Women and Children First [Kindle Edition]

This is a genuinely fascinating, interesting and emotion-wrenching book. It is based around the lives of key people who were on board the Titanic when it sank, based on fact, but reproduced as fiction. We learn about and grow to love upper- and lower-class passengers in the lead-up to the disaster, but, most of all, we become intimate with Reg, a steward who has a host of dreams for his future and risks it all. This book provides a wealth of detail about the Titanic itself, including what life was really like on board, and the sinking itself had me reaching for the tissues just two paragraphs in. Most importantly, however, it focuses on what happens to our characters after the sinking. Suffering from what we might today call post-traumatic stress disorder, they move forward into their new lives with a weight on their shoulders and a tragedy perpetually on their minds. I won't spoil the story, but the dramatic events that ensue lead up to a crushing climax that is worthy of the very best fiction. The characters in this book are beautifully developed, and their stories are lovingly told. Most importantly, they are believable stories and characters, and their myriad adventures after the sinking give us a real insight into what it must have been like to have witnessed and lost so much. Reg is an endearing central character, and you'll find yourself shouting at him when he gets things wrong, and egging him on when he tries to do what's right. There are love stories, and painful partings; there is suspense, and a thrilling conclusion; most of all, however, there is, at the heart of this book, a very genuine portrayal of grief and, above all, hope. I could not put it down, and would recommend it to anyone.

This is a gripping read from the very first page. Trust me - you won't be able to put it down. Once you get started kids will go unfed and emails unanswered.

I'm a bit of a Titanorac myself and can vouch that the research is spot on. Descriptions are well researched, but without intruding on the story. If you're not a Titanic expert, it's a good way to learn more about it.

I like the fact that the central character, Reg, is a crew member because this is a story that is not often told, and it's interesting to get his 'behind the scenes' look at the workings of the ship. What eventually happens to him is shocking and you really do share his journey.

You also view events through the eyes of two other characters as well - a lady in first class, and an Irish woman travelling with four children in third, so it shows how the different strata lived on the ship, and also how that affected how they reacted to and were treated during the disaster. It then follows them to show how they coped with what they've been through, with what nowadays might be labelled as post-traumatic stress, but which in those days you just kept to yourself, but which would nevertheless come out in other ways. This is what the book goes on to explore and is its great strength.

It's a top-notch story, compellingly told, and I'd recommend it to anyone. You in fact.

This book is the best book I've read so far this year. It was so interesting and historically accurate, and the four different characters in the book kept the pace of the book quick. I got if for 99p on Kindle, such a bargain!

I don't usually write reviews, but felt compelled to say how much I enjoyed this brilliant book. Although the sinking of the ship is obviously an essential element, the author has gone much further and taken us deep into the lives of the survivors. The world she creates is as spellbinding as it is thought provoking. I fell for the main character, Reg, very early on. There is plenty of mystery and intrigue going on right from the start, making it hard to stop turning the page. The world and characters Gill Paul has created from her imagination and in-depth research is totally absorbing and powerfully emotional. This could be the best book you read this year.

In a market awash with "Titanic" novels this book focuses on a new angle by exploring the aftermath of the tragedy and it's impact on a number of survivors. An intelligent and moving story,well written ,compelling and thought provoking. Well worth a read.

What a wonderful book! I loved it and was so disappointed when I finished it.
This is a story which concentrates not only on the tragic voyage of the Titanic but also on the aftermath, and how the sinking affected its survivors' lives.
The main character is Reg, a young steward on the doomed ship. He is a charming warm hearted young man, there is also an unmarried but pregnant titled young lady named Juliette, desperate to find herself a husband so aws to escape her scandalous situation. An Irish passenger, Annie, travels with her children to join her husband in New York, and a wealthy American millionaire and his wife are amongst the passengers.
Once Titanic sinks, and this is obviously a harrowing part of the book, we discover how the survivors' lives develop following such a terrible tragedy. The characters in the main, are sympathetic and likeable with one or two deliberate exceptions, and the reader really cares what happens to them. The bulk of the book is actually set in New York after the events at sea and much is made of the class divide which existed in these times.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the author's next one.