“An atmospheric, compelling story of survival, tragedy, the enduring power of myth and memory, and the moments that change one’s life.” –Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Four Winds “[An] enthralling and emotional tale…A story about strength and fate.”–Woman’s World “An epic novel that explores the metal of human spirit in crisis. It is an expertly told, … epic novel that explores the metal of human spirit in crisis. It is an expertly told, fascinating story that runs fathoms deep on multiple levels.”—New York Journal of Books
It was called “The Titanic of the South.” The luxury steamship sank in 1838 with Savannah’s elite on board; through time, their fates were forgotten–until the wreck was found, and now their story is finally being told in this breathtaking novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis.
When Savannah history professor Everly Winthrop is asked to guest-curate a new museum collection focusing on artifacts recovered from the steamship Pulaski, she’s shocked. The ship sank after a boiler explosion in 1838, and the wreckage was just discovered, 180 years later. Everly can’t resist the opportunity to try to solve some of the mysteries and myths surrounding the devastating night of its sinking.
Everly’s research leads her to the astounding history of a family of eleven who boarded the Pulaski together, and the extraordinary stories of two women from this family: a known survivor, Augusta Longstreet, and her niece, Lilly Forsyth, who was never found, along with her child. These aristocratic women were part of Savannah’s society, but when the ship exploded, each was faced with difficult and heartbreaking decisions. This is a moving and powerful exploration of what women will do to endure in the face of tragedy, the role fate plays, and the myriad ways we survive the surviving.
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This is the story of the steamship Pulaski which exploded in 1838, killing nearly all of its passengers. However, about 20-30 survived, and this novel fictionalizes the stories of some of the survivors. Additionally, it is told in present day, through the story of Everly Winthrop, a professor and a consultant to the museum. Everly is asked to curate an exhibit on the Pulaski. She is hesitant to do so because Oliver, the fiancé of Everly’s best friend, Mora, asked. Mora died just over a year ago, and Everly is still grieving.
The story of the passengers was interesting, as was Everly’s determination to tell their story. However, I felt the story took a very long time to tell, and could have been shorter.
Patti Callahan once again sweeps us into her story world! this time, she takes us to 1838, on board the historical ship the Pulaski, known as “The Titanic of the South.” You meet the characters and travel with them through this harrowing experience. My heart was pounding– I was ON that ship! As Patti always does, she then delves into the deeper questions, “What does it mean to be a survivor?” How does one continue to live, and what happens to the lives– and their descendants– after such a life changing experience? a page turning historical– and deeply poignant. I loved this book and highly recommend it!
Such a good read. Patti Callahan writes so beautifully… deftly using unique word combinations while masterfully weaving facts and fiction together. The result is an unputdownable book you will want to slow down and savor as you marvel at all of the twists and turns awaiting you. It’s one of those you won’t want to end as you reluctantly find yourself racing toward it’s finish. The Pulaski, a real ship, sunk in 1838. Her remains have just been discovered, and Everly has been tasked with trying to figure out what happened back then for a museum exhibit she is helping to put together in the present. Interspersed with Everly’s story, we go back in time to voyage with two women, Augusta and Lilly, who were well-to-do passengers on this new, but doomed, ship. What happened to them? More than one mystery unraveled as I sailed through the pages, and I enjoyed unwrapping the layers one-by-one as the secrets were slowly revealed to me. This is historical fiction at its finest about a subject we haven’t heard much about. It’s harrowing. It’s unique. And it’s fulfilling. I just can’t recommend it highly enough.
I never hear of the steamship Pulaski or it’s terrible fate. Human error can be devastating. Tho the author switched from present to the past, the characters were so well developed It changed with ease. This was fiction with true historical facts weaved in the story. I totally enjoyed the book…
Amazing read! I became entranced with this story right from the beginning. It’s a beautifully written fictional tale based on a true historical event, the sinking of the steamship Pulaski and its aftermath in 1838. I loved how this was told both through the accounts of two courageous women who lived through the tragedy and a modern day woman, Everly, who’s dealing with her own tragedy. Patti Callahan did a tremendous job in making you imagine what those people went through and how it shaped their lives going forward. Some for the better, others not so. A totally mesmerizing tale.
Author Patti Callahan assures us that stories are ‘best understood in the landscapes where they happen,’ and proceeds to bring us to a wonderful, novel place, that we recognize as if we’d joined her there. Throughout the book, she brings us subtly to new landscapes: to a wreck a hundred feet below the sea, through intricate iron gates to the family plot, to cities described so vividly we see them as if they were an entirely new concept. Somehow, although the main character is powerful and the tone of Surviving Savannah is endlessly enthralling, the places we move to and through become endlessly important.
The moment-to-moment interactions of the characters are unpredictable, and this is certainly true for the overall story. Everly is a strong main character, with surprising interests and skills, but more importantly, a depth of feeling she shares ever so gently. We feel her mourning even as she is moving forward. Events of the past filter in with Everly’s discoveries; they are somehow no less heart-wrenching for being part of the long-ago.
