.” Although to be fair, it is women’s fiction — not my favorite genre, which is probably a lot of my ambivalence. But my major problem is the writing. Although it is serviceable, it could use tightening — a lot of it. Things like:

“she carried it in her hands …”

and

“I yanked [insert: off] my nurse’s cap off my head

and change “Spinning thoughts circled in my brain as to how I could decline the invitation” to “How could I decline the invitation?”

Conversations repeat information ad nauseum — the way obsessed people repeat what they are obsessing about. And there is endless redundancy of inner turmoil and basic motivations. (I’m guessing a third of the word count could be cut, sharpening the story and diluting the “women’s fiction” sappiness quotient.) By page 200, it became so tedious that, with an anguished scream spinning thought circles in my cranium, I longed to either whip out my editor’s pencil or abandon the book. But the plot is good; the feeling of time, place, and people are truly authentic; and I loved the details (medical, textiles) which were such an organic part of the story that they felt like firsthand knowledge. So I kept reading to find out what happens.

Now back to my psychological issues. Despite the positive qualities of this book, I simply don’t believe the relationships here or in most women’s fiction romances. For my taste, they are contrived and overwritten, and therefore I still feel as if the 9/11 material was exploited for this book. By that I mean it was manipulated for the purposes of telling a contrived story. Lesson Learned: Henceforth, I’ll stay away from this genre. I simply can’t stomach it.

[Greta Samuelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won’t be able to stop thinking of Taryn and Clara for a while.

Taryn is a single mom in 2011 - she is a single mom because her husband died in the North Tower on 9/11 10 years earlier on the same day she found out she was pregnant.

Clara is a young nurse in 1911- she wanted to get away from her sleepy Pennsylvania town and moved to Manhattan to work. She landed a job in a doctor’s office in the Asch building. The same building as the Triangle fire. She survived the fire having worked on a lower floor but her PTSD sends her to isolate herself and she takes a job in the Ellis island hospital to hide from the city.

100 years of time separate the 2 women in this story but they are tied together by love, loss, grief, and a beautiful black scarf with bright orange marigolds.

Most of the book is Clara’s story but the sections that pop over to Taryn help to tie up the story of the scarf.

Sudden tragic loss has an intense level of grief that is not easily described- Unfortunately, I know this from first hand experience. Susan Meissner seems to understand those feelings and she is able to show it to us through Taryn and Clara’s stories. She is also able to show us that it gets better and it’s okay to be happy.

I loved reading this book and there were many profound and beautiful sections of writing along the way. I did notice that the reviews of this book are very mixed and I wonder if they are divided between audible readers and traditional readers. I read the book and as I was talking to a friend about it she looked up the audible version. We listened to a sample of the narrator’s voice and I didn’t feel like it was a good representation of the women in this story. It was halting and wavery/ almost scared sounding. I definitely feel like I would not have felt the same way about this book if o listened to it - yes, these women were grieving but they were strong and independent too.

Tell me what you think- did you read or listen and what were your thoughts?

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book had a good premise -- one character from 1911 and losing someone in the Triangle Park Shirt fire, the other in 2011 who lost someone in 9/11 and tied together by a marigold scarf. The book was well written and moved along fairly well. I think the book could have been so much more. It tried to explore loss and opening up to love again but at such a surface level. The woman in 1911 lost someone whom she had been seeing as they rode a work elevator for 2 weeks. She was convinced this guy was "the one". So when he died she was devastated. Then the book spends pages and pages on wondering if love at first sight is "valid" or not. This book could have been so much more discussing love and loss, following the characters as they grow and change. It seemed to paint such a lovely picture of the Ellis Island hospital too. I suspect the Ellis Island hospital of 1911 was not as picturesque and healing as the author suggests. She could have done so much more with the Triangle fire and the losses of 9/11. Good premise but too much of a surface treatment.

[Sherri Thacker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Susan Meissner book and I already can’t wait to read more books from her. She KNOWS how to write a great story!! I really enjoyed this book about a scarf's history and how it played a part in two women's lives. Highly recommend.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you think everything happens for a reason? The effects of our choices spill onto each other.
I didn't expect to love this book. It wasn't even on my very long TBR list. My Mom had borrowed it from our local library, and told me it was very good. This story goes from Ellis Island, 1911 to Manhattan, 2011. It is very much like a novel written by Sarah Jio, that goes between two story lines that eventually tie in at the end. This is a beautiful tale of love, and love lost.
I wish I could write a grand review to do it justice. Grab this fantastic book for your next summer read, and get lost in a story you'll love!!

[Mairzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Silly, predictable, very poorly written book filled with whiny, unbelievable characters. Only the historical bits were of any interest. But a quick read which will help me get back on schedule to finish 52 books this year.

[kaz.brekkers.future.wife · Rating 5 out of 5]

FIVE STARS
(yay, I actually made a review with no spoilers! I feel like a new person)
Y'all, this boook is very VERY important.
I cannot describe the very essence of what I have read. Firs off, just a shout out to my history teacher for teaching me about immigration in the early. 1900's and the triangle shirtwaist fire, or else I would have no fucking clue what's going on.

But anyway. this book has my heart. Every FUCKING PIECE. First let me start off by saying that the writing iss straight out of a fucking dream. It's so beautiful, and the weird thing is, with Clara, I literally imagined her voicing it in one of those old hollywood accents, so the entire time I was getting My Fair Lady vibes.

Also, as much as I liked Taryn, Clara was such a fucking badass. and not in a "i-kill-people-with-a-single-flick-of-my-finger-way" but in a "next-time-you-flirt-with-me-i-will rip-your-throat-out-way"

OKAY, SPOILERS FROM HERE ON:

So basically Taryn is living after 9/11 and she lost her husband. It's been ten eyars and a photo of her resurfaces, so now the news is all over her.

And then in 1911, Clara lost a close firned in the Triangle ShirtWaist Factory Fire and is now working on Ellis Island, caring for sick immigrants. And one immigrant, Edward Gwynn, just happens to catch her eye. He also lost a loved one, his wife, on the ferry to ellis island.

Fast forward and Clara does some little stalking into his bag and.....dun...dun..dun...Edwards wife, lily, was actually married to another man and was using Edward to get to the U.S. So clara is now "too stunned to speak" so yeah, she's on the brink of eciding whether she should tell edward or not.

Yes, for you lovey-dovey junkies, there is romance in this book. But ROMANCE isn't the main theme. of the book. This book deals with sensitive topics in a very tender way. Just because twos traight people kiss it doesn't mean you should ignore the elements that truly make this book a masterpiece.

The sotries of the two women are really intertwined, in more ways than one. And as the story progresses, the recurring themes become more obvious.

It's a little clear when you begin to read that you notice Claras story is the more frequent. one. but that's because her story is filled with much more tension and higher stakes. But in no way does that make taryns story any LESS important. Both of these stories add in a theme that makes your heart break. But because clara showed up a lot more often, i grew so foind of her and she is so wellw ritten y'all.

anyway, please read this. book. You won't regret it!!!!


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This book was so fucking beautiful! It felt like it was straight out of a dream!!!!
Review To Come


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I just know I’m going to cry!!

[Diane Yannick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two horrific NYC events a hundred years apart form the framework for this historical novel. I have no major complaints about the writing as it didn't get in the way of the story. I have some major complaints about the plotting. The number of coincidences made it majorly unbelievable. I also did not feel that the two stories were well meshed. Taryn's story was fairly interesting but not well developed. Clara's time on Ellis Island held more of my interest. I know that the scarf held the stories together but it just felt contrived to me.

My biggest complaint was the constant moralizing about love and loss and loving again. It's chock full of sentences like these that would be redundant if the author had just told the story without trying to tell her readers what to think: "Thoughts are thrust upon you. You can only hope that thoughts that you don't want will tire of you at some point and flutter away."

She even has to interpret Keats for us 'Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter.' Keats is saying what you can still dream about is often sweeter than reality." Have you NO faith in you reader Susan Meissner?

[Myrn🩶 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite simply an emotional, multifaceted and well written novel. You get two stories of tragic events within one book set many years ago and in the present. I love the way the two stories weave together by a beautiful scarf. An interesting cast of characters with some predictability but overall a quick and enjoyable read. Recommend it to those that like parallel stories.

