Susan Meissner
Author of Secrets of a Charmed Life
About the Author
In 1995, Susan Meissner was working as a part-time reporter for a county newspaper. In 1998, she was named editor of the Mountain Lake/Butterfield Observer Advocate, the town's weekly paper. The paper was named the Best Weekly Newspaper in Minnesota by the Minnesota Newspaper Association in 2002. show more She retired later that year to write her first book, Why the Sky is Blue, which was published in 2004. Her other books include The Girl in the Glass, The Shape of Mercy, In All Deep Places, and A Fall of Marigolds. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Susan Meissner
A Window to the worl 2 copies
As Bright as Heaven 2 copies
White Picket Fences 1 copy
Het geheim van geluk. 1 copy
Liefde komt uit de hemel. 1 copy
Last year of the war 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1961-01-09
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- San Diego, California, USA
- Places of residence
- San Diego, California, USA
Minnesota, USA
Blytheville, Arkansas, USA - Occupations
- editor
- Organizations
- Mountain Lake/Butterfield Observer Advocate
- Short biography
- Award-winning writer Susan Meissner is a multi-published author, speaker, and workshop leader with a background in community journalism. Her novels include The Shape of Mercy, named by Publishers Weekly as one of the Best Books of 2008; White Picket Fences; and Lady in Waiting. She is a pastor's wife and a mother of four young adults. When she's not writing, Susan directs the Small Groups and Connection Ministries program at her San Diego church.
Members
Reviews
1 
bookofsecrets | 40 other reviews | Dec 29, 2024 |
bookofsecrets | 40 other reviews | Dec 29, 2024 | 
A terrific story set in in 1906 San Francisco, engaging characters and a plot that is intriguing and keeps the reader guessing right to the end.
A lovely, easy to read historical fiction story. This is my second novel by Susan Messiner and I really enjoyed this mysterious and satisfying read.
Sophie Whalen, a young Irish immigrant answers a mail order bride advertisement in the Newspaper and agrees to marry a man she knows nothing about. She wants to escape the tenements of New York and her poorly paid job and is happy to embrace a new life even if it is with a man she has never met and his young daughter. April 18th 1906, a massive earthquake rocks San Francisco and also changes Sophie’s life forever.
The nature of Fragile things engages the reader from the very first page and I enjoyed the mysterious aspect of the novel. I haven’t read anything previously on the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 and this was interesting and encourages me to seek out a non fiction account of this natural disaster. It’s a well written story, with dark secrets that the readers longs to untangle and three interesting and likeable women at the heart of the novel.
Another novel for my favourites shelf and a lovely hard copy to add to my real life book shelf.… (more)
A lovely, easy to read historical fiction story. This is my second novel by Susan Messiner and I really enjoyed this mysterious and satisfying read.
Sophie Whalen, a young Irish immigrant answers a mail order bride advertisement in the Newspaper and agrees to marry a man she knows nothing about. She wants to escape the tenements of New York and her poorly paid job and is happy to embrace a new life even if it is with a man she has never met and his young daughter. April 18th 1906, a massive earthquake rocks San Francisco and also changes Sophie’s life forever.
The nature of Fragile things engages the reader from the very first page and I enjoyed the mysterious aspect of the novel. I haven’t read anything previously on the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 and this was interesting and encourages me to seek out a non fiction account of this natural disaster. It’s a well written story, with dark secrets that the readers longs to untangle and three interesting and likeable women at the heart of the novel.
Another novel for my favourites shelf and a lovely hard copy to add to my real life book shelf.… (more)
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Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 40
- Members
- 6,316
- Popularity
- #3,890
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 457
- ISBNs
- 182
- Languages
- 5
- Favorited
- 9
Sophie is an Irish immigrant who answers a mail-order bride ad placed by a man in San Francisco. It seems like widower Martin Hocking can provide her with the life she craves — a comfortable home far away from the slums in New York City, and a child to raise named Kat, the young daughter of Martin and his deceased wife.
Sophie’s relationship with her new husband is odd, and sometimes his behavior is unusual, but she has security and a family, and that’s what matters. That is, until a very pregnant woman named Belinda shows up at her house the night before the great earthquake. The lives Sophie, Kat, and Belinda have known are about to come crashing down figuratively & literally!
I won’t go further into the plot, but just know that if you’re a fan of 20th century historical fiction, I highly recommend THE NATURE OF FRAGILE THINGS. Susan Meissner is a gifted story teller who creates complicated characters readers will understand and enjoy. — 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪
“It is the nature of the earth to shift. It is the nature of fragile things to break. It is the nature of fire to burn.”
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.… (more)