This has the flavor of the American south, and a hint of endlessly reminiscing. Surviving Savannah is one of those novels you will read, and then re-read as if touching the life of an old friend.
Patti Callahan’s writing is no less than simply brilliant. “Sunlight cast him in gold” she describes at one point, and I would say, reading casts this novel in gold.
Do read Surviving Savannah. This is a venture away from the common time and place, yet familiar: warming and wonderful and worth every one of those five stars.
The Pulaski, was one of the most luxurious steamships of the time, in 1838. Now often referred to as the Titanic of the south, met its demise long before the Titanic did. It was the new way of travel, those with prestige and wealth were looking forward to now taking steamships to the north to summer houses, instead of having to travel three, four plus days by buggy. The Pulaski was supposed to be a one night journey only.
Whole families boarded this steamship headed north to get out of the reprieve of the hot summer months. There was no concern or worry when everyone boarded, then the unfathomable happened, the ship exploded late into the night and it was chaos. The whole ship shook, the starboard side was completely missing and everyone was disoriented, as it was the middle of the night and most had been jarred awake. This now turned into an event of survival and realization that there were not enough lifeboats to save everyone and two were already sinking when a group tried to send off.
History Professor Everly has been tasked with what seems an impossible project. She has been asked to guest curate a new museum event focusing on steamship Pulaski. She has always been fascinated by this steamship, and her grandfather often made up various stories about those who had boarded it. He’d sit and give a different outcome each time, and Everly and her sister would soak up his tales. They even had a painting of it, and now the wreckage had finally been found off the coast.
This project tests Everly in many ways, as it brings up her own past and forces her to journey into herself while journeying into the lives of those from the past. As often as she feels the excitement and drive again, she also hits roadblocks trying to find information for this exhibit. With the help from someone from her past, and the lead on the dive team she realizes this was meant for her to handle.
This was such an amazing novel. Told with the dual storylines, Patti does such an amazing job in her writing. I was both on the steamship with those families, and yet I was also helping Everly dig up the past of what happened to the those who boarded. It was such an amazing novel to read, and I had no idea of this shipwreck. Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the free book!
Loved this story and writing. About a steamship accident in 1838 and a current resident of Savannah digging to discover who survived this real life tragedy. It is so atmospheric, makes you want to go to Savannah.
At once painstakingly researched, compelling historical fiction with the lure of a heart and soul story concerning a woman coming to terms with her own heartbreaking trauma, Surviving Savannah is an epic novel that explores the metal of human spirit in crisis. It is an expertly told, fascinating story that runs fathoms deep on multiple levels.
I really enjoyed this in audio. The narrators were fabulous and really brought the story to life. Very interesting history about the Pulaski ship explosion and the lives of the people on board struggling to stay alive. The present day story wasn’t as appealing to me but was enjoyable, and I liked the ending of
it. Great wrap up by the author at the end that explains it all.
4,5
My first experience with a Patti Callahan story and I was captivated from the very first page! I got lost in this page-turning dual timeline story of heartache and tragedy, and how the survivors coped. Author Patti Callahan does a fantastic job with her research, and it was so interesting to learn about a relatively unknown (outside of Savannah) shipwreck. Everything in this excellent historical fiction story is portrayed in a very realistic way from the horrors of the explosion, the deaths, and the days at sea with wind, sun, dehydration, and the trauma of surviving such an event “Not everyone who survives trauma becomes a better person. The idea that surviving brings everyone to a new and better place is a lie told by people who need the world to make sense. There was always a choice”.
After discovering some of the artifacts from The Pulaski, “The Titanic of the South” that sank in 1838, this really resonated with me “And once, it all meant something to someone.” So much gets lost in the sands of time, I really appreciate the way Everly Winthrop in the present-day story, works so hard to learn the stories of all those on board The Pulaski, especially a family of 12 who set sail on this voyage. She discovers much along the way, and it helps her deal with a tragedy she recently experienced.
Beautifully written historic fiction about a little-known 1838 tragedy. Set in Savannah, with dual timelines, and an unexpected romance.
A Historian discovers more than treasure in an ancient shipwreck in “Surviving Savannah”
In her latest historical novel, “Surviving Savannah,” (Berkley), New York Times bestselling author, Patti Callahan, takes her readers on a riveting deep-sea treasure hunt of a sunken pre-Civil War steamship. The heartbreaking tale of the opulent steamship named the Pulaski and the myths about its survivors has intrigued Everly Winthrop, and her best friend, Moira, since they were kids growing up in Savannah. For the past year, though, Everly has been sleepwalking through life because of Moira’s death in a hit-and-run car accident. Believing she’s responsible for Moira’s death, she’s plagued by guilt, causing her to question “why not me?”
The full review can be found at https://booktrib.com/2021/03/10/a-historian-discovers-more-than-treasure-in-an-ancient-shipwreck-in-surviving-savannah/
What fun to do research for a sunken ship.
The Pulaski was finally found after sinking in 1838.
Everly Winthrop was given the task of finding what really happened to The Pulaski.
