The Girl Who Came Home: A Novel of the Titanic (P.S.)

I had my eye on this book for a while, as I haven't seen a lot of historical fiction novels about the Titanic and this story in particular sounded interesting. When my book club was looking for ideas, I suggested it, and was glad when they went for it.This was a good story overall and I learned a lot about the Titanic, even more than just from the movie. It made the whole situation feel more haunting and harrowing. Some aspects even reminded me of September 11th. I didn't know about the group from Ireland that inspired this novel, so I appreciated the background in the author's note. I liked both Maggie and Grace and was glad that they were able to help each other.My main concerns were that it felt like there were too many characters being focused on and lots of shifting perspectives, as a result. It also seemed like things came too easily to some of the characters.Overall, this made for a good discussion with my book club and even brought up other situations as a result. (Hence the September 11th comment above.) I would recommend this one to fans of Fiona Davis and Susan Meissner.Movie casting suggestions:Maggie (17): Erin KellymanMaggie (87): Judy ParfittHarry: Jacob DudmanGrace: Danielle Rose RussellSeamus: Fionn O'SheaKathleen: Samantha MortonPeggy: Siobhan WilliamsKatie: Lily Mo Sheen

With the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic almost upon us, it's only right that we're reminded of one of the most awful maritime disasters in history. Hazel Gaynor's beautiful novel, The Girl Who Came Home, is not only a reminder of the actual disaster, but it's an exploration of human emotions - a gut-wrenching before and after look at lives that were forever changed on that momentous day. Hazel has based this novel on a true story of the Addergoole Fourteen, a group of men and women who left their small village in County Mayo inIreland to board the Titanic for its maiden voyage.In Chicago in 1982, Grace Butler is looking for a story to write in order to revive her journalism career. She needs something big - something that will tap into the readers' emotions and get her noticed. But never in a million years was she expecting her great grandmother, Maggie Murphy, to be the one to provide her with what she's looking for. Maggie has kept a secret for seventy years and decides that now is the time to open up and share it with her great granddaughter.And so the story takes us back to that rural Irish village in April 1912 when seventeen year old Maggie Murphy is preparing to sail on the Titanic, along with her aunt Kathleen and two of her best friends, Peggy and Katie. In all, fourteen men and women from the village are packing up their lives in hope of a better one over in America.Maggie is excited about her impending voyage, but devastated to be leaving behind her beloved Seamus. She hopes he'll be able to join her soon in America but in the meantime, he's written a selection of love letters to keep her company on the journey ahead. These letters form part of this amazing story, where we learn what's going through the minds of some who have been left behind. Maggie also keeps a private journal during the sailing and it allows us a glimpse into her innermost thoughts.Hazel's depiction of the characters in this novel is beautiful. She brings us right into their lives and we become invested in them. Although we know the fate of the ship, we're left rooting for the people we've come to know and hope that there's a way out for them. We also see the stories of some of those waiting on the other side - the relatives and friends who have gathered to hear news of the ill-fated ship. How unbearable it must have been to have to check a list of the dead, praying you wouldn't see your loved one's name on it.Through all the mayhem on the ship, we follow Maggie and learn her fate, but it's only as the full scale of the disaster unfolds that we begin to learn the fate of the rest of the Irish group. Hazel manages to weave plenty of twists and surprises into the story and I have to admit to shedding a tear on a few occasions.Forward to 1982 and Maggie and her great granddaughter decide to take a trip back to that little village in Ireland where it all began. Seventy years on, she feels it's about time she made peace with her past. It's an emotional scene as the past mingles with the present and we're left reeling as some unexpected plot twists reveal themselves.If you're a lover of all things Titanic, you'll love The Girl Who Came Home, but if you just like a great emotional read with amazing, relatable characters, this is also the book for you. Hazel has managed to take a story that we've all heard a million times and give us a new perspective. Her attention to the detail of the ship made me feel I was there and her ability to portray the innermost thoughts of the characters meant I was fully invested in them and their safety. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read and I'd highly recommend it.

I'm fascinated with the story of the Titanic, but not obsessed so I haven't read lots of books on it. This is a fictional account inspired by a real group of 14 Irish emigrants who left Ireland to visit relatives in America.The story focuses on 17-year-old Maggie Murphy. Maggie's parents have both died and her aunt Kathleen has come to Ireland and is taking Maggie back to Chicago with her. While there, others have decided to join them in making the journey. Maggie is sad to be leaving her boyfriend, Seamus, behind. His father is sick so he won't be able to come, but tells her he'll be waiting for her to come home.We also get two more stories: "Lucky Harry," and Grace Butler, Maggie's great-granddaughter. Harry is one of the stewards on the ship who Maggie and her friends get to know and who later helps her get into one of the last lifeboats to leave. Grace's story takes place in Illinois in 1982. Grace's life was going well until her father died. She left college and her boyfriend, Jimmy, to help her mother. Maggie starts to help her get her life back, starting with telling her about her journey on the Titanic, a story she has never told anyone. Learning her great-grandmother's story gives Grace the courage to move on with her life.I loved this book! Most of it is told in flashback so there's a lot of jumping back and forth. I didn't find it to be confusing and actually liked it. Maggie was young and excited to go on the ship, but she was sad to have left Seamus behind. It was interesting to experience the Titanic through her young eyes. Knowing what happened doesn't lessen the impact of the scenes of the tragic night of April 15, 1912. All the talk of the Titanic being unsinkable appeared to have caused confusion and disbelief at what was happening. The author didn't dwell too long on the actual sinking and I liked that. The aftermath is what gets lost sometimes. The journey to the Carpathia in the lifeboats was long and cold. The people waiting to welcome the ship in New York were in shock as they attempted to learn the fate of their loved ones, and even if they didn't see their names on the list of survivors, hoped they would still see them disembark. It's not too surprising that Maggie didn't want to remember and discuss the horror of that night until she was much older.I also enjoyed Harry and Grace's stories. It was interesting to see what happened to Harry. I thought his ending would be a little different. Grace was able to learn what was important to her and to go for it before it was too late. I also loved Maggie's story and hearing the ending to it. She was able to do something at the end that she'd been wanting to do for a long time and was able to make peace with all that happened.I like the section at the end where the author shares the story behind the book and tells the parts of the book based on fact. There is also a short Glossary of Irish Terms and Reading Group Discussion Questions. There is a lot to say about this book so it would be great for a book club! This is a clean read. If you enjoy reading about the Titanic, this is a book for you!I received a copy of this book to review. My opinion is 100% my own.

