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Sisters of Fortune
Based on the true story of the Fortune sisters, three young women each at a crossroads when they boarded the RMS Titanic in the spring of 1912 – and how that fateful maiden voyage would change their lives in profound and unexpected ways.
USA Today bestselling author Anna Lee Huber expertly weaves real historical figures and anecdotes into this vivid, emotionally powerful, surprising novel about the longing for independence and love—and the events that can irrevocably change even the best laid plans . . .
April,1912: It’s the perfect finale to a Grand Tour of Europe—sailing home on the largest, most luxurious ocean liner ever built. For the Fortune sisters, the voyage offers a chance to reflect on the treasures of the past they’ve seen—magnificent castles and museums in Italy and France, the ruins of Greece and the Middle East—and contemplate the futures that await them.
For Alice, there’s foreboding mixed with her excitement. A fortune teller in Egypt gave her a dire warning about traveling at sea. And the freedom she has enjoyed on her travels contrasts with her fiancé’s plans for her return—a cossetted existence she’s no longer sure she wants.
Flora is also returning to a fiancé, a well-to-do banker of whom her parents heartily approve, as befits their most dutiful daughter. Yet the closer the wedding looms, the less sure Flora feels. Another man—charming, exasperating, completely unsuitable—occupies her thoughts, daring her to follow her own desires rather than settling for the wishes of others.
Youngest sister Mabel knows her parents arranged this Grand Tour to separate her from a jazz musician. But the secret truth is that Helen has little interest in marrying at all, preferring to explore ideas of suffrage and reform—even if it forces a rift with her family.
Each sister grapples with the choices before her as the grand vessel glides through the Atlantic waters. Until, on an infamous night, fate intervenes, forever altering their lives . . .
USA Today bestselling author Anna Lee Huber expertly weaves real historical figures and anecdotes into this vivid, emotionally powerful, surprising novel about the longing for independence and love—and the events that can irrevocably change even the best laid plans . . .
April,1912: It’s the perfect finale to a Grand Tour of Europe—sailing home on the largest, most luxurious ocean liner ever built. For the Fortune sisters, the voyage offers a chance to reflect on the treasures of the past they’ve seen—magnificent castles and museums in Italy and France, the ruins of Greece and the Middle East—and contemplate the futures that await them.
For Alice, there’s foreboding mixed with her excitement. A fortune teller in Egypt gave her a dire warning about traveling at sea. And the freedom she has enjoyed on her travels contrasts with her fiancé’s plans for her return—a cossetted existence she’s no longer sure she wants.
Flora is also returning to a fiancé, a well-to-do banker of whom her parents heartily approve, as befits their most dutiful daughter. Yet the closer the wedding looms, the less sure Flora feels. Another man—charming, exasperating, completely unsuitable—occupies her thoughts, daring her to follow her own desires rather than settling for the wishes of others.
Youngest sister Mabel knows her parents arranged this Grand Tour to separate her from a jazz musician. But the secret truth is that Helen has little interest in marrying at all, preferring to explore ideas of suffrage and reform—even if it forces a rift with her family.
Each sister grapples with the choices before her as the grand vessel glides through the Atlantic waters. Until, on an infamous night, fate intervenes, forever altering their lives . . .
416 pages, Paperback
First published February 20, 2024
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About the author
Anna Lee Huber
27 books3,630 followersAnna Lee Huber is the USA Today bestselling and Daphne award-winning author of the Lady Darby Mysteries, the Verity Kent Mysteries, the Gothic Myths series, as well as Sisters of Fortune: A Novel of the Titanic and the anthology The Deadly Hours. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she majored in music and minored in psychology. She currently resides in Indiana with her family and is hard at work on her next novel. Visit her online at www.annaleehuber.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 885 reviews
August 28, 2024
EXCERPT: William remarked again on the stifling weather, but Alice spared him only half her attention, the rest of it being drawn to a little man wearing a maroon fez who stood on the opposite side of the balustrade, speaking to the couple. Whatever he had to say, the smartly dressed man didn't want to hear it, for he turned resolutely away, assisting the woman into the vehicle.
The blast of a lorry horn distracted her momentarily as she turned to see a donkey cart driver raise his arm and holler in response, but when she looked back, she discovered the little man was now staring rather intently at her. A tiny smile played across his mouth, and he reached through the wrought iron railing to gesture to her. At first, she wondered if he was another one of the street vendors she periodically heard cry out, offering up their wares to passersby, but he clutched nothing in his hands, nor would such a peddler been permitted to display his goods so close to the hotel entrance.
'Now, what do you think he wants?' she observed offhandedly.
William followed the direction of her gaze toward the man who beckoned again. 'Why, to tell you your fortune, of course. Have you never had it done?'
'No, but . . .' She wasn't certain her mother and father would approve, but, after all, they were on this grand tour to experience other cultures ad continents. 'Oh . . . what could be the harm?'
'I will go fetch him for you,' William said with a smile.
Alice brushed her hands over her cornflower blue skirts, smoothing out the wrinkles but careful not to dislodge her gloves where they were draped over her lap, and adjusted her wide-brimmed straw picture hat, suddenly nervous as well as excited.
The Egyptian soothsayer's dark skin was creased with wrinkles and his clothes were soiled with dust, but his eyes gleamed with warmth and almost merriment. He bowed politely to her before speaking in a melodic, accented voice. 'Does the young lady wish me to read her palm?'
She offered him her hand, watching with great interest as he turned it over to examine it, tracing the lines with his short fingers. William adjusted his grey linen suit jacket and settled back into his chair, offering her a wink.
'You are in danger every time you travel on the sea.'
Alice's eyes snapped back to the fortune teller, noting that much of the man's good humor had faded from his weathered features.
'I see you adrift on the ocean in an open boat,' he continued, almost as if speaking to her from a distance. 'You will lose everything but your life. You will be saved but others will be lost.'
ABOUT 'SISTERS OF FORTUNE': April,1912: It’s the perfect finale to a Grand Tour of Europe—sailing home on the largest, most luxurious ocean liner ever built. For the Fortune sisters, the voyage offers a chance to reflect on the treasures of the past they’ve seen—magnificent castles and museums in Italy and France, the ruins of Greece and the Middle East—and contemplate the futures that await them.
For Alice, there’s foreboding mixed with her excitement. A fortune teller in Egypt gave her a dire warning about traveling at sea. And the freedom she has enjoyed on her travels contrasts with her fiancé’s plans for her return—a cossetted existence she’s no longer sure she wants.
Flora is also returning to a fiancé, a well-to-do banker of whom her parents heartily approve, as befits their most dutiful daughter. Yet the closer the wedding looms, the less sure Flora feels. Another man—charming, exasperating, completely unsuitable—occupies her thoughts, daring her to follow her own desires rather than settling for the wishes of others.
Youngest sister Mabel knows her parents arranged this Grand Tour to separate her from a jazz musician. But the secret truth is that Mabel has little interest in marrying at all, preferring to explore ideas of suffrage and reform—even if it forces a rift with her family.
Each sister grapples with the choices before her as the grand vessel glides through the Atlantic waters. Until, on an infamous night, fate intervenes, forever altering their lives . . .
MY THOUGHTS: Please don't read the author's notes at the end of the book before you read the book itself, else much of what you will read in the novel will be spoiled for you. But definitely do read them after.
A fascinating blend of fact and fiction, Sisters of Fortune held me captivated throughout.
Based on the true story of the Fortune sisters, Anna Lee Huber has created a riveting story of three sisters whose lives are about to change in a way that perhaps only an Egyptian soothsayer could foresee. Three young women who are used to a life of obedience and luxury will have their lives turned upside down as they dare to follow their own desires rather than the wishes of others.
At the centre of this story is a romance, a forbidden one at that, but it is merely a part of this story and not an overwhelming one. More, it is a tale of discovery as each sister grapples with the desire to change to their lives and their family obligations and find new strengths in the face of the greatest adversity imaginable.
It is very much a social commentary about the expectations placed on the children of the wealthy in this era, the need to 'toe the line' to save face or social disgrace. It is interesting to be on the journey with the three sisters as they each grew in different directions but ultimately found themselves to be a more cohesive unit because of it.
I have never been a Titanic 'nut' - Don't get me started on that film! - but Anna Lee Huber has awakened a new curiosity within me, and now I need to know more.
An extremely absorbing and satisfying read where the author has captured the sights, sounds, fashions, class distinction and minutiae of shipboard life perfectly.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.1
#SistersofFortune #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: Anna is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She currently lives in Indiana with her husband and two young daughters. When not hard at work on her next novel, she enjoys reading, singing, travel, and spending time with her family and friends. She also directs the children’s choir and sings with the worship team at her church.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Kensington Books via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
The blast of a lorry horn distracted her momentarily as she turned to see a donkey cart driver raise his arm and holler in response, but when she looked back, she discovered the little man was now staring rather intently at her. A tiny smile played across his mouth, and he reached through the wrought iron railing to gesture to her. At first, she wondered if he was another one of the street vendors she periodically heard cry out, offering up their wares to passersby, but he clutched nothing in his hands, nor would such a peddler been permitted to display his goods so close to the hotel entrance.
'Now, what do you think he wants?' she observed offhandedly.
William followed the direction of her gaze toward the man who beckoned again. 'Why, to tell you your fortune, of course. Have you never had it done?'
'No, but . . .' She wasn't certain her mother and father would approve, but, after all, they were on this grand tour to experience other cultures ad continents. 'Oh . . . what could be the harm?'
'I will go fetch him for you,' William said with a smile.
