A Race to Splendor

by Ciji Ware

"Blindly, she inched along a floor pitching as violently as the deck of a boat in a midwinter storm. Her hands touched the threshold opening onto the ninth floor foyer at the instant the glass transom over her head exploded into a thousand pieces. Reflexively, Amelia cast her right arm in front of her face, but not before blood spurted from her scalp and ran down her cheeks. She crumpled beneath the doorframe, curling into a ball. Amelia screamed again as a twenty-five-foot expanse of wood paneling and masonry pitched outward and plunged nine stories to Montgomery Street below. She knew that no structure on landfill, no matter how well built, could withstand much more shaking without collapsing.

Then, just as suddenly, the convulsions subsided."

Early in 1906, the ground in San Francisco shook buildings and lives from their comfortable foundations.

Amidst rubble, corruption, and deceit, two women-young architects in a city and field ruled by men-find themselves racing the clock and each other during the rebuilding of competing hotels in the City by the Bay.

Based on meticulous research, A Race to Splendor tells the story of the audacious people of one of the world's great cities rebuilding and reinventing themselves after immense human tragedy. Filled with courage, passion, and conflict, Amelia Bradshaw's spirit will capture your imagination as she strives to redraft her life amidst the ruins with both help and hindrance from a wayward son of privilege who pulls her into worlds she'd never have known.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Historical, Fiction, Historical Romance, 20th Century, Book Club

526 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2011

About the author

CIJI WARE is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling novelist, an Emmy-award winning television producer, reporter, writer, lecturer, and host. Her latest work, THE SPY WORE LONG WHITE GLOVES (Book 4, American Spy Sisters series), published October 14, 2025 , was inspired by the exceptional American women who volunteered as "Churchill's Angles"--secret agents during WW II, fighting enemy infiltration within Britain, as well as parachuting into occupied France to fight the Nazis. As with her other novels, author Ware invites her readers to view her research photos at www.pinterest.com/cijiware/the-spy-wo...

Ware's Four Seasons Quartet "THAT..." series includes stand-alone titles set in CORNWALL, EDINBURGH, VENICE and PARIS that were released betweeen 2013-2017. A novella "The Ring of Kerry Hannigan," part of the RING OF TRUTH anthology with novelists Diana Dempsey and Kate Moore, was released as a single title in the spring of 2015.

Ware has won numerous awards for her 15 works of fiction, including the Dorothy Parker Award of Excellence; the 'Golden Quill' award for Historical Fiction; 'Best Fictionalized Biography' for her 18th c. historical novel, ISLAND OF THE SWANS. For the latter work, she was bestowed in Edinburgh the honor of FSA Scot, of which she is exceedingly proud. Another historical novel, A RACE TO SPLENDOR, debuted in April, 2011 on the 105th anniversary of the devastating 1905 San Francisco Earthquake and Firestorm and was short-listed for the WILLA (Cather) Literary Award in 2012.

In 2015, Ware was named to the Martha's Vineyard Writers-in-Residence program where she began a long-term project: REINVENTING...ME, a memoir of her years in all aspects of media. Currently, she is working on the second of two novels in her Spy Sisters series set in WWII based on the lives of several American women secret agents in the armed conflict.

Ware's most recent nonfiction, RIGHTSIZING YOUR LIFE: Simplifying Your Surroundings While Keeping What Matters Most, was named by the Wall Street Journal as "One of the Top 5 Books on Retirement Issues." She is at work on a sequel, SIMPLIFYING FOR SENIORS: Decluttering, Divesting, and Downsizing. She continues to lecture extensively on the subject of domestic downsizing for people age 50+ as she relates her own journey from 4000sq. feet of living space in Beverly Hills and Santa Barbara, down to a "cottage by the sea" of around 1000 square feet in the San Francisco Bay Area--and loving it! She is also the author of JOINT CUSTODY: Making Shared Parenting Work.

For eighteen years, Ware was heard daily as a commentator on ABC Radio & TV in Los Angeles. During her noted career as a broadcaster, she has worked as a reporter or anchor for PBS and all three major network affiliates, covering a wide range of topics in the areas of health, consumer, lifestyle and women's issues.

Ciji Ware is also a sought-after event speaker, print journalist, (AARP, Travel & Leisure and other national magazines) and has the distinction of being elected as the first woman graduate of Harvard College to serve as President of the Harvard Alumni Association, Worldwide. The author is married four decades+ to Internet marketing executive, Tony Cook. The "Cook-Wares" have a son, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren.

