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L'enfant Du Titanic (2012)

by Leah Fleming(Favorite Author)

3.8 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Éditions France Loisirs

review 1: There are possibly hundreds of fictional novels based on the sinking of Titanic on her maiden voyage across the atlantic in the early spring of 1912. This is definitely one of the better sort of the genre. The author chose to base her work on the urban legend of Captain Smith rising from the rapidly sinking ship, baby in hand, and passing it to one of the nearby lifeboats. Choosing to forfeit his own life, the captain retreats from the offer of salvation by the commanding lifeboat officers, and resigns himself to dying among the hundreds of passengers being swallowed by the sea. And from there does the real story begin.From the synopsis, the potential reader can understand the general storyline, although this is only part of the intricately woven story which transcends dec... moreades and continents. Titanic only features in the early part of the novel, with its legacy and the aftermath of what happened on that fateful night, becoming more apparent as the story and its characters develop. I found the characters to be entirely believable, no easy task when the focal point of the book is a true event, and the author is careful to pay due respect to the legacy of that night. A highly recommended historical fictional novel by a new author, whose books will undoubtedly become a firm favourite of Titanic fans. Think the Hollywood movie, times the emotion in that movie by a hundred, and you get this book. A must read.
review 2: The Captain’s Daughter – How History Touches Lives North of England, April 1912. May Smith, her husband Joe and baby Ellen are waiting for the train to London. They’re poor, simple people, leaving their hometown to try and chase the great dream of life in America. May is skittish, the train is late, Ellen is crying – “Why are we leaving behind everything that is familiar? What are we doing?” she asks herself. But Joe is determined and May keeps her doubts to herself. Lichfield, April 1912. Celestine Parkes is following her mother’s casket. A vicar’s daughter and wife of a magnate, she has returned from Ohio when she heard the news her mother was sick but couldn’t make it in time. Now she has to return home, to a son she loves and a husband she fears and despises. The last thing she wants, however, is to board a ship and take the long trip back to New York. Lower Manhattan, April 1912. Angelo Bartolini, an Italian immigrant, is waiting for his wife and daughter to arrive from Tuscany. He’s rented private rooms for them, and asked his relatives’ help in furnishing them. He’s excited – he hasn’t seen Maria in a long time and has never even met his daughter, born after he had left. But he’s also anxious. Will the trip be safe? Will they be comfortable during the long crossing? Three stories. Three people that have nothing to do with each other and nothing in common board a ship towards America. It is April 1912 and the ship is the Titanic, the unsinkable. But only a few days later the unthinkable happens, and the ship hits an iceberg. It is sinking. Celestine is pushed on a lifeboat, May and her family are not so lucky and are forced to dive in the icy water in the hope one of the lifeboats will pick them up. They’re together but it’s dark, it’s cold, and May loses sight of them. She is lucky, she gets picked up, but where is Joe? And where is Ellen? Then the news reaches New York, and Angelo runs to the docks. Where are Maria and Alessia? What has happened to them? Everyone tells him they must have died but he’s not so sure – on the docks, he finds an embroidered baby shoe that he knows belonged to his daughter. Where is she?Three people. Three different stories that the author entwines and knots indissolubly into a portrait of one of the great tragedies of the 20th century. I picked this book up out of boredom in a café but I was hooked from the very first pages. Will I read other books by Leah Fleming? Absolutely. less

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