A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice

This adds a lot to the story of the Titanic, the 1/3 that were saved and their grief over the loss of family members and the hard decisions the capt. of the Carpathia had to make.

Revealing recap of that night. If read by many, Carpathia will be remembered. An historical monument almost required reading for anyone interested in the subject.

A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice was the January pick for the parents book club at my kids’ school and we had an amazing discussion!I have always been fascinated with the Titanic, but it has been a while since I read a book centered around the tragedy. I really loved this duel perspective historical fiction, especially because (as I hoped!) at the end we find out that all of the main characters were derived from real life characters.The book alternates chapters between a young woman in third class on the Titanic and the captain of the Carpathia. I really loved how their perspectives were so different and the way that they merged as stories collided. The majority of the book takes place on the sea, but the ending portion gives some glimpse into life after landing in New York.For a story that is SO well known, I thought this book did a fantastic job of transporting the reader and keeping things fresh and interesting, but not overly dramatic. The Afterward and Author’s note were the icing on the cake. Truly so well researched and thorough! Highly recommended for historical fiction fans, especially those of us obsessed with Titanic, plus this would be a perfect choice for a teen also.

I have always been intrigue about the Titanic disaster, so when I saw this book I wanted to give it a try immediately. It has some historical accuracies, but the Author also took a few liberties to enhance the read. Interesting point of view from the rescue ship and all the work that it entailed. Despite the fact that you knew the outcome it was still a very gripping read, and it will make my list of books I like to read over again.

Revisiting the Titanic tragedy, the viewpoint of passengers and the crew of rescuers from the Carpathia makes this a new look at one of the largest maritime disasters in history. Personable characters and well written prose make this highly recommended.

A dual timeline chronicling the Titanic and RMS Carpathia.After receiving the distress call from Titanic, RMS Carpathia rushes to the aid of rescuing the stranded occupants taking on as many as they can. Captain Arthur Rostron and his crew work diligently to save the tragic weary, keeping them warm, feeding them, and having funeral services for their lost loved ones at sea.Kate Conolly is a third-class survivor of the Titanic. She has lost friends but she is very grateful for all that the crew is doing for her, and she is very aware and grateful.A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice was an eye-opener for me as I have never heard of the RMS Carpathia and I suspect was overshadowed because of the tragic tragedy that was the Titanic. At times, I thought I could feel the dampness of the sea as they rowed through the darkness of the night and didn’t know (and feared) if anyone would save them, or they too would find a grave in the sea like the others who weren’t so fortunate. Kate Connolly and Captain Rostron were the two main characters and though they don’t indirectly interact with each other, it clearly shows both sides. The choices they made because of this tragic incident changed so many lives. Recommended. My gratitude to Shadow Mountain and Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

I enjoyed this book. I was impressed with the amount of research that went into it. To my knowledge 90% of the book is fact. It's such an amazing and heartbreaking tale that I never knew.I was drawn in completely with the dual POV between the Captain and Kate. I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried a couple times. The occasional journal entries from passengers, was incredibly moving as well.Most of the book revolves around the sinking, and the rescue of the Titanic survivors. I feel like Rebecca Connolly did an excellent job in giving these people a life on paper.There were a few things that I didn't like...In the beginning, you are bombarded with characters. I understand why. The events of it all were fast paced and there were over 2,000 people on the Titanic alone. However, you meet 15 characters in under 4 chapters. The chapters are not long either. (43 pages total) I would have liked it if the book started at least 1-2 weeks before it sank instead of 5 days before. I wanted more back story and time to REALLY know these people who suffer so much. It was already so emotionally gripping but it could have been even better.Half the characters you meet, share the same first name which just irked me. There was a purpose for it concerning two of them in the end but the rest were unnecessary. (It's not as though there weren't enough names to choose from) It was already a challenge to keep track of them all. Adding that they shared a name was annoying.Technically this is a novel, and it fits the description of "a prose narrative of significant length and complexity that deals imaginatively with human experience," but in most people's minds, a novel means there will be some kind of love story included. I did not get that here. There is this sense of love for the sea and love for the grieving but there is no long-lasting love story woven into it. Not a deal breaker, but it could have improved the story, so I was sad, it wasn't there.As my nit-picky self, I did notice that Connolly repeats herself quite a lot. As in constantly. I didn't really like that, but most people probably wouldn't see it, or care.I finished it and I realized that the MORE factor I wanted was the grief. I felt like I was just a witness to tragic loss. I didn't want to look at it. I wanted to feel it. The driving emotional pull was that they were real people. If this story had been purely fictional, I wouldn't have cared. (Probably DNF'D it) because theres no set up and nothing to tie me to these characters other than the historical facts.OVERALL, a lovely book. I know I have criticisms but don't let that dissuade you, if you love stories on the Titanic, you should give it a try. I would greatly recommend that you listen to the songs while you read as they are mentioned in the book. I was truly transported when I did this. The songs... Nearer My God to Thee (Instrumental), Abide with Me (group), Amazing Grace (Choir) and Be Thou My Vision sung by Audrey Assad.Here's some quotes that I loved...."The saddest moment of all, after the boat load had been landed on the deck, was to see the poor widows and sons and daughters whose family relations had been broken, standing at the rail, looking into the distance with hands outstretched trying in hope to see their loved ones. There were numerous sick persons on board, but the illness was not so much physical as it was mental agony." (-Frank Blackmarr, Carpathia passenger)"I have no doubt they will forget.... The magnitude of the tragedy will overshadow everything else-as it should. The losses will outweigh the gains; that is simply human nature. Our providential moment in the sea will fade against the tales of each life lost, each lifeboat launched, and each member of the crew who sacrificed himself or herself to the sea."

On April 15, 1912, the ship Carpathia received a distress message from the Titanic that it had struck an iceberg. Captain Rostron had to decide if they would go there to help. His ship was smaller, and there could be dangerous icebergs on the way, but he made the tough decision to rescue the passengers on the Titanic. Kate Connolly is a third-class passenger on the Titanic. She’s in the last group to make it to the deck of the ship but she’s able to board a lifeboat. However, in all the chaos and destruction, Kate wonders if rescue is even possible.I’ve heard stories about the Titanic but I had never heard of the Carpathia or Captain Rostron. That’s unfortunate because Captain Rostron was the true hero that night. He made tough decisions and put his crew and passengers at risk to possibly rescue people on the Titanic. Despite the odds, he was able to rescue a third of the passengers from the Titanic.This was an incredible story. I liked that it was told in alternating chapters between Captain Rostron and Kate. This gave perspectives of both ships, from the person who was rescuing the Titanic passengers and a passenger from the Titanic. I was surprised at how early in the story the Titanic struck the iceberg, but that was just the beginning of this rescue story.A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice is an important story that everyone should know!Thank you Shadow Mountain for providing a copy of this book.