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3rd out of 66 books
—
94 voters
Promise Me This
by
Cathy Gohlke
Michael Dunnagan was never supposed to sail on the "Titanic," nor would he have survived if not for the courage of Owen Allen. Determined to carry out his promise to care for Owen's relatives in America and his younger sister, Annie, in England, Michael works hard to strengthen the family's New Jersey garden and landscaping business.Annie Allen doesn't care what Michael pr...more
Paperback, 416 pages
Published
January 20th 2012
by Tyndale House Publishers
(first published January 1st 2012)
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Mar 25, 2013
Carrie Penney
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
christian-fiction,
christian-romance,
titanic,
war,
death,
kindle,
kindle-loan,
family,
tower-team
I knew when I started reading Promise Me This that I was setting myself up for heartbreak and sadness. How could I not, the story partially takes place aboard the Titanic, and we all know the events of that fateful night. We know about the hundreds of souls lost to the cold deep Atlantic ocean. Then we have World War I, another tragic momentous stain on our past. So like I said I knew what I getting myself into. Both moments in history that has always fascinated me, along with other events in hi...more
First posted on my blog, Legacy of a Writer.
When a book cover captures my attention, and then the synopsis also piques my interests, I’m sold—I must read the book! Which is why I instantly jumped at the chance to read award-winning author Cathy Gohlke’s newest release. In my opinion, Promise Me This is not a book you can just devour in one sitting. It's a book to be read slowly, with characters to be savored and a story to be treasured.
From the very beginning, I was swept away by this poignant s...more
When a book cover captures my attention, and then the synopsis also piques my interests, I’m sold—I must read the book! Which is why I instantly jumped at the chance to read award-winning author Cathy Gohlke’s newest release. In my opinion, Promise Me This is not a book you can just devour in one sitting. It's a book to be read slowly, with characters to be savored and a story to be treasured.
From the very beginning, I was swept away by this poignant s...more
"Promise Me This" is a very moving story about Michael and Annie, two people impacted and brought together by the sinking of the Titanic. It's broken down into three parts, spans several years, and follows the characters through World War I. The history is well-researched. The author's writing voice is pleasant, but I still found it hard to follow the scene action at times. The portrayal of the characters' emotions is amazing, and the plot is organic and flows well. I can see why Gohlke is an aw...more
This story unfolds beautifully, leading up to an ending that is so full of tension that it's hard to know whether to white-knuckle grip the book or throw it across the room! Be prepared for possible tears and the need to speak aloud words of frustration. But also be prepared to be blessed by this powerfully moving, sweeping tale of grace and love!
From the horrific tragedy of the sinking of the Titanic, to the terrifying uncertainty of World War I, Gohlke takes her characters through great suffer...more
From the horrific tragedy of the sinking of the Titanic, to the terrifying uncertainty of World War I, Gohlke takes her characters through great suffer...more
I'm writing this review about half a year after I finished the book - so just bear that in mind.
This was the first book that I completed reading on my Kindle. I was definitely drawn to it because I love pretty much anything having to do with the tragedy of the Titanic. I thought it had a very solid plot (if somewhat expected). The Titanic journey was a relatively short part of the book, but it set up nearly everything else that followed so it was recalled frequently.
My biggest issue here was th...more
This was the first book that I completed reading on my Kindle. I was definitely drawn to it because I love pretty much anything having to do with the tragedy of the Titanic. I thought it had a very solid plot (if somewhat expected). The Titanic journey was a relatively short part of the book, but it set up nearly everything else that followed so it was recalled frequently.
