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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-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
This book was not what I expected but I loved it! I thought it would be a story about surviving the shipwreck told in the past. Instead it alternates between the past during the shipwreck and the present from the person curating an exhibit. This was an unexpected surprise and I love it!
3.5 stars
Surviving Savannah is an engaging, thoroughly researched read that had me googling places and events. Having recently visited Savannah, I was familiar with many of the sites mentioned and it made my reading more enjoyable.
There is a dual timeline and it’s done very well. I was never confused by characters or past/present. The book tells the story of the sinking of the ship “Pulaski” which I had never heard of. Callahan does a nice job unfolding the story and tying the story to the present. The sinking and attempt to survive was harrowing. Her physical descriptions of the characters were done well. I liked that Callahan let us see each character’s dark side. The idea of light vs dark in each person became an interesting theme.
I had a difficult time picturing what the ship looked like when it went down and where the characters were at the time. Also, I couldn’t quite picture what Augusta’s group was floating on.
I enjoyed the past story so much more than the present. The grief story that Everly was experiencing seemed made up and detracted from the overall story. Over the course of the book, I became more and more annoyed with her. I wish more time had been spent on her research and findings. I loved it when she was puzzling over the shipwreck instead of agonizing over Mora. She didn’t need to experience survivor’s guilt to curate the exhibit. I was really confused by Everly’s relationship with Maddox.
There were many little things in the book that bothered me…things that didn’t seem plausible (Priscilla was allowed to ride in a lifeboat, childhood friends Everly and Mora both end up working in curation at the same museum, a man “tosses” a baby to safety while swimming in the ocean). I ignored these annoyances for the greater good of enjoying the story.
My 2-person book club had a lot of discussion over this one.
Surviving Savannah is an engaging, thoroughly researched read that had me googling places and events. Having recently visited Savannah, I was familiar with many of the sites mentioned and it made my reading more enjoyable.
There is a dual timeline and it’s done very well. I was never confused by characters or past/present. The book tells the story of the sinking of the ship “Pulaski” which I had never heard of. Callahan does a nice job unfolding the story and tying the story to the present. The sinking and attempt to survive was harrowing. Her physical descriptions of the characters were done well. I liked that Callahan let us see each character’s dark side. The idea of light vs dark in each person became an interesting theme.
I had a difficult time picturing what the ship looked like when it went down and where the characters were at the time. Also, I couldn’t quite picture what Augusta’s group was floating on.
I enjoyed the past story so much more than the present. The grief story that Everly was experiencing seemed made up and detracted from the overall story. Over the course of the book, I became more and more annoyed with her. I wish more time had been spent on her research and findings. I loved it when she was puzzling over the shipwreck instead of agonizing over Mora. She didn’t need to experience survivor’s guilt to curate the exhibit. I was really confused by Everly’s relationship with Maddox.
There were many little things in the book that bothered me…things that didn’t seem plausible (Priscilla was allowed to ride in a lifeboat, childhood friends Everly and Mora both end up working in curation at the same museum, a man “tosses” a baby to safety while swimming in the ocean). I ignored these annoyances for the greater good of enjoying the story.
My 2-person book club had a lot of discussion over this one.
Both time lines were very interesting! This may help me pay more attention in museums in the future ;)
Surviving Savannah had the potential to be a great book but I felt like, at least for me, the story of the Pulaski was ultimately dwarfed by the present day story of Everly and the grief that she felt over the death of her best friend. The historical fiction portion felt like a minority of the book in comparison.
While grief is certainly a heavy and difficult thing to wade thru, and the correlation was made to what the survivors of the Pulaski experienced with so many lost loved ones, it was just a constant battle portrayed that felt more the focal point than the Pulaski or the stories of Lilly and Augusta that were also highlighted. At times it felt like beating a dead horse, so to speak, when that’s not really what I wanted to read about when I picked the book up. The author did do a good job of the back and forth that come with situations of grief and that envelope an individual, and how each person can ultimately choose how they respond to it - either for the better or the worse. Going thru difficult things is sort of like squeezing a soaked sponge. It only shows you and exaggerates what was already there to begin with. That was a very valuable observation and thought process she went thru, it was just not the focal point I had expected or what was advertised when I chose the book.
As a side item, I did also enjoy the historical and geographical descriptions, being that I live in NC and have visited Charleston and Savannah, and actually grew up in Saratoga Springs and Ballston Spa in NY.
While grief is certainly a heavy and difficult thing to wade thru, and the correlation was made to what the survivors of the Pulaski experienced with so many lost loved ones, it was just a constant battle portrayed that felt more the focal point than the Pulaski or the stories of Lilly and Augusta that were also highlighted. At times it felt like beating a dead horse, so to speak, when that’s not really what I wanted to read about when I picked the book up. The author did do a good job of the back and forth that come with situations of grief and that envelope an individual, and how each person can ultimately choose how they respond to it - either for the better or the worse. Going thru difficult things is sort of like squeezing a soaked sponge. It only shows you and exaggerates what was already there to begin with. That was a very valuable observation and thought process she went thru, it was just not the focal point I had expected or what was advertised when I chose the book.
As a side item, I did also enjoy the historical and geographical descriptions, being that I live in NC and have visited Charleston and Savannah, and actually grew up in Saratoga Springs and Ballston Spa in NY.
In 1838 a ship named the Steamship Pulaski blew up in the middle of the night and sank to the bottom of the ocean off the coast of North Carolina carrying many prominent members of Savannah Society with it. The author was beginning to write a story around this ship and the people who survived when the shipwreck was discovered. The author was able to use the artifacts discovered and the stories they led to in the novel, and even provides an extensive book club kit on her website to enhance the reader experience.
The novel is a well-written dual timeline and is crafted in a way that the themes of grief, survival, slavery and family are woven between the characters in both times. There is an intriguing part of the story where one character disappeared after surviving, and we find out what happened to them at the end. One of the points that is made in different ways is how different people deal with grief and when they are faced with life-altering circumstances. This is something that will stay with me, both in how "Some people didn't die and some people lived", and how everything important and unimportant becomes clear when faced with tragedy.
This would make a wonderful book club book. I was able to read an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, and ended up purchasing a copy for a book club discussion afterwards.
The novel is a well-written dual timeline and is crafted in a way that the themes of grief, survival, slavery and family are woven between the characters in both times. There is an intriguing part of the story where one character disappeared after surviving, and we find out what happened to them at the end. One of the points that is made in different ways is how different people deal with grief and when they are faced with life-altering circumstances. This is something that will stay with me, both in how "Some people didn't die and some people lived", and how everything important and unimportant becomes clear when faced with tragedy.
This would make a wonderful book club book. I was able to read an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, and ended up purchasing a copy for a book club discussion afterwards.
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Slavery
Minor: Sexual assault
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No