Visit Ciji's website at www.cijiware.com; her Facebook page: Ciji Ware, Novelist
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ciji-Wa... and her Pinterest page at http://pinterest.com/cijiware/

Reviews

[Misfit · Rating 4 out of 5]

San Francisco, 1906. Amelia Bradshaw returns home from her architectural studies in Paris only to find her beloved grandfather dead and the family's grand hotel on Nob Hill lost by her drunken fool of a father during a game of cards. Amelia loses her legal battle with the winner of the card game, J.D. Thayer, and takes employment with her mentor, architect Julia Morgan. And just who is Julia Morgan do you ask? You can read about her on the net, but her most famous project is the little house that Julia built for William Randolph Hearst.

The big earthquake hits and events take a bit of a turn for Amelia. What wasn't destroyed in the earthquake burned during the subsequent fires and that includes her beloved Bay View Hotel. Julia's firm is hired to restore the Fairmont Hotel, as well as the Bay View and the race is on to restore both hotels to their full splendor so that they can reopen on the first anniversary of the disaster. Despite their past differences, Amelia and J.D. work together towards the common goal of restoring the Bay View, but they are beset from all sides by corrupt government, graft, shady labor organizations and other evil baddies who want the hotel for their own. And what about her father? Is it possible he had the poker hand of a lifetime and won it all back the moment the earth shook? If so, can she find the missing cards and wrest ownership of the Bay View away from J.D. Thayer? Will Amelia and J.D. ever stop dancing around each other and realize there's some serious chemistry there?

I'm not telling. Despite a few quibbles towards the end, I really did enjoy this a lot and blew through it quite quickly. The architectural details and building challenges might bore some readers, but I found them fascinating. I really liked the character of Amelia, she was strong, intelligent and assertive without that annoying I Am Woman Hear Me Roar attitude you can get from some heroines. How nice that she could intelligently assert her independence and make wise choices in the face of danger instead of stupidly rushing out in the middle of night, thus requiring constant rescue by the hero :)

I found it very refreshing to learn that men found Amelia attractive without heaving bosoms or ripped bodices, as well as seeing the conflicts between the pair without the done to death trope of instant passion and loathing anytime a pair is in a room together. Another big thumbs up to Ms. Ware for writing well-rounded baddies and showing us why they're bad instead of telling us with snarling lips, stinking breath and feral smiles. As for the quibbles? IMHO things fell apart just a tad at the end, when all of a sudden it's time for the book to end and several pages of exposition are needed to wrap up the loose ends. Still, I enjoyed this overall and one I would heartily recommend to others, especially those interested in San Francisco history.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

The back cover blurb said this novel was about the rivalry between two female architects during the rebuilding of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. It's due to that description that I borrowed this book, but I didn't exactly get what was promised.

There are some excellent descriptions of San Francisco, the earthquake and the rebuilding. I could also well believe the grafting and other illegalities that went on during that period. Such practices went on in several of America's cities during the late 1800s and early 1900s. One only needs to think of Tammany Hall in New York City. Corruption was rife as was racism in the labor unions.

The downside to this book is that it is less of a story about rivalry and more a romance. Amelia fights her attraction to JD, who won her family's hotel from her drunkard father. But a relationship seems inevitable as they work together to rebuild the hotel from the ruins. Furthermore, secrets, lies, half-truths and suspicions constantly flow around them.

I initially enjoyed the book, couldn't put it down. But as the romance began to take center-stage and there was less and less of the rivaly I couldn't wait for it to be finished. I didn't particularly like either female architect either. Julia Morgan (an historical figure) was mainly in the background so it's hard to say whether or not she was accurately portrayed. What I didn't care for was the implication that women had to act like men in order to succeed. Maybe this was true back then, that women had to either choose a career or marriage. The description of Amelia's sexual affairs, however, left me wondering how such a woman could ever keep her reputation intact enough to make her business a success.

[Lindsey Pogue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well written, wonderfully developed book that have characters I loved, all while I was learning a lot about the great 1906 Earthquake and the history of San Francisco in general. However, the first half of this book had so many details and so much description I found myself struggling to get halfway through. Once I did, it was smooth sailing, but the fact that I found myself skimming through parts of the book just doesn't make for a 5 star book for me. I really did enjoy the meat of the story and might consider reading some of Ciji Ware's books in the future, but right now I don't have that kind of time. Haha. They are lengthy. I also enjoyed the romance between the characters. It was tasteful and there was the perfect amount of tension and relationship building, something the author did very well. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, for sure. Happy Reading!