My biggest issue here was th...more
In the early twentieth century, Owen Allen is determined to make a new life for himself and his younger sister Annie, away from the influence of their Aunt Eleanor. Eleanor is a woman so immersed in unhappiness she cannot bear others' good fortune, particularly her niece and nephew. Owen places Annie in a boarding school as he goes to America ahead of her to find a life with his late father's brother. Before he leaves he encounters young Michael, an orphan struggling against mistreatment and pov...more
Promise Me This by Cathy Gohlke is a historical fiction novel that begins with the sinking of the Titanic. The main characters are a brother and sister and an Irish boy whose lives become interwined with the fateful voyage of the Titanic. Owen is on the Titanic to go to America to start a new life there with an aunt and uncle taking not only his tremendous amount of gardening knowledge but also seeds and starts to use once he reached America. He befriends an Irish boy, Michael, who has ended up...more
Promise The This is a moving, action-packed read that held me in it's grip from the opening scenes to the satisfying conclusion. Drawing upon the rich historical drama of the sinking of the Titanic and the First World War, the story spans a number of years as it follows the lives of Annie Allen and Michael Dunnagan as they experience heart-ache, seeming insurmountable odds, and disappointment after disappointment. Yet, in the midst of their trials, the light of Jesus shines brightly. Both Annie...more
Cathy Gohlke has written a phenominal emotional and poignant novel based on the happenings of the times around the sinking of the great Unsinkable Ship the Titanic and the War to end all wars World War I. The reader is drawn to the gutter rat – Irish orphan and abused child Michael Dunnigan and the up and coming gardener Owen Allen and his orphan sister Annie. Loyalty and generosity are perhaps their biggest and at the same time worst virtue. Enter Aunt Elizabeth, jealous, bitter and everything...more
Annie watched her brother sail away on the Titanic, bound for America. She's already lost her parents and is all alone in the world. Her brother hopes to send for her once his business is going strong. But life doesn't go as planned and she learns that her brother saved a young boy at the expense of his own life. She hates Michael for taking her brother's place and the bitterness is eating her alive.
This book was not a simple love story. Combined with the Titanic and World War II it is a saga of...more
This book was not a simple love story. Combined with the Titanic and World War II it is a saga of...more
Many books have been written about the Titanic, and I have devoured them all. This book stands out because the focus is not on the sinking of the ship but on the lives of those affected by the loss of life that day. When Owen Allen sets sail on the unsinkable vessel, he leaves behind his beloved sister Annie and finds himself caring for the young Michael, who sneaked onto the ship. When Owen sacrifices his life for Michael’s, Michael carries out Owen’s dreams of creating a gardening business, an...more
The Titanic has held fascination for me since I was in elementary school; so I was excited to discover Promise Me This. There is a degree of romanticism amid the tragedy of the Titanic, but Cathy Gohlke shows us the tale from a new vantage point: the sacrificial love of a third class passenger and the lives impacted by his loss. Promise Me This is a love story on many different levels, which makes it a touching novel. Owen Allen, Annie Allen, and Michael Dunnagan are the pivotal characters impac...more
If you love historical novels you must read this new one by Christy Award winner, Cathy Gohlke. Promise Me This is a riveting story that begins with a journey on the Titanic and continues through WWI. In it, we meet Owen Allen—the loving, gentle man who tries his best to care for his little sister as well as the hungry teen boy he finds roaming the streets of London. Owen has a dream of a better life for his sister and sets out to meet distant relatives in America in order to make his dreams com...more
Is gut-wrenching splendour an oxymoron? Because that's how I'd begin to describe Promise Me This. I wouldn't end there though. I might throw in descriptors like 'agonizingly wonderful' or 'despairingly stunning' or ... LOL - clearly this book has sent me into a tailspin but I'll try to regroup.
It is definitely worthy of the title 'epic saga' as the story takes place over several years, crosses continents and is fraught with angst. Michael and Annie are just teens when we meet them first but some...more
It is definitely worthy of the title 'epic saga' as the story takes place over several years, crosses continents and is fraught with angst. Michael and Annie are just teens when we meet them first but some...more
This is the first time I have ever read anything by Cathy Gohlke. And boy was it a pleasant surprise! I really enjoyed Promise Me This and her take on the Titanic story. I have always been a fan of reading about the Titanic and what a tragedy took place that day. In this story, Cathy weaves a tale of romance, mystery and suspense as well as a release of bitterness and guilt.
Annie is a young lady who deeply loves her older brother. But he decides to sail on the Titanic to go to New Jersey and mak...more
Annie is a young lady who deeply loves her older brother. But he decides to sail on the Titanic to go to New Jersey and mak...more
I started reading this book thinking it was about the Titanic...it is so very much more! We all know the out come of the ships fate, and when you get engrossed in this story, you hope beyond hope that the all the character's we have now met on the ship will survive. Of course, this is a fictional story based on fact.
Owen Allen is such a great God loving Character, with such a big heart. His sister Annie has not had an easy life, her parents are deceased, and she has been living with her Aunt Ele...more
Owen Allen is such a great God loving Character, with such a big heart. His sister Annie has not had an easy life, her parents are deceased, and she has been living with her Aunt Ele...more
Cathy Gohlke in her new book “Promise Me This” published by Tyndale House Publishers gives us a romance that begins with the disastrous maiden voyage of the Titanic.
From the back cover: Annie Allen never imagined the day she watched her brother, Owen, sail on Titanic would be the last time she’d see him. Nor could she guess how the tragedy would forever knit her life to Michael Dunnagan, who survived through Owen’s sacrifice.
