Member Reviews
Orphans of the Storm is a novel based on the real lives of a family caught up in the Titanic shipwreck. It was quite slow going until we got to the Titanic section, then it got more pacy and urgent.
As with television docudramas, possibly my favourite bit was the postscript, finding out what happened to all the characters after the story ended.
A recommended read for historical fiction fans.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.
Really enjoyed this historical fiction slow burner. I enjoyed the story, but felt the first half was very drawn out with the scene setting which made the second half of the book feel quite rushed.
The writing was great and you could tell the details about the Titanic were very well researched! My first read from this author but would definitely read more of her work!!
Orphans of the Storm tells the true story of two young children who survived the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. We follow the tale from three perspectives – that of the children’s mother, Marcella, their father, Michael, and Margaret, a first class passenger upon the Titanic.
I really struggled to engage with this book – primarily, I think, due to quality of the dialogue writing. Much of it is really clunky and, for want of a better word, “naff”. Certainly the author makes no effort to emulate the speech patterns of the 1910s, frequently using modern words and phrases that jolted me out of the story. That seems a shame given the evident historical research that has gone into the writing of this book.
The latter third or so of the book, covering the aftermath of the sinking, is very much the strongest part of the book, but you do have to trawl through a lot of melodrama to get there…
No book suits every reader and unfortunately this wasn’t one for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I did not realise that Celia Imrie actually had Family connections to someone who had sadly been on the fateful RMS Titanic when it sank in Ice Cold seas in 1912. This story starts in the warmth of the South of France in the City of Nice, where Marcella meets & falls in love with Michael Navratil & later marries in London under somewhat dubious circumstances. However she eventually files for Divorce & it is this action that leads to her two young children being on the RMS Titanic on that fateful night , under a different surname as their father because he'd booked the tickets on a Passport he'd stolen . No mater how many times you read or see something about the event's on that Tragic night aboard the RMS Titanic it gives you chills .I found it hard to stop reading this book in order to eat or even go to the Bathroom , so I highly recommend it to all , #FB, #Instagram,#Amazon.co.uk, #NetGalley, #Goodreads, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/c566f42be23a0e25d120e78a3454e2d427c4beee" width="80" height="80" alt="50 Book Reviews" title="50 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>.
I don't usually read Historical Fiction but I love all things about The Titanic so when I read the description of Orphans of the Storm I could not resist. The book fascinated me with its accuracy and it is clear that Celia Imrie did her homework on the subject. I found it a very enjoyable book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.
Reading the facts (included at the end of the book) that led to this work of fiction made me realise how clever #OrphansoftheStorm is. Celia Imrie, along with a historian, studied reports of the day, court papers and so on and pulled out a really interesting and human story. I have since done some research of my own (okay - I googled it!) and found the photographs and so on intriguing.
If you like stories set in the early 1900's and anything to do with the Titanic - this is for you. It shows how many different people were on that fateful voyage and really brings it alive. The author certainly did her homework.
I think it is always difficult to write a novel where there are so many true facts to consider, and I believe it was done well.
Thank you to the author, her publishers and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
A historical read centered around three main characters whose lives cross aboard The Titanic. An incredible opportunity to experience a factual account on board. Whilst I loved the historical account I found the book a bit tedious at times.
Orphans of the Storm is a powerfully written historical novel based on true characters and events in the early 1900’s set in France, London, New York and on “the greatest ship ever built”, the Titanic.
In the novel we follow the lives of three main characters; Marcella who dreams of being a famous singer but is trapped in a turbulent relationship with older man Michael, Michael who has a shady background and uses his looks and absolutely passion to deceive others and wealthy young American Margaret who is bored with her life and finds herself and her calling during her Titanic experience.
