[+Subdue] Shadow of the Titanic / Andrew Wilson. 4 stars

[LibraryCin]

Shadow of the Titanic / Andrew Wilson
4 stars

This book looks not just at the Titanic, but picks out a few of the survivors to follow after the ship sank. Of course, it also backs up to include biographical information on these people from before the Titanic, as well as where they were and what happened with each of them the night the ship sank.

This was a bit of a different look at the story of the Titanic. I quite liked it! Some of the stories were of first class passengers I knew a bit about or at least remember hearing their names (Madeleine Astor, John Jacob Astor’s young, new, pregnant wife; Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon and his wife, Lady Duff Gordon); also J. Bruce Ismay, a White Star official. Many of the stories were people I hadn’t heard about before. Probably the one I’ll remember best is Jack Thayer, 17 years old and was going down with the ship when he jumped, managed to clear the ship, and be rescued. Dorothy Gibson was a silent screen actress on the Titanic who made it out. There were two little boys who were on the ship with their father; he got them in a lifeboat and they never saw him again… turns out the father had kidnapped them from their mother in France!

Ismay, of course, was on trial after the Titanic sunk. The Duff Gordons were, as well, it being alleged that they bribed the rowers of their lifeboat to not go back to see if they could help anyone. Madeleine Astor married and divorced two more times (though remarrying caused her to lose all wealth left to her by John Jacob). A number of people committed suicide (not necessarily right away) and many just wouldn’t talk of the Titanic afterward.

[Joanne]

This sounds interesting Cindy. I just read 2 about the sinking. One a non fiction The Discovery of the Titanic (lots of science about the discovery of it) and one HF of Lady Duff Gordon A Dress of Violet Taffeta. The history of this disaster never fails to grab me, so I am going to add this one and hold to on to it for the future. Thanks for the review!

[LibraryCin]

Joanne wrote: "This sounds interesting Cindy. I just read 2 about the sinking. One a non fiction The Discovery of the Titanic (lots of science about the discovery of it) and one HF of Lady Duff Gord..."

Thanks, Joanne! I'll look into those two, as well!

[LibraryCin]

I ended up adding both, Joanne. I wasn't initially sure about the Lady Duff Gordon one, as she just didn't come across as a likeable person, but I see that one is fiction (ah, I see you did say that - I missed it the first time!), so that made it more appealing to me.