Voyage On The Great Titanic: The Diary Of Margaret Ann Brady, R.M.S. Titanic, 1912 (1998) - Plot & Excerpts
Voyage on the Great Titanic (R.M.S. Titanic) / 0-590-96273-6"Voyage on the Great Titanic" is unusual for a Dear America installation for several reasons. The narrator is not an American, nor does the story originate there - instead, Margaret is a native of the British isles and is traveling to America as a companion to a wealthy patron, with the intent to settle in America permanently on arrival. The novel is shorter than most, and deals very linearly with the Titanic disaster. Although these books are enjoyable for parents and children alike, I usually try to review these with parents in mind, so here we go. Once again, high standards are met here for historical accuracy and realism. Margaret's tale of the Titanic's destruction and her fear and numbing sense of loss is portrayed perfectly. Details are carefully preserved here, both in the fictional diary and in the fantastic timeline presented in the epilogue. Prior to the disaster, the narrator is wry and witty and, in fact, is easily my favorite Dear America heroine. The British perspective on American customs is also very interesting and an unexpected bonus from a Dear America book. Be aware that the book accurately portrays that many (indeed, most) of the passengers and crew on the Titanic went down with the ship and died. Movingly, the crew is shown as being fully aware of their fate and quietly accepting the inevitable. Frighteningly, Margaret is made very aware that the poorer passengers on the ship (passengers which she could easily have joined, in other circumstances, due to her own poverty) have no access to the lifeboats and drown tragically. While none of this is surprising when considering a novel on the Titanic, it should be noted that the scene is portrayed very poignantly and may not be acceptable for all children.~ Ana Mardoll
Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, R.M.S. Titanic, 1912 by Ellen Emerson White Voyage on the Great Titanic is about a young girl called Margaret Anne Brady, and how she was traveling to America via the titanic. During her journey, she keeps a diary describing her feelings and what happens each day. Before leaving to travel on the titanic as a companion, Margaret lived in an orphanage with nuns. When she was very little both her parents died leaving her and her brother on the streets, barely surviving. This is until Margaret's brother William decides that his little sister has to go to an orphanage so that they can both survive. A few months after spending weekends together, William is offered a job in America, which he takes hoping that he will get more money. He promises Margaret that as soon as he can afford it, he will pay for her journey to America. Around two years later, Margaret is offered a job as a companion to a lady named Mrs Carstairs, who is travelling back to her home country. During her travels, Margaret makes many friends, but faces many challenges.The author allowed the readers to connect with Margaret's feelings and thoughts. Margaret's diary is told through past tense. As the reader reads on, they are able to follow her as she faces her traumatizing challenges, and how she felt during these times.I thought that this was a wonderful book. It allowed you to understand the history of the Titanic and feel like you lived during these moments. I rated this book four stars, if you like memoirs and historical fiction, i am sure that you will love this book. I think that the readers will find this as interesting as i did, and will be able to feel as though they have traveled back in time with Margaret.
What do You think about Voyage On The Great Titanic: The Diary Of Margaret Ann Brady, R.M.S. Titanic, 1912 (1998)?
Of the Titanic story, I always find it most difficult to get through reading or hearing about the crew who sacrificed their lives. What amazes me most is that the band selflessly played through the entire ordeal without rushing to the lifeboats and trying to save themselves. If there was one thing I could do with my musical career, it would be to play in a time like that to try to keep a panicky audience calm...The cooks, the stewards, the entrie crew and of course the captain went down with the ship. Sometimes heroic acts aren't fighting in a bloody war but making the most of what you've got--unfortunately in the case of the Titanic, there wasn't much that they had.At first, I thought that the theme of the Titanic wasn't appropriate for a Dear America book; after re-reading it, however, I remember that the overall goal was to get to America, and there were several key American characters. The book was well-written and interesting, as well as descriptive. An good read.
—Madeline
‘Titanic, My Story’, written by Ellen Emerson White, is a wonderfully written story suitable for children of 9+ years. It is a vividly imagined account of life on the Titanic by a young girl. This book would be great to read as part of lessons focusing on the Titanic disaster on its 100 year anniversary. Written in diary form, it allows children to experience through the eyes of another child what happened in what remains one of the biggest maritime disasters of all time. This story rings so historically true. The power of the language used by the author brings it all to life and creates an image of it all happening in your mind. A stunning book and a captivating story written by a great author, ‘Titanic, My Story’ is well worth the read.
—Laura O Driscoll
In this diary of Margaret Ann Brady she has talked about her experience on the titanic and how she came upon this boat. She showed that she is a mature child looking for her family and trying to get where she has to go. She meets a boy name Robert that is 16 and she has a crush on him. Margaret a 13 year old didn't experience love yet so she was still confuse. The night the Titanic when done she talked about her experience and how she was scared and how the people weren't treating the low class members fairly. I like this book because it caught my attention on her experience of the titanic and I like hearing stories about the titanic and how other people felt about that issue. I recommend this book to readers who are fascinated about Titanic and like reading people experience on life as a child.
—Leian Joseph