Alice brushed her hands over her cornflower blue skirts, smoothing out the wrinkles but careful not to dislodge her gloves where they were draped over her lap, and adjusted her wide-brimmed straw picture hat, suddenly nervous as well as excited.
The Egyptian soothsayer's dark skin was creased with wrinkles and his clothes were soiled with dust, but his eyes gleamed with warmth and almost merriment. He bowed politely to her before speaking in a melodic, accented voice. 'Does the young lady wish me to read her palm?'
She offered him her hand, watching with great interest as he turned it over to examine it, tracing the lines with his short fingers. William adjusted his grey linen suit jacket and settled back into his chair, offering her a wink.
'You are in danger every time you travel on the sea.'
Alice's eyes snapped back to the fortune teller, noting that much of the man's good humor had faded from his weathered features.
'I see you adrift on the ocean in an open boat,' he continued, almost as if speaking to her from a distance. 'You will lose everything but your life. You will be saved but others will be lost.'
ABOUT 'SISTERS OF FORTUNE': April,1912: It’s the perfect finale to a Grand Tour of Europe—sailing home on the largest, most luxurious ocean liner ever built. For the Fortune sisters, the voyage offers a chance to reflect on the treasures of the past they’ve seen—magnificent castles and museums in Italy and France, the ruins of Greece and the Middle East—and contemplate the futures that await them.
For Alice, there’s foreboding mixed with her excitement. A fortune teller in Egypt gave her a dire warning about traveling at sea. And the freedom she has enjoyed on her travels contrasts with her fiancé’s plans for her return—a cossetted existence she’s no longer sure she wants.
Flora is also returning to a fiancé, a well-to-do banker of whom her parents heartily approve, as befits their most dutiful daughter. Yet the closer the wedding looms, the less sure Flora feels. Another man—charming, exasperating, completely unsuitable—occupies her thoughts, daring her to follow her own desires rather than settling for the wishes of others.
Youngest sister Mabel knows her parents arranged this Grand Tour to separate her from a jazz musician. But the secret truth is that Mabel has little interest in marrying at all, preferring to explore ideas of suffrage and reform—even if it forces a rift with her family.
Each sister grapples with the choices before her as the grand vessel glides through the Atlantic waters. Until, on an infamous night, fate intervenes, forever altering their lives . . .
MY THOUGHTS: Please don't read the author's notes at the end of the book before you read the book itself, else much of what you will read in the novel will be spoiled for you. But definitely do read them after.
A fascinating blend of fact and fiction, Sisters of Fortune held me captivated throughout.
Based on the true story of the Fortune sisters, Anna Lee Huber has created a riveting story of three sisters whose lives are about to change in a way that perhaps only an Egyptian soothsayer could foresee. Three young women who are used to a life of obedience and luxury will have their lives turned upside down as they dare to follow their own desires rather than the wishes of others.
At the centre of this story is a romance, a forbidden one at that, but it is merely a part of this story and not an overwhelming one. More, it is a tale of discovery as each sister grapples with the desire to change to their lives and their family obligations and find new strengths in the face of the greatest adversity imaginable.
It is very much a social commentary about the expectations placed on the children of the wealthy in this era, the need to 'toe the line' to save face or social disgrace. It is interesting to be on the journey with the three sisters as they each grew in different directions but ultimately found themselves to be a more cohesive unit because of it.
I have never been a Titanic 'nut' - Don't get me started on that film! - but Anna Lee Huber has awakened a new curiosity within me, and now I need to know more.
An extremely absorbing and satisfying read where the author has captured the sights, sounds, fashions, class distinction and minutiae of shipboard life perfectly.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.1
#SistersofFortune #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: Anna is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She currently lives in Indiana with her husband and two young daughters. When not hard at work on her next novel, she enjoys reading, singing, travel, and spending time with her family and friends. She also directs the children’s choir and sings with the worship team at her church.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Kensington Books via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
January 24, 2024
Sisters of Fortune is based on three young women who boarded the RMS Titanic on the 10th of April 1912, with their mother, father and younger brother and being passengers on the doomed first voyage. Their father Mark Fortune decided to treat his wife Mary, daughters Alice, Flora, and Mabel and youngest son Charlie to a grand tour, visiting Italy, France, Greece, the Middle East and Egypt.
Alice is both worried and excited about the journey home, she had her palm read by a fortune teller in Cairo and he told her she faced danger every time she travelled by sea and waiting for her in Winnipeg, Canada is her fiancé Holden Allen and she’s confused about her feelings for him.
Flora is engaged to a banker Crawford Campbell, he didn't mind delaying their wedding and she’s only had one letter from him the whole time they have been away. Flora meets tennis player Chester Kingey, he’s handsome and charming and she develops feelings for him and how can she break off her engagement and what will her parents think?
Mabel has fallen in love with a jazz musician, her parents are horrified and her father organised the Grand Tour to get her away from him. Mabel doesn’t really want to settle down, she would like to be a suffragette and go to college and her father's against further education for women.
As we know the Titanic hits an iceberg on the 15th of April 1912, you read about how luxurious the ship was and it was huge, the family has three rooms, a steward to take care of their needs and they ate in the opulent dining room and took the elevator because Mrs. Fortune didn’t want to climb stairs. When you read a story about the Titanic it can be a little predictable, the unsinkable ship and most technological advanced vessel at the time, with it’s sixteen reinforced compartments, it breaks in half and sinks to the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean.
I received a copy of Sisters of Fortune from Kensington Book in exchange for an honest review. Using real and fictional characters Anna Lee Huber writes a narrative that makes you think about the time after the Titanic hits the iceberg, the uncertainty and disbelief the passengers felt, the bravery of the crew and men who stayed aboard. Many of the women had to be dragged away from their male relatives, despite them wanting them to get on a lifeboat and what they witnessed afterwards. On the Carpathia survivors spent their time scanning the ocean hoping more lifeboats would be found, when the word came there was no more and they said the sorrow and sound of grief and loss was something they would never forget or want to experience ever again.
I found the story prior to the sinking of the Titanic a little slow and Ms. Huber ups the pace when she writes about the mighty ocean liner sinking, afterwards and the survivors arriving in New York, with so much empathy and I felt more of a connection to the characters and four stars from me.
Alice is both worried and excited about the journey home, she had her palm read by a fortune teller in Cairo and he told her she faced danger every time she travelled by sea and waiting for her in Winnipeg, Canada is her fiancé Holden Allen and she’s confused about her feelings for him.
Flora is engaged to a banker Crawford Campbell, he didn't mind delaying their wedding and she’s only had one letter from him the whole time they have been away. Flora meets tennis player Chester Kingey, he’s handsome and charming and she develops feelings for him and how can she break off her engagement and what will her parents think?
Mabel has fallen in love with a jazz musician, her parents are horrified and her father organised the Grand Tour to get her away from him. Mabel doesn’t really want to settle down, she would like to be a suffragette and go to college and her father's against further education for women.
As we know the Titanic hits an iceberg on the 15th of April 1912, you read about how luxurious the ship was and it was huge, the family has three rooms, a steward to take care of their needs and they ate in the opulent dining room and took the elevator because Mrs. Fortune didn’t want to climb stairs. When you read a story about the Titanic it can be a little predictable, the unsinkable ship and most technological advanced vessel at the time, with it’s sixteen reinforced compartments, it breaks in half and sinks to the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean.
I received a copy of Sisters of Fortune from Kensington Book in exchange for an honest review. Using real and fictional characters Anna Lee Huber writes a narrative that makes you think about the time after the Titanic hits the iceberg, the uncertainty and disbelief the passengers felt, the bravery of the crew and men who stayed aboard. Many of the women had to be dragged away from their male relatives, despite them wanting them to get on a lifeboat and what they witnessed afterwards. On the Carpathia survivors spent their time scanning the ocean hoping more lifeboats would be found, when the word came there was no more and they said the sorrow and sound of grief and loss was something they would never forget or want to experience ever again.
I found the story prior to the sinking of the Titanic a little slow and Ms. Huber ups the pace when she writes about the mighty ocean liner sinking, afterwards and the survivors arriving in New York, with so much empathy and I felt more of a connection to the characters and four stars from me.
April 10, 2024
This is a well-written, entertaining, thoroughly researched, historical fiction novel which is inspired by actual persons, and is based on actual events. It has likable female protagonists, vividly described settings, romance, tragedy, resilience, and hope. The author's notes are interesting and informative, and are truly appreciated. I listened to the audio book, and the narrator, Ms. Emily Sutton-Smith, has a lovely voice and does an excellent job portraying the characters and their personalities. Many thanks to the Kensington Books Between the Chapters book club, of which I am a member, for the following link which lists the historical figures who are depicted in the novel. https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/betwe...
February 20, 2024
I have been fascinated by the Titanic all my life and I've read lots of books about it and novels based on it. I was drawn to this book by the story of the three Fortune sisters. They and their brother Charlie are travelling with their parents on a world trip. As a surprise, their father has booked them passage home on the Titanic on her maiden voyage.
The sisters each have secrets and are using this trip to try to solve some of them. Each has their own agenda. Their father is a self made man and he and their mother think they know what's best for the girls and expect them to fall into line with their wishes as did most parents of this era.
The description of the Titanic itself is very well done and there's quite a lot about the food they eat and the clothes the people are wearing. The names of the real, wealthy people of the time who were travelling on the ship were included many times.
I couldn't empathise with any of the girls. I didn't take to any of them and they blew hot and cold with each other too often. One page they were getting on alright and the next they were hissing and spitting at each other like cats.
The secrets thing got dragged out and the middle chapters of the book could have been done without. Nothing happened in a lot of them.
A good read for information about the ship itself but the story felt flat.
Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.
The sisters each have secrets and are using this trip to try to solve some of them. Each has their own agenda. Their father is a self made man and he and their mother think they know what's best for the girls and expect them to fall into line with their wishes as did most parents of this era.
The description of the Titanic itself is very well done and there's quite a lot about the food they eat and the clothes the people are wearing. The names of the real, wealthy people of the time who were travelling on the ship were included many times.
I couldn't empathise with any of the girls. I didn't take to any of them and they blew hot and cold with each other too often. One page they were getting on alright and the next they were hissing and spitting at each other like cats.
The secrets thing got dragged out and the middle chapters of the book could have been done without. Nothing happened in a lot of them.
A good read for information about the ship itself but the story felt flat.
Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.
March 20, 2024
I am an avid reader of historical fiction and also highly interested in Titanic. There aren’t many historical fiction books relating to Titanic so I was very excited to read this book. However, after reading 100 pages I found myself to not be particularly interested in the storyline nor was it holding my attention. I rarely stop a book but this was a did not finish for me. I didn’t find the characters to be very three dimensional which made them hard to relate to and made me unable to stay interested in the story.
June 12, 2024
This book was interesting and my timing for reading it was perfect (although a little weird for me). I am currently on a cruise and stopped at Halifax. It was a little weird for me to be reading about the Fortune sisters exploring their fancy ship when I knew what happens as I wandered my fancy ship. It was very cool to find the tie I discovered in Halifax also mentioned in this book and to think I was there. I liked that this book was about a real family who was on the Titanic and it felt well researched. I liked the Fortune sisters and their separate quests for more. The three Fortune sisters have been on a grand voyage with their parents and younger brother when their father surprises them with passage on the Titanic. Flora, Alice, and Mabel are all excited but also anxious for different reasons. Flora is engaged but no longer certain she wants to marry the man despite the comfortable life it promises. Alice is in love with her fiancé but loved traveling and isn’t sure she wants the safe, secure life he promises. Mabel doesn’t want to marry and would prefer to go to university to continue her education. While a lot of what this book covers was covered in other books I’ve read I liked the three main characters/narrators and enjoyed this story quite a bit.
November 9, 2024
**Copy of this book provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review**
Is it possible to have too many historical details in a historical fiction book?
I am old enough to remember premiere of the movie Titanic in 1997. It was the time when the big box-office movies were still quite rare so Cameron's film was a huge event, discussed by everyone. I was a bit too young for this story but also too curious for my own good so I watched it and ended up slightly traumatized. I've viewed it only once but I still vividly remember horrific details of the evacuation from the doomed ship. This past trauma is probably responsible for the fact that I could not get emotionally invested in the story of Sisters of Fortune almost at all.
Which is a shame because overall this is a well crafted piece of historical fiction. We are following three sisters - Flora, Alice and Mabel Fortune - on their journey back home from the trip around the Europe and Mediterranean. Each lady dreads returning home but for different reasons. Flora goes back with the prospect of entering a loveless marriage, Alice frets about not being able to go on an adventure ever again and Mabel desperately tries to convince her father to let her attend the university. All story lines started out interesting but unfortunately once Flora's eyes land on handsome Chess Kinsley the romance consumes two remining plot lines leaving behind only bare minimum. I feel like Alice and Mabel existed only for the purpose of walking around the ship and meeting all the famous people that were traveling with them. Which leads us to my next complain - too many historical details.
Its quite apparent that the author spent a lot of time researching Titanic history and as a result there are moments in the Sisters of Fortune that are oversaturated with details that bring nothing to the main plotline. There is an onslaught of Mrs Young, Harries, Browns etc that sound like one person and made me mix them up constantly. There is a detailed description of the ship layout that felt a bit confusing and would probably be better resolved if we got a map of the Titanic. Girls will interact with multiple people and majority of them won't be mentioned ever again which made me wonder why they were even introduced. The book would easily be 100 pages shorter if the author would scale down the interactions that does not aide main plotline but are there only to provide some historical details.
I feel like I complain a lot but this was a solid book. Fast paced and easy to appreciate even if you are struggling with emotionally connecting with it. If you never watched Titanic from '97 I think you have a better chance of enjoying this book. Give it a shot!
Is it possible to have too many historical details in a historical fiction book?
I am old enough to remember premiere of the movie Titanic in 1997. It was the time when the big box-office movies were still quite rare so Cameron's film was a huge event, discussed by everyone. I was a bit too young for this story but also too curious for my own good so I watched it and ended up slightly traumatized. I've viewed it only once but I still vividly remember horrific details of the evacuation from the doomed ship. This past trauma is probably responsible for the fact that I could not get emotionally invested in the story of Sisters of Fortune almost at all.
Which is a shame because overall this is a well crafted piece of historical fiction. We are following three sisters - Flora, Alice and Mabel Fortune - on their journey back home from the trip around the Europe and Mediterranean. Each lady dreads returning home but for different reasons. Flora goes back with the prospect of entering a loveless marriage, Alice frets about not being able to go on an adventure ever again and Mabel desperately tries to convince her father to let her attend the university. All story lines started out interesting but unfortunately once Flora's eyes land on handsome Chess Kinsley the romance consumes two remining plot lines leaving behind only bare minimum. I feel like Alice and Mabel existed only for the purpose of walking around the ship and meeting all the famous people that were traveling with them. Which leads us to my next complain - too many historical details.
Its quite apparent that the author spent a lot of time researching Titanic history and as a result there are moments in the Sisters of Fortune that are oversaturated with details that bring nothing to the main plotline. There is an onslaught of Mrs Young, Harries, Browns etc that sound like one person and made me mix them up constantly. There is a detailed description of the ship layout that felt a bit confusing and would probably be better resolved if we got a map of the Titanic. Girls will interact with multiple people and majority of them won't be mentioned ever again which made me wonder why they were even introduced. The book would easily be 100 pages shorter if the author would scale down the interactions that does not aide main plotline but are there only to provide some historical details.
I feel like I complain a lot but this was a solid book. Fast paced and easy to appreciate even if you are struggling with emotionally connecting with it. If you never watched Titanic from '97 I think you have a better chance of enjoying this book. Give it a shot!
January 29, 2024
1912
Although readers know the fate of the "unsinkable" Titanic, it makes a fascinating backdrop for a novel. In Sisters of Fortune, historical mystery author Anna Lee Huber has taken the few known details about three sisters aboard the Titanic and woven it into a fascinating novel. Each sister delivers a slightly different dynamic from the time period.
I was quickly turning pages to discover what would happen to the Fortune family. I learned several new details about the Titanic and the setting was so well described. The cover is perfect for the story.
Well written and engaging novel that is highly recommended for fans of historical fiction.
My gratitude to publisher Kensington books and the author for a complimentary NetGalley copy of the novel. I was not required to post a review and all opinions expressed are my own.
Although readers know the fate of the "unsinkable" Titanic, it makes a fascinating backdrop for a novel. In Sisters of Fortune, historical mystery author Anna Lee Huber has taken the few known details about three sisters aboard the Titanic and woven it into a fascinating novel. Each sister delivers a slightly different dynamic from the time period.
I was quickly turning pages to discover what would happen to the Fortune family. I learned several new details about the Titanic and the setting was so well described. The cover is perfect for the story.
Well written and engaging novel that is highly recommended for fans of historical fiction.
My gratitude to publisher Kensington books and the author for a complimentary NetGalley copy of the novel. I was not required to post a review and all opinions expressed are my own.
May 5, 2025
4.5/5 shiny stars rating from me 💫💫💫💫💫
Everytime this book popped up on my Libby app, I kept putting it back because I wasn't sure that I wanted to really read it. This time, I dove in and I am extremely glad that I did!!! I really enjoyed it more than I thought that I would.
I've read many books about the Titanic but never heard of Flora, Alice and Mabel Fortune. This book is based on the real events of the Titanic and these three sisters and their family. It was very slow moving in the first half of the book and then it finally picked up around the 50% mark! The Fortune sisters were wrapping up a grand world tour and boarded the Titanic at the end to go home to Canada. They had their arguments, but I think that anyone would after traveling together for so long.
When it came to the sinking of the Titanic, it was very dramatic! On a personal note, when I was reading that part, it was really storming here and it made it more dramatic!!! I felt like I was there!
It's really a fantastic, emotionally moving, well researched and well written book that I will remember for a long time! Be sure to read the Authors notes to see how this story came to be!! I highly recommend this one!!
Enjoy and Happy Reading ⛴️
Everytime this book popped up on my Libby app, I kept putting it back because I wasn't sure that I wanted to really read it. This time, I dove in and I am extremely glad that I did!!! I really enjoyed it more than I thought that I would.
I've read many books about the Titanic but never heard of Flora, Alice and Mabel Fortune. This book is based on the real events of the Titanic and these three sisters and their family. It was very slow moving in the first half of the book and then it finally picked up around the 50% mark! The Fortune sisters were wrapping up a grand world tour and boarded the Titanic at the end to go home to Canada. They had their arguments, but I think that anyone would after traveling together for so long.
When it came to the sinking of the Titanic, it was very dramatic! On a personal note, when I was reading that part, it was really storming here and it made it more dramatic!!! I felt like I was there!
It's really a fantastic, emotionally moving, well researched and well written book that I will remember for a long time! Be sure to read the Authors notes to see how this story came to be!! I highly recommend this one!!
Enjoy and Happy Reading ⛴️
March 10, 2024
What an epic story. The Fortune sisters were fascinating in their different experiences on board the Titanic and the decisions they were making about their lives even before the shipwreck. I worried that it might be hard to keep track of three main characters, plus all the people around them, but it became easy after a couple chapters.
It can be hard to read a story that has a known conclusion. I found myself getting sad as I became attached to each character. I didn’t know the Fortunes before reading this book, so I read in fear of a sad ending. I should have known that while there would be tragedy, Anna Lee Huber would deliver a soft landing.
It can be hard to read a story that has a known conclusion. I found myself getting sad as I became attached to each character. I didn’t know the Fortunes before reading this book, so I read in fear of a sad ending. I should have known that while there would be tragedy, Anna Lee Huber would deliver a soft landing.
February 17, 2024
I generally love anything written by Anna Lee Huber. Many obviously found the story fascinating. Unfortunately I just didn’t click with it. Perhaps I’m just so over anything to do with the Titanic. This was a miss for me.
A Kensington Books ARC via NetGalley.
A Kensington Books ARC via NetGalley.
July 4, 2025
TITANIKAS. Tema, kuri gali sudomint net vidury nakties. Viena didžiausių laivo katastrofų pasaulyje, kurią dar ir labai romantizavo James Cameron ir gražusis Celin Dion balsas. Bet ir be Holivudo įsikišimo, Titanikas būtų žadinęs vaizduotę. Plaukiojanti prabanga. Mušami rekordai. Visuomenės grietinėlė. Ir viskas pasibaigė Atlanto dugne. Blogai baigės net tiems, kurie už didelius pinigus bandė nusigaut iki laivo liekanų. Tai kaip gali nesudomint romanas apie šį laivą ir dar tikra seserų Fortūnų istorija paremtas skaitinys?
Negali, aišku, kad sudomino. Deja, labai greit teko nusivilti, nes ... knygoje tiesiog nieko nevyksta. Žmonės vaikšto deniu, kalba apie tą patį per tą patį ir nejučia, pradedi laukt, kol Titanikas ims skęsti ir veiksmas išsijudins. Kai pasirodė ledkalnis tada knyga šiek tiek įsibėgėjo, bet ir tai buvo nuobodoka. Įdomiausia dalis buvo googlinti minimus veikėjus (nes daug čia jų pavaizduotų buvo realūs keleiviai) ir intetrnete skaitinėt apie Titaniko istoriją. Pritrūko knygoje smulkmeniškų detalių apie laivą, jo istoriją ir likimą. Viskas koncentravosi ties trimis seserimis ir jų gyvenimais, kurie irgi pasirodė labai plokšti, romanais, kurie irgi neįdomūs ir įvairiais veikėjų pamąstymais.
Dudelė bei vaizduotę audrinanti tema ir lėtas, bei nuobodus išpildymas...
Negali, aišku, kad sudomino. Deja, labai greit teko nusivilti, nes ... knygoje tiesiog nieko nevyksta. Žmonės vaikšto deniu, kalba apie tą patį per tą patį ir nejučia, pradedi laukt, kol Titanikas ims skęsti ir veiksmas išsijudins. Kai pasirodė ledkalnis tada knyga šiek tiek įsibėgėjo, bet ir tai buvo nuobodoka. Įdomiausia dalis buvo googlinti minimus veikėjus (nes daug čia jų pavaizduotų buvo realūs keleiviai) ir intetrnete skaitinėt apie Titaniko istoriją. Pritrūko knygoje smulkmeniškų detalių apie laivą, jo istoriją ir likimą. Viskas koncentravosi ties trimis seserimis ir jų gyvenimais, kurie irgi pasirodė labai plokšti, romanais, kurie irgi neįdomūs ir įvairiais veikėjų pamąstymais.
Dudelė bei vaizduotę audrinanti tema ir lėtas, bei nuobodus išpildymas...
March 7, 2024
I need to preface this review with this: I L O V E this author. She is one of my favorites and she writes two of my top 10 favorite historical mysteries and I know what a good writer she is and the meticulous research that she does when she writes a book.
That said...
I need to stop requesting/picking fiction/historical fiction books that are based on true events that I am already fairly knowledgeable about [or in this case really, really, knowledgeable about] as I usually end up frustrated and wishing I had just found a good NF book about the subject OR [in this case], found a different subject to read about.
I have been enamored with Titanic for years. And then I married a rabid consumer of all things Titanic [as well as a host of other ships, war and pleasure alike], who, when he found out I had an interest, proceeded to tell me ALL he knew, shoved the books he had about the subject on me and then would buy me books when he would see them etc etc. [and even now, after we have been divorced for nine years, I am drawn to anything Titanic {hence why we are here} and why I am still completely enamored with ships and shipwrecks and the like, darn him]. While I don't always remember things until I am reminded of them, I do have a pretty solid knowledge of the ship, the main players and all that happened from sailing to sinking. So I truly should have known better when I decided to read this book. But my love for the author and her writing swayed me and here we are.
I think if you know just the basics about Titanic, you will enjoy this book []. All of the main characters are here, good and bad [looking at you Mr. Ismay] and it was interesting to see how the author used them in this story. I didn't love the Fortune sisters [and found some of their behavior suspect given the time frame] and found them at times to be whiny and ungrateful [] but they are not story ruiners [good thing since the story is all about them], and I think most people will enjoy the story about them.
I will say the whole sinking part of the story is the absolute best; the author does an excellent job and really mirrors what I already knew about the time from hitting the iceberg to the sinking to the rescue by the Carpathia and the terror and horror all aboard experienced.
That said, it really wasn't enough for me to truly enjoy this book - I struggled with so many things and overall, it just fell flat for me, which was really disappointing and I think I would direct someone who was interested in Titanic to one of the many nonfiction books that are out there that tell the story much more straightforwardly, but I would never discourage someone from picking this up and giving it a go.
Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Lee Huber, and Kensington Books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
That said...
I need to stop requesting/picking fiction/historical fiction books that are based on true events that I am already fairly knowledgeable about [or in this case really, really, knowledgeable about] as I usually end up frustrated and wishing I had just found a good NF book about the subject OR [in this case], found a different subject to read about.
I have been enamored with Titanic for years. And then I married a rabid consumer of all things Titanic [as well as a host of other ships, war and pleasure alike], who, when he found out I had an interest, proceeded to tell me ALL he knew, shoved the books he had about the subject on me and then would buy me books when he would see them etc etc. [and even now, after we have been divorced for nine years, I am drawn to anything Titanic {hence why we are here} and why I am still completely enamored with ships and shipwrecks and the like, darn him]. While I don't always remember things until I am reminded of them, I do have a pretty solid knowledge of the ship, the main players and all that happened from sailing to sinking. So I truly should have known better when I decided to read this book. But my love for the author and her writing swayed me and here we are.
I think if you know just the basics about Titanic, you will enjoy this book []. All of the main characters are here, good and bad [looking at you Mr. Ismay] and it was interesting to see how the author used them in this story. I didn't love the Fortune sisters [and found some of their behavior suspect given the time frame] and found them at times to be whiny and ungrateful [] but they are not story ruiners [good thing since the story is all about them], and I think most people will enjoy the story about them.
I will say the whole sinking part of the story is the absolute best; the author does an excellent job and really mirrors what I already knew about the time from hitting the iceberg to the sinking to the rescue by the Carpathia and the terror and horror all aboard experienced.
That said, it really wasn't enough for me to truly enjoy this book - I struggled with so many things and overall, it just fell flat for me, which was really disappointing and I think I would direct someone who was interested in Titanic to one of the many nonfiction books that are out there that tell the story much more straightforwardly, but I would never discourage someone from picking this up and giving it a go.
Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Lee Huber, and Kensington Books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 5, 2025
What a fool she’d been not to understand how danger and beauty could lurk hand in hand.
~My Thoughts~
To be honest, I was actually kind of dreading reading this book because I was really expecting a bigger heartbreak in the end than what I actually got, but it's the Titanic, so obviously there was still a bit of heartbreak.
It did take me a bit to get used to the writing, but I think that's just a me thing. Y'all may be fine with it from the start or y'all might take even longer than I did, I don't know… whatever floats y'all's Titanics.
….
…..
Okay, actually I probably shouldn't actually use that phase in this review…. 😅 But oh well.
But anyway, this book was pretty good, I did have a few small issues with some of the content and some of the characters actions, but otherwise it was good.
~Characters~
Flora Fortune:
I really liked Flora. Surprisingly, I'm actually a lot like her, like, a lot personality wise. Other than a couple of things towards the end I never would have done… but yeah.
Alice Fortune:
My opinion of her kept going up and down because of some things that she did….. but otherwise I liked her well enough.
Mabel Fortune:
I love her name, but I was wishy-washy with her, too. She kind of drove me crazy at times…. 😑 but overall she was good.
Chester “Chess” Kinsey:
I was a bit wary of him at first because of his reputation of being a flirt, but I ended up loving him for the most part. He was amazing! Though a couple of things he did were questionable…. So…. But yeah, I definitely ended up liking him more than I thought I would at first.
~Content Warnings~
(Warning! 🚨 Before you go any further, there is a chance that something I've said about the content could possibly be a bit spoilerish, so please proceed with caution!)
Trigger Warnings:
None, I'm pretty sure.
Faith based/Christian:
A mention of the Lord. Praying to God. Mentions of Providence.
Other Religious Content:
There was a fortune-teller. And a side character had a little statue thing that the person who sold it to her said it's for good luck.
Violence:
Men shooting guns (no one was shot, but some of the officers did threaten to shoot some of the men on board the Titanic if they did cooperate…).
Sexual Content/Romance:
Mentions of flirting, and a guy being known as a flirt (there isn't much actual flirting, though). A gentleman wanting to hold a lady in his arms.
Kissing (semi detailed, I think), thinking of kisses (Multiple times), wanting to kiss someone (mentioned multiple times), an almost kiss.
Mentions of a lady's figure, and of ladies’ beauty.
A mention of women wanting to go into a certain man's bed….*cough cough*
A lady was pretty much cheating on her fiancé with another man…. (They didn't do anything inappropriate really, but they were practically courting in a way, and they kissed…. Sooo…..)
A side character brought his mistress onto the Titanic.
Magic:
None
Bad Language:
D*mn 3 times
“What the devil” is said once.
LGBTQ+:
None
Drugs/Alcohol:
Some characters do drink alcohol.
There are no mentions of drugs.
Not really either one of those, but there's mentions of smoking and a smoking room, too.
~Other Notes~
None at this time.
~My Age Recommendation~
16 years and up.
~Will I Read the Rest of the Series/More from this Author?~
Yes, I most likely will.
~Will I reread this book at some point in time?~
Probably!
~My Thoughts~
To be honest, I was actually kind of dreading reading this book because I was really expecting a bigger heartbreak in the end than what I actually got, but it's the Titanic, so obviously there was still a bit of heartbreak.
It did take me a bit to get used to the writing, but I think that's just a me thing. Y'all may be fine with it from the start or y'all might take even longer than I did, I don't know… whatever floats y'all's Titanics.
….
…..
Okay, actually I probably shouldn't actually use that phase in this review…. 😅 But oh well.
But anyway, this book was pretty good, I did have a few small issues with some of the content and some of the characters actions, but otherwise it was good.
~Characters~
Flora Fortune:
I really liked Flora. Surprisingly, I'm actually a lot like her, like, a lot personality wise. Other than a couple of things towards the end I never would have done… but yeah.
Alice Fortune:
My opinion of her kept going up and down because of some things that she did….. but otherwise I liked her well enough.
Mabel Fortune:
I love her name, but I was wishy-washy with her, too. She kind of drove me crazy at times…. 😑 but overall she was good.
Chester “Chess” Kinsey:
I was a bit wary of him at first because of his reputation of being a flirt, but I ended up loving him for the most part. He was amazing! Though a couple of things he did were questionable…. So…. But yeah, I definitely ended up liking him more than I thought I would at first.
~Content Warnings~
(Warning! 🚨 Before you go any further, there is a chance that something I've said about the content could possibly be a bit spoilerish, so please proceed with caution!)
Trigger Warnings:
None, I'm pretty sure.
Faith based/Christian:
A mention of the Lord. Praying to God. Mentions of Providence.
Other Religious Content:
There was a fortune-teller. And a side character had a little statue thing that the person who sold it to her said it's for good luck.
Violence:
Men shooting guns (no one was shot, but some of the officers did threaten to shoot some of the men on board the Titanic if they did cooperate…).
Sexual Content/Romance:
Mentions of flirting, and a guy being known as a flirt (there isn't much actual flirting, though). A gentleman wanting to hold a lady in his arms.
Kissing (semi detailed, I think), thinking of kisses (Multiple times), wanting to kiss someone (mentioned multiple times), an almost kiss.
Mentions of a lady's figure, and of ladies’ beauty.
A mention of women wanting to go into a certain man's bed….*cough cough*
A lady was pretty much cheating on her fiancé with another man…. (They didn't do anything inappropriate really, but they were practically courting in a way, and they kissed…. Sooo…..)
A side character brought his mistress onto the Titanic.
Magic:
None
Bad Language:
D*mn 3 times
“What the devil” is said once.
LGBTQ+:
None
Drugs/Alcohol:
Some characters do drink alcohol.
There are no mentions of drugs.
Not really either one of those, but there's mentions of smoking and a smoking room, too.
~Other Notes~
None at this time.
~My Age Recommendation~
16 years and up.
~Will I Read the Rest of the Series/More from this Author?~
Yes, I most likely will.
~Will I reread this book at some point in time?~
Probably!
November 22, 2023
Canadian sisters Flora, Alice, and Mabel Fortune are traveling on the Titanic with their parents and younger brother after completing their Grand Tour. Flora and Alice are engaged, but Flora's fiancé does not seem to be too interested in her. She meets someone on board who is very interested--Chess is a wealthy attorney and tennis player, although Flora initially tries to deny the attraction. Alice becomes somewhat adventurous on the voyage, and Mabel tries to convince her father to stop trying to marry her off and allow her to attend university. The descriptions of the disaster are exciting and nerve-wracking, and show that the author did a great deal of research. Recommended for not only Titanic aficionados, but also fans of historical fiction. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
March 31, 2024
THE GOOD:
A surprisingly lovely and lively tale. The sights and sounds and fashions and excitement aboard the Titanic are well-written. The author packs a lot in without the text becoming ungainly.
Refreshingly told from the point of view of four characters - our three Sisters of Fortune aboard the ship as well as Flora’s love interest Chess.
The story focuses on the characters rather than the tragedy. The sinking and its aftermath are there, of course, but it’s past the half-way mark when it begins. And it doesn’t get gruesome in detail.
Clean fiction with no bawdy scenes or vulgar language. Also free on the diversity checklist bingo.
THE BAD:
Modern day thinking does unfortunately creep in a bit, with women wanting “more” than “just” being a wife and mother (as if there is any more important job in life?). Also, a dash of “the man is keeping us down” does come out of the mouth of a couple of the female characters’ mouths, however the argument is shortly thereafter successfully countered.
ONCE UPON A BOOK CLUB EDITION:
A beautiful edition! A lovely fabric hardcover in a warm salmon pink with a gold floral design. The paper jacket is also lovely in pale blue with matte black scroll work and a “cameo” of the traditional cover showing the ship and (presumably) one of the Sisters; also a nice quote and floral scroll work on the back. The only part I’m not fond of is the printed paper edges, which are mostly purple and don’t really match the book or jacket, in my opinion. The end papers in the book are also unique, with a patchwork of Titanic documents and newspaper articles, which are super cool (but also don’t really match either the pink hardback or blue book jacket). While I think they’re trying to customize too many elements at once, it is still a lovely book.
CONCLUSION:
A pleasant read and a beautiful book for your home book shelf. Highly recommend.
A surprisingly lovely and lively tale. The sights and sounds and fashions and excitement aboard the Titanic are well-written. The author packs a lot in without the text becoming ungainly.
Refreshingly told from the point of view of four characters - our three Sisters of Fortune aboard the ship as well as Flora’s love interest Chess.
The story focuses on the characters rather than the tragedy. The sinking and its aftermath are there, of course, but it’s past the half-way mark when it begins. And it doesn’t get gruesome in detail.
Clean fiction with no bawdy scenes or vulgar language. Also free on the diversity checklist bingo.
THE BAD:
Modern day thinking does unfortunately creep in a bit, with women wanting “more” than “just” being a wife and mother (as if there is any more important job in life?). Also, a dash of “the man is keeping us down” does come out of the mouth of a couple of the female characters’ mouths, however the argument is shortly thereafter successfully countered.
ONCE UPON A BOOK CLUB EDITION:
A beautiful edition! A lovely fabric hardcover in a warm salmon pink with a gold floral design. The paper jacket is also lovely in pale blue with matte black scroll work and a “cameo” of the traditional cover showing the ship and (presumably) one of the Sisters; also a nice quote and floral scroll work on the back. The only part I’m not fond of is the printed paper edges, which are mostly purple and don’t really match the book or jacket, in my opinion. The end papers in the book are also unique, with a patchwork of Titanic documents and newspaper articles, which are super cool (but also don’t really match either the pink hardback or blue book jacket). While I think they’re trying to customize too many elements at once, it is still a lovely book.
CONCLUSION:
A pleasant read and a beautiful book for your home book shelf. Highly recommend.
November 27, 2023
2.5. Just meh. If you like insipid romance, you’ll love this one. Flora Fortune? Really? Of course she’s going to fall madly in love and get caught kissing a man unknown prior to the ships departure, mere moments before the iceberg strikes. And of course he’ll survive, even though so many men didn’t. Also, he won’t need his frostbitten legs amputated, because love keeps us all from suffering hypothermia in the North Atlantic, my dear. Ugh. The responsible sister just wants to go to medical school, but her father says no. Of course that will be disposed of when dear father does die, conveniently removing that barrier. Ugh. It’s like every Titanic based trope came abroad and then had a competition to see which could take over the story. Good history, ruined by lame fiction.
January 31, 2024
If you are a reader who enjoys stories related to the Titanic disaster, than I would suggest you make a note to grab this book. This book follows the lives of three of the Fortune sisters who are on their way home after a Grand Tour of Europe with their mother, father, and brother (age 19). The book is written actually through FOUR perspectives: Flora, Alice, Mabel, and Chess Kinsey. Chess is an American professional tennis player they meet on the boat and love interest to Flora.
Each of the Fortune sisters learns about themselves over the course of the book and their experience with the disaster. You will get to spend time on the decks of the ship with them from the time they set sail to the moment the ship goes down. If you are like me, you will be hoping that the author doesn't do you dirty and allow one of the characters you enjoy to go down on the ship.
The bulk of the story takes place from the time they get on the boat until it sinks.
You will catch many of the famous names who were on the boat as well as references to different things we know about the disaster today.
While this isn't billed as a Christian fiction, it's honestly as much of a Christian fiction--even more so in some places--than many of the current CF out there these days. It's a clean read for those who enjoy knowing that.
The author definitely did a LOT of research because the attention to detail was very very well done.
Was it unique? I didn't really feel like it was, but that was okay.
4 Stars
*I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher and NetGalley. i was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own.
Each of the Fortune sisters learns about themselves over the course of the book and their experience with the disaster. You will get to spend time on the decks of the ship with them from the time they set sail to the moment the ship goes down. If you are like me, you will be hoping that the author doesn't do you dirty and allow one of the characters you enjoy to go down on the ship.
The bulk of the story takes place from the time they get on the boat until it sinks.
You will catch many of the famous names who were on the boat as well as references to different things we know about the disaster today.
While this isn't billed as a Christian fiction, it's honestly as much of a Christian fiction--even more so in some places--than many of the current CF out there these days. It's a clean read for those who enjoy knowing that.
The author definitely did a LOT of research because the attention to detail was very very well done.
Was it unique? I didn't really feel like it was, but that was okay.
4 Stars
*I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher and NetGalley. i was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own.
February 16, 2024
The cover has the Titanic right at the centre of it which is fitting as that is where the plot is based throughout the book. The cover also features a young woman dressed in the style of the era complete with hat, gloves and jewellery. The cover certainly fits the book well.
The book is set on the Titanic, so obviously there are certain facts that cannot be changed but are mentioned within the book. The book also has to stick to a certain timeline as to how the events occurred. It was a bit odd reading the book but kind of knowing what was coming up in the timeline, but I did really enjoy the book.
The interior of the great unsinkable Titanic is described really well and you definitely get a sense of the opulence and atmosphere those passengers were surrounded by. The author really represents the era well in her descriptions of surrounding, etiquette, expectations of women and even the slang and sayings of the era such as 'To the berries' = all so exciting. I had to look it up!
The book concentrates of three of the Fortune Sisters who have been travelling with their parents. The family consist of 64 year old father Mark Fortune, a very proud self-made millionaire, his 60 year old wife Mary Fortune, they had six children, the eldest of which 34 year old Robert is married and lives in Vancouver. Their eldest daughter Clara is 30 years old and married to Herbert Hutton. Robert and Clara are with their own families so didn’t go on the trip. The Fortune children on the trip which ends up with them travelling home on the Titanic, are 28year old Flora who is the dutiful daughter, who has postponed her wedding to banker Crawford Campbell to go on the trip as a chaperone to her younger siblings. Alice is 24 years old but in a lot of ways is treat younger, as she was an ill child and is still considered delicate and needs to be protected, she is engaged to, and madly in love to an insurance broker called Holden Allen. The youngest sister is 23 year old Mabel, the feisty, sassy one, who wants to do her own thing, in fact she wants to continue her education, she doesn’t want to just be married like her sisters. She says inappropriate things and speaks before she thoroughly thinks things out. The youngest Fortune child is 19yr old Charlie who is super knowledgeable about the Titanic and it’s like a dream come true for him when Titanic ship builder Mr Thomas Andrews takes him on a personal tour of the ship.
Whilst sightseeing and exploring Egypt Alice Fortune is sipping hibiscus tea with Mr Sloper a friend the family have made whilst travelling Europe when she spots a soothsayer. Mr Sloper asks if she has ever had a reading, and would she like one. He waves the soothsayer across to where they are sitting and the man reads her palm and tells her she is in danger every time she travels on the sea. He sees her adrift on the ocean in an open boat. She will lose everything but her own life. That she will be saved but others will not. It certainly upsets Alice and William Sloper quickly tries to laugh it off telling the soothsayer he would be paid more if he gave people good predictions. Mark Fortune hadn’t planned on taking his family on Titanic the Ship of Dreams, but when they decided to travel home a little earlier their reservations were switched to the Titanic.
There is a kind of magic about the Titanic, I guess that’s another reason it was called the ship of dreams. The time on the ship gives each of the Fortune Sisters time to think about their individual futures and if that’s what they really want. Flora is the sister that her parents rely on, she is the sensible, dependable one. She is engaged to be married to a man her parents strongly approve of and think is a good match for her. As the trip goes on the dread she feels about her return, she has received only one letter from her future husband Alice is also engaged, to Holden, who is approved of and considered a good match, she is madly in love with him and they have missed each other whilst the Fortunes have been travelling. They have written many letters to each other, but Alice is also dreading the return home to being tied sown to one place and cossetted. Alice has had a taste of freedom and travel that she doesn’t want to let go of. The other sister on board the Titanic and kind of the reason for the trip is Mabel. Mabel is “involved” with a musician, someone her parents do not approve of, they feel he cannot provide financial stability for their daughter. Mr & Mrs Fortune planned the trip to separate Mabel and her musician, in the hopes she will forget about him, perhaps meet someone else, or change her mind. The irony is Mabel enjoys the fact her parents don’t approve and attempts to use him as leverage, to almost blackmail her father, into accepting her real dream, which is to continue her education. Mabel wants to be a more modern independent woman, not married off and expected to have children. At one point Mr & Mrs Fortune try to suggest a suitable suitor for Mabel who is also on the Titanic, the star tennis player Chess Kinsey. Unbeknownst to them Chess does have his eyes set on one of their daughters but it isn’t Mabel, it’s Flora! I really adored the Flora & Chess dislike to friendship to falling in love. Then the Shock! Horror! Mortification! Embarrassment! when Mrs Fortune catches them kissing! And in public too! Where anyone could see! Chess blames himself for ruining Flora’s reputation in her parent’s eyes and arranges a meeting wither father to put himself forward as a suitable suitor with his own suitable finances & future plans.
So along with the Fortune family drama, there’s the scandal of one young man having his mistress on the Titanic whom he plans to marry but is yet to tell his mother! They finally meet in a lifeboat as the Titanic is sinking. There’s another young man travelling with his mother but setting up poker games, which Alice Fortune ends up being drawn into.
I loved the Fortune family dynamic, they are all always there for each other and even though the three sisters, Flora, Alice and Mabel are sharing a room they each have their secrets they are hiding from the others.
I enjoyed reading how the different characters reacted to the Titanic hitting the iceberg and needing to be prepared to get on a lifeboat. There were those that just blindly believed the Titanic was unsinkable and refused to believe the possibility of it sinking. Then there were those who wanted to retrieve jewellery, pets, luggage and take it in the lifeboats with them!
The saddest stories were of the couples and families being separated because of the women & children only policy although this wasn’t as strictly adhered to by some of the crew. The chaos of losing sight or being separated from family members.
The book is set on the Titanic, so obviously there are certain facts that cannot be changed but are mentioned within the book. The book also has to stick to a certain timeline as to how the events occurred. It was a bit odd reading the book but kind of knowing what was coming up in the timeline, but I did really enjoy the book.
The interior of the great unsinkable Titanic is described really well and you definitely get a sense of the opulence and atmosphere those passengers were surrounded by. The author really represents the era well in her descriptions of surrounding, etiquette, expectations of women and even the slang and sayings of the era such as 'To the berries' = all so exciting. I had to look it up!
The book concentrates of three of the Fortune Sisters who have been travelling with their parents. The family consist of 64 year old father Mark Fortune, a very proud self-made millionaire, his 60 year old wife Mary Fortune, they had six children, the eldest of which 34 year old Robert is married and lives in Vancouver. Their eldest daughter Clara is 30 years old and married to Herbert Hutton. Robert and Clara are with their own families so didn’t go on the trip. The Fortune children on the trip which ends up with them travelling home on the Titanic, are 28year old Flora who is the dutiful daughter, who has postponed her wedding to banker Crawford Campbell to go on the trip as a chaperone to her younger siblings. Alice is 24 years old but in a lot of ways is treat younger, as she was an ill child and is still considered delicate and needs to be protected, she is engaged to, and madly in love to an insurance broker called Holden Allen. The youngest sister is 23 year old Mabel, the feisty, sassy one, who wants to do her own thing, in fact she wants to continue her education, she doesn’t want to just be married like her sisters. She says inappropriate things and speaks before she thoroughly thinks things out. The youngest Fortune child is 19yr old Charlie who is super knowledgeable about the Titanic and it’s like a dream come true for him when Titanic ship builder Mr Thomas Andrews takes him on a personal tour of the ship.
Whilst sightseeing and exploring Egypt Alice Fortune is sipping hibiscus tea with Mr Sloper a friend the family have made whilst travelling Europe when she spots a soothsayer. Mr Sloper asks if she has ever had a reading, and would she like one. He waves the soothsayer across to where they are sitting and the man reads her palm and tells her she is in danger every time she travels on the sea. He sees her adrift on the ocean in an open boat. She will lose everything but her own life. That she will be saved but others will not. It certainly upsets Alice and William Sloper quickly tries to laugh it off telling the soothsayer he would be paid more if he gave people good predictions. Mark Fortune hadn’t planned on taking his family on Titanic the Ship of Dreams, but when they decided to travel home a little earlier their reservations were switched to the Titanic.
There is a kind of magic about the Titanic, I guess that’s another reason it was called the ship of dreams. The time on the ship gives each of the Fortune Sisters time to think about their individual futures and if that’s what they really want. Flora is the sister that her parents rely on, she is the sensible, dependable one. She is engaged to be married to a man her parents strongly approve of and think is a good match for her. As the trip goes on the dread she feels about her return, she has received only one letter from her future husband Alice is also engaged, to Holden, who is approved of and considered a good match, she is madly in love with him and they have missed each other whilst the Fortunes have been travelling. They have written many letters to each other, but Alice is also dreading the return home to being tied sown to one place and cossetted. Alice has had a taste of freedom and travel that she doesn’t want to let go of. The other sister on board the Titanic and kind of the reason for the trip is Mabel. Mabel is “involved” with a musician, someone her parents do not approve of, they feel he cannot provide financial stability for their daughter. Mr & Mrs Fortune planned the trip to separate Mabel and her musician, in the hopes she will forget about him, perhaps meet someone else, or change her mind. The irony is Mabel enjoys the fact her parents don’t approve and attempts to use him as leverage, to almost blackmail her father, into accepting her real dream, which is to continue her education. Mabel wants to be a more modern independent woman, not married off and expected to have children. At one point Mr & Mrs Fortune try to suggest a suitable suitor for Mabel who is also on the Titanic, the star tennis player Chess Kinsey. Unbeknownst to them Chess does have his eyes set on one of their daughters but it isn’t Mabel, it’s Flora! I really adored the Flora & Chess dislike to friendship to falling in love. Then the Shock! Horror! Mortification! Embarrassment! when Mrs Fortune catches them kissing! And in public too! Where anyone could see! Chess blames himself for ruining Flora’s reputation in her parent’s eyes and arranges a meeting wither father to put himself forward as a suitable suitor with his own suitable finances & future plans.
So along with the Fortune family drama, there’s the scandal of one young man having his mistress on the Titanic whom he plans to marry but is yet to tell his mother! They finally meet in a lifeboat as the Titanic is sinking. There’s another young man travelling with his mother but setting up poker games, which Alice Fortune ends up being drawn into.
I loved the Fortune family dynamic, they are all always there for each other and even though the three sisters, Flora, Alice and Mabel are sharing a room they each have their secrets they are hiding from the others.
I enjoyed reading how the different characters reacted to the Titanic hitting the iceberg and needing to be prepared to get on a lifeboat. There were those that just blindly believed the Titanic was unsinkable and refused to believe the possibility of it sinking. Then there were those who wanted to retrieve jewellery, pets, luggage and take it in the lifeboats with them!
The saddest stories were of the couples and families being separated because of the women & children only policy although this wasn’t as strictly adhered to by some of the crew. The chaos of losing sight or being separated from family members.
February 21, 2024
I really liked this! It was just the right blend of fact and fiction, based on true events and some real people, but with enough creativity to not just be a survivor's biography.A few too many characters and boat details (I do not care about boats) but Huber does a great job getting you attached to people with just a few sentences, even more so when you realize most of these people were real and did lose their lives. An interesting read for any historical fiction lover, especially if you're willing to skim a few chapters at the beginning that introduce 50 people and a gigantic ship's inner workings.
January 17, 2024
I won this book on a Goodreads giveaway and was very excited for this book! However I was really disappointed I understand that in books you need to describe details to make your vision clear but this was ridiculous! I didn't need to know every single detail on each piece of item on the Titanic! Or the whole life story on a character that is just a friend I could barely make it to half ways when I decided to dnf and I hate to do that! The book was to much to tight it needed to relax and tell the story of the characters and the Titanic not the walls or silverware!
January 28, 2024
I love Anna Lee Huber’s writing. Her Lady Darby series is great.
This one was very slow going. Lots of secondary characters, and I struggled to get invested in the main characters.
The book picked up just over halfway in, which is when the Titanic hit the iceberg…and the rest is history. The last half of the book was edge of your seat reading, despite knowing the outcome of the ship. It was scary, and exciting, and truly, truly heart wrenching. I think if the book had been a bit shorter, the first half may have engaged me more. Still worth a read!
Thanks to NetGalley for this advance copy.
This one was very slow going. Lots of secondary characters, and I struggled to get invested in the main characters.
The book picked up just over halfway in, which is when the Titanic hit the iceberg…and the rest is history. The last half of the book was edge of your seat reading, despite knowing the outcome of the ship. It was scary, and exciting, and truly, truly heart wrenching. I think if the book had been a bit shorter, the first half may have engaged me more. Still worth a read!
Thanks to NetGalley for this advance copy.
March 25, 2024
An interesting look at the Titanic through the eyes of a real life Canadian family. Loved all the detail about the ship, decor, meals, the other passengers but the sisters were not very memorable, I kept getting Flora and Alice mixed up. They acted much younger than they actually were.
May 12, 2025
A historical Novel of the doom S.S. Titanic and the Fortune Family.
The Fortunes are winding down their world tour. They have been away from their hometown Winnipeg, Canada for months. Along the trip are Mark Fortune, 64, a successful, self made millionaire and businessman. Fortune's wife, Mary, 60; and children: Flora, 28, engaged to Crawford Campbell, a banker; Alice, 24, engaged to Holden Allen, an insurance broker; Mabel, 23, is involved with musician Harrison Driscoll; Charlie, 19, college student. Remaining in Canada are Robert, 34, married to Alma; they live in Vancouver. Also remaining in Canada is Clara, 30. She is married to Herbert Hutton.
The Novel unfolds with the romance between Flora and the successful attorney and tennis player Chess Kinsey. He hails from New York; and he comes from a prominent, wealthy family.
This romance is far more credible than the romance of Jim Cameron's Titanic Movie characters of Rose DeWitt DeCater and Jack Dawson.
Sisters of Fortune was a compelling story that I can highly recommend to those of us are Titanic students of history.
The Fortunes are winding down their world tour. They have been away from their hometown Winnipeg, Canada for months. Along the trip are Mark Fortune, 64, a successful, self made millionaire and businessman. Fortune's wife, Mary, 60; and children: Flora, 28, engaged to Crawford Campbell, a banker; Alice, 24, engaged to Holden Allen, an insurance broker; Mabel, 23, is involved with musician Harrison Driscoll; Charlie, 19, college student. Remaining in Canada are Robert, 34, married to Alma; they live in Vancouver. Also remaining in Canada is Clara, 30. She is married to Herbert Hutton.
The Novel unfolds with the romance between Flora and the successful attorney and tennis player Chess Kinsey. He hails from New York; and he comes from a prominent, wealthy family.
This romance is far more credible than the romance of Jim Cameron's Titanic Movie characters of Rose DeWitt DeCater and Jack Dawson.
Sisters of Fortune was a compelling story that I can highly recommend to those of us are Titanic students of history.
May 22, 2025
Historical fiction about the three Fortune sisters: Flora, Alice and Mabel, who, with their parents, Mark and Mary and younger brother Charlie, sailed on the Titanic. The Fortune family are real historical figures and there are, of course, other historical figures interspersed throughout the book.
The book is well researched and well written, (although at times a bit florid) and the characters are fairly well portrayed, especially Flora and Mabel, although Alice was a bit of an enigma to me. The scenes on the Titanic, especially as it hits the iceberg and sinks (no spoiler here) are extremely compelling. You are right there with them as the great ship hits the iceberg and in the ensuing chaos, as well as in the lifeboats with them.
No matter how many fiction or non-fiction books you be read about the Titanic disaster, each one gives a different perspective and you always learn something new, and grieve anew about the tragedy.
A definite recommend.
The book is well researched and well written, (although at times a bit florid) and the characters are fairly well portrayed, especially Flora and Mabel, although Alice was a bit of an enigma to me. The scenes on the Titanic, especially as it hits the iceberg and sinks (no spoiler here) are extremely compelling. You are right there with them as the great ship hits the iceberg and in the ensuing chaos, as well as in the lifeboats with them.
No matter how many fiction or non-fiction books you be read about the Titanic disaster, each one gives a different perspective and you always learn something new, and grieve anew about the tragedy.
A definite recommend.
May 5, 2024
April, 1912: The largest, most luxurious ocean liner ever built, set sail for its fateful maiden voyage - forever changing the lives of all 2,240 people on board.
Most everyone knows the tragic history of the RMS Titanic. But how much do you know about the passengers that were on board? This book is based on the true story of the Fortune sisters, Alice, Flora & Mabel, and their pilgrimage across the Atlantic on that infamous journey.
I found the first two-thirds of the book to be extremely boring and slow. I also feel like there were WAY too many characters to ever really get a chance to truly get to know and understand them. It seemed like the author was trying to fill the book with as many actual historical figures that were on the Titanic as possible. While I appreciate including some of the more well-known passengers (Isador & Ida Strauss, The Unsinkable Molly Brown), it may have been better to just leave it at them. Or maybe even just briefly mention them, but then focus more on the others instead. It was just too much to include them all.
The final third of the book however, was amazing. Once the Titanic hits the iceberg, the story really picks up and I had a hard time putting the book down. Although I knew the fate of the ship, it was still heartbreaking to read and I couldn't wait to find out the fate of the main characters. Excellent story telling!
If you're finding it difficult to get through the beginning, don't give up! The ending is worth the ride.
Most everyone knows the tragic history of the RMS Titanic. But how much do you know about the passengers that were on board? This book is based on the true story of the Fortune sisters, Alice, Flora & Mabel, and their pilgrimage across the Atlantic on that infamous journey.
I found the first two-thirds of the book to be extremely boring and slow. I also feel like there were WAY too many characters to ever really get a chance to truly get to know and understand them. It seemed like the author was trying to fill the book with as many actual historical figures that were on the Titanic as possible. While I appreciate including some of the more well-known passengers (Isador & Ida Strauss, The Unsinkable Molly Brown), it may have been better to just leave it at them. Or maybe even just briefly mention them, but then focus more on the others instead. It was just too much to include them all.
The final third of the book however, was amazing. Once the Titanic hits the iceberg, the story really picks up and I had a hard time putting the book down. Although I knew the fate of the ship, it was still heartbreaking to read and I couldn't wait to find out the fate of the main characters. Excellent story telling!
If you're finding it difficult to get through the beginning, don't give up! The ending is worth the ride.
January 12, 2025
I am always up for anything Titanic related, some good and some ... not so good. I am happy to say that this is one of the good ones, in fact, one of the really good ones regarding the tale of this infamous ship from history.
“You’ve heard, then? About the iceberg? I saw it from the promenade. It was a great monstrous thing. Are they still telling people to return to their staterooms?”
This is the tale of three sisters who, with their family, embarked on the maiden voyage of the Titanic (this is after the whole family had completed their ‘European Tour’ and were just back from Egypt). The story is told from their alternating viewpoints and we gradually learn a bit about each sister and their dreams and aspirations. This is a very well written tale with the pacing just right. All characters, not just the three main women, are strong and engaging, highlighting very different approaches to life in the early years of the twentieth century, especially for women. Reading the author’s final notes explains how much is fact and how much is fiction and I believe Anna has done an outstanding job of combining the two.
‘The room’s décor was Jacobean in style, with Tudor roses depicted in scrollwork across the Saloon’s roof and decorative columns.’
Two points that make this book a standout for me: one, although a work of fiction, the necessary research has been done and it came across as a most realistic portrayal of this well documented tragedy. Everything from the luxurious furnishings, the food and events onboard, the famous passengers, to how they were evacuated and the chaos that ensued. Secondly, the background stories really made this tale. It was definitely not just about the ship, it was more about these three women and how this event changed their lives in profound and unexpected ways.
‘... the ship could break into three separate pieces and each part could still stay afloat. I would say that makes the claims of practical un-sinkability pretty valid.’
Reading this book you get a first hand account of how lives were before, during and after being part of such a tragedy.It is a wonderful work of fiction based on historical research (there really were three sisters on the Titanic!) with likeable leads, fabulous descriptions, romance and resilience, hope and heartache all rolled into one well written tale.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
“You’ve heard, then? About the iceberg? I saw it from the promenade. It was a great monstrous thing. Are they still telling people to return to their staterooms?”
This is the tale of three sisters who, with their family, embarked on the maiden voyage of the Titanic (this is after the whole family had completed their ‘European Tour’ and were just back from Egypt). The story is told from their alternating viewpoints and we gradually learn a bit about each sister and their dreams and aspirations. This is a very well written tale with the pacing just right. All characters, not just the three main women, are strong and engaging, highlighting very different approaches to life in the early years of the twentieth century, especially for women. Reading the author’s final notes explains how much is fact and how much is fiction and I believe Anna has done an outstanding job of combining the two.
‘The room’s décor was Jacobean in style, with Tudor roses depicted in scrollwork across the Saloon’s roof and decorative columns.’
Two points that make this book a standout for me: one, although a work of fiction, the necessary research has been done and it came across as a most realistic portrayal of this well documented tragedy. Everything from the luxurious furnishings, the food and events onboard, the famous passengers, to how they were evacuated and the chaos that ensued. Secondly, the background stories really made this tale. It was definitely not just about the ship, it was more about these three women and how this event changed their lives in profound and unexpected ways.
‘... the ship could break into three separate pieces and each part could still stay afloat. I would say that makes the claims of practical un-sinkability pretty valid.’
Reading this book you get a first hand account of how lives were before, during and after being part of such a tragedy.It is a wonderful work of fiction based on historical research (there really were three sisters on the Titanic!) with likeable leads, fabulous descriptions, romance and resilience, hope and heartache all rolled into one well written tale.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
April 7, 2024
3.5/5 stars, rounding up
My review should be prefaced with this: If you know me, you know that I am fascinated by the Titanic, have been since I was very young (pre-James Cameron film), and consider myself pretty knowledgeable about it. I knew going in that this was going to be a slightly weird book for me because the main characters were real people whose names and basic stories I already knew. (I had a good laugh at the author's note in the back of the book that when she asked friends she "counted as Titanic enthusiasts" if they had heard of the Fortune sisters, they said no. There were definitely moments as I read this where I had to gauge "am I weird for knowing this or do normal people know this??")
This was a distraction for me for two reasons: (1) I went in knowing the Fortune family's life and death count, and (2) despite knowing that this was only inspired by the family, the fact that their real names were used led me to believe the romance I was rooting for had a strong possibility of being doomed (again, Huber explains this in the author's note, but since I already knew the family's story, I knew what was "supposed" to happen by historical fact). I genuinely think Huber would have been better off fully changing their names and changing enough details to keep me guessing more. She did this with Chess - whose inspiration I guessed but wasn't sure about, so I was genuinely wondering what his outcome would be. That said, I could tell this was very well researched and contained a lot of great details for someone like me, and really my only complaint was the distraction of using the Fortune family's real names.
Story wise, I mostly did like this. I did not care about the chapters focused on Mabel, as she is not my favorite kind of character. (Youngest who thinks she knows everything and definitely thinks her older sisters are boring and have no opinions simply because they don't always voice them.) But I liked Alice, Flora, and Chess (Flora was, obviously, my favorite) and I enjoyed reading all of their stories. I thought this did a good job of working in the chaos and confusion of the sinking itself, and I appreciated that the actual sinking happened at around the 80% mark so that we had time to spend on the Carpathia and the aftermath in New York. All in all, while not a perfect book, this had a lot of things I want from Titanic fiction so I'm happy I read it.
My review should be prefaced with this: If you know me, you know that I am fascinated by the Titanic, have been since I was very young (pre-James Cameron film), and consider myself pretty knowledgeable about it. I knew going in that this was going to be a slightly weird book for me because the main characters were real people whose names and basic stories I already knew. (I had a good laugh at the author's note in the back of the book that when she asked friends she "counted as Titanic enthusiasts" if they had heard of the Fortune sisters, they said no. There were definitely moments as I read this where I had to gauge "am I weird for knowing this or do normal people know this??")
This was a distraction for me for two reasons: (1) I went in knowing the Fortune family's life and death count, and (2) despite knowing that this was only inspired by the family, the fact that their real names were used led me to believe the romance I was rooting for had a strong possibility of being doomed (again, Huber explains this in the author's note, but since I already knew the family's story, I knew what was "supposed" to happen by historical fact). I genuinely think Huber would have been better off fully changing their names and changing enough details to keep me guessing more. She did this with Chess - whose inspiration I guessed but wasn't sure about, so I was genuinely wondering what his outcome would be. That said, I could tell this was very well researched and contained a lot of great details for someone like me, and really my only complaint was the distraction of using the Fortune family's real names.
Story wise, I mostly did like this. I did not care about the chapters focused on Mabel, as she is not my favorite kind of character. (Youngest who thinks she knows everything and definitely thinks her older sisters are boring and have no opinions simply because they don't always voice them.) But I liked Alice, Flora, and Chess (Flora was, obviously, my favorite) and I enjoyed reading all of their stories. I thought this did a good job of working in the chaos and confusion of the sinking itself, and I appreciated that the actual sinking happened at around the 80% mark so that we had time to spend on the Carpathia and the aftermath in New York. All in all, while not a perfect book, this had a lot of things I want from Titanic fiction so I'm happy I read it.
March 14, 2024
Pretty much a Titanic romance novel like so many others before it. Inspired by the very real Fortune family and it of course includes so many other people that were on or involved with the Titanic. A few fictional characters were added, and some were a combination of real people with fictional names to fit the story. A very well-done novel with beautiful descriptions of the ship, as well and lots of details after the ship hit the iceberg. Romance is not typically something that I would read but anything regarding the Titanic has always held my interest. This should prove to be a good summer read for those that are looking for such a book. Thanks to Kensington Books for the Uncorrected Proof of the book to read and review.
September 27, 2023
Like many people, I've had a life-long fascination with the Titanic. When Sisters of Fortune popped up, I couldn't wait to read it and wasn't disappointed. Titanic stories and accounts of the lost or the survivors always cause me to question the role of fate...those passengers who changed plans at the last minute to sail on the doomed maiden voyage. Such is the case of the Fortune family of Winnipeg, Canada, first class, of course.
This is a Titanic story with a focus on the prominent Canadians who were on the voyage. Generally, the emphasis is on the rich or famous Brits & Americans and they're included but I enjoyed learning about the other remarkable people not usually mentioned. There were some fascinating independent, accomplished women onboard as well. The turn of the 20th century was the beginning of women breaking away from traditional roles of marriage & motherhood which is a recurring thread in this book. Each of the Fortune sisters is questioning what her future holds. The author obviously did extensive research before writing this fast-paced, gripping account of the Titanic's maiden voyage from Southhampton to the North Atlantic. The ship has never been more magnificent than she is in this story, described in painstaking detail. This book is a treat for all fans of the Titanic.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the digital ARC. All opinions and the review are my own.
This is a Titanic story with a focus on the prominent Canadians who were on the voyage. Generally, the emphasis is on the rich or famous Brits & Americans and they're included but I enjoyed learning about the other remarkable people not usually mentioned. There were some fascinating independent, accomplished women onboard as well. The turn of the 20th century was the beginning of women breaking away from traditional roles of marriage & motherhood which is a recurring thread in this book. Each of the Fortune sisters is questioning what her future holds. The author obviously did extensive research before writing this fast-paced, gripping account of the Titanic's maiden voyage from Southhampton to the North Atlantic. The ship has never been more magnificent than she is in this story, described in painstaking detail. This book is a treat for all fans of the Titanic.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the digital ARC. All opinions and the review are my own.
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