“The enchanting saga of two Irish sisters…This new chapter of Titanic lore is worth plunging into.” —Publishers Weekly From the acclaimed author of The Girls of Ennismore comes a captivating and extraordinary tale of perseverance and bravery. This touching saga of sisterhood—perfect for fans of Fiona Davis and Marie Benedict—follows two young Irish women yearning for independence and adventure, … women yearning for independence and adventure, as they set sail on RMS Titanic—the “ship of dreams”—only to be faced with the tragedy of that fabled maiden voyage…
Delia Sweeney has always been unlike her older sister—fair and delicate compared to tall, statuesque Nora, whose hair is as dark as Donegal turf. In other ways too, the sisters are leagues apart. Nora is her mother’s darling, favored at every turn, and expected to marry into wealth. Delia, constantly slighted, finds a measure of happiness helping her da on the farm. The rest of the time, she reads about far-off places that seem sure to remain a fantasy. Until the day a letter arrives from America . . .
A distant relative has provided the means for Delia and Nora to go to New York. Delia will be a lowly maid in a modest household, while Nora will be governess for a well-to-do family. In Queenstown, Cork, they board the Titanic, a majestic new ocean liner making its maiden voyage. Any hope Delia carried that she and her sister might become closer during the trip soon vanishes. For there are far greater perils to contend with as the ship makes its way across the Atlantic . . .
In the wake of that fateful journey, Delia makes an impulsive choice—and takes Nora’s place as governess. Her decision sparks an adventure that leads her from Fifth Avenue to Dallas, Texas, where oilfields bring unimagined riches to some, despair to others. Delia grows close to her vulnerable young charge, and to the girl’s father. But her deception will have repercussions impossible to foresee, even as it brings happiness within reach for the first time . . .
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Ireland – 1911
Delia was born a twin but her brother died shortly after birth. Her mother was devastated at his loss and never really cared for Delia. Thus, Delia worked on the farm with her father while her older sister, Nora, worked in the kitchen with her mother. Delia loved to read and was very intelligent. Nora was more interested in clothes and having fun.
One day, a letter came from New York from the husband of her mother’s cousin saying she needed a governess for his daughter as his wife had just passed away. There was money for her to sail on the Titanic via first class. The girls’ mother chose Nora to go. But their father intervened and found a position as a maid for Delia and changed the ship’s passage to third class so both could go. Nora was furious but had to accept it.
Onboard, Nora immediately found friends and partied a lot. Delia was happy to read her books. But when the Titanic hit an iceberg, the girls ended up on different lifeboats. Nora fell off and was assumed drowned. That’s when Delia decided to take her place as the governess in a posh house instead of a job as a maid. But Nora did not drown, but had amnesia.
The book follows the girls along their different paths taken in America and the adventures they encountered. I enjoyed reading about the Titanic itself but that was just a short part. The people they meet along the way influence them in helping them grow and mature. While the story is interesting, it seemed a bit too long and did not really grab me as I hoped it would.
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I would like to thank Kesington books and this site for allowing me to read this book.
We find Delia Sweeney who does not look at all like her older sister. She is small and delicate, while Nora is tall and dark. Nora is the favorite, she intends to marry a rich man. Delia is always on the sidelines and only feels good on the farm. One day they receive a letter from America.
A distant relative pays them both a trip to the United States, they board the Titanic in Queenstown Cork, the famous liner for its maiden voyage. After the voyage Delia takes Nora’s place as governess. These adventures will take them from 5th Avenue to Dallas, Texas.
I read this book in one sitting and was immediately hooked on the story, which is so gripping, captivating, addictive, full of suspense and twists and turns with very endearing characters. I love the author’s writing, I can’t wait to read more of her books.
OMG this book was so good! I loved getting to know Delia and Nora through their harrowing journey, including their trip on the titanic. I won’t spoil the story, but I will say this book is a must read!
I am a sucker for any book that has Titanic in it. Delia and Nora have just gotten the opportunity of a lifetime. A distant family member has written asking for them to come to America. Their cousin recently passed away, and the husband now needs someone to help care for their daughter. He is asking for one, but their father manages to find a way to have both of them head to the new land, on one of the most luxurious ocean liners ever built.
Delia and Nora couldn’t be more opposite of each other, and Nora has made it very clear that she is not happy that Delia is tagging along and ruining her plans. She was supposed to go in first class, now they are both down in lower class passage and Nora cannot wait until they dock in New York to get away from her sister and live a life she’s always dreamed of.
We all know what happens to the Titanic and this is just the beginning of the journey the two of them take. due to circumstance that were unknown at the time, Delia takes Nora’s place as governess and soon has a web of lies she can hardly keep straight. Meanwhile Nora is not sure who she is, or where she belongs and when her memory starts to recover she journeys to find out what happened to that position of governess she was supposed to take up.
Each sisters seems to change into the role of the other, and both are struggling to figure out where they belong in this new country while feeling homesick for a place they never thought they’d miss. Can they work to settle their difference or will one or both end up back in Ireland.
This was a very good, fast paced read. Lots of action, lots of journeying all over the US, across the ocean and back. I really enjoyed how the sisters came to find out who they really were and that the life they lived in Ireland, maybe was not as bad as they had thought. Thank you to Kensington Books for the free arc!
Nora and Delia are two Irish sisters who couldn’t be more opposite personality wise. Nora was outgoing, vivacious, self-centered, and a ma’s girl. Delia was quiet, introspective, private and a da’s girl. When they both had opportunities to leave Ireland and emigrate to America, they jumped at it. Little did they know that both of them would find their lives turned around, become separated, and find themselves changing as events occurred.
