Claudia (BrokenWing) reviewed on
Helpful Score: 4
It was hauntingly beautiful, a book that will stay with me for a long time. Not at all what I was expecting from the title, though. Emma is a rich, straight-laced New England heiress circa late 19th century. She's engaged to marry a wealthy man from a powerful family. One day, after church, she sees a poor Irish pregnant woman, Bria, (a mill worker in her fiancee's cotton mill) collapse in the street after a religious procession. Emma takes her home in her carriage and cares for her for a few days until she's feeling better. Emma visits her frequently, they become close friends, and Emma learns the woman is dying of comsumption. Emma grows to love Bria, her children and the entire family. Bria notices that Emma seems to like her husband, so she tries to arrange for them to be alone together, hoping they will fall in love and marry after she's gone.
The story is one of the most beautifully written I've ever read, and it's a huge tearjerker. It's as much a tribute to friendship as romance. This is not a one or two-hanky book. It's a box of kleenex book. It has some of the best characterization I've ever read and I fell in love with Emma, Bria and her whole family.
The story is one of the most beautifully written I've ever read, and it's a huge tearjerker. It's as much a tribute to friendship as romance. This is not a one or two-hanky book. It's a box of kleenex book. It has some of the best characterization I've ever read and I fell in love with Emma, Bria and her whole family.
