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Title: Titanic - 'Iceberg Ahead': The Story of the Disaster by Some of Those Who Were There
Author: James W. Bancroft
Genre: Historical Nonfiction, History, Nonfiction, Maritime Disaster, Maritime Nonfiction, Netgalley
Date Started: January 25th, 2023
Date Finished: January 25th, 2023
Status: Finished
Rating: 4.5/5
Sypnosis: To have sailed on 'the voyage of the century' aboard White Star Line's RMS Titanic - described at the time as 'a floating palace' - was like being one of the first passengers to fly on Concorde.
On 10 April 1912, people from all walks of life began embarking on Titanic, then the largest ship afloat, for what was to be the trip of a lifetime on the ship's maiden voyage across the north Atlantic. Many were looking forward to starting new lives in the United States.
However, just before midnight on Sunday, 14 April 1912, Titanic's crew began to send out distress signals stating, 'We have struck an iceberg'. The liner had been steaming at speed when it collided with an enormous iceberg which stripped off her bilge under the waterline for more than 100 yards, opened up five of the front compartments and flooded the coal bunker servicing one of the boilers.
The damage was fatal, and some three hours after the disaster began to unfold the last visible part of Titanic slipped beneath the waves. There were only sixteen lifeboats and four collapsible dinghies - which was completely insufficient for the number of passengers making the crossing. As a consequence, more than 1,500 passengers and crew died: two out of every three people onboard perished.
Much has been written about the Titanic disaster, and it has been the subject matter for several films. The author is well-known for his depth of research and his attention to detail, and in a new style of format, he has selected fifty people involved in the disaster, and by using their specific eyewitness accounts he has managed to make the confusing situation much clearer, making it possible for the reader to experience the dreadful events as they unfolded. The book also includes biographical tributes to the fifty people, who came from all walks of life and geographical regions, telling who they were, their experiences during the disaster, and what happened to those who were fortunate enough to survive.
Review: Once called the Ship of Dreams and labeled unsinkable, Titanic was a riveting piece of engineering. Her maiden voyage from England and Ireland would be the showstopper of the Atlantic, but the ship was also riddled with omens. People who were to board the day of its launching suddenly felt the need to either decide upon a longer stay or another passage on another ship.
Could even a novella by Morgan Robertson named The Wreck of the Titan: Or, Futility have predicted the sinking of the ship? The novel had been published fourteen years prior and the circumstances of its sinking were eerily similar to that of the RMS Titanic.
And what of the mummy of the priestess? Could she have been behind its sinking? It was supposed to be on board with its owner and it disappeared since then.
Titanic has always been a pop culture figure within maritime disasters. Stories and movies have been written about it and rumors of the past are still being whispered about the disaster.
This book gives us fifty different points of view from those who were survivors of the wreckage. They give us a look at the stories of their lives aboard the ship before and during the sinking. Who were these people? Why did they choose to sail aboard the ship?
And those that did not sail even though they did have tickets. Why did they decide not to go? What made them feel that there was something wrong with the ship? What kind of omens plagued them?
I have been fascinated with the Titanic ever since I was a kid. I loved finding books about the ship. Novels both nonfiction and fiction were gobbled up within hours and enjoyed immensely. There was a lot out there about the ship and a lot of information about both facts and those that were shrouded in embellishments and fiction.
Here our author goes beyond the means. He finds witness accounts and stories from newspapers of the sinking and he does his research of trying to separate fact from fiction. Real from fake. This book was a treasure trove of information that I did not know and I managed to gobble this book up within a short few hours. It is enjoyable. Gripping with heartbreaking accounts from those that survived and the loved ones they lost. Even the stories of those who members of the ship's staff were interesting and well-written. It was nice to know more about them and learn what they were like and their duties, giving humanity to each face including the captain.
I highly recommend this read. You should pick up this book and read about the Titanic with fresh, open eyes. This book will give it to you. Accounts that will tug at your heart. Curses and omens that will make you wonder if they had something to do with the sinking. And did their belief in it being unsinkable become its downfall?
Pick up this book and find out.
Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and their publishing company for a chance to read this book and give an honest opinion about its subject.
