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If you like historical romance, then you will enjoy Ciji Ware’s A Race to Splendor. Set during and following the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, A Race to Splendor is a perfect blend of politics and tension, featuring a tempestuous romance between two complex, well-drawn characters.

I found Ware’s book on our new shelves and took a serendipity in the stacks chance on it. I found it an absorbing, intriguing historical novel. For one, it features a female architect, Amelia Bradshaw, who returns from getting her degree in Paris to find that her father has gambled away the family’s hotel to the nefarious J. D. Thayer.

While the story focuses on Amelia, Julia Morgan, a real architect at the time who made her name as one of the first female architects after the big quake also appears. Amelia knewJulia in school in Paris and works for her once she gets her engineering and architecture degree. These friends become rivals when they are commissioned to rebuild two famous hotels by the year anniversary of the quake.

A Race to Splendor is an entertaining summer read.





A Race to Splendorby Ciji Ware is yet another well-researched, well-planned historical fiction book, this time taking place in 1906 directly after the San Francisco earthquake. Amelia Bradshaw is an architect and not only plans to rebuild her grandfather’s hotel, Bay View, but to make it the first hotel rebuilt after the devastating earthquake. Considering it is 1906, Amelia is up against quite a lot of differing opinions as her profession is not one deemed for a lady. Of Ware’s historical novels, I think Amelia may be her strongest and most fierce protagonist to date. Ware not only describes the tension of the time, the devastation caused by the earthquake and the toll it takes on the inhabitants of San Francisco, it is also a fictionalised historical account of the competition amongst the architectural firms, the difficulties faced by being a woman in a predominately male profession, and the effects a devastating earthquake can have on a city and its people. Ware will take the reader to San Francisco during the earthquake and the aftermath, feel the tension, despair, good will, and unfortunately also the anger, greed, and corruption that can occur after a tragedy of this magnitude. A Race to Splendor is fast paced, meticulously detailed, events come to life as do the characters, and Ware sweeps the reader away with her ability to transform readers into the past. I highly recommend A Race to Splendor to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or is new to the genre.







As an engineer, one of my pet peeves has been the lack of books, movies, and TV shows with engineers as characters, let alone a woman engineer. I was more than a little excited to read A Race to Splendor in which the main character is a female architect in San Francisco in 1906 with a bachelor’s degree in engineering. I love reading about strong women characters, and an added bonus is having the strong woman as an engineer/architect.

Amelia Bradshaw has worked hard. As a thirty-year old woman in 1906, she has received her bachelor’s degree in engineering at UC Berkley and her degree in architecture from L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. After receiving her degree in architecture, she returned home to San Francisco, only to discover that her father has gambled away her and her mother’s inheritance, the grand Bay View Hotel. J.D. Thayer, the scoundrel son of a respected San Francisco family is now the proud owner of the hotel. Amelia is devastated. She takes J.D. to court, only to discover, as a woman, she has no rights and is left with nothing. Amelia takes a job at Julia Morgan’s (the first female architect in California) firm to support herself, her mother, and her aunt. Tragedy strikes when the devastating San Francisco earthquake and fire takes place.

Afterwards Amelia finds herself working hard with Julia Morgan’s firm to not only restore the famous Fairmont Hotel, but also to help J.D. rebuild the Bay View Hotel. After a misunderstanding with Julia, Amelia finds herself helping J.D. in a race to build the Bay View by the first anniversary of the quake before the Fairmont Hotel can open.

I loved A Race to Splendor. Ciji Ware’s storytelling was fantastic. Just when you think things are going well, a new wrench gets thrown into the mix. I read this book pretty quickly as I was always wondering what would happen next. The earthquake and fire description were riveting. It reminded me of one of my favorite movies, San Francisco starring Clark Gable.
Speaking of Clark Gable and his bad boy appeal, J.D. is a man made in the same mold. J.D. is the bad boy you want to hate, but love any way. He has a single minded dedication to make something of himself, but he doesn’t think of the costs to other people. While he appears to be a bad guy at the beginning of the novel, Amelia is able to peel back the layers to discover an inner depth to J.D. I was annoyed that Amelia worked for him after he stole her grandfather’s hotel from her, but I can also see that if your family hotel has to be redesigned that you would want to be the one to do it!

I love Ciji Ware’s mantra that she wonders what women were doing at that point in history. I loved that Amelia Bradshaw is a strong woman character and that she interacts with the real Julia Morgan. I think it is more than great to have a woman character that was an engineer/architect, especially at that point in history. It’s still hard work for a woman to be on a construction site as an engineer (I am one and have had the experience!). I loved reading about Amelia and Julia taking charge at the construction sites and getting work done. It was great!

