Have you ever chosen a book from the title and the cover's art work alone? Well, that is how I chose this one. I had no idea what the story was about when I began. Now that I have finished it, what I take away is how the people we meet have the power to completely change the direction of our life, and that one chance brief encounter can stay with you forever. The book itself was a rich character study of so many people.... all brought together on a ship crossing the Atlantic. This story was created from a short newspaper article from long ago that caught the writer's attention. One woman in an evening gown stows away on an ocean liner. She had only the one dress, so what was remembered was that she wore only white. As always... this makes me only want to know the real story all the more. A 'period piece' story with an inconclusive ending, this book left me less than impressed. The characters are reminiscent of Victorian novels without much intrigue. The story is apparently based on a news story from about 1904. How it is that all these various and sundry personages 'fall in love' in the course of a sea voyage is beyond me. I suppose it could have used some more development but the story has a strange ending that doesn't resolve much, if anything. This book is a translation, apparently, so perhaps that accounts for what felt as though it was missing. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who enjoys solid character development and some amount of resolution in what they read but I suppose it would be an easy 'beach read' if you're not looking for much substance.
What do You think about Weit übers Meer (2008)?
I love a happy ending, and I was glad to read a book that finally had one.
—JustJ
I did not like the ending. It was too quick and final.
—lamor