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a chore to read; I think I would have liked it more if it had been at least 150 pages shorter. The first half of the books draaaaags on and on and on. The earthquake doesn't even happen until 50 pages in. Too much time is spent on how JD gained control of the hotel and Amelia’s working situation- this could have been summed up in fewer pages. Of course, the authors love of overly dramatic prose and need to over analyze how Amelia and JD feel doesn't help. It's as if the author doesn't trust the reader to making connections; she both shows and tells the reader what is going on. It makes for repetitive reading. Of course, there are also the times where she tells instead of showing. Towards the later half of the novel, the reader is constantly being reminded that JD and Amelia have chemistry, but the basically only time I saw it was when they were celebrating a fortuitous event with champagne. I mean, I love a good rivalry turned romance, but after the earthquake there weren't any sparks, romantic or antagonistic. Their interactions were BORING.

Luckily, the plot did pick up a little around the 60% mark. But there was still too much melodrama and references to things that We Can't Actually Talk About for my tastes. There were a lot of plot points and loose ends tied up in the last few that could have been tied up sooner. And parts of the conversation Amelia and JD has regarding these plot points (Ling Lee, Amelia's prejudice, JD's mother, his reasons for wanting the hotel) should have happened sooner. These conversations would have been the perfect vehicle for showing their growing attraction! Instead they are held until the end in order to allow Amelia to be angry and JD and give her a reason for her dramatic entrance at the end. Which kind of lacked drama. Which could have been great if it was written humorously instead of played straight. Sigh.

And, as my friends and family know (because they have listened to countless rants) I highly dislike poorly constructed sentences, overly dramatic or purple prose and odd word choices. This novel is full of instances where the author thought she was cleverly adding detail to a sentence, but in reality just adding confusion or boredom. For example, ... Aunt Margaret called from the kitchen of her modest one-story cottage where a row of similar abodes lined the narrow street. Really, there's a street lined with cottages in her aunts kitchen? I mean, I know what the author is trying to say but still.
Or She paid her fare to the purser, Harold Jasper, whom she knew slightly from her college years going to and from her undergraduate classes at Berkeley. Sounds like the description from a character sheet just plopped into the middle of a paragraph.
Or Like a diver poised on the edge of a cliff, she took a deep breath, counted to three, and then stepped backwards onto a jagged peak of the lobby’s remains. and immediately destabilized the whole pile and fell and died. Sigh.
And my personal favorite, And let us not forget that Ling Lee and Amelia’s father died due to the poorly constructed gambling club…, wait Ling Lee and Amelia are half sisters? Oh nope, just a sentence as poorly constructed as said gambling club. I'm not even going to go over examples of soap opera-y prose or really strange word choices; there are just too many of them. And I mean, some people like that kind of thing. Not me, obvs. Anyways, this book, sooo not my cup of tea.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amelia Bradshaw has worked hard. As a thirty-year old woman in 1906, she has received her bachelor’s degree in engineering at UC Berkley and her degree in architecture from L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. After receiving her degree in architecture, she returned home to San Francisco, only to discover that her father has gambled away her and her mother’s inheritance, the grand Bay View Hotel. J.D. Thayer, the scoundrel son of a respected San Francisco family is now the proud owner of the hotel. Amelia is devastated. She takes J.D. to court, only to discover, as a woman, she has no rights and is left with nothing. Amelia takes a job at Julia Morgan’s (the first female architect in California) firm to support herself, her mother, and her aunt. Tragedy strikes when the devastating San Francisco earthquake and fire takes place.

Afterwards Amelia finds herself working hard with Julia Morgan’s firm to not only restore the famous Fairmont Hotel, but also to help J.D. rebuild the Bay View Hotel. After a misunderstanding with Julia, Amelia finds herself helping J.D. in a race to build the Bay View by the first anniversary of the quake before the Fairmont Hotel can open.

For the rest of my review, check out my blog at: http://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2011/...

For a chance to win this book, enter the giveaway by midnight on Friday April 22nd at: http://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2011/...