I could talk about this book forever, but overall, I think it is a great historical fiction novel. It has great action, the San Francisco Earthquake, romance, and the best for me – a woman engineer/architect. This month is the 105th anniversary of the great San Francisco earthquake; do you really need another reason to read this book?



Ciji Ware’s A Race to Splendor can not be missed! What an epic novel full of heart thumping action, suspense, drama and romance! It contains perfect elements of history to awaken our dormant interest into past events long forgotten. Ware succeeds in grabbing our attention from the moment we learn of her inspiration in the Author’s Note to the prologue with Amelia’s beseechingly sad letter to Julia Morgan. Chapter One explodes with Amelia’s own determination to vex the men of their claim to the Bay View Hotel.

Ware’s writing recounts the suffrage women had to overcome to compete in a very “patriarchal society”. Amelia symbolizes the epitome of advocacy for women’s rights, the movement for equality is tested constantly as she battles the roadblocks set against her intelligence and craftsmanship as an accomplished award winning architect. She is the “voice of women” who have been muted far too long- their value is demeaned by the authority of a man’s protection. Ware constructs an image of women via their different roles: maligned mothers drugged of their senses; victimized immigrants whose lives are destroyed by being sexual slaves to the deviant male upper class society; a Rambo-like Mother Theresa salvaging the souls of destroyed people; and the ruthlessness of woman competing in a man’s world. Ironically the two central women, Julia Morgan and Amelia Hunter Bradshaw, become competitors in a world dominated by men. This is a true paradox to the fight for equality in a world where they are the minority representing professional career women.

Ciji Ware does not sugar coat history rather she forces us to remember what these incredible women of the past have done for us to obtain our equal footing in the today’s society. Amelia Hunter Bradshaw is a shining example of success and we come to treasure her with each turning page.

It would be remiss to not mention the value of J.D Thayer, our gambling conman who stole Amelia’s Bay View Hotel. Our villain’s deviance alters as the story progresses where he competes for the prize of victory and love. Ware does romance with scenes resembling epic battles between classic Katherine Hepburn & Spencer Tracy. Battles of intellectual wit where sworn enemies find themselves unlikely allies.

I definitely recommend this one since it did sweep me away. The cover perfectly depicts a particular segment of the book and the ambiance of historical fiction is amazing. Ciji Ware has found a new fan and I will be lunging for her one of her earlier works A Cottage by the Sea.

Excuse me now… I have to read and you better get moving with the first page in A Race to Splendor. Once you start, you won’t want to stop!



The year is 1906. Amelia Bradshaw has just returned to her beloved San Francisco from Paris, where she is one of the first women to become an architect. But her return is hardly a happy one. Her beloved grandfather has died. Even though he left her the family fortune built with one of San Francisco’s most prominent hotels, disaster is waiting.

Her father gambles away the family hotel in a drunken all night gambling spree. Although the will states that it is Amelia and not he who holds legal title, and although California has recently passed laws giving women the right to control their own property, laws must be interpreted in courts by judges. Amelia is unlucky enough to draw a judge adamantly opposed to the new freedoms given to women and he awards the hotel to her father’s poker opponent.

Left destitute, Amelia joins the first female architectural firm, headed by one of her college friends and mentors. But worse is waiting. Within a month, the great earthquake of San Francisco occurs. The city is almost destroyed. Amelia survives and now must do her part to make her way in the world and to help rebuild the city she loves, and the hotel she has lost to a charming scoundrel.

Ciji Ware is acknowledged as one of the best historical fiction authors, and she does not disappoint in A Race to Splendor. Meticulously researched, she transports the reader to turn of the century San Francisco and makes them feel the devastation and the pioneering spirit that rebuilt the city. The characters are sympathetic and the romance between Amelia and her rival is believable. The world seems to be in another cycle of devastating earthquakes the last few years, and Ware makes the reader feel the devastation in a new light, not only the few minutes of terror, but the aftermath of months of privation and the strength needed to rebuild. This book is recommended for readers interested in historical fiction and the start of women professional lives.

San Francisco, 1906. Amelia Bradshaw returns home from her architectural studies in Paris only to find her beloved grandfather dead and the family’s grand hotel on Nob Hill lost by her drunken fool of a father during a game of cards. Amelia loses her legal battle with the winner of the card game, J.D. Thayer, and takes employment with her mentor, architect Julia Morgan. And just who is Julia Morgan do you ask? You can read about her here, but her most famous project is the little house that Julia built for William Randolph Hearst.

