Michelle 5.5 - 5.5
Had no trouble following all the flashbacks, but wanted the storyline to stay on the boat. The flashbacks drove her crazy and Grace didn't even need to be in the story. She loved visualizing the Titanic and how much of what was described people actually experienced, for example the blessing of the women in lifejackets. Visited a Titanic museum in Belfast and learned that it took three years to build and only three hours to sink. She was glad that James was Seamus at the end and that she read it.
K'Lynn: 5 - 5
Read this quickly and found it fluffy, formulaic, and predictable. Didn't know too much about the Titanic, so was glad to gather some information. Grace's plot lines with her professor and boyfriend were so much blah, blah, blah. All of that was irrelevant and it would have been better without it or the cheesy ending.
Carolyn: 5.5 - 5.5
Thought it was a great story and a quick read, but also wondered why Grace was in it at all. Had never heard that boys played with chunks of ice on the top deck and realized the iceberg must have been very tall in order for that to happen. She liked Harry and his taking care of the third class passengers. Waiting to hear a survivor's list must have been so sad. She was surprised that Seamus was Maggie's husband, and thought it a shame that she waited so long to share her story.
Artie: 5 - 5.5
Didn't know that much about the Titanic and found it a fluffy read overall. Thought it might be good for a high school English class. It often read like an YA novel with an underlying love story and the writing sometimes got under his skin. The characters could have been better researched to avoid stereotypical treatment. He was very disappointed when it came out that Seamus was alive. No one in family knew that Seamus was James? Really?
Becky: 3.75 - 3.75
Found it schmaltzy, contrived, and repetitive. Thought that it would have worked better as non-fiction that followed the history of the actual fourteen immigrants. The comparisons between Grace and Maggie and Jimmy and Seamus were painfully unbelievable and did not work as parallels. Why would Harry's relatives hang on to letters for 70 years? Really? Thought she threw in every stereotype and was very irritated by this, but did get into the sinking of the ship.
Pat: 6.5 - 6.0
In order for this to work for me the writing would have to really stand out since so much of the story is already known. I thought she did a great job with the sinking of the ship and found Harry's interactions with the fourteen a more compelling human drama than the movie's fictional romance. I rated a bit high because I had come across information about Maggie's jacket being found with letters actually happening, but I haven't been able to find it since. Wah-wahhh.
Miles: 6 - 5.5
Wondered how James's/Seamus's Irish accent never game him away. With the movie there were good looking characters, albeit dim, who road the boat for an hour and a half before it began to sink, which was stunning. The book provided an addendum to that, but he didn't really learn anything or care about these characters. Grace didn't read her Jimmy's letters and Maggie didn't read the letters from Seamus. Really?
Letitia: 7 - 6
Grace's character added a certain corny fluff to the story. It was unreal that she didn't read Jimmy's letters. Letitia learned that there really was a woman who left a lifeboat to retrieve a hat, and that the cost of a first class ticket was $100,000 in today's money, which Artie challenged. See for yourself. She thought there were a lot of facts squeezed in about the ship itself, but wanted to know more about the immigrants, and why they were leaving.
Sandy: 4.5 - 4.0
It reminded her a bit of Orphan Train. She could not buy that the letters were found 70 years later. The visuals from the movie helped a lot and she thinks she could have done a better job writing it. Had to check to see if this was targeted for a middle school audience. She wanted to know more about the relatives waiting for word of their relatives fate. Recommended a documentary of James Cameron exploring the Titanic wreckage. I found a bunch, but suspect this is the one she referred to and if not, I'm sure she'll let us know.
Next book: The Missing by Tim Gautreaux
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