Surviving Savannah
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Average rating3.5
"An atmospheric, compelling story of survival, tragedy, the enduring power of myth and memory, and the moments that change one's life." --Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Four Winds "[An] enthralling and emotional tale...A story about strength and fate."--Woman's World “An epic novel that explores the metal of human spirit in crisis. It is an expertly told, fascinating story that runs fathoms deep on multiple levels.”—New York Journal of Books It was called "The Titanic of the South." The luxury steamship sank in 1838 with Savannah's elite on board; through time, their fates were forgotten--until the wreck was found, and now their story is finally being told in this breathtaking novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis. When Savannah history professor Everly Winthrop is asked to guest-curate a new museum collection focusing on artifacts recovered from the steamship Pulaski, she's shocked. The ship sank after a boiler explosion in 1838, and the wreckage was just discovered, 180 years later. Everly can't resist the opportunity to try to solve some of the mysteries and myths surrounding the devastating night of its sinking. Everly's research leads her to the astounding history of a family of eleven who boarded the Pulaski together, and the extraordinary stories of two women from this family: a known survivor, Augusta Longstreet, and her niece, Lilly Forsyth, who was never found, along with her child. These aristocratic women were part of Savannah's society, but when the ship exploded, each was faced with difficult and heartbreaking decisions. This is a moving and powerful exploration of what women will do to endure in the face of tragedy, the role fate plays, and the myriad ways we survive the surviving.
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Historical fiction. Sailing ship Pulaski with +175 passengers enroute to Baltimore from Savannah exploded in 1838, killing hundreds. Less than 70 survived clinging to rafts and lifeboats over a period of several days. As author began writing book, actual ship was located a mile under the ocean and used that uncovering to add to the realism of her book. She was granted free access to the discovered items. A good story that alternated POVs with current day curator of museum and the different survivors as they struggled to live.
In 1838 a ship named the Steamship Pulaski blew up in the middle of the night and sank to the bottom of the ocean off the coast of North Carolina carrying many prominent members of Savannah Society with it. The author was beginning to write a story around this ship and the people who survived when the shipwreck was discovered. The author was able to use the artifacts discovered and the stories they led to in the novel, and even provides an extensive book club kit on her website to enhance the reader experience.
The novel is a well-written dual timeline and is crafted in a way that the themes of grief, survival, slavery and family are woven between the characters in both times. There is an intriguing part of the story where one character disappeared after surviving, and we find out what happened to them at the end. One of the points that is made in different ways is how different people deal with grief and when they are faced with life-altering circumstances. This is something that will stay with me, both in how “Some people didn't die and some people lived”, and how everything important and unimportant becomes clear when faced with tragedy.
This would make a wonderful book club book. I was able to read an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, and ended up purchasing a copy for a book club discussion afterwards.
The history behind this book is fascinating. It's fun learning about the Pulaski shipwreck, as well as the expedition uncovering it, and the history of Savannah.
That said, I wasn't a fan of the writing. The chapters set in the past, written in third person, were far better than the chapters in present day, written in first person. And there was altogether too much telling and not enough showing. I consider myself to be of reasonable intelligence and can gather things for myself without having them explained to me.
Not to mention, some of the language in the present day chapters is too sentimental and ethereal for my taste. For example:
“What really mattered? Minutes or years passed as I searched for the answer. Finally my heart called out: everything. Everything matters. ... There existed a great life force, a presence that could only be called love. Alongside me, inside me, around me, I sensed the waves of something larger than the ocean itself. Love, where I would eventually go. ... It was unseen and it held everything together. I was in it and I was of it.”
I prefer more straight-forward writing and I think prose and moralizing need to be earned. So overall the novel was only okay for me. I did enjoy reading the author's note and learning about the history though.
