Ships that pass in the night

"Ships that Pass in the Night" by Beatrice Harraden is a story about people and their troubles that takes place in the late 1800s. The story follows Bernardine Holme, who goes to Petershof Kurhaus to get better. There, she meets different people, like the "Disagreeable Man," Robert Allitsen, who also have their own problems and are thinking about what life means. When Bernardine first gets to the Kurhaus, she notices the different people around her and especially hears the Disagreeable Man's bitter comments, then she understands she connects with him somehow. The story then talks about being healthy, having big dreams, and trying to find a reason to live. Bernardine thinks about not being able to teach or write anymore because she's sick. The book uses the people and the setting to explore themes of hope, being strong when things are hard, and what happens when people can't do what they want, with Bernardine trying to find herself in a difficult situation.