As Annie struggles to navigate a challenging life in England, Michael l...more
From the back cover: Annie Allen never imagined the day she watched her brother, Owen, sail on Titanic would be the last time she’d see him. Nor could she guess how the tragedy would forever knit her life to Michael Dunnagan, who survived through Owen’s sacrifice.
As Annie struggles to navigate a challenging life in England, Michael l...more
An evil oppressive Aunt, the tragic demise of the Titanic, World War I...and a harrowing love story.
Annie Allen is determined to escape the oppressive confines set forth by her vile Aunt Eleanor. Fearing no other option, Owen Allen courageously decides to pursue a better life in America, promising to send for his sister Annie as soon as he manages the funds to do so. Shortly before he is to set sail, he runs into a peculiar young man who is clearly homeless and in need of assistance. He takes t...more
Annie Allen is determined to escape the oppressive confines set forth by her vile Aunt Eleanor. Fearing no other option, Owen Allen courageously decides to pursue a better life in America, promising to send for his sister Annie as soon as he manages the funds to do so. Shortly before he is to set sail, he runs into a peculiar young man who is clearly homeless and in need of assistance. He takes t...more
I was lucky to snag Promise Me This as a freebie for my Nook. I wasn't sure how much I would like the book, but the fact that the story included the Titanic piqued my interest. In the first few chapters I was afraid that my concerns about the story would prove true as I found the early chapters to be slow and awkward; the characters did not feel fully fleshed out. But I plodded on determined to give the story a chance. I am SO glad I did not give up.
When the story reached the Titanic and its fa...more
When the story reached the Titanic and its fa...more
Promise Me This, set during pre-World War I era, is a beautiful love story between a street rat, Michael Dunnagan, and a young woman born to privilege, Annie Allen. They catch a glimpse of each other when they are still children. Annie's older brother, Owen, shows the young Irish lad charity and gives him a job. Promising his sister a new life in America, Owen buys passage on the ill-fated Titanic and tells Annie that he will send for her soon. Also seeking a fresh start, Michael stows away on t...more
The Titanic sinks. Britain enters World War I.
I promise, I'm not reviewing the first season of Downton Abbey. But my husband and I had just finished watching that when I started reading Promise Me This by Cathy Gohlke. Set in the same time period but nowhere near the same story. I was all set for the setting, and with the Olympics starting this week in London, I have England on the brain.
All of that, and the fact that this is a heartwarming, breathtaking, gut-wrenching story of sacrificial love,...more
I promise, I'm not reviewing the first season of Downton Abbey. But my husband and I had just finished watching that when I started reading Promise Me This by Cathy Gohlke. Set in the same time period but nowhere near the same story. I was all set for the setting, and with the Olympics starting this week in London, I have England on the brain.
All of that, and the fact that this is a heartwarming, breathtaking, gut-wrenching story of sacrificial love,...more
Owen and Annie Allen live in despondent conditions with their wealthy aunt. Despondent because their aunt is a control freak and bitter over might-have-beens of the past. Owen knows he has to get out while he still can. So he leaves for the home of relatives in America, traveling aboard the RMS Titanic while placing Annie in a boarding school in Southampton.
Michael Dunnagan is an orphan. He is tormented by the fact that he was unable to protect his now long-gone baby sister. Now he lives under t...more
Michael Dunnagan is an orphan. He is tormented by the fact that he was unable to protect his now long-gone baby sister. Now he lives under t...more
3.5/5
mon avis en Français
My English review
Je n’avais jamais eu l’occasion auparavant de lire un livre au sujet du Titanic. C’est pourtant un sujet qui me fascine et je profite à chaque fois des documentaires pour en apprendre un peu plus. Alors quand j’ai découvert la sortie de ce roman, j’ai tout de suite été très intriguée. Il ne m’a pas fallu plus longtemps pour vouloir le commencer.
Michael est un jeune garçon qui échappe à son passé, mais c’est finalement assez difficile. Il arrive cependant...more
mon avis en Français
My English review
Je n’avais jamais eu l’occasion auparavant de lire un livre au sujet du Titanic. C’est pourtant un sujet qui me fascine et je profite à chaque fois des documentaires pour en apprendre un peu plus. Alors quand j’ai découvert la sortie de ce roman, j’ai tout de suite été très intriguée. Il ne m’a pas fallu plus longtemps pour vouloir le commencer.
Michael est un jeune garçon qui échappe à son passé, mais c’est finalement assez difficile. Il arrive cependant...more
Promise Me This was truly an epic on more than one level. I picked this one up billed entirely on the fact that it had a Titanic theme and felt I had better read at least one of those to mark the 100 years since the sinking.
