As war engulfs Europe, 1,500 passengers risk everything to find a brighter future.Cousins Masha and Rachel Morgenstern board the luxury liner the SS Manhattan bound for New York, desperate to escape the concentration camps that claimed the rest of their family. America offers a safe haven, but to reach it they must survive a hazardous Atlantic crossing.Among their fellow passengers fleeing the … fellow passengers fleeing the war, each with their own conflicts, secrets and surprises, are the composer Igor Stravinsky, making a new start after a decade of tragedy, and Rose Kennedy, determined to keep her four children from harm. Particularly worrying to Rose is her daughter Rosemary, a vivacious but troubled woman whose love for a Californian musician may derail her family’s political ambitions. And then there’s young Thomas, a Nazi with a secret…
But, under the waves, the Manhattan is being stalked by a German U-boat. Will any of those aboard the ocean liner ever achieve their dream of a new life in America?
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I am a big fan of Marius Gabriel and this book did not disappoint. The story is filled with historic moments and famous people and the very human stories of the not so famous. It’s thrilling, exciting and touching. I highly recommend.
This is the fourth novel I’ve read by Marius Gabriel and I have enjoyed all of them. In this story, he takes us on a journey across the ocean on the luxury liner, the SS Manhattan, on its way to America with an interesting cast of characters who are both real and imagined. We meet cousins Masha and Rachel, escaping Nazi Germany, hoping for a better life. There is also a famous conductor, a renowned composer, Rose Kennedy and her children, including young Ted, and an aging film star, plus so many more. They each have a story, and Gabriel manages to weave each character’s tale into one magnificent novel.
Intriguing and beautifully written. You will not want to put this story down.
Great read. I felt I was on the boat, living the experience of a luxury ocean crossing, rubbing shoulders with all those historical characters.
I really enjoyed it, loved the characters!
I enjoyed reading this book. Good story, page turner, held my interest, good characters.
Mr. Gabriel is well known for his addictive stories. In this book, several famous, actual persons are thrown together in an ocean liner, escaping from Hitler at the beginning of WW2. While some of the characters were real, the situation is fictional. Exciting and highly enjoyable.
This book was a very welcome surprise. This was a book listed on “First Reads” for the month on Amazon, and I received a discount. I’m so glad I did…I knew it was going to be a “Titanic-era” story. But I wasn’t prepared on how invested I felt in the lives of the people that the author portrayed. Book covers several decades and the author does a wonderful job of character building and keeping the interest level high. I consider this to be one of the best books that I have read in a very long time.
It was quite interesting to read the story of Rosemary. I knew some of it but it made it more real. The other story lines were truly wonderful reads.
Interesting premise, well researched and the injection of historical figures whose lives intersect is a nice hook.
The perfect book for a beach read!
Interesting piece of history. Surprising characters on board this ship during a harrowing time in ocean travel. Many stories all tied together in time of war. Couldn’t put it down.
Very interesting writing of historical fiction with well known characters, but fictional events. I enjoyed it and thought about it after it was done
I couldn’t put it down.
Okay read. Not really riveting, but okay
Trite, tedious characters.
The first 3/4 of the plug had a very logical sequence in was interesting. The remaining quarter of the book was a hodgepodge
Starts a little slow as there are so many characters. But a nice story. Good for a rainy day.