I love Susan Meissner’s writing style. She does such thorough research and then weaves such an engaging storyline for her books. This one follows two different stories that are almost a hundred years apart, but there is a beautiful element that ties two women’s lives together. There is a tragic loss, emotional paralysis, and delayed healing in both storylines.

The past and present are beautifully woven together through Taryn and Clara, separated by 100 years, and take the reader through a tale of many emotions. Taryn and Clara are tied together by different tragedies, both occurring in New York City a devastating fire in the early 1900s, and the sadness of 9/11. The 100-year-old French scarf, made from an Indian design, has a repeating pattern of marigolds and is the common denominator between them.

The author brought Ellis Island to life when ships arrived in New York Harbor and immigrants, by the hundreds, passed through Ellis. Many of them had failed the health inspection and ended up in the Ellis Island hospital, many with contagious diseases.

A mix of contemporary and historical fiction, I was profoundly moved by this book. The storyline takes you through tense, emotional, and realistic events. The characters are beautiful and poignant and deal with lost love, choices, and regrets..