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Michel Navatril is separated from his
wife who has custody of their two young sons. Always impulsive
Michel takes the two boys, aged four and two, and decides to start
a new life in America. They embark on the Titanic.
The first part of the book shows Michel and the boys exploring
the Titanic -- the floating town. Then the middle part
shows Michel having doubts about his sudden action. He realises
how much he must have hurt his wife. Then he hears from those
who really know that it is not true that the Titanic is
unsinkable. Michel has written to his wife but he gave the letter
to a chambermaid to post in London and he fears his wife has never
received it. He is travelling under a false name with a stolen
passport. If anything happens to him what will happen to the boys?
This middle section also shows that the tragedy need never have
happened. But safety was subordinated to economy and profits.
It was economy that dictated that there were not enough lifeboats.
It was desire for the prized blue ribbon for the fastest crossing
which was responsible for the Titanic taking the shorter
but more dangerous northern route instead of the safer but slower
southern route. And radio messages that icebergs were being seen
further south than usual were ignored.
The last section, almost inevitably, deals with the actual sinking,
the lifeboats, the rescue by the Carpentaria, and the work
done in America by the Children's Aid Society.
The elder of the two boys, Lolo, was Elisabeth Navratil's father
and she has based this book on what he remembered and told her.
She has also researched the tragedy in great depth. Finally she
used her imagination to fill in the missing links.
Comes with historical footnotes.
This book is written largely in the present tense.
Interesting and unusual, the plight of the two boys adds another
dimension to the story of the Titanic.
Young adult
This is a retelling of the story of the Titantic for young readers. It is told through the fortunes of the wealthy American Farr family and, in steerage, young Katie Mahoney and the two brothers, Brian and Patrick Kelleher.
The main characters are well established so that the reader becomes involved with them. The subservient position of women is also touched upon. There are detailed descriptions of the opulence and luxury of the ship.
Later there are vivid descriptions of the actual sinking. We are shown the ship hanging nearly perpendicular in the water before it finally sinks. We shiver with the survivors in the lifeboats in the icy conditions and share the anguish of the women who have lost fathers, husbands or brothers. Finally we are shown the conditions aboard the rescue ship Carpathia.
There is a bibliography at the back and the book has obviously been carefully researched. I was glad to see that certain harmful rumours are categorically denied - like the one saying that passengers were shot while trying to storm the lifeboats and also that the captain and first officer shot themselves rather than go down with the ship - lies which cast slurs on the characters of brave men and which cause distress to their families. Full marks to Diane Hoh for doing her bit to put the record straight.
This book is probably aimed at teenagers - and teenage girls in particular. I estimate it to be over 100,000 words long which is long for this age group but no doubt many girls will think the story is worth every word.
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