A Story of Hope and Tragedy: The Girl on the Carpathia and the Titanic

Harper: I really enjoyed this book because the ship is fascinating history. Well written novel.

United States on Nov 02, 2023

Dmay2: This was such a good read. I wondered how much of the book was real life stuff and what parts were fiction. The sinking of the Titanic was a terrible, terrible event. I’d like to read up on this disaster to see what was real.

Update. At the end of the book the author does tell who was fact and what was fiction. I appreciate that.

United States on Sep 26, 2023

Debra Williams: This is an outstanding novel. I switched on the text-to-speech function on my laptop Kindle app and listened each day as I sat working at my desk. I was engaged from the outset with Kate Royston’s, and ultimately, the Titanic’s, story. An intriguing mix of historical fact and fiction, with the addition of a little romance, is a winning formula. Throw in a rescued dog character who becomes an integral part of the tale, an irascible wealthy old lady and an aspiring presidential U.S. senator and everything works. The protagonist is likeable, and as her fortunes rise and fall with her journey of escape and assistance, I found myself willing her to a happy ending. So glad, because she had it, although it was not the same for other characters in the story. The author has a list of created fictional characters and real-life people involved in the story of the Titanic’s aftermath and enquiry. She also includes what happened to each of the real people involved later in their lives. Absorbing reading.

Australia on Jun 09, 2023

toby: Fans of the Titanic disaster should read this novel to gain a deeper knowledge of how the rescue efforts were so unresponsive to the ship's urgent marcronigrams, save for one ship : the Carpathia. Fictional & historic details keep one's attention focused on the combination of errors that led to this maritime disaster which led to the loss of 1500 people.

Canada on May 05, 2023

BLU: The sinking of the "unsinkable" Titanic back in 1912 remains a topic of fascination. This was an interesting take on the story, told from the viewpoint of people who actually weren't on the ship, but either on the rescue ship Carpathia (hence the title) or were involved in the hearings after the sinking. I enjoyed the writer's style and her mixing of real people with fictional characters. I did wonder if there were really stirrings of war (WW1) more than two years before it actually broke out, though...

Will be reading this author's other book in the series, The Girl in the Lifeboat (I think that's the name of it...)

United States on Jan 30, 2023

Seraphina Moon Pekkala: The sinking of the Titanic is the central theme of this book.
It tells the story of how the Americans tried to blame Bruce Ismay for the disaster. Plus the story of Kate Royston who was a passenger on the Carpathia.
The book was easy to read and used all of the readily available information on the Titanic sinking as a base.
Worth a read.

United Kingdom on Dec 01, 2022

Marion Marchetto, author: If you enjoy all things Titanic, you will be enthralled by this book. We meet Kate Royston, a governess to a family sailing aboard the Titanic, who has a secret past she is running away from. The author skillfully reveals Kate’s past slowly over the course of the story. The other main character is Senator William Alden Smith, whose ambitions drive him to lead the Senate inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic. But his time is limited as the British crew, and Sir Bruce Ismay, are determined not to set foot on American soil. Secondary characters Sheriff Joe Bayliss and his unrequited love for Kate as well a Danny McSorley, a Marconi operator on his way to his new post at Cape Race, Newfoundland, give roundness to the story. A host of supporting characters, some fictitious but mostly true survivors of the Titanic, populate the behind the scenes story that the public so often forgets. Lest those romantics among us look askance at the story, let me assure you that there is indeed a romance brewing amongst the characters but you’ll need to read the story to find out the outcome of that triangle.

This reader was truly impressed by the vast research, so richly detailed, that...

United States on Oct 25, 2022

BDing: Read this on holiday and some of the facts were quite eye opening. Some things that I personally would not have thought of - those poor people in Class3 didn’t stand much of a chance sadly. Good story line too

United Kingdom on Jun 18, 2022

Captain ET: The sinking of the RMS Titanic has fascinated me my entire life. This book has a slightly different viewpoint, that of a young passenger on the RMS Carpathia, the ship that rescued the surviving passengers and crew on the Titanic. There's a very fine portrayal of Captain Arthur Rostrun, master of Carpathia and how he orchestrated the rescue effort. The book is well-researched. I have two quibbles. The first regards the ship's doctor. This was Doctor Frank McGee, not Arpad Lengyel although Dr. Lengyel was indeed a physician on the Carpathia as well. There were actually three doctors on board. However, Sir J. Bruce Ismay, rescued from the Titantic, secluded himself in Dr. McGee's cabin, at least according to my research. This quibble results from the confusion over the three physicians aboard the Carpathia. The second quibble is regarding a conversation that Senator Smith had while touring the RMS Olympic. He meets with a stoker, a survivor of the Titanic. The stoker recounts that the bridge wanted more speed, so they "started the last engine." This was a possible editing mistake; all three engines were running. What was meant to be written is that "they lit off the last boiler" to...

United States on Apr 13, 2022

Kindle Customer: Kate Royston is working as a governess to a family sailing on the Carpathia , having left her old life behind, when she is drawn into an unfolding tragedy. Out on deck, taking the air when she sees a young man who is worrying about a message he had received while on duty in the radio room. Having read what had been sent and officers on the bridge disbelief and denial. Encouraging him to report the message to the captain, who immediately issued instructions.

Changing course, the Carpathia reacts to the signal. Kate assists in preparations for what is to come. With reports from other vessels also heading to help the supposedly unsinkable ship Titanic.

From the moment, survivors are recovered and possible evidence collected, the actions of those involved are investigated. Intrusive reporters eager to get a scoop by any means. Questions arise over the actions of Titanic's crew and the small numbers of survivors, mostly the wealthier passengers. Add concerns about the Americans aboard who perished, along with the many immigrants looking to make new lives. A President waiting to hear from the representative he had sent to gather information and a determined senator seeking...

United Kingdom on Jun 04, 2021