This is the first book by this author that I have read and was lucky to receive it as a read now on Netgalley. I was blown away with the story and even more so with the research that had been done before and during the book to make sure of accuracy of facts. The writing was vivid and I could imagine myself meeting the characters in the tailors shop, on the ship or in America. The plot with the two boys and their journey was really touching and the meeting of Margaret and Marcella were delicately dealt with. I will definitely be reading more by this author. I also found the background notes really interesting and the differences from the actual people who had lived these lives and the fictional versions of them.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
A Sweeping Tale…
An epic, sweeping tale of lives, loves and ultimately of grief and tragedy in the wake of the sinking of RMS Titantic. Well researched, with a credible and colourful cast of characters and an immersive storyline. A worthwhile read.
Based on actual events this book grips you from the very first page and keeps you engrossed to the very last page.
Set at the beginning of the twentieth century it follows events of a young married woman whose estranged husband takes her children who end up on the fated Titanic.
Factually correct in every way.
Absolutely brilliant
Can’t recommend it enough
Marcella married young, swept away by Michael a man who has ambitions to be the best tailor in Nice, South of France. However the romance has gone and Marcella is left with a jealous husband who wishes to control and bully.
Marcella makes the momentous decision that she needs to leave this man for the sake of herself and her two young boys. Divorce is not going to be easy, it is 1911 and the French courts need to decide whether this will go ahead and what happens to the two young boys.
Margaret has been touring around Europe with friends, but she is bored and wishes to return to her home in America. When the chance to travel home in style on the RMS Titanic, Margaret makes the fatal choice.
How can these different lives cross? It is inevitable that they will, but perhaps not in the circumstances that everyone thinks. When you begin a book which clearly features one of the most famous ships in history, there is an inevitably about it – prior knowledge means you known what happens on that fateful night in April 1912. Interestingly the event doesn’t happen until well into the last third of the book – a sense of trepidation is built as the story of Michael and Marcella is built upon.
The introduction of Margaret, becomes clearer as the book goes on and as readers we are swept under the sea as everyone’s worlds change.
Whilst slow at points, I did wonder where and how this book was going to culminate and I was so intrigued by the characters that were created. I was completely surprised by the fact that whilst this story was fiction – every person and experience was based on real people and real events. The information and research given at the end of the book is fascinating and brought more to the story than if it had been pure fiction.
Very different to previous novels and I noticed that the author has had some assistance in research which is fine, but made me doubt as to how much was really the author. That though is probably my fussiness and for fans of historical fiction this definitely a book that is worth a read.
Marcella is a dreamer, she dreams of being a famous singer, but she hasn't had any training. Her family thinks that she needs a trade, so she goes to a college to learn about tailoring. It is here she meets Michael and her life changes. She falls in love with Michael, they get married, have two children and then he changes. He becomes jealous of her relationship with their two young sons.
April 1912 and the Titanic is due to set sail. The vessel holds many wealthy people on it along with others of lessen fortune. We meet Margaret, a bored young woman who has led a priviledged life. Her life, along with many others changes forever as a result of the fate of the Titanic.
Her life becomes intwined with Michael, the two boys and Marcella.
This is my first book by Imrie that I have read. I will admit to requesting it mainly due to the Titanic voyage angle. It was a highly enjoyable read.
I’ve read Celia Imrie’ s books before and enjoyed them so, I was pleased to see she’d written another one but, this one disappointed me somewhat. The book was slow to get going and I found the only interesting bit was on the Titanic. After hat I found myself thinking of giving up but, I didn’t hence only giving this book three stars. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.
Marcella is a young Italian girl living in Nice in the early 1900s, with dreams of being a singer. But her family want her to have a proper job and she is sent to learn to be a tailor, meeting Stefan and then Michael.
Michael is ten years older than Marcella, but she falls for him as he whisks her away to marry her away from her family’s gaze. But after having two children by the time she’s 20, Michael changes and things aren’t the fairy tale they first seem.
Marcella takes the bold step of seeking a divorce, but before that can be finalised, disaster strikes (quite literally as it involves the Titanic).
I’ve never read any of Celia Imrie’s previous work and so went into the book not really knowing what to expect. I gobbled it up - the story is well crafted and the pace is great, getting the right balance between the build up and the disaster, keeping me wanting more when each chapter ended. Marcella is a great character that I rooted for and I genuinely didn’t know what the outcome would be at the end of the book.
