A review by chloe_bean
Orphans of the Storm by Celia Imrie

2.0

DNFed at like 80-85%.. didn't need to finish, lol. I think I didn't put one star because I don't want to be unnecessarily cruel, but this book was not good. It was dull, somehow, all the characters were intolerable, the writing was not my thing at all, and most of all, the actual part the Titanic plays in this book is so small-- it's mostly about drama in a woman's personal relationships. Which is fine, but that's not what you'd think by looking at the cover, blurb, and general vibe-- you would think the Titanic would take longer than five pages to sink, or maybe altogether be a bit more traumatic and dramatic. I have a bit of a historical obsession with the Titanic and will consume any media that brands itself as related so you can imagine my immense disappointment at what this book is. So much more drama could have been added if more time was spent on the boat. I don't even know what the goal is in this book. It could have been any ship. The ship only serves as an 'oh my god they're on the titanic' moment and then a hamfisted ending to one of the characters. Also, some of the characters use dialogue and turns of phrase that just straight-up weren't around in 1912. At all.

Something I did like was how well the dissolution of the relationship that the book hinges upon was written. The way Marcella's husband acts is, I imagine, not far off from how a relationship that turns ugly would end up. The relationships themselves are believable, but the external and internal dialogue is almost intolerable. What a disappointment.

Spoiler

Like, really. This book is just TFW your terrible ex-husband dies on the Titanic. Come on. I guess if anything it's creative, even though this is supposedly

Will update after I skip to the end to see the historical context.