As the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic approaches in April 2012, the haunting story of the doomed liner has lost none of its allure. A host of commemorative events are planned for the centenary, and with many Titanic books set to hit the market, the question arises as to how this one will stand out from the others. Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage is a fresh take on this everpopular subject through the prism of the lives of the Titanic's first class passengers - woven into a gripping account of the ship's short life. The ship has often been called a microcosm of the Edwardian era - this has never been more true than it is presented in this book. In other accounts of the Titanic the ship is the protagonist and those on board merely bit part players. Here, its leading characters are moved into the foreground and their stories intertwined with the powerful narrative arc of the doomed voyage. The book probes into the lives of those on board in a way that no other account has done. Here we find some of Britain's and America's leading society figures engaged in illicit homosexual relationships, flaunting extra-marital affairs and openly risking scandal in the ballrooms of the world's most famous ship, oblivious of the disaster that lay in the seas ahead.
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.65
Trade in Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage: The Titanic's First-Class Passengers and Their World for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.65, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Learn more
|
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
"[A]n impressive amount of information, often directly pulling from firsthand accounts. The author vividly renders the collision, the sinking, the chilling wail of unseen swimmers calling from the cold water and the shipwreck's aftermath....a welcome, interesting addition to "Titanic"-related literature."
-"Kirkus Reviews
""Full of delicious details, from champagne flutes to the careless luxe of furs and satin, this is a spell-binding story, fresh, original and totally absorbing."
--Marian Fowler, author of "In a Gilded Cage"
"Focuses on an area of the disaster that has long been overlooked --http://www.amazon.com/Gilded-Lives-Fatal-Voyage-First-Class/dp/0307984702/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337259253&sr=8-1
-"Kirkus Reviews
""Full of delicious details, from champagne flutes to the careless luxe of furs and satin, this is a spell-binding story, fresh, original and totally absorbing."
--Marian Fowler, author of "In a Gilded Cage"
"Focuses on an area of the disaster that has long been overlooked --http://www.amazon.com/Gilded-Lives-Fatal-Voyage-First-Class/dp/0307984702/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337259253&sr=8-1
About the Author
Hugh Brewster has had twenty-five years of experience with the story of the Titanic and has edited, compiled or written fifteen books about the great liner. Not since Walter Lord's classic A Night to Remember, have I been so captivated by a book on the fabled Titanic. This book focuses on the first class passengers and their lives prior to and after the disaster. Sort of Downton Abbey meets the Titanic - Goodreads
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
To write a book of this scope, an author also needs to be a detective and a historian as well. Hugh Brewster skillfully pulls back the Victorian curtain and reveals the private lives of the Titanic passengers the reader thought they knew. Most Titanic books focus on the present voyage, but the author takes us back to their beginnings and what brought them to the Titanic.
We read about Lady Lucile and her encounters with Lillie Langtry and Oscar Wilde; Artist Frank Millet's struggle with his sexuality; Clinch Smith and his unhappy marriage; The sweet courtship of Henry and Rene Harris where she called him 'Mr. Freshy'; And so on...
The author weaves these back stories into the voyage as the Titanic moves toward its destiny with an iceberg. Newly uncovered details enhance the day-by-day crossing and the make the final few hours for some, more heartbreaking.
Having finished the book, readers like myself feel like they have learned something new on the subject, which is the mark of a great author. This is definitely one of the top three Titanic books you should own.
We read about Lady Lucile and her encounters with Lillie Langtry and Oscar Wilde; Artist Frank Millet's struggle with his sexuality; Clinch Smith and his unhappy marriage; The sweet courtship of Henry and Rene Harris where she called him 'Mr. Freshy'; And so on...
The author weaves these back stories into the voyage as the Titanic moves toward its destiny with an iceberg. Newly uncovered details enhance the day-by-day crossing and the make the final few hours for some, more heartbreaking.
Having finished the book, readers like myself feel like they have learned something new on the subject, which is the mark of a great author. This is definitely one of the top three Titanic books you should own.
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Biography > Historical > 1901 Onwards
- Books > Biography > Historical > United States > Military
- Books > Biography > Political > United States
- Books > History
- Books > Travel & Holiday > Speciality Travel > Cruises
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