But this was no mere rerun of Titanic the Movie on a budget. It's a brave move to use one of the most climatic moments of the twentieth century as merely a curtin raiser. And with the ship gone and buried along with her passengers - we move to the main event, the intersecting...more
But this was no mere rerun of Titanic the Movie on a budget. It's a brave move to use one of the most climatic moments of the twentieth century as merely a curtin raiser. And with the ship gone and buried along with her passengers - we move to the main event, the intersecting...more
Meh. Not too descriptive, but that kind of sums up my thoughts on "Promise Me This." I downloaded it with high hopes: it was a fictional tale based around the sinking of the Titanic. I thought that sounded fascinating.
I began reading. Nursery worker Owen sets sail on the Titanic, leaving beloved sister Annie behind, but promising to send for her when he can earn enough. Orphan Michael stows away on the ship as well. Of course the Titanic sinks and Owen (my favorite character in the book) along w...more
I began reading. Nursery worker Owen sets sail on the Titanic, leaving beloved sister Annie behind, but promising to send for her when he can earn enough. Orphan Michael stows away on the ship as well. Of course the Titanic sinks and Owen (my favorite character in the book) along w...more
This ebook has got to be one of my favorites thus far this year. It had so many ups and downs, twists and turns. I kept praying along with each of the characters for things to work out the right way.
Michael's character grew throughout the book. Right from the start you could tell he was going to be a great character. Sure, there were times you wanted to smack him, but overall I think he was protrayed perfectly.
Annie's character you just had to feel sorry for. At every turn she was being handed t...more
Michael's character grew throughout the book. Right from the start you could tell he was going to be a great character. Sure, there were times you wanted to smack him, but overall I think he was protrayed perfectly.
Annie's character you just had to feel sorry for. At every turn she was being handed t...more
This historical fiction novel tells the story of Owen -- a gardener crossing the Atlantic to make a new life for himself and his sister Annie -- and Michael, his young apprentice who takes up Owen's work when he perishes aboard the Titanic.
As historical fiction, I thought this was well-researched and well-written. The author was perhaps a bit over-ambitious, trying to cover the Titanic disaster and World War I in the same novel, but with Annie and Michael's story as the central plot, it worked....more
As historical fiction, I thought this was well-researched and well-written. The author was perhaps a bit over-ambitious, trying to cover the Titanic disaster and World War I in the same novel, but with Annie and Michael's story as the central plot, it worked....more
The best part of this book was the characters, for the most part. Owen was by far my favorite, and I was actually disappointed that I got to know him so well. Michael and Annie both experience such profound growth over the years, and Aunt Maggie and Daniel were endearing. I did think, though, that the 'bad guy' character of Annie's Aunt Eleanor was way over the top. There is no way someone during that time period would (or be able to) hold that much power over someone else. It seemed out of plac...more
Even if I hadn’t found this book on the kindle freebie list the other day, I would still have purchased it. I’m just the tiniest bit obsessed with all things Titantic and have been for years. Maybe it’s the era. Maybe it’s the fabulous fashions. I mean, who wouldn’t want to wear those feminine beautiful clothes (and I really want a huge-brimmed hat). Maybe it is the just the overwhelming sense of all that was lost when the ship sank, including so many lives.
Whatever it is, I knew I wanted to rea...more
Whatever it is, I knew I wanted to rea...more
When Michael Dunnegan sneaks onto the Titanic, he can’t imagine how life-altering a decision that is going to be for him, or the long-term consequences. Annie Allen’s brother was one of the passengers who didn’t make it, and as Michael tries to fulfill a promise to take care of the brother’s family he finds himself more and more involved—and then the War breaks out in England and both Annie and Michael must find their way to each other, if they can stay alive.
This was my first time reading anyth...more
This was my first time reading anyth...more
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Cathy Gohlke is the two-time Christy Award–winning author of the critically acclaimed novels Promise Me This, William Henry Is a Fine Name, and I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires, which also won the American Christian Fiction Writers' Book of the Year Award and was listed by Library Journal as one of the Best Books of 2008.
Cathy has worked as a school librarian, drama director, and director of chi...more
More about Cathy Gohlke...
Cathy has worked as a school librarian, drama director, and director of chi...more
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“As long as a man has two hands and a strong back, he can make things happen. It's no good being fearful. Worry won't change the future a whit, and it misses the joy of this glad day.”
—
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Aug 25, 2012 12:53am