I was also pleasantly surprised to discover at the end that Orphans of the Storm is based on a true story - with some of the historical research shared at the end of the book.
I really enjoyed this and highly recommend it.
Having enjoyed all of Celia's previous books, I was instantly drawn to her new book, which is completely different.
Based on true lives, the story is of Marcella, who is caught in a manipulative marriage, how she escapes, and what happens within her family in Nice in the early 20th century.
I had no idea where the story was taking me, and glad I hadn't read too much, as I love to dive into a book and see where the story draws me in. So no spoilers from me here.
The research is quite outstanding, and the history uncovered that was the basis for the story at the end of the book was fascinating.
Well written, insightful, interesting and atmospheric. I loved learning about life in Nice around 1910.
Highly recommended. A fantastic read, I loved it!!
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read early.
This book is a slow burner. We gradually learn the differing backgrounds of the main characters who end up on Titanic's fateful journey. Vivid descriptions of people boarding the ship really bring them to life.
Marcella files for divorce, an unusual step for a woman at the time, especially one with two small children. She is married to controlling Michael and they live in Nice. What happens next results in him boarding the Titanic in second class with the children.
Well-travelled but naive Margaret decides to change her plans on a whim, booking a first class cabin at the last minute and taking her little puppy.
The scenes after the ship hits the iceberg show how various passengers react in different ways: some selfish, others selfless but somehow it all seems a bit remote. I couldn't really relate to any of the characters, except perhaps Marcella. A bit disappointing, though the historical notes are interesting.
Celia Imrie's novel gets off to a fairly slow start, setting the scene in Nice with the deteriorating marriage of Marcella and her husband, Michael.
The novel's pace picks up dramatically when Michael, who is facing bankruptcy, decides to kidnap the couple's 2 young boys and sets off for a new life in the USA. The book becomes a page-turner at that point and I was enthralled by the description of life on board the Titanic and the rescue of survivors by the Carpathia.
I was even more fascinated to learn that the novel was largely based on real characters and true events. They say that truth is stranger than fiction. As a family history researcher myself, I was so pleased to see that the historical research was explained in some detail at the end of the book. Having discovered this section, I intend to reread the novel – I will probably enjoy it even more the second time around.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing who provided me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.
This book is thrilling and powerful. It’s set around 1900’s, France and London, as well in New York and on the doomed Titanic. The storm rages around, there is also mental suffering and a stormy relationship.
You feel for the main character, as her relationship is coming apart and you see her character shine, as she looks at getting a divorce, which was something you didn’t hear of in the twentieth century.
As the story moves to the Titanic, you want to read and don’t want to, as you know what’s going to happen.
What happens after the ship sinks, are feelings of guilt, grief and relief.
The story is based on what actually happened, the people on board what they went through. As well as getting to know what happened to the people who survived.
Recommend It.
After a rather slow and disjointed start I thoroughly enjoyed this book becoming totally engrossed as the story unfolded.. Fascinating story pieced together by some really in depth research, Celia has managed to give some real human depth behind the tragic Titanic story. Many true facts, including the actual main characters whose tale has given the basis for this book. I've not read any of Celia's books before, but rate her highly as an actress, but shall be seeking them out in the future.
From the first page this story engages the reader with the story of Marcella and Michael in Nice and how their marriage disintegrates as they work in their own tailoring shop. It is set in the early 1900s with a tale that links Nice, London and eventually New York. Michael is not who he pretends to be and his self-centred ambition ruins his family and his business. Bringing to life the real story of the Orphans of the Titanic and how eventually they get reunited with their mother from whom they have been snatched. This is a perfect example of bringing history to life, whether it is Nice as a centre for travel at the beginning of the twentieth century, the fashions of the time, how refugees struggled to survive without benefits that exist today. A very different type of novel from Celia Imrie which is beautifully crafted. A wonderful new novel.