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Beverly R. (Fullerton, CA)
The Midnight Watch by David Dyer
Of the many books I have read over the years about the Titanic, this is one of the most outstanding. Alternate chapters tell of the SS Californian and a journalist famous for writing about the tragic dead. Well-written, impeccably researched, this is historical fiction at its best.
Katherine D. (Rochester, NY)
The Midnight Watch
The Titanic, a new super liner was meant to be an example of the finest technology of the early twentieth century. Its unsurpassed luxury along with the technology which made it unsinkable, made it a worldwide cause celebre.
More than a Century later, we are still left to wonder how this ship could have sunk on its maiden voyage in April 1912.
There were other ships in the area where the liner hit the iceberg, notably the Californian and the Carpathian. We are on the Californian observing the lack of interest in the distress flares, which their Captain Lord dismisses as "company lights". Throughout this tightly told story, the reader is helplessly hanging on gripped by "what ifs" and "if onlys" as the tragedy unfolds. We are aware that the Carpathian did manage to save many lives, while the Californian remained in place.
Dyer, through the Boston Journalist, Steadman, places this story in an historical context. The reader gets the backstory as he later interviews survivors, and bystanders as well as people who are well acquainted with the shipping industry. We also get a very close take of the tragedy from one of the young passengers in 3rd class steerage. There we learn that the number of boats available to accommodate the number of people on board would never have been adequate.
Any emergency would have required the quick response of whatever ships were within hailing distance, in this case whoever could have spotted the emergency rockets which were being launched.
One might think the Titanic story has been too often told. For many years there have been rumors that it was a conspiracy. This reader found that filling in the missing pieces of the story should be an ongoing study as long as it is based on fact rather than wild speculation. Sometimes the simpler answer is better, and human error or frailty can upset the most carefully constructed plans.
Erica M. (Chicago, IL)
A story that hit close to home
I have a family history with the Titanic. My grandmother was supposed to have come to America on the Titanic, but her father, having forgotten that his sons had become adults while he worked in America to earn their passage, did not send enough money. They literally missed the boat. By the time my grandmother and her mother and siblings came to America, the tragedy of the Titanic was known and a different route was taken. Obviously, with a background like that, I not only read The Midnight Watch for the story it told, but the story that could have been my family's. I was fascinated by the idea that such a very small sliver of time could be the subject of a full-length novel. But Dyer did a fabulous job of investigating and portraying the facts around the failure of the closest ship to the Titanic to rush to her aid and giving his characters depth and dignity. And he did so without just stretching out the facts so that he could make a novel of an appropriate length. I cried repeatedly at the loss of life, the insignificance placed on the lives third class passengers (where my family would have been) and the opportunity missed. This was an insightful, provocative and well-written novel.
Barbara B. (Holbrook, NY)
the midnight watch by David Dyer
Wow, what a novel. You know the expression woulda, coulda, shoulda is best applied to this story. I have alway been fascinated by tales of shipwrecks and especially the well known Titanic. This is both an entertaining and shocking story. It is a must read and again I thank BookBrowse for the opportunity to read this book ahead of time.
Dorothy C. (Bismarck, ND)
The Midnight Watch
What an excellent book. I had not read anything about another ship in the area where the Titanic sank, other then the Carpathia. I can not imagine what was going through the mind of Captain Lord as the information was given to him about the rockets that were fired. The book was such a easy read for me. In reading the last part titled Eight White Rockets you could feel sorrow for both the Sage family and for Herbert Stone. I will tell my reader friends about this book as it is one of the better books I have read.
Lauren T. (Orlando, FL)
The midnight watch by David Dyer
The midnight watch is a well-written historical novel that isn't just a rehashing of the story of the sinking of the Titanic. Rather than focusing on the doomed ship, its passengers and crew, David Dyer looks at this familiar catastrophe from the point of view of those aboard the SS Californian, a ship that was close enough to see the Titanic's distress flares and Morse signals, yet did not go to her aid.
Through the eyes of a reporter looking for a new angle and a look at that fateful night as seen from the Californian, we imagine what may have happened to keep the ship from trying to save the more than 1500 people who died, most of whom were poor third class passengers. The addition of details about the reporter's life and a look at what the disaster may have been like for a family in steerage aboard the Titanic add verisimilitude to the story.
The Midnight Watch is an entertaining and enlightening read. I look forward to more from this author.
Carole P. (Framingham, MA)
The Midnight Watch
The Midnight Watch tells the story of the SS Californian, the ship that watched the Titanic sinking and did nothing. A fictional retelling. That is important to remember. It is author David Dyer's interpretation of those events. His research and background add some substance to his work. Still it is fiction. Which was good, because by the end of the book I wanted to track down and punish the crew and officers of the Californian. I was upset reading it, could not stop thinking about it and had to force myself to finish it. Not because it was a bad novel but because Dyer made it so real. We all know the tragedy of the Titanic. To think that help was so near, but never came due to a lack of concern, curiosity or responsibility.
This is not a complex read. It is not filled with details or fleshed out characters. However, it is a compelling read. I am happy to have received a copy from Bookbrowse.
Amy W. (Annapolis, MD)
Must Read for anyone interested in the Titanic
If you are interested in the sinking of the Titanic then this is a great book to read. This book is the story of the Californian as reported by a journalist investigating the tragedy of the Titanic. The reader experiences the sinking of the Titanic from the perspective of the crew of the Californian. The book is throughly researched as the author was allowed access to court documents from the official inquiry. I found the book to be fascinating and tragic - even though I knew how the story ended- I kept hoping it the Californian would come to the aid of the Titanic. The book kept me engaged through the very last line.
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