“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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A true gem. Surviving Savannah weaves between past and present and its compelling and well-researched story made it hard to put down. Each page drew me in further.
An extraordinary dual-timeline historical, SURVIVING SAVANNAH explores the downing of the steamship Pulaski, the “Titanic of the South”, off the coast of North Carolina. With impeccable research and engaging prose, the story moves seamless from the horrors of the Pulaski to the modern day historian, Everly Winthrop, who is struggling with losses of her own and consumed with a burning desire to solve the mystery of the Pulaski. Elegant writing, a poignant plot, and pitch-perfect storytelling make this a must read and wonderful book club addition.
In this lush, vibrant novel by the indomitable Patti Callahan, one can feel with incredible vibrancy the raw terror aboard a sinking steamship in the darkness, the searing pain of loss, the modern-day mystery of a ghost ship unearthed in the ocean’s depth. Callahan splashes every scene with rich life, delivering the reader straight to the heart of the story, which is a rich tale of friendship, heritage, forgiveness, redemption, and the thin, too-fragile line between life and death. “How will we survive the surviving?” one of her characters wonders, and it is a question that Callahan mines beautifully. If you’re fascinated by the Titanic, meet your new favorite novel, a lush, vibrant based-on-a-true-story tale that toggles effortless between present and past, as a doomed ship sets out to sea, forever changing the fate of the mysterious, moss-draped city of Savannah.
I’ve long been a fan of Patti Callahan’s novels, but Surviving Savannah may be my all-time favorite. Callahan pivots flawlessly from the character-driven Southern fiction we know and love her for into this wholly engrossing historical tale, based on the real-life sinking of “The Titanic of the South” off the coast of North Carolina. I have a soft spot for stories that take forgotten events and bring them back to life in startling color; Surviving Savannah does all this and more, unearthing buried treasure from the ocean floor both literally and figuratively, and weaving it into the lives of its present-day curators as they struggle to overcome their own more recent tragedies. The past and present timelines and multiple points of view in this novel all feel equally immediate, personal, and heartfelt, and the setting in one of my favorite cities was an extra treat. Highly recommended. (Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review early via Netgalley.)
Do yourself a favor and slip into the mysterious disappearance of the steamboat Pulaski as soon as possible. Patty Callahan Henry does a marvelous job of sucking you into the past while making that past matter in the present. I listened to this book on audio and am so glad I did. Fascinating story.
What a page-turner! SURVIVING SAVANNAH is my new favorite Patti Callahan Henry novel. The writing is gorgeous, the characters memorable, and the weaving together of voices–past and present–is organic and seamless.
It’s a remarkable story about surviving not only tragedy, but the life that follows, and the decisions you make about how to embrace the broken pieces that remain.
The settings come alive, whether on the streets of modern Savannah, or in the wide expanse of ocean as survivors cling to wreckage. Some of them for five days. I became fascinated with the true story of the Pulaski, which is always a sign of great historical fiction, but I loved the contemporary timeline, too. I felt Everly’s passion for turning random artifacts from the ocean floor into a curated display that told a story and honored the dead, whilst also navigating her own journey with grief. As someone on that path, I found incredible hope in her world.
As Everly says, “The life we live is the life we choose with every decision of the heart, soul and mind. What do we do with our survival. Now what?”
I am a major fan of Patti Callahan and have read and enjoyed all of her novels. This is absolutely her best novel yet and one of my favorite books of the year. She took a subject that very few people knew about and did deep research to make the story come to life. Be sure to read the Author’s Notes at the end of the book about the research that the author did for this book and information about the real people that were part of the Pulaski story.
Many times when I read dual time line stories, I am more interested in one of the stories and kind of skim through the other. In this book, both timelines were fantastic and both had an exceptional main female character – Lilly in 1838 and Everly in present time. Both of them are facing major issues in their lives and need to make major changes to find happiness. Do they both succeed????
I loved this novel – the writing is exquisite. I rarely underline in novels but did significant underlining in this book for phrases and descriptions that I want to remember. The descriptions are so well done that I felt like I was visiting Savannah again and the descriptions of the survivors of the sinking waiting and hoping for rescue were the reason for tears and a few bitten off fingernails. My prediction is that this will be one of the must read books of March, 2021 and my advice is to pre-order a copy so you don’t miss it. I read an e-copy but plan to order a hardcover copy so that I can put it on my ‘favorite books’ shelf in my office. DON’T MISS SURVIVING SAVANNAH!!!!
