• Literary Speaking •
vBy Hazel Gaynor
Ireland, 1912...Fourteen members of a small village set sail
on the RMS Titanic, hoping to find a better life in America. For
seventeen-year-old Maggie Murphy, the journey is bittersweet.
Though her future lies in an unknown new place, her heart
remains in Ireland with the sweetheart she left behind. Maggie
is traveling with her aunt Kathleen who lives in America but
returned to Ireland when her sister, Maggie’s mother, died,
leaving Maggie without parents and alone. When disaster strikes,
Maggie is one of the few passengers in steerage to survive.
Waking up alone in a New York hospital, she vows never to speak
of the terror and panic of that fateful night again.
Chicago, 1982...Adrift after the death of her father, Grace
Butler struggles to decide what comes next. When her greatgrandmother Maggie shares the painful secret about the
Titanic that she’s harbored for almost a lifetime, the revelation
gives Grace new direction and leads both her and Maggie to
unexpected reunions with those they thought lost long ago.
So often when we hear of tragedies that happen to people
we don’t know, we feel compassion for them, but the incident
soon slips from our minds. We seldom acknowledge that those
affected must find a way to continue to live, perhaps without
loved ones, a home, or even a community.
This book, inspired by true events, blends fact and fiction as it
explores the Titanic tragedy’s impact and its lasting repercussions
on survivors and their descendents.
Gaynor does a wonderful job of paralleling the story of this
historic tragedy with the contemporary struggle of a young
woman who is facing her own tragedy, the loss of her father.
When her father dies, Grace gives up her college education
to stay home with her grieving mother. She also gives up the
career-building opportunity of being published in a national
newspaper and the young man she loves.
If this book has flaws, it might be that it is fairly predictable
and sometimes there was repetition in descriptions. However,
the fact that we already know the Titanic’s history does not
detract from the book. For me, it kept me more engaged. This is
Gaynor’s first book, and I look forward to her next.
If you are looking for a comforting, historically based, easy
read that will take you through a cold, snowy day, you will enjoy
this book. It could easily be read in one long afternoon.
vReviewed By Kathy Wibbels,
Director Yanklton Community Library
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16vHERVOICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015