First, a heads up that very little of this story takes place on the Titanic; so don’t expect this to be a story about sisters on the Titanic especially if you are an avid Titanic person. The story was interesting as life took both Nora and Delia in directions they didn’t expect. Life took turns in directions they could not foresee, yet it also helped them grow and become better people. I liked the way that we see two different perspectives as the story switches back and forth between the two sisters. I would have given this a higher score, but one detailed sexually explicit scene that was not necessary to the flow of the story interrupted the flow in my opinion.
**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions are mine alone. I was not compensated for this review.
When a twist of fate happens, two lives are changed forever and can the sister that were once close as little girls find each other and become sisters again.
I really enjoyed this book, I liked the characters and was engrossed in their story
A story of deception and redemption
Thoroughly enjoyed !
I love how the relationship between the sisters matured.
A slow starter. Predictable
I really liked this story, although it kept me wanting more. More of an epilogue at the end, tying up how the sisters’ lives moved on. More substance for the male characters. More about how the sisters continued to repair their relationship. Relationships in general were left open for more depth. But despite wanting more, I enjoyed reading about Hell’s Kitchen, Texas, Ireland, and the characters who were described more deeply. It kept me wanting to come back to find out what happened next, every time I had to put the book down.
While this book wasn’t exactly what I expected, it was very good. Following the sisters after their voyage was interesting. There wasn’t as much about the Titanic as I thought there would be but the story never really lagged. I felt that some of the characters could have been fleshed out a little more, especially those close to the sisters. All in all, an entertaining fast read.
THE TITANIC SISTERS by Patricia Falvey
Two very dissimilar sisters join the ill-fated Titanic voyage. They are both anxious to be going to America, for very different reasons.
Nora Sweeney, the eldest sister has been given the money for passage on the Titanic by a distant relative, seeking a governess for his young daughter. Nora has lived a pampered life, her ma dotes on her on an obsessive level. She always gets lots of beautiful clothes and doesn’t have to do any work on the farm, inside or out. She is vivacious and curvy. She often joins her ma in the vicious attacks on Delia.
Delia Sweeney, is quite shy, preferring to work with her da on the farm, she would love to stay at the farm forever, helping her da, but the situation with her ma is impossible, she knows that she will die, if she has to spend much longer, being subjected to her ma and sister’s taunts. She expresses the desire to go to America on the Titanic but knows there is no possible way for her to come up with the passage funds.
Da Sweeney devises a brilliant plan to get both of his daughters on board the Titanic.
The book has dual narration between the two sisters. I like the details of life aboard the Titanic, living in rural Ireland, New York City, and Texas. This is an original story, unlike any other Titanic story that I have read. The author is Irish, I like those authors.
Many thanks to Kensington Publishing for the complimentary copy of #thetitanicsisters I was under no obligation to post a review.
From the shores of Ireland, to New York City, to the oil fields of Texas, this book was on point with all the details.
You could feel the sisters in Ireland, both yearning to head to America. New York City in the early 20th century was divided, the haves and the have nots. Texas was a hot, dry, rough and tumble place where fortunes were made and lost in the oil fields.
The detail the author included about the Titanic and her passengers was well done and I felt the flow of the whole story made sense. How each of the sisters related to the possible loss of her sibling in the sinking of the Titanic, not knowing for sure if she was now an only child was masterful. Following each sister was easy and the book just flowed. Although the book only spanned a few years, the characters developed so much. Changes in both of the sisters were for the better.
I’m not usually a fan of dual narrative stories, but this one worked very well. The ending was unexpected although happy.
The Titanic Sisters is the first book I’ve read by Patricia Falvey and my thanks to NetGalley for an ARC. I will be looking forward to finding and reading other books by this author.
This book wouldn’t let me go, once I turned the first page I couldn’t put it down!
We all know what happened to the Titanic, but now we are meeting two of the passengers, and we see their life before they leave Ireland, and then what happens to them on this maiden voyage.
Sisters, Nora and Delia, one loved by their mother, and the other despised by her. Thank goodness for their Da, he was the blessing in their lives.
We switch back and forth as we are updated on their lives, and how their circumstances change, and how they end up surviving.
What a great story the author has woven out of the tragedy these young woman experience, and yet how different a path they are put on than what was originally planned!
I loved the women that befriend these survivors, strong woman who give love and friendship, especially Mrs. Shaw and Mayflower!
You don’t want to miss this one!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Kensington, and was not required to give a positive review.
The Titanic Sisters by Patricia Falvey is a great historical fiction that tells the story of two sisters that traveled from rural Donegal aboard the ill-fated steamer, and were separated during the rescue and aftermath. During the mayhem of the tragedy, both sisters lose track of one another and through the confusion, think that the other has perished in the wreckage.
This book is more of the lives created, the separation and eventual reunion of Delia and Nora then necessarily the events and actions among the ship’s passengers and the main characters while they were aboard the Titanic itself. I enjoyed the alternating chapters focusing on each sister throughout the novel. It kept the story fresh and interesting.
While I enjoyed their separate journeys, I especially enjoyed their respective growth, changes, maturity, and reunion the most. The added concepts of family, forgiveness, and looking towards the future instead of always living in the past was what really drew me in to the plot. I enjoyed the ending and it definitely made me appreciate the characters and their past mistakes even more.
An excellent historical fiction. 5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Kensington for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.