[joy *the clean-reader extraordinaire* · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was easily a four star book until *the scene.* i loved the period details of architecture, immigration, and devastation. but after investing my time in 3/4s of the novel, i felt that having the two MCs get drunk and share a wild night of passion was just cheap. the author sold us all short here -- the readers and the characters -- because after that, the credibility of the story just fell apart. the MCs suddenly began acting like stereotypical romance stock figures, instead of the interesting and strong personalities they had been before.

pg13 red
one racy night involving champagne and no clothing
violence toward and violation of immigrant populations
a very non-explicit lesbian relationship
and of course, the earthquake aftermath

[Gaile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amelia Bradshaw arrives in San Francisco in 1906 to take over her grandfather's hotel only to find her father has gambled it away. The judge upholds that her father had every right to gamble it away and hands it over to blackguards J.D. Thayer and Ezra Kemp.
A few days later the earthquake and fire reduce the hotel to ashes. As a fully trained architect, Amelia's services are suddenly very much wanted especially by J.D.Thayer.
A mixture of feminism, minority racism, prejudices and a city rising from ashes, I highly recommend this book. In the beginning, we are introduced to two scoundrels, J.D. and Ezra Kemp but which is the real one and which does Amelia falling head over heels for?

[Emmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

**3.5**

rtc

[Chris McArdle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read while learning about a period of history not often examined, immediately after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. I found the historical elements very interesting, while some of the personal interactions and situations come straight from a daytime soap opera. That's a small demerit against what was otherwise a solid effort.

[MasterSal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember this being a light engaging historical fiction novel with a heavy romance element. I like that flavour of tea so be forewarned.

[Kaelan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dragged a little bit in the beginning, but overall a fun read. I liked the mixing of history and fiction and a badass female architect made for a really great protagonist.

[Mandolin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Newly certified as one of the world's few female architects, Amelia Bradshaw returns to San Francisco from Paris in hopes of finding employment with her former friend and classmate, Julia Morgan. Julia has made a name for herself after becoming the first female graduate of Paris' prestigious architectural school and Amelia hopes to become her protege and make enough money to save her family's Bay View Hotel from her drunkard father's reckless spending and mismanagement after her beloved grandfather's death. She meets with utter disappointment the moment she disembarks, however, when she learns that her father has gambled away the hotel to a cardshark and notorious gamer, J.D. Thayer. Amelia attempts to regain the hotel in a legal battle that she loses. Adding to her disappointment is the menial position to which Julia appoints her and the coldness that Julia displays in their relationship. Realizing that she has few other opportunities to succeed in the male-dominated world, she accepts the position and tries to hope for a better future after she's proven her worth.

Her hopes are then turned upside down by the major earthquake and resulting fires that demolish almost the entire city of San Francisco. Though the disaster spells death and loss for many, it opens the door for Julia and Amelia to prove themselves as architects. In a surprising twist of events, the women end up as rivals when Julia is appointed to restore Fairmont and Amelia is hired by J.D. Thayer to restore the Bay View. It becomes a race to see which hotel will open first within the year after the quake.

Although she still firmly believes that she is the rightful owner of the hotel, Amelia is able to set aside her prejudice against J.D. in order to fulfill their shared dreams of a restored and improved Bay View. From the start, however, their work is hindered by greedy and corrupt businessmen and politicians who resort to blackmail, destruction and violence in their attempts to wrest the Bay View from J.D. Faced with these trials, J.D. and Amelia grow closer and find themselves re-evaluating all of their prior perceptions about each other and the world. As they do, they discover a surprising shared attraction. But will it survive the continued suspicions and secrets they each hold? Will they be able to accept the fact that each of them is a flawed human being with pasts that may not be perfect but that they're both capable of change?

Rich with architectural detail and history, Ciji Ware's novel is a wonderful introduction to the city of San Francisco and the horrors it faced after the 1906 earthquake. Although the constant back-and-forth dance between J.D. and Amelia got a little tiresome at the end and the resolution of the different subplots seemed to be a little too rushed, I found the book enjoyable as a whole. The characters were very well-drawn and interesting because none fit into a stereotypical role. I also liked learning about the city's history, especially the horrors of San Francisco's Chinatown and the atrocities that were perpetrated there. All in all, a certain recommendation for anyone interested in architecture or San Francisco!

[Colleen Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first reviewed this book for the blog luxuryreading.com.

A Race To Splendor begins in early 1906 with Amelia Bradshaw returning to San Francisco after completing her degree in architecture from the distinguished L ‘ Ecole des Beaux Arts in France. She is returning under both exciting and devastating circumstances: she hopes to land a position in the architectural firm of her friend and mentor Julia Morgan (in actuality the first woman to graduate with a degree in architecture from the same Parisian school) and to put to rights her father’s drunken loss during a card game of Amelia’s maternal grandfather’s glorious hotel, The Bay View. Amelia arrives to find James Diaz Thayer, the black sheep of a wealthy and distinguished “founding family” of San Francisco, claiming to have won the hotel. Amelia’s claims of ownership are dismissed as she is unmarried and it is determined that her father has every right to manage her property as he sees fit. Feeling dejected, Amelia seeks employment with Julia Morgan, only to find part time employment is all she can get.

