by Susan Meissner
Reviewed by Janet:
To escape a miserable life in a New York tenement in 1905, Sophie becomes a mail order bride and travels to San Francisco as the bride of Martin Hocking and mother to his daughter Kat. As an insurance salesman, Martin is on the road for much of the time and reticent about his work when he is home. Until that day in April 1906 when a pregnant young woman knocks on the door looking for her own husband, Sophie hadn’t realized how little she knows about Martin. And then the earthquake hits. A heartwarming story of resilience and family, with an unexpected twist.