Worst Titanic book I ever read: the very little plot that there was, had superstitions and rude underhanded behaviours and was only about the boat. And despite the author's assurance of research of history...there was very little of interest to be had in this book. :P Besides that, I'm not sure if the storyteller took poetic licence with the actual historical characters in the book but it made me hate them entirely. Captain Smith was an idiot and Mrs. Adair was made at least in this story to be a vile woman in appearances (there may be some truth to both parts but I was disgusted with the way they were portrayed).I hated the superstitions...a fortune teller steward, premonitions and comparisons of the ship Titan to Titanic...I believe for the most part historians believe most all the world thought this boat unsinkable and the slight hint of "premonitions" to only took away from the story.The "main plot" is about a young boy, Barry and a young man who is his companion taking him to see Barry's parents whom he's never met in America (Barry has spent his life in boarding schools and spending his holiday's in Ireland with his grandparents). Travelling on the boat are 2 scallywag boys and their sister from Barry's hometown - they are in steerage while Barry travels first class. This was the only bit of interest in the entire book, in my opinion, was that of the class differences.The little bit of romance included was ridiculous and unrealistic - first you think they are enemies then all of a sudden they are "in love" ...and only because they are on a ship that is going down. :/ No emotions or reasoning other than that. In my opinion that is friendship not love.Besides that the boy is rude and calls one of the gentleman "Sapp" in a disrespctful manner, carries a knife to ward against the scallywag boys on board to defend himself, and sneaks away all the time from his companion. There were a few things that were good but this book had no action whatsoever and no real plot...I've read far better Titanic books and cannot believe this book was awarded best of 1996...there must not have been very many good books written that year. :PI recommend no one waste their time bothering with this uninformative, unexciting read. This book has put me off from ever reading another book about the Titanic, I think. I realized that I will always know the ending for these - the boat always goes down in the end and people will live and die according the the author's tastes. :/ I know enough about this experience and am tired of author's romanticizing something so tragic.
tAlthough I don’t have a high interest in historical fiction, I still found Eve Bunting’s “SOS Titanic” to be really meaningful. It captures the fictional story of a heartwarming romance on the Titanic. The book is about a fifteen year old boy named Barry who grows fond of a girl named Pegeen while they sail on the Titanic. Barry sails on the ship to meet his parents for the first time since he was young. However, he almost doesn’t get to do so when the unsinkable Titanic ends up sinking. tThe relationship between Barry and Pegeen is interesting because Pegeen is a member of the Flynn family, a low-class family that Barry’s wealthy family has an ongoing hate with. Despite Pegeen’s siblings that look at Barry with hatred, Pegeen is persistent and talks to Barry. The sinking of the ship tests their true relationship. Barry can’t find Pegeen when the ship starts tipping over, and he risks his own life and his chance of getting onto one of the lifeboats to find her and bring her to safety. He almost disregards his wealth and privileges and is persistent in finding Pegeen. tBarry’s guardian on the ship, Mr. Scollins, brings on a bag of valuable jewels given to him for safekeeping by his company. When rumors start spreading that the Titanic will tip and that safety precautions should be followed, Mr. Scollins doesn’t try to save himself and others. Instead, he gets the valuable jewels put in a safe, so that he doesn’t lose them in the event where something really does happen. Meanwhile, Barry saves Pegeen and jumps into the icy ocean. This shows the contrast between what things people are willing to fight for in times of need. Some fight for physical things and wealth, while others fight for love. I think this is one of the things Bunting tries to get the reader to pay attention to.
What do You think about S.O.S. Titanic (2012)?
Re read this and it is much better fifteen years later. I could have done without the constant foreshadowing but Bunting put together a fine tale here. I love that she had the protagonist a first class passenger from Ireland. It really allowed for some complicated class issues to come to light. Barry was a likeable protagonist and I was actually afraid he might not make it in the end. The other characters such as Watley, Jossie and her family were great as well. Good read for those interested in Titanic.
—Tracy
Basically, we follow the life of a teenage boy who comes from riches. He boards the Titanic so that he can meet his parents in New York. On the ship, he is first class. You would expect that since he is first class, he should be just fine when the ship takes on water. Wrong. He falls in love with a girl who is of lower class and she has brothers that hates his guts. When I finally finished the book, I was disappointed with the ending. I was hoping that the protagonist would die, but he didn't. I
—Jayda Johnson
The 15 year old Irish protagonist comes from a well to do family, sailing to a promising future. He and his grandfather, however, were responsible for a young hooligan and his brother from a poor family having to leave Ireland to go America on the same ship against their will. The allure and attraction of the hooligan’s beautiful Irish sister adds a Romeo and Juliet twist to the plot. Lots of action, including the sinking of the Titanic, make this historical novel easy and fun to read, with positive values as the youth learns about class differences, compassion, and courage. The details about shipboard hierarchy and locations and the action and consequences of the sinking reflect good, solid research.
—Sandra Strange
