In April 1912, Lydia Beaumont is on her way to a new life with a boundless hope, against all that Craven Dowd desires for her and himself. Her friendship with Caroline Chadwick deepens as they plan Lydia’s wedding on board the “grandest ship ever built.” Then both women suffer tragic losses when the “unsinkable” Titanic collides with an iceberg and there are only 20 lifeboats for 2207 passengers. They struggle to keep their families and dreams together.
Decades later, Caroline’s granddaughter, working at the museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia, plans for the 50th memorial for the sinking and contacts survivors and descendants of survivors. Alan Morris feels like a failure until he discovers he is the descendant of an acclaimed novelist who lost his life when the Titanic sank. He becomes caught up in finding his identity in the past and must come to terms with his present and the meaning of true success.
Characters struggle to answer whether love is more powerful than the pain of loss and learn what it means for a heart to survive.
I GIVE THIS BOOK: 4 Stars
MY THOUGHTS:
The very beginning of Hearts that Survive reminded me a lot of the movie Titanic (there were a few differences, but almost too many similarities), so I wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy this book. However, after the ship sank and the survivors were brought to New York is when I thought the story got really interesting - in fact I was loving it!
The story continued to be very enjoyable, until the focus shifted a bit to the children and grandchildren of the survivors - which happened in the last 80 or so pages and felt rushed, very rushed. I felt as though the story was rushing (yet taking forever) to get to the end. I liked reading about the descendants and everything, I just would have liked it more had there been a bit more detail about their lives - not have 300+ pages about Lydia and Caroline and then only about 80 on the descendants.
One thing that really annoyed me was how a person was mentioned as though you were supposed to know who that person was and then a couple of pages later the same person was introduced in great detail - a tad confusing to say the least!
Overall, I still found Hearts that Survive enjoyable. If you are looking for a novel about the Titanic, I would recommend it.
The very beginning of Hearts that Survive reminded me a lot of the movie Titanic (there were a few differences, but almost too many similarities), so I wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy this book. However, after the ship sank and the survivors were brought to New York is when I thought the story got really interesting - in fact I was loving it!
The story continued to be very enjoyable, until the focus shifted a bit to the children and grandchildren of the survivors - which happened in the last 80 or so pages and felt rushed, very rushed. I felt as though the story was rushing (yet taking forever) to get to the end. I liked reading about the descendants and everything, I just would have liked it more had there been a bit more detail about their lives - not have 300+ pages about Lydia and Caroline and then only about 80 on the descendants.
One thing that really annoyed me was how a person was mentioned as though you were supposed to know who that person was and then a couple of pages later the same person was introduced in great detail - a tad confusing to say the least!
Overall, I still found Hearts that Survive enjoyable. If you are looking for a novel about the Titanic, I would recommend it.
***I received a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done.***
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AUTHOR BIO:
Hearts that Survive – A Novel of the Titanic is Yvonne Lehman’s 50th novel. She is a best-selling, award winning author who founded and directed the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference for 25 years and now directs the Blue Ridge “Autumn in the Mountains” Novelist Retreat held annually in October (www.lifeway.com/novelretreat)
She lives in Black Mountain, amid the panoramic views of the Blue Ridge. She mentors students for the Christian Writers Guild. She earned her Master’s Degree in English at Western Carolina University and has taught English and Creative Writing on the college level.
You can visit Yvonne Lehman’s website at www.yvonnelehman.com.
To be entered to win a copy of Hearts that Survive, follow this blog in at least one way and then fill in all the applicable entries on the Rafflecopter form. There will be ONE winner. This giveaway is to residents of the continental United States only.
Can't wait to read this book!
ReplyDeletegift cards come in handy for lots of things. I'm undecided what I'd get thanks
ReplyDeleteLooks interesting!
ReplyDeleteThere's a gift card?..I guess I would buy a book?
ReplyDeleteI would like to read this book because you made it sound very interested, and I've always been interested in the Titanic. Thanks for having this giveaway.
ReplyDeleteayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net