A Fall of Marigolds

By: Susan Meissner

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's Summary

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 Center 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?

©2015 eChristian (P)2015 eChristian

Beautiful!

This book was very beautifully written and narrated! It held my interest throughout. I absolutely loved the parallels between the Triangle Shirtwaist fire and 9/11. The imagery and the symbolism of the marigolds on the scarf were lovely.

If you like fiction that alternates between two time periods and seamlessly weaves them together, then you will enjoy this book.

One last note: Tavia Gilbert is an excellent narrator! I've listened to several other books she narrated and enjoyed them as well.

I couldn't finish it.

Would you try another book from Susan Meissner and/or Tavia Gilbert?

NO! Tavia Gilbert's quivering voice was maddening and I couldn't listen to it. I didn't finish the book. The story was soap operaish and contrived.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Something intelligent.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator's voice shook with phony emotion and she attempted accents that were beyond her capability. As a result, the narration was both silly and grating.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The story had possibilities. Perhaps if it was better narrated I would have enjoyed it more, as the book had been recommended to me by someone whose reading tastes I respect.

Any additional comments?

It would be better for a narrator to NOT ATTEMPT a foreign accent than to do one badly.

Loved it!

This book was easy to get into and I couldn't put it down! I found myself taking notes of several passages in the book as there were some beautiful sayings that I will keep with me. Great read!

Two stories connected by a scarf

Having lived in NYC, I could visualize the characters in the locations where the story was set. the author brought two tragedies together that happened 100 years apart. the shirt factory fire in early 1900s and 911 collapse of the World Trade center. the scarf link was a bit weak but it was an interesting book.

Lots of surprises

I enjoyed the historical perspective of this book and the continuous surprises around the corner. I always enjoy a "wrapped up" ending

A beautiful story...

Which intertwines lives during 2 very difficult periods in history. I highly recommend this book. It can be quite emotional at times.

Beautiful story and the voice of the narrator.....one of the best!

I fell into this story as if I was there. Beautifully heartbreakingly full of grace and truth

Disappointed

I had to stop after chapter 10 .
I have loved other Susan Meisner audits but I feel the narrator 'a voice was no longer tolerable.
I will ask audible for a return credit.
The story was not appealing and too slow !!!

Superb On Every Level

What beautifully, tender story woven seemlessly by a master craftswonan. The narrator was more than equal to the task. She indeed is the best audiobook narrator I have had the pleasure of listening to. Brava!

A Very Moving Story

This story was beautifully written in words that could help the reader capture what it was like to be there at that point in time. Perhaps to feel how the characters felt, to be moved in ways that they were moved. The author not only tells this beautiful story, but pushes the reader to ponder the very point of life itself. To understand how choices, some that are just made on a whim, can change the course of history not only for them, but for all those entwined in their lives.

An absolutely fabulous historical story.

This wonderful engrossing story is kept alive with superb narration. I didn't want the story to end. I highly recommend this title as an audible and a masterclass literary fiction.