On April 18th, 1906 at 5:12 a.m., as Ms. Bradshaw finishes her work for the night, the very ground under her rises up into a mass of destruction. Much of San Francisco is destroyed by a massive earthquake and subsequent fires, including The Bay View hotel, the newly completed masterpiece The Fairmont hotel, and many other neighbors in exclusive Nob Hill. With the city in rubble, Julia Morgan is able to take Amelia on full time as a junior architect. Her first duty: to assist one of the firm’s newest clients, Mr. Thayer, in rebuilding the Bay View hotel! Fighting her utter loathing for the man and determined to restore the home of her youth, Amelia sets off to work as best she can with her adversary and to build the hotel from the ashes surrounding them, even when she believes her father may have won the hotel back for her right before his death in the quake. While Julia Morgan rebuilds the Fairmont and J.D. and Amelia work together to build the Bay View, both teams become determined to beat the other and open first on or before the one year anniversary of the quake. But can Amelia and J.D. ever put their differences aside and work together towards one common goal? And, even if they can, can they overcome all the obstacles and greedy hands reaching out to make sure they never succeed?

A Race To Splendor is pitch perfect! While it is a hefty book at no time does the storyline drag or feel forced. I immensely enjoyed watching Amelia and J.D.’s relationship shift and grow and to see how my opinions of each of the characters, both prominent and secondary, change as more information was revealed. It brings to light many social issues, such as women’s rights and the rights of the Chinese immigrants forced into servitude at the turn of the 20th century, while also promoting how everyone has the chance to change, even those most likely not to. If you enjoy historical fiction, you won’t be disappointed with this gem.

[Laura Hartness · Rating 3 out of 5]

About a year ago I read Cottage by the Sea, also by Ciji Ware. I found it very enjoyable, so I was delighted to have the chance to read her latest work, Race to Splendor. And I must say, the lovely cover art also made it completely irresistible.

While I don’t rate Race to Splendor as high as Cottage, it was still an enjoyable read. Ciji intermingles her thorough, 10-year study of the period with a well-constructed story. From the moments preceding the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, to the temblor and resulting fires, to the laborious reconstruction of the city, much transpires within April 1906 and July 1907. The main characters Amelia Bradshaw and J.D. Thayer develop quite a bit, going from adversaries with seemingly divergent motivations in life, to becoming partners in more ways than one.

I enjoyed learning about the period, and Ware does a great job in educating her readers without the writing having a textbook flavor. I had no idea that much of the damage in 1906 actually came from the post-quake fires. And while I knew there was a large Asian population in the area, I had no idea that they had been under such terrible persecution and slavery. Along with women’s rights, much has changed in the last 100 years. Yes, this was a story of the rebuilding of two beautiful San Franciscan hotels and the struggles that went along with that, but the stories of the individuals and surrounding people groups were also just as important.

Race to Splendor is not a page-turner in the classic sense, but I found it interesting and for the most part liked the choices that Ware made in her narrative. Although I understand the viewpoint that the character Amelia had as a female architect in the early 20th century, I wish she had a more positive view of marriage. Her attitudes about trust, sexuality and matrimony were understandable; I just wish that those aspects of the character could have been different. Because of a few sexual moments within the novel (one of which was a same-sex scene), conservative readers may want to use discretion with this title.

Overall, Ciji has done quality work here. Her writing is pleasant and it’s clearly evident that she’s done her homework. The story has some devilishly nasty villains, and it’s great to see how the cast of characters grow and how long-held secrets are revealed. It’s interesting that many moments are based on true events as well. I haven’t been to San Francisco since 1979, but I hope to return one day and see some of the locations described in Race to Splendor, particularly architectural works by true-life architect Julia Morgan. Splendor was not only an enjoyable read, but it shined a light on the period in a way that has piqued my interest. As Ciji Ware had a goal of telling the story of the post-quake rebuild from the rarely-seen woman’s point of view, she has certainly succeeded in her effort.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an amazing tribute to one woman's struggle to be treated as an equal in a world ruled by men. It also defines and brilliantly portrays the human spirit's battle to fight to survive despite seemingly overwhelming odds and never-ending challenges. The attention to historical detail of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, including its aftermath, which Ms. Ware weaves beautifully throughout the story, is amazing. I loved learning about Julia Morgan, the famed architect of the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. And, the plight and prejudice toward the early immigrants of this country (in this case, the Chinese) who literally helped build our nation, was informative and heartbreaking. The romance was not your typical "love at first sight" stereotype found in so many historical novels. It built gradually as the two characters worked together, side-by-side, for a common goal, facing incredible challenges. There are just so many wonderful elements that are seamlessly weaved into a gripping book here.