What I liked most about this book was how it was a story that was fictional but definitely believable or at least relatable to some of the people who may of lost their family in the Titanic disaster in their search for a new life in America. Definitely had a sweet ending and makes you appreciate the importance of family

This is by far the best Titanic novel I have read. It's based on a real set of people for one. It has characters who will warm your heart and make your tears flow. It has a build up to the floundering of the ship and the aftermath. Most of all, it has that human touch, a full picture of the survivors and their stories come full circle. There's a lovely mention to the real people on which this story was based and the story behind the story really does shine a poignant light on each and every page. This is the kind of novel that you can almost hear the author sobbing as she discovered their story and transferred their voices on the page. I felt the tears prick my eyes as this was a very moving story. Who was on that ship? What kind of person decided to emigrate? What were they hoping to do when there and what did this ship mean to them?Towards the end of the novel the author places you on that New York dock as people stand, waiting for the unsinkable Titanic to sail into the harbour. People are starting to hear rumours that something bad has happened. Characters in the city wait for characters we have all become friends with on the ship. Boy, this was emotional. I wanted to hug them as they faced the devastating news.The dual time line works extremely well here. Modern day and of course 1912 allows the stories to breathe and come full circle. We are there every step of the way with these remarkable people and I hope somehow they realise that their voices have been heard via this book.Recommended!

What a beautifully written book. I loved the characters and the storytelling was just a joy to read. The excitement For these characters of starting a new life in the new world, the sadness, that you as a reader know what’s going to happen before the characters do and the heartbreak as you learn what happened to each person. Harrowing at times, I could visualise very clearly what was going on and the devastation of communities across the world for generations after the event. Highly recommend

I've read several of Hazel Gaynor's novels, and enjoyed them very much. This book is about a great love which inspired the writing of a bundle of letters to Maggie Murphy of Ballysheen. She was presented with these when she was about to board the Titanic, but lost them during the ship's evacuation. Remarkably, they turned up 70 years later, and therein lies a story.Well structured, full of tension and surprises, the book handles one part of the story leading up to the sinking of the Titanic on 15th April 1912, and parallel to that, the story of Maggie's great grand-child, Grace, a budding journalist, who is entrusted with the public sharing of Maggie's personal experience.The narrative is interspersed with extracts from Maggie's diary. Hazel Gaynor is a master of creating atmosphere and tension.I thoroughly enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.

When I first noticed The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor listed in Amazon's historical fiction new books I wasn't interested. I thought that the sinking of the Titanic was a topic that had just been done too often - books about it were everywhere as the centenary of the event approached. I had read Walter Lord's account of the event when I was in my teens and I was very moved by it. So I didn't think a novel could compete with that non-fiction book and I brushed past it in Amazon's listings.I don't know what made me change my mind. Maybe the centenary documentaries on tv stirred my memories of how A Night To Remember gripped me and re-kindled my interest in the Titanic. Or it may have been because I learned that the novel's plot centred on Irish passengers aboard the ship and I am always drawn to books with an Irish connection. Whatever the reason I downloaded the novel and started to read - and I didn't find it a well-worn story at all. The characters and the story ensnared me. The world one hundred years ago came alive and I enjoyed stepping back in time, even though the events unfolding were harrowing. This novel was well worth the read for its entertainment value and for the interesting snippets I learned about the sinking of the ship and the aftermath. So I would heartily recommend it to other readers.

This is historical fiction based on a true event of the tragic sinking of The Titanic in 1912. The story follows a young 17 year old Irish girl, Maggie, her family and friends as they embark on the ill-fated Titanic to start new lives in America. Fourteen members of the same village set out as a little group, they all have different reasons for embarking on this journey and all are excited.In 1982 Maggie’s family suffers the tragic loss of her grandson and her great-granddaughter is devastated. Grace gives up her college education to stay with her mother also leaving her boyfriend.I was moved to tears several times as the characters on the Titanic were brought to life in the first few days of that ill fated journey. I don't wish to give any spoilers but threads are pulled together very nicely. The trauma faced by many people is well written with many people’s lives affected deeply.Well worth a read, highly recommended.