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breadandbutterflies's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
libraryjo62's review against another edition
3.0
I am admittedly not a romance genre fan, but this was as much historical fiction as that so I was happy to read it as a book club read. This did fall flat for me as it was somewhat predictable in places. Of course, Jimmy and Grace would reunite. Of course, Maggie would go back to Ireland and then shortly thereafter die having completed her final life task. The middle part of the novel was exciting as one might expect the 2 hour race to get off the boat would be. I really do appreciate the author's attention to issues of class and status. She did a fine job explaining the sheer silliness of the first class passengers and Harry properly called them the "toffs". I do think the whole Grace story line didn't work for me. Instead I'd rather have met Maggie in her late 70s whose husband has passed and who can now find a second chance with Seamus when she finds him again so many years later. But, I'm not this author and didn't write this book. An Ok enjoyable read overall, a solid 3, completely respectable for this debut novel.
steffrugg's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
beastreader's review
4.0
What a wonderful story author, Hazel, has weaved in The Girl Who Came Home. Maggie was a great character. For me she is what really made this book special. I did not really care about what most of the other people in this book. Well except for Harry, Maggie's friend, Peggy, and Grace, which is pretty much the main group of characters in this book. Although, I was not so much into Grace in the beginning. But as the story progressed and I got to know Grace better, I warmed up to her. What a happy ending for all.
There is nothing you can do to really improve on for such a well known subject matter as the Titanic. The only thing you can really do is bring the story to life with good characters. Which as I stated before, I thought the author did a nice job in this area. As I was reading this book, I felt like I was one of the passengers on the Titanic. I could picture the upper class deck that Maggie walked on, saw the dining room, pictured her room in the lower deck, felt the water spray on my face, and could feel the cold water and the screams of fear. I look forward to reading more books from this author.
There is nothing you can do to really improve on for such a well known subject matter as the Titanic. The only thing you can really do is bring the story to life with good characters. Which as I stated before, I thought the author did a nice job in this area. As I was reading this book, I felt like I was one of the passengers on the Titanic. I could picture the upper class deck that Maggie walked on, saw the dining room, pictured her room in the lower deck, felt the water spray on my face, and could feel the cold water and the screams of fear. I look forward to reading more books from this author.
erincataldi's review
3.0
I had pretty high hopes for this book. The Titanic is one of the most morbidly fascinating disasters in the twentieth century so of course I was jacked to read another book about it. It was.... not exactly what I was gunning for. It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't my cup of tea either. The story has several story-lines, some of which I thought were unnecessary. The focus however, is on a young Irish lass named Maggie Murphey. Her story is told through memories, journals, and first person narrative. Other narrators include; Harry - a young steward, Frances - an anxiously awaiting older sister in New York, Seamus - a heartsick Irish lad who pines for Maggie after she's left, and Grace - Maggie's great granddaughter who learns of her great grandmother's history in the 1980's.
The story is a mish mash of past and present, as Maggie unfolds her tale for her granddaughter. Maggie recounts how quickly the opulence of The Titanic made way for the horrors of trying to escape. There's romance and history but that's about it. I thought the ending was predictable (and no, I'm not referring to the fact that I knew the Titanic was going to sink) and the multiple narrators a bit much. After reading this all I wanted to do was watch Leonardo Dicaprio in the Titanic. And who knows, maybe I will.
The story is a mish mash of past and present, as Maggie unfolds her tale for her granddaughter. Maggie recounts how quickly the opulence of The Titanic made way for the horrors of trying to escape. There's romance and history but that's about it. I thought the ending was predictable (and no, I'm not referring to the fact that I knew the Titanic was going to sink) and the multiple narrators a bit much. After reading this all I wanted to do was watch Leonardo Dicaprio in the Titanic. And who knows, maybe I will.
judithdcollins's review
4.0
The GIRL WHO CAME HOME is a story about the Titanic with the main character, Maggie, a seventeen year old woman leaving her sweetheart behind in Ireland to travel to a new life in America, along with 13 others in the little village. Having led a sheltered life, there were many experiences while on board which were described in depth.
Maggie was a young Irish woman in 1912 about to travel on the ill-fated Titanic and is intertwined with Grace her granddaughter in 1982. Maggie’s story motivates Grace to move on with flashbacks between 1912 and 1982, with multiple points of view from travelers of the same Irish village. When her great-grandmother Maggie shares the painful secret about Titanic that she's harbored for almost a lifetime, the revelation gives Grace new direction—and leads both her and Maggie to unexpected reunions with those they thought lost long ago.
A fictional account inspired by a real group of travelers who left Ireland to visit relatives in America. Maggie's parents have both died and her aunt Kathleen has come to Ireland, taking Maggie back to Chicago with her. While there, others have decided to join them in making the journey. Maggie is sad to be leaving her boyfriend, Seamus, behind. His father is sick so he won't be able to come, but tells her he'll be waiting for her to come home.
Lucky Harry, and Grace Butler, Maggie's great-granddaughter are also part of the story, as Harry is one of the stewards on the ship --Maggie and her friends get to know and later helps her get into one of the last lifeboats to leave. Grace's story takes place in Illinois in 1982. Grace's life was going well until her father died. She left college and her boyfriend, Jimmy, to help her mother. Maggie starts to help her get her life back, starting with telling her about her journey on the Titanic, a story she has never told anyone. Learning her great-grandmother's story gives Grace the courage to move on with her life.
