Book Blurb:
In 1912 aboard the RMS Titanic, Nabiha “Bea” Nohra is traveling to America to find work, eager to earn the funds necessary to afford passage for the family she left in Lebanon. On the same ship, heiress Marguerite Ashby sails home to celebrate her engagement to a dull British lord, a marriage that will secure her new-money family’s place in old New York society. But when the Titanic sinks, the two women’s paths are fused together when Bea saves Marguerite’s life and they are unexpectedly charged with the smallest survivor—a baby boy. No one claims the infant, so the women form a committee to aid survivors and locate the baby’s next of kin. Bea works as the child’s nanny, desperate to bring her family to America before the difficulties in Lebanon overwhelm them. Meanwhile Marguerite hopes the committee’s charitable efforts will win society’s respect and render an advantageous marriage unnecessary, sparing her from marrying a man she does not love—unless her parents force her to fulfill the obligation no matter what society says. And when finding the child’s relatives proves to be no simple task, the women are soon enmeshed in deception and uncertainty as they seek to determine where the baby truly belongs.
My Review: 4.5 stars
The Survivor’s Guild by Gabriella Saab was an excellent and compelling read about travelers on the Titanic that survived. Told with great detail and based on the real Lebanese Survivor’s Guild, this story will have you hooked from page one.
This is the author’s fourth book and I’m not sure how I skipped reading the middle two because I also loved her debut novel, The Last Checkmate. I’ll have to add them to my TBR.
This story of how two women find each other during the sinking of the Titanic was perfectly told. One from a lower-class background and the other from high society in which her marriage depends. If you like stories about New York society and the railroad money versus old money, you’ll love this story. The added story of Bea, who nanny’s a boy that was also saved during the sinking, will steal your heart.
The story really has something for everyone – adventure, politics, society drama, found friendship, romance and a bit of a mystery to boot. Well done!
Quotes I liked:
Fascinating women deserved to be kissed by fascinating men.”
“Secrets and dramatics were rarely a positive sign.”
“Philanthropy is not a suitable replacement for marriage.”
