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A review by natashaleighton_
Orphans of the Storm by Celia Imrie
4.0
A deeply poignant and heart wrenching tale based, not only on real life events but real people, too—albeit fictional versions. Set both in Nice, France and on board the doomed maiden voyage of the Titanic.
Set in 1911, after three years of marriage Marcella Carretto has decided to divorce her cruel and controlling husband, Michael. But while awaiting the judges’ decision on the custody of their two children, Michael receives news that changes everything.
Meanwhile, fun loving New York socialite, Margaret Hays has grown bored of her Grand Tour Of Europe and decides to head home on the most famous steamer ever built—RMS Titanic.
As the ship sets sail for America, carrying two children bearing false names, the lives of Marcella, Michael and Margaret cross—and nothing will ever be the same again.
I really enjoyed this one, it was undeniably gripping and had me emotionally invested in the fates of Imrie’s characters, particularly Marcella and her young sons.
The level of historical detail was absolutely incredible, it was easy to tell that Celia Imrie had done extensive research on the topic. The characters were also written incredibly well and imbued with the humanity (and flaws) that I found brought realism to their narrative.
It’s told from three separate POVs- Marcella, Michael and Margaret. The first half of the book starts with Marcella’s POV and chronicles the start and eventual deterioration of Marcella and Michael’s marriage—I found it quite slow at first but the pace does pickup in the second half.
Overall a pretty solid read!
Though Celine Dion wasn’t singing during the Titanic scenes (or the aftermath), nor was there a Jack or a Rose—I couldn’t help but cry several times whilst reading this, so—if emotionally charged historical fiction is your thing, then I thoroughly recommend you check this out.
Also, a Massive thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the ARC.
Set in 1911, after three years of marriage Marcella Carretto has decided to divorce her cruel and controlling husband, Michael. But while awaiting the judges’ decision on the custody of their two children, Michael receives news that changes everything.
Meanwhile, fun loving New York socialite, Margaret Hays has grown bored of her Grand Tour Of Europe and decides to head home on the most famous steamer ever built—RMS Titanic.
As the ship sets sail for America, carrying two children bearing false names, the lives of Marcella, Michael and Margaret cross—and nothing will ever be the same again.
I really enjoyed this one, it was undeniably gripping and had me emotionally invested in the fates of Imrie’s characters, particularly Marcella and her young sons.
The level of historical detail was absolutely incredible, it was easy to tell that Celia Imrie had done extensive research on the topic. The characters were also written incredibly well and imbued with the humanity (and flaws) that I found brought realism to their narrative.
It’s told from three separate POVs- Marcella, Michael and Margaret. The first half of the book starts with Marcella’s POV and chronicles the start and eventual deterioration of Marcella and Michael’s marriage—I found it quite slow at first but the pace does pickup in the second half.
Overall a pretty solid read!
Though Celine Dion wasn’t singing during the Titanic scenes (or the aftermath), nor was there a Jack or a Rose—I couldn’t help but cry several times whilst reading this, so—if emotionally charged historical fiction is your thing, then I thoroughly recommend you check this out.
Also, a Massive thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the ARC.