Top-notch storytelling provided hours of listening pleasure! Often with a dual timeline book, I prefer the historical story to the modern day. But I loved the characters in both timelines & found myself fascinated by the whole museum research process in the contemporary story. I flew through this audiobook because I tend to binge listen & can’t wait to get to the good stuff 😉 A fascinating, satisfying page-turner! Definitely worth an Audible credit!
What an absolutely engrossing tale…one of heartbreak, tragedy, hope and survival. The research done was outstanding and I loved how we were guided along the historical facts by Everly and her relationship with Mora and Oliver, the strength she absorbs from the stories of courage and resilience of those that survived the Pulaski. I listened on Audiobook and it was not only well done, but simply fascinating.
This is the first historical fiction book I’ve ever gotten into and enjoyed. I rarely read them, and not sure I’ll read another anytime soon, but wow Ms. Callahan did such a wonderful job weaving everything together. Her ability to show the reader what is taking place allows the reader to disappear into the story. And although there are countless characters to remember she made it to easily follow. If you love historical fiction this one is a winner, and if you don’t, give this one a try.
Patti Callahan’s latest work, Surviving Savannah, features a deftly interwoven contemporary and historical narrative. And regardless of which of her character’s shoes you choose to step into, Callahan holds up a mirror to ask how you would survive trauma. In her words, “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.” I had to put the book down at several intervals and ask myself, would I make the right choices if given a second chance in life. But also, on another of the book’s themes, how much does our past influences our life. Again, she says it best, the past “follows; it shadows; it breathes quietly in the dark corners. Highly recommended.
A well-written story, based on a true tragedy and obviously researched by a seasoned writer who knows how to do research and bring a lot of color into her tale. The back-and-forth timeline works effectively; I found the current half of the story more engaging, but the two halves blend nicely.
The one weakness of the narration is that often this good writer does roll rather flowery narrative into conversations between characters. That part seemed artificial and not as crisp as the rest.
The shining strength of the book, in my reading experience, is the quiet inclusion of a God element. Those parts are elegant and understated and really give this book a sense of divine presence.
Very interesting. I truly enjoyed this book. Highly recommend
I have only recently added Patti Callahan as a want-to-read author. This book is another reason why. Tragedies like the “Pulaski” are life-changing. What you do with that life is something else. She asks the question, “Why does one survivor choose one path and another survivor choose the other?” There is no clear answer. However, the author makes a very strong case for choosing life. There is always hope as long as one is still breathing. Honor the past but be ready for the arrival of the future. This is a very good book with very good arguments for the pro-life side.
Amazing! I loved learning about the titanic of Savannah! Patti inspires me!
This book had so much going on, jumping back & forth for different peoples story. So interesting on how they bring to life things from the past, what a horrific shipwreck. The descriptions of Savannah made me want to go there & see it for myself.
What an excellent example of Historical Fiction! It gives you the chance to read about the discovery of the steamship, Pulaski, lost off the coast of North Carolina over 180 years ago! That sinking is an actual event. What the author, Patti Callahan, gives us is a “side – by – side” fictional story of the artifacts being brought up from the depths in the present and the passengers to whom they belong to at the time they were separated when the steamship exploded at sea. Many of the stories of the event are hard to hear and tragic, but I found the identifying of the objects and constructing of the museum to showcase them in the present so very interesting!
The author takes the story a bit further by creating a character, Everly, who is trying to survive a tragedy in her own life as she puts together the bits and pieces of the disaster at sea by designing a museum display of the artifacts for others to see. “How do you survive survival?” Everly has to figure that out about herself just as the survivors of the Pulaski disaster had to.
Callahan has crafted an exquisite masterpiece rich with detail and emotion. I was immediately immersed into the drama. This novel is thought-provoking look at human nature and the effect of tragedy.
Recommend to readers who enjoy split-time novels.
Note: Mild profanity
I borrowed a copy from my local library. I’ve expressed my honest opinion.
A bit contrived to fit current narratives. More history than literature.
Patti Callahan’s Surviving Savannah was interesting and entertaining. The steamship Savannah sank off of the North Carolina coast in 1838. This is a dual timeline novel. Part-time the story is told by one of the ship’s passengers and the present story is told by a history professor who is invited to collect and curate items found from the sunken ship. The dual storyline was enjoyable and gave an insight into the way of life in 1838 and the disaster that killed so many and also explained what went into diving upon a sunken ship and retrieving and restoring artifacts. I highly recommend this book.