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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this book very much, but it got off to a slow start. The book is told from three points of view in alternating timelines—Augusta Longstreet and her niece Lilly Forsyth in 1838 when the disaster took place, and Everly Winthrop in current day, when the story of the disaster is being uncovered. While alternating timelines is a common technique that I normally enjoy, I found it to be a little distracting in this book. I was really engrossed in the 1838 timeline and wanted to get to the story! However, it didn’t take long before I was enjoying both stories.
One thing I really enjoyed was following Everly, the museum curator hired to put the Pulaski exhibit together, on her journey to uncover the family history of the Longstreet family. As a family historian, I could really relate to her hunt, and her excitement when she uncovered details that let her, not to a conclusion, but to more searching. I think family historians in particular would enjoy reading this book.
I enjoyed the characters in the book, particularly Augusta. She was a strong, yet vunerable, woman and I enjoyed watching her grow and survive the shipwreck. I’ve always been fascinated with the story of the Titanic, and reading about the actions and fates of the passengers of this ship was just as engrossing. [confession; when I chose this book, I knew it was a bout a shipwreck, but I confused ‘Savannah’ with ‘Sultana’ so did not get the shipwreck I thought I was going to be reading about.] I thought some of the ‘romance’ of the story was a little predictable, but I did really enjoy the interaction of Everly and Maddox, the leader of the diving expedition. He was a character that I really enjoyed.
Like all good historical fiction does, this book inspired me to ‘read more about it’! Book clubs will enjoy this book and particularly enjoy discussing ‘survival’ and the different levels of meaning illustrated in this book.
I won a Kindle copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
My rating: ★★★★½
One thing I really enjoyed was following Everly, the museum curator hired to put the Pulaski exhibit together, on her journey to uncover the family history of the Longstreet family. As a family historian, I could really relate to her hunt, and her excitement when she uncovered details that let her, not to a conclusion, but to more searching. I think family historians in particular would enjoy reading this book.
I enjoyed the characters in the book, particularly Augusta. She was a strong, yet vunerable, woman and I enjoyed watching her grow and survive the shipwreck. I’ve always been fascinated with the story of the Titanic, and reading about the actions and fates of the passengers of this ship was just as engrossing. [confession; when I chose this book, I knew it was a bout a shipwreck, but I confused ‘Savannah’ with ‘Sultana’ so did not get the shipwreck I thought I was going to be reading about.] I thought some of the ‘romance’ of the story was a little predictable, but I did really enjoy the interaction of Everly and Maddox, the leader of the diving expedition. He was a character that I really enjoyed.
Like all good historical fiction does, this book inspired me to ‘read more about it’! Book clubs will enjoy this book and particularly enjoy discussing ‘survival’ and the different levels of meaning illustrated in this book.
I won a Kindle copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
My rating: ★★★★½
I love the city of Savannah and was completely unfamiliar with the story of the Pulaski, but Henry has told the story beautifully in this dual-timeline novel that follows three different women who must overcome different tragedies and traumas. The characters are masterfully brought to life and the amount of research to tell this story was clear. I simply could not put the book (err...Kindle) down.
Gave up after a very short time. This is just not a match for me.
I loved this story!! Historical fiction based on actual events is always so interesting!
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Listened to this via audio and it was good. I really enjoyed the book and historical reflection between past and
present.
“I know this: we’re made of stories, legends and myths just as we are made of water, atoms and flesh. Once you know it, you can’t un-know it; you can’t pretend that everything that happened before you were born doesn’t have something to do with who you are today. Still, everything can change in an instant, a flash, a blink of an eye.
present.
“I know this: we’re made of stories, legends and myths just as we are made of water, atoms and flesh. Once you know it, you can’t un-know it; you can’t pretend that everything that happened before you were born doesn’t have something to do with who you are today. Still, everything can change in an instant, a flash, a blink of an eye.
A beautiful, sweeping dual timeline gem from the great PCH. It would be hard to say which narrator drew me in most: Everly, Augusta, or Lilly. I so appreciated a book in which the quest for history is laid side by side with the history. And, no, I didn't know about the steamship Pulaski.
Kinda wished I'd had a highlighter for the last third of the book especially, but I couldn't seem to make myself put it down long enough to go get one.
Kinda wished I'd had a highlighter for the last third of the book especially, but I couldn't seem to make myself put it down long enough to go get one.
Did I narcissistically read this cuz of the title?
Yea.
But it was actually so good. This book makes me just want to go back to Savannah cuz it does such a good job showing how beautiful and historic the city is. Also the fact I’ve also been to Wrightsville Beach, where some of the book takes place, was also very satisfying and just helped me visualize this whole story.
I also just loved the past vs the present and how everything is interconnected.
Yea.
But it was actually so good. This book makes me just want to go back to Savannah cuz it does such a good job showing how beautiful and historic the city is. Also the fact I’ve also been to Wrightsville Beach, where some of the book takes place, was also very satisfying and just helped me visualize this whole story.
I also just loved the past vs the present and how everything is interconnected.
I drew this one out for as long as I could because I didn’t want it to end. And now I want to jump in my car and drive to Savannah! If you’re a fan of historical fiction, you’ll love this. It’s my first book by Patti Callahan but won’t be my last - she does dual timelines very well!