Orphans of The Storm - Celia Imrie

Started: Thursday 7th July 2022

Finished: Saturday 9th July 2022

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Given my obsession with the story of the Titanic in my younger years, this is the first book I've ever read which is based around the tragic disaster.

I bought Orphans of the Storm on a whim on one of my Waterstone's sprees - and I vowed to make it my next read.

What I didn't realise is that it is based on the true story of the last surviving passenger from the disaster. And it was incredible.

So incredible that the minute I got home, I gave it to my mum to read and I've just bought a copy for one of my ex-colleagues because the history was common ground for us.

I didn't know what to expect - I knew it would pull at the heart strings but I didn't appreciate quite how much.

The way it's written, Imrie really allows the suspense and bewilderment to build. Of course, it's no spoiler to say - The Ship Sinks At The End - but the way it is written from two separate perspectives, prolongues the suspense. I ugly cried on the train. (Thankfully I was wearing sunglasses).

Whilst Michel Marcel Navratil is the character on which the story is based, accounts and perspectives are told from his parents. It's so hard to describe without giving it away. But it's stunning. Just read it.

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