[Fran Hawthorne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another book that I read mainly as part of my research for the newest novel I'm writing, so I appreciate author Susan Meissner's rich details about clothing, street life, and other aspects of NYC in 1911, around the time of the notorious Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire.
In fact, even if you're not undertaking research, the best part of this book is the peek into the little-known world of the nurses and doctors who lived and worked on Ellis Island back then. (Certainly, I never stopped to think that there had to be a whole community of people there, helping and processing the flow of immigrants every day.)

The plot and characters are fine, typical of a comfy historical novel. The book consists of dual narratives with thematic echoes:
In 1911: Clara, a nurse, saw the man she was just starting to know -- maybe flirt with? -- fall to his death from the Triangle fire. Unable to cope, she flees to an Ellis Island job.
In 2001: Taryn, a single mom and fabric specialist, similarly witnessed the destruction of the Twin Towers on September 11, where her husband died.
Both women blame themselves for the two deaths, because they had plans to meet the two men on floors of the buildings from which it was impossible to escape. They have largely refused to talk about their experiences ever since.
(Clara's story takes up the majority of the book.)

Most of the characters are too good to be true-- loyal, noble, constantly debating the highest ethical quandaries, blah blah. The plot twists are either foreseeable or else, in the case of two circumstances toward the end, too abrupt and pat.

This book will certainly not challenge or disturb its readers. The horror scenes of the two building fires are brief, and the book never even glances at the other horror behind Triangle: the deliberate criminal negligence of the building's owners and the lack of government enforcement.
But it's an engrossing enough read. I found myself rooting for Clara and Taryn to be happy; I mean, who wouldn't?

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely story that comes from two tragic events, 100 yrs apart. Yes, another dual timeline story although the Clara's story in 1911 is the bulk of the novel. I have never read anything by Meissner before. It was predictable, and sweet in some places but it also brought tears to my eyes. Meissner takes two tragic NYC events: 9/11 and the Triangle fire of 1911 as the traumatic wounds for Clara and Taryn (the 2001 MC). They both were witnesses to the horror and both lost people they loved which has scarred them and kept them from living their fullest lives. They are both living in the "in-between" and the "What if's" . They both blame themselves for contributing to their loved ones' deaths. For them both it takes seeing what happened through another's eyes to begin to work through grief completely and begin to heal and move forward.
Meissner throws in Keats' Ode to a Grecian Urn as a plot device that also opens the idea of "expectation and fulfillment" and the marigold scarf as a tie to the two characters.
The Triangle fire led to changes in some labor laws but more importantly it ensured that egress was accessible in the buildings. I had forgotten. I also found interesting the hospital that was used on Ellis Island to attend to sick immigrants before allowing them to move to the city and beyond, ensuring that disease was not carried to the population..

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this story and the meshing of the Triangle Shirtwaist tragedy with that of 911 and the marigold scarf. Although I enjoyed meeting both Clara and Taryn, I would have loved to read a few more chapters about Taryn. It was hard for me to put this book down, though, so perhaps I might generously award it a 4.5. My favorite thread is the one of destiny and the fact that as we make choices, there is a guiding hand behind what befalls us.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book; Meissner attempted to deftly weave similarities between a woman living and working in 1911's NYC and a woman living/working in present-day NYC (having suffered a tragedy in the 9/11 terrorist attacks).

I felt the parts dealing with the present-day (and the near-past flashbacks to 9/11) were handled fairly well; they felt raw, real, and organic. My issue with the novel stemmed from the 1911 flashbacks, which focused on a woman who lost a potential love in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire.

Clara met and fell in love with Edward in the elevator to the building; they had not even gone on a date when the fire broke out and Edward tragically died. Trying to escape the painful memories, Clara volunteered for a stint on Ellis Island as a nurse. A brief stint turned into months of near-isolation as Clara attempted to move past the tragedy that has now overtaken her life.

Clara, to me, is a weak and unrealistic character. Every person around her handles her with kid gloves. She is repetitive and quite honestly too overwrought; it is obvious she has some severe mental issues going on, but instead of forcing her to confront them and get treatment, her friends and family pander to them. It's infuriating. Somehow she gets two men to fall in love with her, too. Whatever!

