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thisreadinglife's review

5.0

I thought I was familiar with the Titanic story thanks to books my parents had and James Cameron, but this introduced to me a whole new side to the story: what happened on the Californian and the inquests afterwards.

This was a beautifully written book which was greatly respectful to all involved, particularly those who perished. I couldn't stop reading!

3.5 stars.

For some reason, I thought this book was a thriller. It's not. It's straight up historical fiction. But I digress. This is a book about the Titanic. But it's not about people who were on board the Titanic. Instead, it's a split narrative between the crew of the Californian - the nearest ship to the Titanic, but one which didn't respond to its distress calls or rockets - and a newspaper reporter in Boston, determined to uncover the truth.

The two narratives were interwoven, and while I understand why Dyer chose to do that, at times it felt like the book would have worked better if it had been split into specific parts focusing on each narrative. It was especially jarring for me to go from the third person narrative of the crew to Steadman's first person narrative.

The last 20% or so of the book is supposedly a story that Steadman wrote about one particular family who perished on the Titanic, and while that was compelling, it DID feel a little bit like Rose was going to float past on a door at any moment.

While I enjoyed the writing and the way the stories wove together, it was looking like being a three star book until the very end when Steadman draws his conclusions about why the captain of the Californian made the decisions that he made. That was enough to bump it up that extra half star for me.

Essentially, it was an interesting new look at an event we all know about, but at times felt like it stuck a little too closely to the side of the story I already knew.

sugarloaf's review

4.0
mysterious sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Almost a little too slow at times, but that is the cause of the book being highly accurate and the fact this did not occur quickly in 1912. The author does a good job explaining and attributing what happened on the Californian that night, and it was impossible to distinguish fact from fiction, something I say with praise. I can easily believe the entirety of this was true, including the character motivations which were not unearthed in real life.

The author attempts to add a couple of women as side characters who are involved in the suffragette movement. I sympathise that the investigation involved very few women in real life and think the plot and characterisation given to the women was interesting and well done, but they are ultimately superfluous. Nevertheless I respect the author for diversifying his novel, and appreciated the inclusion of period accurate classism, racism and sexism, and the subtlety with which this was condemned without making the book entirely about these issues.

mishlist's review

5.0

I can't pick what I liked so much about this book, and it has the distinction of being one of those stories that I really liked as a whole (enough to give the full five stars) without being thoroughly engaging at each page - I definitely began skimming through soon after the Californian found the Titanic, but was rapidly re-engaged by Steadman's search for the truth. There is something really magical about being on board the Californian, about moving about with the officers and the engineers and witnessing the unthinkable. Dyer uses the why and the how to craft a new narrative around the Titanic, a study into the psychology of the characters - why the Stella's father didn't leave the dining hall, why Lord pushed Stone to draw conclusions, how a tragedy could come about because of human folly and pride. It was wonderfully written, bringing the readers into its pages, highlighting the cool emptiness of the sea or the stricken look on a face or the clamour and noise of New York or silent, warm death in the water.

This book... man this book.

We all know the story of the Titanic. The great sensational cruise liner that was unsinkable until it ... well sank. The story of Rose and Jack. The tragedy that was. The Midnight Watch by David Dyer is this story and yet, it's so much more and not quite that Titanic story at the same time.

It's perfection.

Simply put The Midnight Watch is an emotional journey that will have you screaming at the book, begging the characters to make different choices because you know the outcome already. You know that the boat sinks. That 1500 people die. You know this because it's fact. It's history. What I didn't know until I read the book was that there was a ship nearby that saw the lights of the Titanic, that saw it's distress signals and was within rescuing distance. But it did nothing. This ship was the SS Californian and this is its story.

It's a book that had me begging, crying and grieving for people long before my time. It's more than heartbreakingly sad ... it's bone crushing, weary heart devastation. I was angry at the characters and annoyed at how many small things could have been avoided ... that could have saved 1500 lives. But the book isn't angsty, and all though it's heavy with emotion and guilt, it's not a book that places blame on the reader or is overcome by its own emotion. It just is what it is, a book that needs to be read to be understood. To be felt.

This book is so much more than just the Titanic. It's a story about human error and simply failings. Set largely after the fateful night and going well past the trails and inquests in both America and England, this is a story that will move you, that will break you and will heal heal you, all within it's 318 pages. It's a story of despair and the worst characteristics of human beings - grief, devastation, stubbornness, ego and fear - but one coupled with the optimistic and hopeful movement of the suffragettes. It's magical and nothing short of amazing and I honestly can not recommend this book enough.

David Dyer is clearly a man who knows what he is talking about. A self confessed Titanic fanatic, Dyer researched every assert of the Titanic and it's following investigations. His passion and convictions shine through on every page, in every sentence and yet as a reader I never felt like he was preaching at me or talking down to me. Instead the writing, and the story he wove, felt honest, raw and real. His characters were more than three dimensional, they were like long lost family members. His settings so vividly described that I felt like I was walking down those cold streets, sitting in the back of court rooms and hiding out in the back of the pubs. But more importantly, his emotions and the feelings he evokes with this book alone, are larger than life. They transcend fiction. On more than one occasion whilst reading, I put the book down and wondered what I would have done had I been in that situation. I fear I might have frozen to death in water to be honest. Or have fallen under the weight and scrutiny that those aboard the SS Californian were subjected to for years to come.