The big earthquake hits and events take a bit of a turn for Amelia. What wasn’t destroyed in the earthquake burned during the subsequent fires and that includes her beloved Bay View Hotel. Julia’s firm is hired to restore the Fairmont Hotel, as well as the Bay View and the race is on to restore both hotels to their full splendor so that they can reopen on the first anniversary of the disaster. Despite their past differences, Amelia and J.D. work together towards the common goal of restoring the Bay View, but they are beset from all sides by corrupt government, graft, shady labor organizations and other evil baddies who want the hotel for their own. And what about her father? Is it possible he had the poker hand of a lifetime and won it all back the moment the earth shook? If so, can she find the missing cards and wrest ownership of the Bay View away from J.D. Thayer? Will Amelia and J.D. ever stop dancing around each other and realize there’s some serious chemistry there?

I’m not telling. Despite a few quibbles towards the end, I really did enjoy this a lot and blew through it quite quickly. The architectural details and building challenges might bore some readers, but I found them fascinating. I really liked the character of Amelia, she was strong, intelligent and assertive without that annoying I Am Woman Hear Me Roar attitude you can get from some heroines. How nice that she could intelligently assert her independence and make wise choices in the face of danger instead of stupidly rushing out in the middle of night, thus requiring constant rescue by the hero

I found it very refreshing to learn that men found Amelia attractive without heaving bosoms or ripped bodices, as well as seeing the conflicts between the pair without the done to death trope of instant passion and loathing anytime a pair is in a room together. Another big thumbs up to Ms. Ware for writing well-rounded baddies and showing us why they’re bad instead of telling us with snarling lips, stinking breath and feral smiles. As for the quibbles? IMHO things fell apart just a tad at the end, when all of a sudden it’s time for the book to end and several pages of exposition are needed to wrap up the loose ends. Still, I enjoyed this overall and one I would heartily recommend to others, especially those interested in San Francisco history.


About a year ago I read Cottage by the Sea, also by Ciji Ware. I found it very enjoyable, so I was delighted to have the chance to read her latest work, Race to Splendor. And I must say, the lovely cover art also made it completely irresistible.

While I don’t rate Race to Splendor as high as Cottage, it was still an enjoyable read. Ciji intermingles her thorough, 10-year study of the period with a well-constructed story. From the moments preceding the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, to the temblor and resulting fires, to the laborious reconstruction of the city, much transpires within April 1906 and July 1907. The main characters Amelia Bradshaw and J.D. Thayer develop quite a bit, going from adversaries with seemingly divergent motivations in life, to becoming partners in more ways than one.

I enjoyed learning about the period, and Ware does a great job in educating her readers without the writing having a textbook flavor. I had no idea that much of the damage in 1906 actually came from the post-quake fires. And while I knew there was a large Asian population in the area, I had no idea that they had been under such terrible persecution and slavery. Along with women’s rights, much has changed in the last 100 years. Yes, this was a story of the rebuilding of two beautiful San Franciscan hotels and the struggles that went along with that, but the stories of the individuals and surrounding people groups were also just as important.

Race to Splendor is not a page-turner in the classic sense, but I found it interesting and for the most part liked the choices that Ware made in her narrative. Although I understand the viewpoint that the character Amelia had as a female architect in the early 20th century, I wish she had a more positive view of marriage. Her attitudes about trust, sexuality and matrimony were understandable; I just wish that those aspects of the character could have been different. Because of a few sexual moments within the novel (one of which was a same-sex scene), conservative readers may want to use discretion with this title.

Overall, Ciji has done quality work here. Her writing is pleasant and it’s clearly evident that she’s done her homework. The story has some devilishly nasty villains, and it’s great to see how the cast of characters grow and how long-held secrets are revealed. It’s interesting that many moments are based on true events as well. I haven’t been to San Francisco since 1979, but I hope to return one day and see some of the locations described in Race to Splendor, particularly architectural works by true-life architect Julia Morgan. Splendor was not only an enjoyable read, but it shined a light on the period in a way that has piqued my interest. As Ciji Ware had a goal of telling the story of the post-quake rebuild from the rarely-seen woman’s point of view, she has certainly succeeded in her effort.











This was my first book by Ware and I certainly hope it will not be my last because it was a good one. It’s set against the backdrop of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the fires that destroyed much of the city. Early on tragedy strikes and then we get to see how the city is rebuilt. Or should we say how two hotels are rebuilt.


