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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.
bookedwithmel's review against another edition
4.5
Something has drawn me to books about big ships and the Titanic time period recently. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It’s one of my favorite historical fictions so far this year.
Violet Jessop was one lucky woman. She was forced to work from a young age to support her family. She worked as a stewardess on large steamships and as a wartime nurse during World War I. One of her stewarding roles was on the infamous Titanic, who’s sinking she survived.
We also meet Daphne in this story. She is a Special Operations Executive for France during World War II. She has a painful past but she’s determined to do her duty for her country during the war. While she serves, she finds out a lot about her past.
I was very drawn to Violet’s character. She had a lot on her shoulders and yet she just kept doing what she needed to do. I don’t think I would ever be able to get on another boat after the first one I was on went down. She’s a strong woman. I felt for Daphne also. She was treated like an unwanted burden while she was growing up, but that didn’t stop her from wanting more out of her life. As she finds out her true history, she becomes and even better woman.
I enjoyed the narration of this book. The dual narrators gave more depth to the audio.
I enjoyed the narration of this book. The dual narrators gave more depth to the audio.
Thank you Harper Collins Focus and NetGalley for my ALC of this book.
lisastriker2024's review against another edition
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This could have been so much better if the author would have tied Violet and Daphne together sooner (although you will figure it out) The main story of Violet would have been a good stand-alone story. Very slow, almost to the point of boring. Jumps around a lot.