This book looks not just at the Titanic, but picks out a few of the survivors to follow after the ship sank. Of course, it also backs up to include biographical information on these people from before the Titanic, as well as where they were and what happened with each of them the night the ship sank.

This was a bit of a different look at the story of the Titanic. I quite liked it! Some of the stories were of first class passengers I knew a bit about or at least remember hearing their names (Madeleine Astor, John Jacob Astor’s young, new, pregnant wife; Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon and his wife, Lady Duff Gordon); also J. Bruce Ismay, a White Star official. Many of the stories were people I hadn’t heard about before. Probably the one I’ll remember best is Jack Thayer, 17 years old and was going down with the ship when he jumped, managed to clear the ship, and be rescued. Dorothy Gibson was a silent screen actress on the Titanic who made it out. There were two little boys who were on the ship with their father; he got them in a lifeboat and they never saw him again… turns out the father had kidnapped them from their mother in France!

Ismay, of course, was on trial after the Titanic sunk. The Duff Gordons were, as well, it being alleged that they bribed the rowers of their lifeboat to not go back to see if they could help anyone. Madeleine Astor married and divorced two more times (though remarrying caused her to lose all wealth left to her by John Jacob). A number of people committed suicide (not necessarily right away) and many just wouldn’t talk of the Titanic afterward. ( )

Extremely interesting stories of what happened to survivors of the Titanic. There were a handful of suicides, some became obsessive about it, and some had normal lives. Totally worth reading. ( )

Riipaiseva teos siitä, millaista selviytyjien elämä oli Titanicin onnettomuuden jälkeen. Vaikka eri luokkien menehtymisprosentit puhuvat puolestaan, ottaa Shadow of the Titanic myös kantaa siihen mitkä syyt saattoivat johtaa merkittäviin eroihin luokkien välisten prosenttien välillä. Kaiken kaikkiaan erittäin mielenkiintoinen ja kattava kuvaus katastrofin seurauksista eri luokkien ja sukupuolien välillä. ( )

An incredible collection of survivor stories that have been blended with biographical research into an addictive and highly readable tale of what happened to those who survived the sinking of the Titanic. Andrew Wilson has taken the stories of the survivors that we know and thoroughly details inconsistencies, realities, and the motivations/reasons of the survivors. Some of these stories are beyond tragic while others provide hope in the determination to survive and live life for those who had perished so tragically that April night in 1912. This is a book that will fill in the blank left in Titanic history of what happened to the survivors after they stepped off the Carpathia and onto the pier in New York City. It will captivate all readers with its interwoven stories. ( )

Thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating, but I did get the impression that a couple of chapters were padded out. Nevertheless it's a great book. ( )