Ware took the real historical character of Julia Morgan and let her finish her Fairmont hotel, and then she created the main character and let her work for Julia on another site. And it was not easy being a female architect at a time like this. But Amelia, the heroine, knows what she wants and this is it. She goes for it, and she works hard and she does not let any man put her down. I liked and respected her. The hero on the other hand was a scoundrel (I just have to use that world cos I love it). She feels that he stole the hotel from her family, that he uses prostitutes at his club, and that he is a lowlife. But then there is more to J.D.Thayer than meets the eye. I have the same concerns at first, I never dislike him though, I was just wary of him. But little by little the real person behind is revealed, and I fall for him just as Amelia unwillingly does.


There is so much more to this book than the building of the hotel and a slowly growing romance. There is an insight into the conditions of the Chinese, women kidnapped and forced to become prostitutes, and the how bad the whole population was treated. There is also the plot where the bad guy wants to destroy what Thayer is working for, one way or another.


Conclusion:
A great historical novel set against an interesting time that I have not read much about, I also found it interesting that women could be architects at that time and was hired (even if it only was J Morgan.) This is a book that I would recommend to fans of historical fiction, and to the rest of you too. It has romance, suspense, and backstabbing.


A Race to Splendor by Ciji Ware (Rated: S, P some religious profanities)
Sourcebooks Landmark
ISBN: 978-1402222696
Published April 2011
Trade Paperback, 544 pages


This book has a fantastic setting. It takes place during the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. With the horrific events of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan unfolding at the same time as I was reading this book, I began to have a greater appreciation for what the residents and city builders of that time in San Francisco had to go through. How appropriate that this novel is being published during the 105th anniversary of the San Francisco earthquake.


The author’s meticulous research certainly comes through as she brings to life the challenges of living after that tumultuous earthquake and subsequent fires that destroyed 400 city blocks and left 250 000 refugees homeless for up to two years. The novel, though, dwells mainly on the atmosphere and lives of those who wanted to rebuild the historic and splendid buildings on Nob Hill where the rich frequented.


Amelia Bradshaw returns from Paris where she has just completed her architecture degree and learns that her beloved Bay View hotel was gambled away by her father to J.D. Thayer, the black sheep of a prominent San Francisco family. Although Amelia tries to get her inheritance back, the earthquake changes everything when the hotel is destroyed and she is on the team of architects hired to rebuild it. What ensues is a race to finish it by the first anniversary of the quake. Although the book synopsis focuses on her becoming a rival to her mentor and first licensed female architect in California, Julia Morgan, I found the book to be much more than that.


It’s a story that explores the changes that women’s role underwent as they took on professions reserved for men. It was the beginning of the twentieth century and a new era. Amelia was independent-minded, smart and innovative. She was not portrayed as a beauty who fussed over her clothes and an easy lifestyle. She worked hard and believed she could make a difference to rebuild her city and fight the injustices against women and Chinese immigrants.


The book also explores the corrupt politicians and lewd secret exploitations of the rich as they supported brothels set up with kidnapped boys and girls from China. This theme is very dominant as it affects Amelia and Thayer as they work to rebuild the hotel and deal with setbacks and each other’s distrust toward one another. The Chinese sexual abductions is a mature adult theme and there is a scene that may be disturbing for some. There are also two sexually explicit scenes in this novel. The novel contains several subplots but they are handled well and not difficult to follow. The rich historical setting is key, though, and made this a very interesting read for me.


Sometimes, I was confused with the relationship between Amelia and Thayer. There was an attraction between them, as they worked closely together, but the fact that he had gambled the hotel from her father was an obstacle between them, and then it was not. And then it was, and then it was not. This was frustrating so that when she succumbs to him physically, I was not impressed, because then they go back to distrust again. Their romance was not a highlight for me, although I liked their relationship better as the novel came to an end. I appreciated their qualities as well as their flaws, though, and thought they were both great characters.


For me, the story itself was a winner. I also thoroughly enjoyed reading the author’s note and her acknowledgements as they were filled with expressions of her inspiration for this story and the historical research she did that brought about A Race to Splendor, which I think is an ode to courageous and extraordinary women who have contributed greatly to history but have largely been ignored.


