Review of 'The Survivors Guild' by Gabriella Saab

Review of 'The Survivors Guild' by Gabriella Saab

Release Date: September 1st, 2026

Pubisher: Harper Muse

REVIEW

I am drawn to Titanic inspired stories so when asked to review this novel, I jumped at the chance. I had never read Gabriella Saab’s previous works so did not know what to expect. But the moment my eyes fell on the first page, I was mesmerised. To the point it kept me up all hours of the night. I was totally absorbed in the story and in the two main characters, Lebanon born Bea (Nabiha) Nohra and New York heiress Marguerite Ashby.

The time: April 1912 when the worst thing imaginable happened. An unsinkable ship on its maiden voyage sank and took many lives with it. The author paints a vivid picture of that fateful night and the difficult choices that were made by all on board (yes, crew and passengers). As we all know, many lost their lives but there were some survivors. Gabriella provides an opportunity to show us what it was like for the rich and the poor who found themselves tossed into the sea. Those who were lucky enough to get a lifeboat, though shocked, managed but others struggled to survive the icy waters of the Atlantic.

One of the many things I love about The Survivors Guild is that it is different from other Titanic inspired novels. Often the focus is on the tragic event or the rescue but this story concentrates on the survivors and what happened after they went ashore. Although we get in depth character studies, there is still plenty of action and movement in the plot. At times the tension is so great I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat!

The novel opens with a type of prologue. The Rumors is delivered from Bea’s point of view, a third class passenger who left Tripoli, Lebanon to make a new life in America. Not only for herself but also her family who have been struggling financially. Her plan is to go to America, find a job, set up lodgings and send money back to her family so they can eventually join her. She begins mentioning the rumours (thus the heading) of whether the ship split in half or the band played while it sank into the ocean. (Questions often asked.) She says she does not know. She can only speak of her own personal experience on the ship and how she managed to survive. But being a passenger who did escape, she now carries scars and must bear a heavy mission. For ‘survival is both an honour and a burden, a responsibility and a duty’.

Bea takes her responsibility seriously and carries the same concerns from her home in Lebanon to her destination of New York. She tells us also what she has learned. That the ‘challenge is not surviving, but living.’ These two statements are the basic foundations of the story. Going through such a horrific event, surviving when others did not, and trying to live after the event is not easy. In fact, as we see with the survivors Bea and Marguerite, the effects lead to life-altering decisions.

Bea, particularly, must learn to live after what she has suffered from the shipwreck and being separated from her family. She carries a heavy burden of trying to care for her family by getting a good paying job so she can send them money to help them join her. She worries about them, particularly her ill mother. Will she be able to make enough to bring them all over? She is a new immigrant in a land different from her own. There are language barriers and cultural differences. But in that moment when she reaches out to a struggling woman in the sea who is also trying to survive, a new bond is formed. And Bea saves Marguerite’s life, a New York heiress and together they are also charged with the care of a baby boy who was handed to them during the rescue.

Bea becomes very attached to the child and is very good with him so she works as a nanny at Marguerite’s home while they try to find his family. But when nobody claims him, together these two woman continue every avenue, including creating a Survivors Guild. This not only is meant to help the small child they call Remy (this name was on a blanket he was wrapped in) but other survivors who have also lost their families and support.

Marguerite is a very likeable character. She shows compassion and cares about helping others. Although she is from the nouveau riche class, she is not happy with how society operates. She is being forced to marry a Lord she does not love to help her family but is it a sacrifice she can live with? After almost losing her life in the Titanic and being saved by Bea, she starts to doubt her requirement to marry the Lord for her family’s social acceptance. The Survivors Guild gives her purpose which in turn helps build her courage to fight against the expected norms. She is forced to make some difficult choices after establishing new relationships and a friendship with Bea. Marguerite’s quiet rebellion continues to grow as she becomes more independent with each little success she has. But then something happens and threatens it all. And Bea gets caught in the middle with two offers that are tempting. Will she do the right thing or… ?

Bea and Marguerite are both brilliantly strong women who help each other survive, encourage each other to live their best life. I loved how the class distinction dissipates in the most important moments and to see these two forging their own way in a time that gave women little attention or credit.

The Titanic disaster is part of this story but it is more about after the event and what survivors faced. How some overcame the challenges and became beacons for others. There is a bit of everything in this novel: drama, mystery, romance, parental and society battles (old money and noveau riche) and community. In the end, beautiful lasting friendships between those of very different backgrounds are born from tragedy. Growth happens for the two main characters but also some of their family members. Love wins out (I will say no more about that) but Marguerite and Bea achieve in ways never imagined. And in-spite of, or because of, the Titanic tragedy, their lives take turns that nobody could have expected. This is a beautifully delivered, honest, compassionate, heart-soaked tale full of second-chances/new beginnings, healing and triumph that I highly recommend.  5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Huge thanks to Harper Muse for sending me a review copy.