[Katie Ziegler (Life Between Words) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up to read on my kindle kind of on a whim and ended up LOVING it. It tells the parallel stories of two women—one who survives the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire at the turn of the 20th century, and the other who survives the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings at the turn of the 21st century. I loved both women and their stories, particularly that of Clara who worked as a nurse on Ellis Island. It's Clara's story that seemed to really demonstrate how debilitating survivor's guilt can be, how you can survive something tragic but be so damaged by it that your life suffers, and then how you find way through that darkness. Ultimately, the story is about resiliency and looking for beauty, even in the midst of profound loss. I just thought it was lovely. And I cried a lot, so there's that.

"'The marigolds insisted I not give up. They are very resilient flowers, you know.' I laughed lightly, too. It felt good. 'Are they?' 'Oh, yes. They aren’t fragrant like roses and sweet peas, but they can stand against odds that the more fragile flowers cannot.' 'Really?' He nodded. 'They can bloom in the fall, even after a frost. Even after other flowers have given up.'”

As a side note, I love this picture of marigold flowers, both for what it represents in this story as well as the fact that I named my daughter Marigold and then happened to read this book. I might love the book even more for how it describes marigolds.

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe it took me so long to pick this one up, I could kick myself! So very good. So emotional, relatable and just perfect. Loved both eras and women and their stories. Truly something I will remember for a very long time.

[Maureen DeLuca · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were times where I felt this book was a 5 star read- other times- for me anyway, it went to a 3 star read. I decided to give it a 4 star.

This story goes back and forth between two horrific NYC events a hundred years apart to form the framework for this historical novel. The majority of the book occurred in the early 1900s when Ellis Island was accepting immigrants from all over the world. A lot of the historical detail was interesting about the various sick wards and how people were processed through the system. The other portion told the story of a woman who lost her husband in the World Trade Center attacks and how the scarf played a part in her life.

The book kept my interest- but there were times when the author did not balance the two time periods effectively. It seems the author wanted to write a story about a scarf that ties two people from different time periods together, and then filled in the gaps. Ultimately, it read as if it was the author's first attempt at writing a fictional novel.

So, why the 4 stars? The 'good' parts were really , really good- the other, to me , was the author struggling. Hey, if it was so easy to write a book- I'd be writing one myself. I loved the idea, glad I read it- and would tell others to give it a try.

[Book Concierge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Digital audiobook performed by Tavia Gilbert

On the tenth anniversary of the World Trade Center destruction, Taryn Michaels is confronted by an article in People magazine that shows an image of two people staring up in horror as they witness the events of 9/11. The unidentified woman in the photo is Taryn. In August 1911, nurse Clara Wood works at Ellis Island, a “place in between” where she can feel safe from her memories of witnessing the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Both women lost someone they loved in the respective tragedies, both are connected by a single scarf printed with a pattern of bright marigolds.

Meissner does a good job of weaving these stories together and moving back and forth in time across a century to explore common elements of grief, guilt, loss and PTSD. I liked Clara’s story better than that of Taryn, probably because of it’s setting on Ellis Island, and specifically at the hospital on the island where arriving immigrants who needed to be quarantined or who were otherwise ill were treated before they could complete their immigrant journey.

Both women struggle with the ethical dilemma of what (and when, if ever) to reveal or withhold to others. Do you allow someone to continue to believe what you know to be false? Is it a kindness to leave them to their illusions, or better to give them the unvarnished truth? My F2F book club had quite the discussion about this.

I did think that Clara’s insistence on holding onto a fleeting romance was a bit over the top, but then the shock of witnessing such a horrific event could explain that. Taryn’s loss was much more understandable. Though her reluctance to tell her daughter about her father was puzzling.

Tavia Gilbert does a very good job of performing the audiobook. She has a gift for dialect and was able to differentiate each of the many characters. A dual timeline can be more challenging for a listener but Gilbert handled this beautifully and I was never confused about which story I was following.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb

I absolutely loved “A fall of marigolds” by Susan Meiss

Unique ability to weave multiple stories all into one. This book covers two major tragedies in New York City. First the 1911 triangle shirt fire and 911 towers falling.

