Review of 'The Girl in the Lifeboat' by Eileen Enright Hodgetts
Available for purchase on Amazon.
⚓️
First, I want to say I have enjoyed the Titanic books by Eileen Enright Hodgetts. The Girl in the Lifeboat took me a while to finish as there is a lot to absorb. Yet, it was captivating to see how complex the plot became as there are a number of story lines happening in this novel that will keep you on your toes. Of course, at the nucleus of the novel is the Titanic’s sinking and what happened or may have happened to those who were on board. Particularly in those last minutes when ‘selected’ passengers scrambled to board the few lifeboats available. It would have been a very traumatic experience of desperation fuelled by the fear of death.
As readers of historical fiction, we are fortunate that authors have powerful imaginations and writing abilities to capture a range of emotions and to deliver those possible scenes of what could have happened through a cast of characters. In The Girl in the Lifeboat, we are provided a close up view of the Titanic disaster through the two Melville sisters (Poppy and Daisy) who departed their home in England to escape their father’s wrath and control. These ladies manage to get positions as stewardesses on the Titanic. Their differing perspectives and personalities shine through as they each shed a light on the norms and happenings of the time. But before the ship sinks, they find themselves placed in separate lifeboats to assist the passengers who manage to escape. They become part of a highly stressed rescue team who must make horrible decisions under strict instructions. For a sensitive soul like Poppy, these are heartbreaking moments when many screaming victims are reaching out to be saved from the daunting freezing sea. We truly get a sense of the hopelessness and helplessness in these scenes and compassion is aroused in our hearts.
But even before these bone chilling encounters, a number of dramatic events happen. As you would expect, with all the wealth, jewels and gambling on board, along with some very well-to-do passengers, the potential for loss and even theft runs high. This creates real drama and friction in the additional plots, worked out through some interesting characters. I must add, there is a wonderful blend of real persons and fictional ones. The latter particularly gives way to a wide range of themes such as romance, family drama, class issues, power plays and self-discovery. These are all successfully added to an already gigantic mass of Titanic troubles. Like the iceberg, there’s more below the surface than what you initially see.
It is amazing to me how Eileen manages to gather, utilise and weave so much Titanic information into a cohesive fascinating fictional story. She does it brilliantly and in such a way it allows us to put ourselves in the characters’ shoes. The novel, during enquiries, delves into the possibilities of why the ship ran into the iceberg and sank.
As we know, interest in the Titanic has never ceased and new information has risen today. After I completed my read of the novel, I actually watched a fascinating documentary 10 Mistakes that Sunk the Titanic and this explored many of the new ideas. In the realm of safety studies, it is never one thing that causes an accident but often many holes, weaknesses or failures that line up to result in a disaster. The Swiss Cheese model developed by James Reason is often used to explore and explain the causes of accidents. It is utilised in risk analysis and risk management in the airline industry, healthcare, engineering and emergency services. It states that although there may be layers of defence between hazards and accidents, there will be flaws in each layer (because humans and their plans are not perfect). Once all those holes line up, disaster can occur. We see this with the Titanic.
There were many factors that led to her sinking. But back in July 30th, 1912 the Report of the Court determined that after careful consideration (as noted in the Author’s Notes): ‘the loss of the ship was due to collision with an iceberg, brought about by excessive speed at which the ship was being navigated.’ Yes, she was moving too fast—charging into a region known for icebergs. The look-out system was not ideal. There were no binoculars accessible that might have helped. Human error, bad judgement, over confidence did play a big part. Also missed iceberg warnings from other ships, unusual weather conditions, the haze on the horizon creating an optical illusion and changing the ship’s course. A long term coal fire possibly weakened one area of the ship’s wall and faulty rivets fractured under pressure. Inevitably, water poured in, some of which was aided by passengers who opened the port holes to see what was happening.
Yes, Titanic was the biggest most beautiful ship of its day. But its structure was not as bullet proof as everyone thought. Yet, even with all we now know, we cannot dismiss the fact, this ship was made for passengers, not for battle. And to do battle with an iceberg – meant the iceberg would surely win—especially with the speed of the ship and angle of attack. The first officer instinctively tried to avoid the collision by swerving past the iceberg. But there was more hidden under the waterline. Engineers state today that hitting it head on would have been better because the front of the ship is its strongest area and more tolerant of impact. But human nature does not seek to fly into the face of danger—only try to escape it. At the end of the day, it wasn’t one thing, as we can see that led to this disaster. Sadly, a number of holes lined up at that point in time and merged with the iceberg.
Regardless of the reasons, blame would inevitably be placed on someone. Faults were passed around. Everyone connected was examined. The Girl in the Lifeboat mainly explores the inquiry in London whereas The Girl on the Carpathia addresses the American one. We are provided with a broad view of the possibilities and opinions of the time. Also, the bonus of interesting fictional characters are thrown into the mix. Tension runs high as we don’t know exactly what will happen to these people and must follow the trail of clues to see. Through history accounts, we know a bit about the outcomes of the real people involved but we are in unknown territory with the fictional characters. They add an extra level of mystery and intrigue to an already fascinating, though tragic, series of events connected to the Titanic.
I was glued to the pages and was satisfied of the outcomes for Poppy, Daisy and others. I learned a lot on the journey with them and more about the real passengers, and the inquiries, too. I suggest those interested in the Titanic read The Girl in the Lifeboat and its previous The Girl on the Carpathia. For these novels are well worth the effort. 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to the Author for a copy to review.
