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bargainsleuth's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I enjoy a good dual timeline historical fiction novel, but as with other books with this sort of setup, I found myself favoring one timeline over another. Violet's character is based on a real person who happened to survive three maritime disasters: the Olympic, the Titanic, and the Brittanic. The other timeline involves a British woman named Daphne involved in special ops during World War II.
I was drawn to the story because of the tie-in to the Titanic disaster, but it surprised me that it only took up a small portion of Violet's story. With every job she takes that's onshore, she finds herself wishing to be back on the sea, Part of it is because she can make good tips and has a family to care for in an invalid mother and her younger siblings. A good portion of her story takes place during WWI when she's working as a nurse and the horrors she sees and worrying about her four younger brothers who all enlisted.
Daphne was an interesting character as was her time in special ops for the British forces in France, but I found myself skimming over those parts as I wondered the connection to Violet. It's not apparent until almost the end of the book, but even with that intrigue, I wanted to stay with Violet and find out more about her life.
While I thought the story was very good overall, I thought it could have been executed a little bit better. I did appreciate the author's notes at the end, explaining there was only so much information available about Violet and the rest was imagination.
I enjoy a good dual timeline historical fiction novel, but as with other books with this sort of setup, I found myself favoring one timeline over another. Violet's character is based on a real person who happened to survive three maritime disasters: the Olympic, the Titanic, and the Brittanic. The other timeline involves a British woman named Daphne involved in special ops during World War II.
I was drawn to the story because of the tie-in to the Titanic disaster, but it surprised me that it only took up a small portion of Violet's story. With every job she takes that's onshore, she finds herself wishing to be back on the sea, Part of it is because she can make good tips and has a family to care for in an invalid mother and her younger siblings. A good portion of her story takes place during WWI when she's working as a nurse and the horrors she sees and worrying about her four younger brothers who all enlisted.
Daphne was an interesting character as was her time in special ops for the British forces in France, but I found myself skimming over those parts as I wondered the connection to Violet. It's not apparent until almost the end of the book, but even with that intrigue, I wanted to stay with Violet and find out more about her life.
While I thought the story was very good overall, I thought it could have been executed a little bit better. I did appreciate the author's notes at the end, explaining there was only so much information available about Violet and the rest was imagination.
books76's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Enjoyed the Titanic and WW2 spy plotting, and the connection between the 2 characters. The book was ruined by the contrived ending.
jed's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shellc86's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
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
3.0
rjwilliams911's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
hayleym24's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
vanessa_44's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
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
1.75
nsteltz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
heidirgorecki's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked each of Violet’s and Daphne’s stories but they felt just that - each completely separate stories as if you were reading 2 books alternating. The dual timeline on this felt very disconnected. There just wasn’t enough tying them together it felt like.
Violet’s story of the ships sinking and all that was the most interesting since it was new and unique, although her story felt more sad because of how she closed herself off.
Violet’s story of the ships sinking and all that was the most interesting since it was new and unique, although her story felt more sad because of how she closed herself off.
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
4.0
“Unsinkable” is a highly readable dual-timeline historical novel that brings to life two women fighting to succeed under great odds.
You may already have heard of Violet Jessop, the room steward who survived the sinking of the Titanic. Less known is that she also survived the sinking of the Britannic (even though her hair was caught in the ship’s propeller,) and even before Titanic, had survived a serious accident aboard the Olympic, another ship of the White Star Line. What kept her at sea?
Violet was the oldest of a large family, and her options were limited. Her father was dead, her mother nearly catatonic after losing her husband and three children in short order. The tips from wealthy passengers are what keeps Violet coming back to that job, and she’s able to keep everyone afloat (so to speak) with her pay. When she was handed a baby as she stepped onto a Titanic lifeboat, she knows just what to do.
About thirty years after the Titanic tragedy, Daphne Chaundanson, a wealthy, lonely young woman, motherless and with an uninterested father, is approached to become a Special Operations agent, her extraordinary gift for languages having been noticed. She is not a very confident person, but she will have to become so.
Jenni Walsh neatly moves each storyline along as we increasingly wonder what they have to do with each other. As is the risk in dual-timeline novels, one story is more compelling than the other. In this case I wished for an entire novel about Violet, a stand-up woman whose struggles were not uncommon for working-class women in the early 20th century. Daphne’s story seems more fictional, and she does not bring much to the cannon of female spies in France during World War II.
Very readable and a solid page turner, “Unsinkable” will keep glued to its satisfying end.
You may already have heard of Violet Jessop, the room steward who survived the sinking of the Titanic. Less known is that she also survived the sinking of the Britannic (even though her hair was caught in the ship’s propeller,) and even before Titanic, had survived a serious accident aboard the Olympic, another ship of the White Star Line. What kept her at sea?
Violet was the oldest of a large family, and her options were limited. Her father was dead, her mother nearly catatonic after losing her husband and three children in short order. The tips from wealthy passengers are what keeps Violet coming back to that job, and she’s able to keep everyone afloat (so to speak) with her pay. When she was handed a baby as she stepped onto a Titanic lifeboat, she knows just what to do.
About thirty years after the Titanic tragedy, Daphne Chaundanson, a wealthy, lonely young woman, motherless and with an uninterested father, is approached to become a Special Operations agent, her extraordinary gift for languages having been noticed. She is not a very confident person, but she will have to become so.
Jenni Walsh neatly moves each storyline along as we increasingly wonder what they have to do with each other. As is the risk in dual-timeline novels, one story is more compelling than the other. In this case I wished for an entire novel about Violet, a stand-up woman whose struggles were not uncommon for working-class women in the early 20th century. Daphne’s story seems more fictional, and she does not bring much to the cannon of female spies in France during World War II.
Very readable and a solid page turner, “Unsinkable” will keep glued to its satisfying end.