“Amelia stared at the remnants of her former life and grieved for every lost doorway and chimney of the grand Victorian lady. Somewhere in the charred ruins were the carbon splinters of a cherry wood bar and a couch where Ling Lee had met her end. The table and the lighting fixture that had broken her father’s back had since dissolved into ash. She scanned the cones of black and broken plaster, some ten feet high, which looked like extinct volcanoes. Next door, the crazy, trigger-happy old lady’s three-story house and back garden fence were reduced to cinders.”
On April 18, 1906, a devastating earthquake hit San Francisco, a natural disaster that continues to serve as a frightful reminder that, try as we might, man cannot control geological forces. Commemorating the 105th anniversary of this catastrophe, A Race to Splendor is a gripping, heavily researched novel focusing on the story of Amelia Bradshaw, an architect involved in rebuilding two competing hotels following the tragedy. A woman ahead of her time both in terms of education and ambition, this admirable character is an inspiration even to twenty-first-century readers. (The story features her working for, then competing with, real-life heroine Julia Morgan, mistress to William Randolph Hearst and architect of his legendary castle, San Simeon, and the inspiration behind this book.)
A Race to Splendor is a penetrating look at what it takes to survive and what it means to succeed in a city that has literally crumbled. Greed and envy, anger and rage, love and lust all make an appearance in this fascinating exploration of human nature. The intriguing, dedicated personalities in Ware’s latest release provide an excellent source of information about the San Francisco tragedy as well as captivating entertainment.
A resident of San Francisco, Ciji Ware is an award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction, a television producer, and radio host. She has a degree in history from Harvard University and became the first woman president of the school’s alumni association. Also a journalist and public speaker, Ware boasts a family of successful writers dating back to the early nineteenth century.


Amelia Bradshaw’s return to 1906 San Francisco after earning a degree in architecture should have been cause for celebration. But her family hotel has been gambled away to J.D. Thayer by her sot of a father, and the law in the form of corrupt judges does not support her. Worse, school friend and mentor Julia Morgan is unable to make good on her offer of a position for Amelia. In an instant, an earthquake reduces Amelia’s problems, along with much of the city, to rubble, and the aftermath brings changes she could never have foreseen. Drawn into the frenzy to rebuild San Francisco, Amelia is also drawn to J.D.’s potent allure. VERDICT Vividly evocative of the time and place, Ware’s (Island of the Swans) first novel in ten years deftly blends history and romance in a page-turning story. From her gripping descriptions of the earthquake and its aftermath to the interplay between the protagonists, this is another winner from an excellent wordsmith.—Pam O’Sullivan, Coll. at Brockport Lib., SUNY

4 1/2 Stars

In her story inspired by the architect Julia Morgan, Ware depicts the race against time to rebuild a luxury hotel following the devastating 1906 earthquake, which left 250,000 people homeless. Meticulously researched, this richly detailed novel, whose earthquake scenes are so real that readers will believe they are witnessing the event, will enthrall. It’s a testament to San Francisco’s men and women and the oft-forgotten Chinese, who played a major role in their city’s history. Kudos to Ware for creating an unforgettable story.

Following in the footsteps of her mentor, Julia Morgan, Amelia Bradshaw returns from Paris with a degree in architecture to discover her father has gambled away her inheritance, the Bay View Hotel, to J.D. Thayer. Amelia is ready to fight for her hotel when the earthquake strikes and the Bay View, like its rival the Fairmont, is destroyed. Working on Morgan’s staff gives Amelia the opportunity to rebuild the Bay View — but she must work with Thayer. Not only is this difficult for the headstrong Amelia, she also faces censure from Morgan. Suddenly Amelia is working against her mentor. She strives to build a life against the backdrop of the ashes and finds herself needing Thayer’s support and the help of the Chinese workers. Drawn into new worlds and a changed city, Amelia learns to grow and trust her instincts, as well as the man who stands at her side. (SOURCEBOOKS, Apr., 544 pp., $16.99)


For her sixth novel (after A Light on the Veranda), Ware returns to historicals with an unlikely romance framed around San Francisco’s devastating earthquake of 1906. New architect Amelia Bradshaw returns to the city to claim what’s left of the Bay View, her grandfather’s hotel next to Chinatown, only to find that her drunkard father has lost it to J.D. Thayer in a poker game. After an unsuccessful court battle—at a time when women had no right of possession—Bradshaw takes a job as junior architect under Julia Morgan, the first licensed female architect in California history. When Morgan’s firm is selected to rebuild the Bay View, along with its competitor, the Fairmont, Bradshaw is put in charge of the former, forcing her to work closely with Mr. Thayer, her adversary, who is determined to beat the anniversary of the quake and the opening of the Fairmont. In time, Bradshaw and Thayer learn that they have more in common than they think, and Bradshaw grows close to some of the Chinese workers, giving Ware a chance to chronicle the despair faced by that community during the disaster. Ware’s trailblazing woman is a feisty host for an affecting story of the struggle to rise above the wreckage of mankind. (Apr.)