Rate this book

Fatal Voyage Guilded Lives (2000)

by Hugh Brewster(Favorite Author)

3.8 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

10:0307984 (ISBN13: B005BUG6NO)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Crown Publishing Group

review 1: My knowledge about the sinking of the Titanic has mostly been gained from the James Cameron movie of the same name and from one of his TV documentaries. Hugh Brewster's book not only made up for my lack of information, but it put a much more personal spin on the story. Even though the characters were so far removed from me socially and financially that it was hard to relate to them on that level, the stories of their bravery and loss were deeply heart-touching. And the "unsinkable" Margaret "Molly" Brown has just been added to my ongoing collection of strong, do-something-about-it women.
review 2: I appreciated the author's attempt to focus on one social level traveling aboard the Titanic but he seemed to have little idea of what to do with the story beyond the... more initial concept. I picked up Lives hoping to learn reams of details about Edwardian food, fashion, parties and travel. I wanted to lose myself in a book that would make me feel like a privileged passenger on the Titanic.Unfortunately, I finished the book without any new understanding of what upper-class passengers talked about on their journeys, the etiquette and dress involved. It all proceeded as most Titanic stories do - take a range of characters, give short intros to their lives before the disaster and then keep their stories running as the clock ticks down to the inevitable sinking. I felt that Brewster missed a golden opportunity to examine the last moments of a legendary means of travel and a time that was about to disappear with the first guns firing in World War One.I was particularly confused by his odd digressions speculating on passengers' sexual orientation. I think Brewster was trying to make the point about how much moral values have changed in the time since the sinking but that point ultimately had little to do with the sinking or Edwardian society and ended up diluting the power and interest of the book's main focus.While I enjoyed this quick read, I remain unsure of who would be interested in reading Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage. The dedicated Titanic fan will already be familiar with the scandal of John Jacob Astor's marriage, the devotion of the Strauss couple and the dignity of Captain Smith. Downton Abbey types looking for glamour and scandal will not find much to chew on here and very little detail.There are a limited number of people and angles you take on the Titanic tragedy and - given the depth of media coverage - any author would be hard-pressed to come up with something new. I respect the fact that Brewster was already working from a disadvantage but this book could have been so much more. If you're interested, the author's fluid writing style makes this the kind of book you can pick up one day, devote minimal amounts of time and attention and have it easily finished a few days later. less

Download links for: Fatal Voyage Guilded Lives

Advertising