Like a huge puzzle she puts the pieces together and sometimes you don’t see them Space until later in the book. In general it follows the scarf and the letter that mean a lot to saving peoples lives.

Characters are so well written I just began to think of them as good friends that’s how close I associate it with them.

This is a winner! I found it by searching The library book shelf for New York Times bestseller’s. Wow did I strike gold!

I highly recommend!

[Stacey D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off well and I was eager to read it, as a couple of friends had recommended it. After a few chapters though, I just found the dual historical stories - one from 100 years ago and one contemporary, centered around 9/11 - very unbalanced and quite hokey.

Like other readers, I disliked Clara a lot and faulted her initial nosiness for the ethical pickle she found herself in. Yet, not having learned her agonizing lesson once,"Ms. Buttinsky" continues her snooping throughout the book. And, oh, the men! Every man in the novel falls in love with her and vice versa. Why? She is whiney, self-centered and just simply depressing. In today's parlance, Clara would be a narcissist battling codependency. A couple of CODA and SLAA meetings might really help sort her out.

But what really got my goat was when I came across this line from Clara, speaking about the precious scarf which plays such a big role in the novel:

"Before I left for Scotland I would burn Lily's letter and ask Dolly to give the scarf to one of the poorer women in the wards."
What??? She doesn't even offer the scarf to Dolly, her closest friend and confidante??

Well, that was just wrong. And this was bad writing. Bad. By that point, I was more interested in that scarf than I was in Clara's story.

Taryn is the other main character, who reveals her connection to the scarf and her life situation as it relates to 9/11. Unfortunately, Meissner offers us meagre details about Taryn's life; in chapters that are spaced so far apart from each other, I often forgot what was going on with that plotline from what I'd read previously.

Much of the plotline is implausible as well and despite its' good intentions, this novel just didn't work for me. In the end, I would have given it two stars, had it not been for this insightful quote that appears in a letter to one of the characters, which struck a very personal chord with me:

"I wish I'd had the pleasure of meeting your mother an an earlier age so that I would not be such an old man when God blessed me with fine sons such as you...I spent many years alone before I met your mother, but I would change nothing if I were to live my life again. The person who completes your life is not so much the person who shares all the years of your existence, but rather the person who made your life worth living, no matter how long or short a time you were given to spend with them."

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Susan Meissner juxtaposes the Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 with the 9/11 Twin Tower tragedies and the aftermath for two women in this novel that are connected by a scarf decorated with marigolds.

Clara Wood, a nurse on Ellis Island, lost a man with whom she felt very connected despite few encounters prior to the factory fire. Taryn, newly pregnant, lost a husband on 9/11. Most of the story concerns Clara whom I found to be self-absorbed and cold. She is pining for what might have been with a man she didn't know very well and is indifferent to anyone offering solace or solutions to her self-imposed exile. A young doctor on Ellis Island is especially concerned about her welfare.

I expected to like this story more than I did because I like Meissner's novels, but I couldn't find myself caring much about Clara. Taryn's grief was much more understandable; however, the tie-in with the scarf seemed implausible.

[Paula Ackley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I was drawn into it from the beginning. I found myself reading and telling myself just one more chapter before bed! The characters and their stories are woven together like the marigold scarf. The past is connected to the present. Sad, beautiful, engaging. I have not read any other books by this author, but I plan on doing so. This story is well written, completely satisfying, and totally heartwarming. I am looking forward to the book's release. My Goodreads copy is missing 10 pages, so I cannot finish the book! I am waiting to see how the author puts the final stitch in this wonderful book. I am sure it will be as beautiful as the rest of the story's marigold scarf.

I was able to get a new copy of the book. It has a perfect ending. Everything gets woven together.

[Bianca Stanciu · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5⭐/5⭐

[Kathryn in FL · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS - I don't award to many of these.

I read this couple of years ago, had a review posted it, but alas it is gone...
A Fall of Marigolds is primarily a love story. I don't read many love stories but this was superior. It also introduced me to Susan Meissner! I have read several books by her since and I will continue to do so.

The story is well woven with just enough information to compel you to read and find out what happens! Ms. Meissner weaves her tales with great insight and empathy.

My second go was less successful, it had a lot to do with something in my personal life than the nature of the story. I will probably pick it up again.