There are a number of scenes that stand out in this book. Many that haunt me still months after having closed the book for the last time. I can't talk about them in great detail because I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, but there's a scene towards the end, when one of the characters fears she's saying goodbye to her father and brothers for the last time aboard the Titanic. I have never cried so hard as I mourned with that character, not necessarily for her and her family, but for every family upon that ship that realised what was happening, that saw the situation for what it was. That asked questions with hard answers.

Two nights ago after getting Dyer to sign my book at the Sydney Writers Festival, I spoke to my Dad at large about this book. About the event and it's problems. About the human failings and loss. About what we would have done if we'd been in any of these characters shoes. For over an hour both of us cried while talking about family and whether we'd take the chance at life even if it meant leaving behind those you loved. For the record we are in a stalemate over the latter question. My Dad's not much of a reader, but he read this. He's not an emotional reader, but even he was moved by Dyer's tale and such is the power of words and thoughts.

I highly encourage everyone to pick up a copy of this book, for it's messages transcend time and culture. It speaks of love, faith and honour. Of courage for those are determined to fight for what they believe is true, of what it means to be belittled and questioned under you are surrounded by irreversible doubt. To be crushed under the heavy weight of guilt and lives lost. It's a book that asks its reader, would you be strong enough to stand up for what you believe in, no matter the personal costs?

This review was posted at The Never Ending Bookshelf on the 25th May 2016 and can be found here: http://wp.me/p3yY1u-WD
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mrlzbth's review

4.0

I really enjoyed this book about the Californian, the ship that was within sight of the Titanic but failed to come to her aid. The novel follows several of the crew members who were involved as well as a reporter trying to uncover the truth of what happened on the Californian that night. Making such a momentous mistake and missing a chance to save so many lives has to be one of our worst nightmares as human beings--Dyer does a really good job of exploring the psychological aftermath and of trying to answer the question of, "How could it have happened?" I was pleased to find such an engaging Titanic-related novel to read around the anniversary of the sinking that actually finds a new angle on things and gave me new food for thought.

toofondofbooks's review

4.0

I’ve been interested by stories of the Titanic ever since I was a young child. I think my fascination grew from an afternoon spent with my Great-Grandad, who was a young boy when the Titanic sank and he remembered it happening. Not only that but he had kept a couple of newspaper cuttings from the time and he showed them to me. My interest in the Titanic has never gone away – I’ve read a lot of books about it, both fiction and non-fiction, and have seen the movies and quite a few documentaries over the years.

I first read about David Dyer’s new novel on Carrie’s Book Reviews blog a few weeks ago and immediately pre-ordered it. Dyer has taken a look at the Titanic story from a different angle; the focus of this novel is on the actions of the nearest ship to Titanic when she hit the iceberg, the Californian. I’d heard about this before reading the novel but Dyer’s meticulous research mixed with his educated interpretations of what might have taken place that nice, add an extra dimension for me. It put a much more human face on the men who were working the midnight watch that fateful night. I was surprised to find I had some sympathy for the Second Officer, as he panicked and was scared to disturb the Captain but then when he eventually did, he was sent away.

A fictional journalist, Steadman, who has made a name for himself chasing bodies at disaster sites, misses out on the first bodies being brought back from the sight of the Titanic but he realises there is a much bigger story to be uncovered. He then refuses to let go in his quest to discover what happened on the Californian. He shows such tenacity and drive to get to the truth.

The journalist also gets to hear about some of the third class passengers who perished on the Titanic and is determined to not let these victims be forgotten. The novel covers the events on the Californian, the resulting investigation and inquest, and finally we get to read the story Steadman wrote. It is focused on a large family, who really did perish on the Titanic and he writes the story of what he thought may have happened to them that night, based on stories their neighbours had told him about them all. It’s an incredibly moving story, and one that made me shed a few tears on finishing the book.

There is so much detail in this book but it never becomes too much; Dyer has struck a perfect balance of fact and fiction. It felt like a really fresh look at the Titanic narrative too, the way it was done from another angle that hasn’t been covered in any of the fiction I’ve read to date. The way Dyer fictionalised real people and a real event but blended it so seamlessly meant it really gave the book such an authentic voice, which made it all the more powerful and all the more devastating. The idea that a human being could ignore the distress signals of a ship at sea leaves me speechless, it’s such a shocking dereliction of duty. Dyer doesn’t make a quick judgement in his novel though, it is left for the reader to interpret Lord’s behaviour as Steadman tries to put the strands of the story together from the accounts he’s heard. I was astounded at the arrogance of Captain Lord and there is no excusing what he did; the bit that I found hardest to grasp was how blasé he appeared to be about what happened that night. The Midnight Watch deftly explores the fallibility of witness testimony and memory, particularly memories of a traumatic night – a night that led to the death of 1500 people. It certainly felt that some people may genuinely have mis-remembered but others were complicit in keeping to the story they knew they should tell, even though it was at the expense of the truth.

