5 Stars
384 Pages
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Ballantine Books
Release Date: February 25, 2025
Genre: Fiction (Adult), General Fiction (Adult), Historical Fiction, Titanic
Elinor has money but no title. When she and her father are invited to an upscale party, she is excited. He is known as the cotton king for his mills. The two of them are sitting at a table in the corner when Frederick Storton approaches them. He claims he is injured and unable to dance and asks if he could sit at their table and chat. Soon after the party, Frederick begins courting Elinor and asks her father for her hand in marriage. Her father is slightly concerned at the speed of their courtship, but if Elinor is happy and wants to accept, he will not stand in the way.
After the wedding, the couple live in the family historic estate. Married life is not what she imagined it to be. There is no romance and she barely sees Frederick, being consumed by estate matters. She is put in her place when she asks if she could help with the accounting or estate management. Things change after she gives birth to Edward “Teddy.” She is not allowed to see him because it might affect her mental state. After an appropriate time, she is permitted to see him 20 minutes a day. She discovers her husband’s sole purpose to marry her was to bear an heir and bring money to save the estate. Two years go by. She feels lonely and unloved; she receives a letter from her father of his promise of tickets for the Titanic’s maiden voyage. Frederick refuses but after she threatens to reveal his secrets, he relents. The night of the sinking, she makes a decision that affects everyone who knew her or will know her.
The story has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. The author does a wonderful job describing Elinor’s life and the way she claws her way back after the sinking. If you liked the movie Titanic, you would enjoy reading this book.