When disaster strikes, Maggie is one of the few passengers in steerage to survive. Waking up alone in a New York hospital, she vows never to speak of the terror and panic of that fateful night again.
Grace was able to learn what was important to her and to go for it before it was too late and Maggie was able to do something she longed to do and was able to make peace. I did enjoy the section at the end of the book as the author shares the story behind the book and which parts were based on fact.
Inspired by true events, THE GIRL WHO CAME HOME, blends fact and fiction, exploring the Titanic tragedy's impact and its lasting repercussions on survivors and their descendants, which was bittersweet.
JDCMustReadBooks
Be sure and read her latest, A MEMORY OF VIOLETS A NOVEL OF LONDON’S FLOWER SELLERS (5 Stars)!
Maggie was a young Irish woman in 1912 about to travel on the ill-fated Titanic and is intertwined with Grace her granddaughter in 1982. Maggie’s story motivates Grace to move on with flashbacks between 1912 and 1982, with multiple points of view from travelers of the same Irish village. When her great-grandmother Maggie shares the painful secret about Titanic that she's harbored for almost a lifetime, the revelation gives Grace new direction—and leads both her and Maggie to unexpected reunions with those they thought lost long ago.
A fictional account inspired by a real group of travelers who left Ireland to visit relatives in America. Maggie's parents have both died and her aunt Kathleen has come to Ireland, taking Maggie back to Chicago with her. While there, others have decided to join them in making the journey. Maggie is sad to be leaving her boyfriend, Seamus, behind. His father is sick so he won't be able to come, but tells her he'll be waiting for her to come home.
Lucky Harry, and Grace Butler, Maggie's great-granddaughter are also part of the story, as Harry is one of the stewards on the ship --Maggie and her friends get to know and later helps her get into one of the last lifeboats to leave. Grace's story takes place in Illinois in 1982. Grace's life was going well until her father died. She left college and her boyfriend, Jimmy, to help her mother. Maggie starts to help her get her life back, starting with telling her about her journey on the Titanic, a story she has never told anyone. Learning her great-grandmother's story gives Grace the courage to move on with her life.
When disaster strikes, Maggie is one of the few passengers in steerage to survive. Waking up alone in a New York hospital, she vows never to speak of the terror and panic of that fateful night again.
Grace was able to learn what was important to her and to go for it before it was too late and Maggie was able to do something she longed to do and was able to make peace. I did enjoy the section at the end of the book as the author shares the story behind the book and which parts were based on fact.
Inspired by true events, THE GIRL WHO CAME HOME, blends fact and fiction, exploring the Titanic tragedy's impact and its lasting repercussions on survivors and their descendants, which was bittersweet.
JDCMustReadBooks
Be sure and read her latest, A MEMORY OF VIOLETS A NOVEL OF LONDON’S FLOWER SELLERS (5 Stars)!
asbookreviewsforfun_alicia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this dual timelines historical fiction book about a young Irish girl (Maggie) who survived the Titanic disaster. The story follows multiple character’s perspectives- Maggie’s, her love interest left behind in Ireland - Seamus, a young sailor working on the Titanic - Henry and Maggie’s granddaughter, Grace, in the 1980s (as aspiring journalist who drops out of college to care for her mother after her father’s untimely death). In an attempt to get Grace writing again Maggie opens up about her experience aboard the Titanic for the first time, leading to a bestselling newspaper article and a reunion for Maggie of things lost after she was rescued from the Titanic. Solid story especially for Titanic fans (I missed reading this on the anniversary of the sinking - April 15th - by one day!)
bookswritingandmore's review against another edition
5.0
Finally Off My Backlist
I cannot believe I left this book on my back list for so long. This book was so beautifully told. I am such a huge fan of anything historically told about the Titanic. There is not a lot of books that tell the story that I've found and this book was perfect in every way.
I cannot believe I left this book on my back list for so long. This book was so beautifully told. I am such a huge fan of anything historically told about the Titanic. There is not a lot of books that tell the story that I've found and this book was perfect in every way.
schray32's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars but rounded up.
I have an odd love for all things Titanic and Ireland so this was a great combo for me. This is a historical fiction book about a survivor and her grand daughter. Nothing groundbreaking in this book but a cute story that had me in tears at the end. I love all of the history from Ireland that is included. (The last spot the Titanic picked up passengers was Queenstown, Ireland now Cobh) I have been to a lot of these places and appreciated the details. I also appreciated that we were spared a lot of the awful parts about the ship sinking. I was worried I would get a play by play. I think the author did a good job with a story we all know to put her own unique twist on it. I also love that it is based on a true story of travelers from Ballysheen Ireland.
I won a copy of this through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
I have an odd love for all things Titanic and Ireland so this was a great combo for me. This is a historical fiction book about a survivor and her grand daughter. Nothing groundbreaking in this book but a cute story that had me in tears at the end. I love all of the history from Ireland that is included. (The last spot the Titanic picked up passengers was Queenstown, Ireland now Cobh) I have been to a lot of these places and appreciated the details. I also appreciated that we were spared a lot of the awful parts about the ship sinking. I was worried I would get a play by play. I think the author did a good job with a story we all know to put her own unique twist on it. I also love that it is based on a true story of travelers from Ballysheen Ireland.
I won a copy of this through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.