It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel, it’s such an accomplished book. It had me utterly enthralled from the first page until long after I read the final page; I know it’ll be a novel that stays with me for a long time to come. I rated it 5 out of 5 and highly recommend it.

The Midnight Watch is out now and available from all good bookshops.

thoughtsfromapage's review

5.0

Titanic stories have always fascinated me. While I am familiar with much of what happened with the Titanic before, during, and after its demise, I was not aware of the complete story regarding the Californian, and its utter and negligent failure to potentially stop the Titanic tragedy. As the story unfolded, I simply could not put this book down.

In Part One of the novel, Dyer creates a fictional journalist, John Steadman, to uncover and pursue what exactly transpired on the Californian the night the Titanic sank. He alternates Steadman’s story with the story of the crew members that were aboard the Californian that night. Second Officer Herbert Stone, a crew member on the Californian, had night watch on his ship in the early hours of April 15, 1912. As he is watching the sea he begins to see white rocket flares in the sky coming from another ship. He alerts his captain, Stanley Lord, who chooses to do nothing but continue sleeping. The next morning the crew members of the Californian learn that the Titanic in fact sank while Lord slept. While Lord attempts to cover up the Californian’s role in the tragedy, the story slowly comes out.

In Part Two of the book, Steadman follows Lord as he appears before the Senate committee and later an inquiry in Great Britain. Dyer finishes the story with a fictional article, entitled “Eight White Rockets” that Steadman wrote as a journalist following his investigations into the event. While I loved the entire book, “Eight White Rockets” was by far my favorite part; it was so beautifully written.

David Dyer writes beautifully and so descriptively that I frequently felt that I was on board the Californian and the Titanic. I really liked John Steadman and his dogged pursuit of the truth. I had a harder time with Stone (who was a real person) and his inability to stand up for himself and do the right thing. I intensely disliked Lord and felt that he should have paid more for his inaction.

I knew very little about the Californian before I read this novel. The story was absolutely captivating and so terribly tragic. It is always easy to say what might have been when looking back at events that have occurred, but in this case if two men had acted differently an entire tragedy might have been averted or at least been limited to a smaller death count. I highly recommend this novel – it is so well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

ashleyvs's review

4.0

Find more book reviews at https://oneyearonehundredbooks.com/

I was ten years old when James Cameron's Titanic was released, and I was one among millions of young girls who were completely obsessed with the film and the boyishly handsome, adorably baby-faced Leonardo DeCaprio. Twenty years later, my love for Leo has never faded, and neither has my interest in the story of Titanic and its place in history. 

The Midnight Watch has the odd challenge of trying to sustain a narrative using characters that were only indirectly involved in the events of April 14, 1912. The story of the Californian, which was the nearest ship to the Titanic on the night of its sinking and could potentially have saved the lives of the 1500 people who died that night, is more of a footnote in the larger context of the Titanic story. It is used as one of the seemingly countless small bits of misfortune that, when added together, caused one of the most famous maritime disasters in history. Even James Cameron, whose insistence on historical accuracy during filming bordering on obsessive, did not even include the Californian in his film. stating that switching perspectives to another ship took away from the feeling of isolation that the passengers on the ship must have experienced that night. In a way this book reminded me of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, another instance of "background" characters being given the full spotlight.

Author David Dyers needed to present a cast of characters strong enough to make us forget that our old-favorites such as Captain Smith, Thomas Andrews, Bruce Ismay, and Molly Brown are conspicuously absent. He splits his narrative between Second Mate Herbert Stone, the watchman who first sees the white distress rockets sent up by the sinking ship, and Steadman, a bulldog journalist on the hunt for the truth about the Californian. Stone is plagued by guilt and indecision when he wakes up the morning after his midnight shift and learns the fate of the Titanic. His story is sympathetic, but pales in significance when viewed next to the deaths of over one thousand people on the Titanic. Steadman is the archetypal hard-jawed bourbon-soaked workaholic newspaperman from the turn of the century. His only defining characteristic is that he somehow manages to chase down leads and secure interviews with various higher-ups all while being soddenly drunk. 

I did enjoy Dyers' meticulous attention to detail, particularly when describing the Californian and its crew. I don't know much about naval terminology besides port and starboard, so I enjoyed learning a little bit more about steamer ships. Also, it's so refreshing to read a completely different perspective on a famous historical event. One of the things I love most about historical fiction is its ability to help me think of an issue from a variety of angles. The Midnight Watch offered a unique and creative approach to the enduring legend of the Titanic.

My rating: 3.5/5
chelz286's profile picture

chelz286's review

5.0

I could not/did not want to put this book down. I’ve always been somewhat obsessed with Titanic and that tragedy and this rally gave insight to the possibility that hundreds of those people could have been saved. I didn’t even know this side of the story. Quite intriguing and powerful, one decision can change the lives of so many! And it did! Great read, very fluid writing. I’ll definitely read more by this author. He seemed to have really done his research.