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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I have never read anything by Patti Callahan, but I saw an author interview for Becoming Mrs. Lewis and immediately bought the book. When this became available pre-publication on Netgalley, I jumped at it.
I read quite a bit of historical fiction, and I thought Callahan's research showed brightly within the story. So meticulous, yet it did not read like a textbook. I loved the dual storyline and Everly's current day process of uncovering the stories behind the sinking of the Pulaski for the museum, as well as Everly's and Oliver's connection to the theme of survival and how to survive emotionally after a tragedy. Callahan does a great job with building and releasing tension and crafting real, deep characters (including the city as a character). I also loved her focus on whose story does not normally get told. While I wanted more of Lilly's story after survival and of the Winthrop family's connection to the Pulaski, I was deeply impressed with what Callahan pulled off here, and I will definitely read more of her work.
I have never read anything by Patti Callahan, but I saw an author interview for Becoming Mrs. Lewis and immediately bought the book. When this became available pre-publication on Netgalley, I jumped at it.
I read quite a bit of historical fiction, and I thought Callahan's research showed brightly within the story. So meticulous, yet it did not read like a textbook. I loved the dual storyline and Everly's current day process of uncovering the stories behind the sinking of the Pulaski for the museum, as well as Everly's and Oliver's connection to the theme of survival and how to survive emotionally after a tragedy. Callahan does a great job with building and releasing tension and crafting real, deep characters (including the city as a character). I also loved her focus on whose story does not normally get told. While I wanted more of Lilly's story after survival and of the Winthrop family's connection to the Pulaski, I was deeply impressed with what Callahan pulled off here, and I will definitely read more of her work.
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
DNF.
As I started this book I had high hopes. It seemed an interesting plot line and I had never heard the story of the Pulaski steam ship so it was something new to me. However, I quickly started to hate the main character in the contemporary storyline. I get it— she has unresolved grief. But it felt like the author was real proud of her super deep grief story and she was gonna heal the world with it. It felt much too forced and I found myself skimming that timeline. I did really enjoy the historical timeline and wish the book was fully written from that perspective. I then would’ve given it 4 stars. If it was only the contemporary? 2 stars at best. Thus, I averaged the two. I would also add the story easily should have ended at 70%. The end was unnecessary and boring and focused too much on the resolution of the contemporary timeline. All in all, a ‘meh’ book. Kept my interest enoguh to keep plowing through, but man the present day timeline always made me question my choices.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
This is a dual timeline story that I would have enjoyed more if it had just been the story of the sinking of the steamship Pulaski. The story of the wreck and the survivors kept me engaged. The modern day story seemed forced at times and interrupted the flow.
Absolutely captivating! Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan explores the will of the human spirit to survive, regardless of what life throws at you. Weaving together the past and the present, that feel synchronous in a city like Savannah, where history seems not so far gone and where mysteries still lurk, waiting to be uncovered.
Based on the real shipwreck of the steamship Pulaski which is often considered the Titanic of the south, Surviving Savannah reads like the best sort of unputdownable fiction, made all the more impressive because so much of the foundation for the story is tied to truth.
The opening to the book drew me right in. Picture an old historic Savannah home, where a grandfather sits with his two granddaughters spinning a tale of a ship depicted in a stately oil painting hung above a crackling fire. Amidst the deep wooden panels that line his library, the two girls hear about the shipwreck that devastated Savannah, and the woman whose statue still stands in city center whose story remains a mystery—Lilly Forsyth.
Lilly was a society woman, recently married and mother to a new baby. But what happened to Lilly after boarding that ship? She is rumored to have survived the wreck and days at sea, and yet her whereabouts are unknown. Did she truly survive, or is her secret lost to the sea?
Years later, one of those girls Everly is a history professor who has suffered her own tragedy she struggled to move on from—the death of her best friend Mora. But when Mora’s husband arrives with an offer to consult on an exhibit about the recently discovered wreckage of the Pulaski—and the history that goes along with it—Everly can’t refuse.
Everly has always been fascinated with Lilly Forsyth, and she becomes engrossed in the mystery of Lilly and her cousin Augusta Longstreet, as well as Augusta’s brother, wife, and eight kids who boarded the ill-fated Pulaski. And so the story weaves back in time to June 13, 1838 when the Longstreet and Forsyth families boarded the ship, looking to escape the Georgia heat and head north for the summer. Many aboard the ship brought much of their wealth onboard. The luxury ship was supposed to be safe. Until it wasn’t…
Both stories were captivating to me, and I loved the way it felt as though neither would resolve before the other. In the past, we see an epic story of the power of the human spirit to survive. The stories in the days following the sinking of the Pulaski and the way passengers fought to survive were incredibly vivid.
Meanwhile in the present time, Everly is shipwrecked in her own way, fighting to bring herself back from the grief over losing Mora. And as the mystery engages her more deeply, Everly struggles to stay present and not get sucked into the tragedy of the Pulaski.
Full of vivid scenes, emotional exploration, and stories of love, grief, loss, and survival—Surviving Savannah grabbed my attention and held on until the final page. Must-read historical fiction at its finest!
Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.
Based on the real shipwreck of the steamship Pulaski which is often considered the Titanic of the south, Surviving Savannah reads like the best sort of unputdownable fiction, made all the more impressive because so much of the foundation for the story is tied to truth.
The opening to the book drew me right in. Picture an old historic Savannah home, where a grandfather sits with his two granddaughters spinning a tale of a ship depicted in a stately oil painting hung above a crackling fire. Amidst the deep wooden panels that line his library, the two girls hear about the shipwreck that devastated Savannah, and the woman whose statue still stands in city center whose story remains a mystery—Lilly Forsyth.
Lilly was a society woman, recently married and mother to a new baby. But what happened to Lilly after boarding that ship? She is rumored to have survived the wreck and days at sea, and yet her whereabouts are unknown. Did she truly survive, or is her secret lost to the sea?
Years later, one of those girls Everly is a history professor who has suffered her own tragedy she struggled to move on from—the death of her best friend Mora. But when Mora’s husband arrives with an offer to consult on an exhibit about the recently discovered wreckage of the Pulaski—and the history that goes along with it—Everly can’t refuse.
Everly has always been fascinated with Lilly Forsyth, and she becomes engrossed in the mystery of Lilly and her cousin Augusta Longstreet, as well as Augusta’s brother, wife, and eight kids who boarded the ill-fated Pulaski. And so the story weaves back in time to June 13, 1838 when the Longstreet and Forsyth families boarded the ship, looking to escape the Georgia heat and head north for the summer. Many aboard the ship brought much of their wealth onboard. The luxury ship was supposed to be safe. Until it wasn’t…
Both stories were captivating to me, and I loved the way it felt as though neither would resolve before the other. In the past, we see an epic story of the power of the human spirit to survive. The stories in the days following the sinking of the Pulaski and the way passengers fought to survive were incredibly vivid.
Meanwhile in the present time, Everly is shipwrecked in her own way, fighting to bring herself back from the grief over losing Mora. And as the mystery engages her more deeply, Everly struggles to stay present and not get sucked into the tragedy of the Pulaski.
Full of vivid scenes, emotional exploration, and stories of love, grief, loss, and survival—Surviving Savannah grabbed my attention and held on until the final page. Must-read historical fiction at its finest!
Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated