Customer Reviews

Rms Titanic: Gilded Lives Fatal Voyage

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

To write a book of this scope, an author also needs to be a detective and a historian as well. Hugh Brewster skillfully pulls back the Victorian curtain and reveals the private lives of the Titanic passengers the reader thought they knew. Most Titanic books focus on the present voyage, but the author takes us back to their beginnings and what brought them to the Titanic.

We read about Lady Lucile and her encounters with Lillie Langtry and Oscar Wilde; Artist Frank Millet's struggle with his sexuality; Clinch Smith and his unhappy marriage; The sweet courtship of Henry and Rene Harris where she called him 'Mr. Freshy'; And so on...

The author weaves these back stories into the voyage as the Titanic moves toward its destiny with an iceberg. Newly uncovered details enhance the day-by-day crossing and the make the final few hours for some, more heartbreaking.

Having finished the book, readers like myself feel like they have learned something new on the subject, which is the mark of a great author.

This beautifully written book covers the lives of First Class passengers, and the associations between them as their paths crossed before, during and after the disaster. I have 200 books in my Titanic collection, and didn't think I could learn anything more, but "Gilded Lives" adds much. Well-researched, and full of little-known facts, this book is a must-have for any Titanic enthusiast!

As a Titanic enthusiast, I did like this book. The research and background information is magnificent and the author has captured the era in the way people thought, acted and reacted to each other. Sometimes, I felt there were too many "possiblys", "may haves", "likely would haves", in connection to various persons in trying to illustrate their intimate lives.

There are great photos - many that have not been published in my experience. I just wish the paper quality was better.

I would recommend this book for those who collect Titanic books and collections.