This is not my first Ciji Ware book. I recently discovered Ms. Ware's writing and, each time I read another of her books, I'm blown away by her talent and the book stays in my mind for days. Isn't that what a book should do - touch your heart, enrich your mind and make you think what would I do here? Did I like this book? No, I loved it.

On a side note, I'm a survivor of the 1994 Northridge, Los Angeles, Earthquake. To this day, I can remember every second and everything that happened to me with that mind-numbing event. Waking up in a daze at 4:31 a.m., thinking a train was coming through my bedroom, watching walls move in opposite directions, having slabs of concrete falling all around me, realizing it wasn't stopping, but getting stronger and more violent, thinking this is it, I'm dead. Then, waiting hour after hour, under rubble, wondering if anyone will ever find me and will I ever get out. Then, after getting out, stunned with what I saw around me, walking around in a haze for days. And, eventually, struggling to get back to a "normal" life when I had lost everything. Ms. Ware captured that terror, despair and hope in her descriptions of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake in this book.

[Christy B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Give me a book about an strong, independent woman fighting against prejudice to fulfill her dreams and be treated as an equal, then I'm most likely going to love it.

So, yes, I loved A Race to Splendor, which is the story of a fictional architect named Amelia Hunter Bradshaw. It's 1906, and upon her grandfather's death, Amelia returns to San Francisco to claim her inheritance: the Bay View Hotel, only to find her drunken father has gambled it away to a one Mr. James Diaz Thayer.

After then eventually losing to Thayer in court, Amelia is frustrated that her late grandfather's legacy has practically been handed over to a scoundrel. Accepting it, for now, Amelia sets out to find employment, and does, from architect Julia Morgan. It is while she is working there that she experiences the devastating earthquake that ended up killing thousands.

In the aftermath, employed by Morgan, Amelia finds herself involved in the reconstruction of the Bay View, which is in a race to be the first hotel opened by the first anniversary of the earthquake. Fighting her feelings of deep distrust for Thayer, she pushes them aside to help her grandfather's famed hotel rise again.

Ciji Ware has managed to created an amazingly strong character in Amelia. When I felt annoyed every time a man would patronized her or talk down to her, I realized that Amelia was annoyed, as well, and let said man know what was on her mind. Her voice for equality ran true to many of the women at the turn of the century - the 'new woman,' as it were, who put aside marriage and child-bearing for a career, despite the prejudice from the opposite sex.

I could barely put A Race to Splendor down once I would pick it up to start reading. The story moved effortlessly with amazing detail. No doubt explicitly researched, A Race to Splendor was a top notch novel that showed the aftermath of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 through the eyes of a determined woman.

[Heather C · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the previous book I read about the 1906 earthquake took place in the days prior to and during the trembler, A Race to Splendor takes place during the quake and the next year afterward as the city starts rebuilding. You get a unique perspective of what it was like to be a refugee after this disaster – in the Presidio make-shift hospital as well as trying to find somewhere to live amongst all the crumbled buildings. Most of the plot focuses on the competition between the Fairmont and the Bay View hotels to be the first hotel to open after the extensive damage from the quake. You learn a lot about architecture and all of the problems that go along with trying to rebuild in a city knee deep in graft – pay-offs, deals, shanghaied workers, the outrage over a Chinese workforce, and other types of corruption.

Ware’s characters are phenomenally written and solidly constructed. They all grow as the story continues – not necessarily changing who they are but blossoming into a different version of themselves. The author has created full back stories for the main cast and we learn why they are how they are now and understand the decisions that they make. We see characters that are flawed, admirable, and real. For me, the writing of the characters was the strongest part of the novel.

I also loved how the story and events developed and unfolded. You didn’t really know what was going to happen next – but the decisions made sense to the plot and to the pace of the story. There were also romance threads throughout the novel – it certainly kept things interesting. It was also most interesting to see the interplay between the two characters and how the romance affected the rest of the plot of the book.

Overall I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to read others by this author.

[Sheree · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fascinating story, delving into the devastating history of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, the aftermath and recovery. A blend of history and artistic licence laced with suspense, drama, romance, and political corruption giving readers a captivating and moving account.

I knew of the existence of architect Julia Morgan but little else and whilst she didn't inspire my affection in Race to Splendor, Ciji Ware certainly inspired me to read a little more about this historical figure. Quite the opposite of the very likeable Amelia Bradshaw, Ware's fictional creation and Morgan's protegee and eventual competitor in the race to open the Fairmont hotel and JD Thayer's Bay View hotel by the 1st anniversary of the quake.

The chemistry between JD and Amelia is obvious early on but their working and personal relationship is rocky to say the least. Suffice to say there is more to the inscrutable JD than first meets the eye. I enjoyed the architectural details and the challenges facing women proving themselves in a male dominated field. I wasn't aware of the plight of the Chinese at this time, their appalling living and working conditions, and the unaccounted loss of life. Being Australian, Race To Splendor filled in a substantial gap in my knowledge of this particular time in American history and gave me a thirst for more.

My first Ciji Ware novel but definitely not my last; the pages literally turn themselves!

See more on my blog The Eclectic Reader

[April Dinucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love, love, love, loved this book! Ciji Ware has yet to disapoint. This novel was an epic love story told over the devastation of San Francisco at the brink of the 20th century following the earthquake of 1906.
Ms. Ware's breathtaking descriptions of San Francisco and the surrounding landscapes had me in awe. The tragic love story was beautiful and sweet. Ms. Bradshaw and Mr. Thayer were truly loveable characters that persevered through a love that was fraught with peril and professionally forbidden, yet forged by tragedy. Bradshaw is a strong but gentile professional architect drawn to the handsome Thayer despite his despicalble behaviors. And Thayer is eternally misunderstood but respects and loves the young Bradshaw as she strives to obtain a name for herself as a female architect during the turn of the century feminine rights movement. The detail of the architecture both before, during and after the earthquake as well as the struggle of the people of the Bay Area were aptly described and will remain in my mind anytime I travel the greater San Francisco area. Any book I stay up until 2 a.m. to finish deserves a 5 star rating, especially when I am pleased at the ending. I highly recommend any of Ciji Ware's novels and this one is no exception!

[Kitty Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

CIJI WARE'S "A RACE TO SPLENDOR" (A REVIEW)

This book had everything I love, a strong woman, an equally strong man, headbutting, that ends in a love story... it was perfect. Ciji Ware definitely knows how to write a prominent historical novel with just the right amounts of drama, romance, history, and excitement. I fully intend to look for more of her works in the near future. The author constantly amazed me with her knowledge of the history in the early 1900's and just how hard it was for a woman to make her way in what was known as a 'man's world.'

If you have not read any of Ciji Ware's novels you MUST do so, especially if you are a lover of great historical fiction. This author knows what she is writing about and it's not hard to see that she does her research thoroughly and to the fullest.

-Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud Book Club

Read more: http://www.greatmindsthinkaloud.probo...

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been a fun read. I love the heroine, Amelia. I was hooked from the very beginning when she marches into the middle of a poker game and demands her hotel back to when she is learning to drive and demands that her "instructor" goes and hides behind a tree to when she fires men from the job site and brandishes a weapon to defend herself. She's a wonderfully strong heroine.

It's 1906 and Amelia comes home to San Francisco from France with a degree in architecture only to discover that her drunken father has gambled away her inheritance, a fine hotel called the Bay View, away to a rogue, J.D. Amelia takes the rogue to court but it being 1906.... well.. she loses, of course....

Full review here: http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2011/...

[Michelle Sampson · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked:
-history of San Francisco
-learning about the devastation of the 1906 earthquake
-learning about architecture
-learned about the plight of the Chinese
-the main characters were flawed but likeable
What I didn't like:
-what's with the lusty night together? It really wasn't necessary and did not endear me to the characters or the story. Felt like it was thrown in because, well, isn't that what readers want?
My answer: NO! At least not me. I am a sucker for romance but could do without the descriptive sex scenes.
That being said, I really did learn a lot about the tragedy in 1906 and it made me want to visit San Fran. I was also fascinated by the history and culture of the time so I had to bump it up to 3 stars.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

After the first 50 pages, I thought 'yay, a new author I will just love.' But then I got bogged down in 450 pages of an endless onslaught of words. This would have been great at 300 pages. But at 500+, snore.
It tried to be interesting but it seemed to be caught in a cycle of never ending nothingness. And I love historical fiction so I was tremendously disappointed by it.

Great cover, though.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Way too long. The story was uninteresting from the beginning. Same conflict over and over: she's a woman and no one will take her seriously. I understand the plot and even value that kind of drama, but seriously, 500 pages of it?? And the romance was pretty shoddy as was her rival's character.

[Jeanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Major disappointment. I was so hoping for a book about architects along the lines of "Loving Frank" by Nancy Horan...not even close. Very sophomoric with mediocre writing.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Race to Splendor, the 2011 novel by Ciji Ware, is a great piece of historical fiction. It begins in1906, just before the San Francisco earthquake, and is the story of two young women architects, Amelia Bradshaw and Julia Morgan.

While she is not the main character, the real Julia Morgan, a graduate from the famous school of architecture Ecole des Beaux Arts in France, was the first woman architect licensed in California. When the novel opens, Morgan has started her own architectural firm in San Francisco because no one would hire a female. The 1906 earthquake and the ensuing fires were about to change all that. So much of San Francisco was destroyed that a shortage of architects and site managers gave many women, such as Morgan, access to the previously male-dominated fields.

Morgan was hired to rebuild the exclusive Fairmont Hotel. She hires Bradshaw, a fictional peer from the Ecole to work for her. When Morgan is asked to reconstruct the Bay View Hotel, equally as grand as the Fairmont but with significantly more damage, she puts Bradshaw in charge of the job.

A series of disagreements result in Bradshaw being hired away by the Bay View’s owner, J.D. Thayer, to run the job on her own. The two women become adversaries both trying to finish and reopen on the one-year anniversary of the quake, thus, a race to splendor.

Not only are both women under enormous pressure to do a fast, meticulous job, Julia Bradshaw has a very personal connection to the Bay View. It was built by Bradshaw’s grandfather and held for her until her drunken father loses it in a poker game to Thayer, her new boss, creating more tension for the story.

Morgan was a very private woman but Ware manages to bring us as much of her real life story as the facts allow. Using the two main characters as Ware did, we see how two strong but very different women approach each problem and prejudice to fulfill their dreams and be treated as equals in a man’s world.

Author Ciji Ware is an experienced screenwriter and, as a result, we feel the earthquake. Our feet ache as we stumble over the rubble. We can practically smell the fire’s sickening smoke.

The details of the main story are very believable. Ware gives her readers a vivid picture of the city’s architecture, the earthquake’s consequences, and the plight of the Chinese immigrants living in San Francisco. We get a clear understanding of how graft and immorality ruled the Barbary Coast.

My attention started to waver in the second half of the book. It began to drag and as Ware began to spend more time on unnecessary romances. The competition and friendship of these two women was a great story in itself and the addition of a romantic gambol between Thayer and Bradshaw and another one between two less important women characters were distractions from a powerful the story.

I am a huge fan of most historical fiction and, criticism aside, this novel is all about women coming of age and struggling to be treated as equals in a world ruled by men and their politics. It is a story of people rebuilding and reinventing both a city and themselves and it is a brilliant portrayal of the human spirit’s battle to survive despite seemingly overwhelming odds. A Race to Splendor is a worthwhile read.

A more recent book by Ware, That Spring in Paris, is at the top of my “to read” stack.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about two female architects. After the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco where 400 blocks of buildings were flattened and burned there was a huge movement to build and start over again. Julia Morgan and Amelia Bradshaw were in a competition to rebuild The Fairmont and The Bay View hotels at the same time and have them both done before the one year anniversary of the earthquake. With all the local corruption in the city this all became quite a dangerous feat with buildings being blown up, set on fire and people murdered. This was quite an interesting and entertaining work of historical fiction. I really enjoyed it.

[Amanda Perry-Larkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually a really good book! It's set in the 1900s where women are still trying to fight for freedom and their own rights. This book covers feministic views and how women can be their own persons. This book also shows some romance and follows a gambler and an architect trying to find themselves and open up to new things. Some history is looked at in the book where Chinese people were looked down upon (racist issues).

(There are also some lgbtq references in this book) Overall very good book and the romance was small but amazing.

[A Busscher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading the first third of the book, I thought this is pretty good. Thats were the "good" ended. Ware dragged the book on and the characters were so dull and predictable! Amelia was as hypocritic and obessed! She judged the other whores in the book yet she is one too. and heaven forbidded she actually talk to her nemises, she might as well just sleep with him.
Overall, it had great potential and the first part of the book was very good, with its touch of history, but the rest of the book was utter rubbish.

[Flo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having lived in San Francisco and being interested in architecture, I looked forward to this book and was not disappointed. This is a lovely, well-researched novel featuring Julia Morgan, architect of Hearst Castle, and the fictional female architect who worked with her. The details of what San Francisco was like before, during and after the 1906 shaker brought the story to vivid life.