We also meet Lilly who was on the sunken luxury ship.
SURVIVING SAVANNAH takes us back and forth in time as we learn about Lilly Longstreet’s privileged life and then the terror of trying to save herself, her nursemaid, and her baby. Many wealthy families were on board.
We then move to present day as Everly does the research and deals with issues of her own.
Ms. Callahan included very interesting information from her amazing, thorough research along with her marvelous writing and story line.
The story line flowed well from one time period to the next.
The characters were well developed and ones you will cheer on and love.
I loved learning about Savannah, and about this ship. I had never heard of this event.
SURVIVING SAVANNAH will pull you into the mystery of The Pulaski and have you wanting to know everything uncovered and everything about Savannah.
Historical fiction fans and fans of Savannah will enjoy this book.
A truly addictive read you won’t want to put down. 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I had never heard of the Pulaski but now that I have read Patti Callahan’s Surviving Savannah, I am curious to find out more. The dual timelines are perfect. They each tell the story of Pulaski with the real experience coming in the 1838 timeline and the present timeline tells of the research of the Pulaski.
The persistence of Everly and her research was wonderful. The lengths she went to and how that research was able to push her to start living her life again, a life that she had not been fully living since the loss of her best friend.
Lilly and Augusta are able to tell their story as the ship explodes, they are thrown into the cold waters, and are doing everything they can to just survive. I was in awe of their strength and their will to live. Their lives were at risk and their futures unknown, yet they never stopped hoping to find land and be saved.
Surviving Savannah will be one of the top historical fiction books of 2021 for me.
“How do we survive the surviving? What happens to us after we live through tragedy both great and small? Is there such a thing as fate? Who do we become and why?” – Patti Callahan, author’s note to Surviving Savannah
I’ve never quoted from an author’s note in a book review, but these questions perfectly captured the spirit of this dual timeline novel centered on the historical sinking of the luxury steamship Pulaski. On the surface, the historic segments of the plot occur in 1838 on the days around the horrific sinking of the steamship Pulaski, known as “the Titanic of the South.” Although records vary, 187 to 192 passengers and crew were aboard the ship on its fourth voyage and 128 to 133 perished, many of whom were members of Savannah’s elite society. I had an instant connection with this novel since the ship was named after Casimir Pulaski, a noble Polishman and military commander; my Polish husband has taught me about Poland, its history, and its war heroes.
The contemporary storyline features a young museum curator who struggles to reconnect with daily life after a devastating loss. Her survivor guilt is strong and tempers her enthusiasm when she is asked to create an immersive exhibit of recently-discovered artifacts recovered from the Pulaski.
I was particularly compelled to read the historical segments featuring passengers Augustana and Lilly to learn what happened next, yet did so with apprehension because their circumstances were dire and the outcome unknown. Ms. Callahan described the scenes so vividly I could feel the bitterly cold water and their sun-blistered skin.
Below the historical facts and imagined actions, this novel can be read at a much deeper level. How do we go on after surviving a tragedy? Does the world expect survivors to lead fuller and better lives? Can the way we treat fellow survivors impact the balance of their lives and ours?
Despite the many hardships, the novel concludes with a spirit of hope in both storylines. I anticipated a rich, meaningful reading experience with this novel and was was rewarded beyond my expectations. Thank you to Berkley for the gifted egalley; all thoughts are my own.
Everly has been struggling for quite a while. Her best friend was killed in a hit and run and Everly has been lost ever since. But, she has been recruited to help put together a museum exhibition about the sinking of the steamship Pulaski. As she dives into the research of the tragedy she discovers family ties and history she never expected.
Well! This book is wonderful! I loved the dual timelines and the author wove them together so well. I was hooked from the very first. Everly, in the present time period is heartbroken but she is strong and determined. Then there is Lilly from the past. I was captivated by her plight. You will have to read this to find out!
Oh, and the setting of Savannah! This is one of the prettiest cities in the south. And after reading this book…I am ready to go back!
You do not want to miss this one…really…grab your copy today. You will not be sorry!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
This is the story of Everly Winthrop, no stranger to tragedy, who is tasked with curating an exhibit for the sunken steamship Pulaski, the Titanic of the South. This is also the story of Augusta and Lilly who boarded the Pulaski with their families on June 13th 1838. It’s a story of loss, of survival and of “how to survive the surviving.”
Surviving Savannah is a historical fiction novel told in dual timelines. I had a hard time relating to Everly’s character and felt she made a very questionable decision. I was much more invested in the 1838 storyline. The author did a great job describing the sinking and the passengers fight for survival. I stayed up late reading and had hard time falling asleep- it was so real! The overarching theme of both storylines is how to survive loss.
I appreciated reading a historical fiction book about a topic I hadn’t heard of before. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction or who have an interest in the Titanic. Thank you to the publisher for an advanced ecopy of this book.
I love historical fiction even more so when it is based on true events. I loved the dual time line and loved both the present and the past stories. I had never heard of the sinking of the Pulaski which made the story all the more interesting for me. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.