The Midnight Watch: A Novel of the Titanic and the Californian by David Dyer
The Midnight Watch: A Novel of the Titanic and the Californian by David Dyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Midnight Watch: A Novel of the Titanic and the Californian is a fictional novel written based on the facts of the tragedy that happened on April 14, 1912 with the loss of 1500 lives when the Titanic ran into an iceberg and sunk. A lot of the facts and characters are true with a bit of embellishment on some of the story.
The novel focuses on the Californian, a ship that was the closest to the Titanic at the time of the tragedy but did not respond to the distress flares that were sent up. A journalist that specialized in writing up stories of death and tragedy is determined to get to the truth of what happened that night and why more lives couldn’t have been saved.
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a sucker for picking up books based on true events and the story of the Titanic is no exception. What I truly enjoyed with this novel was it focused on a different angle than the one you usually see. The Californian with it’s crew had stopped for the night very near where the Titanic hit and had even sent warnings over the radio that the ice was bad but they never responded and helped when the tragedy happened.
One thing I can’t say about this novel is that I loved the characters, it was impossible not to really be totally disgusted with the events and the crew on the Californian especially Caption Lord. Of course when you’re reading about an event where 1500 lives are lost and think that maybe something could have been done to change the outcome then it’s understandable to not like this crew.
Otherwise, the novel was well written and certainly and interesting read. Would recommend checking this one out if you enjoy fiction based on true events.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Carries Book Reviews 
I’m drawn to books about the Titanic but hadn’t heard of this one so I’m adding it to my wishlist now.
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Very interesting read even though it is fiction so much of the information is completely real and taken from original transcripts from the inquiries into the accident that it’s still quite a learning experience and eye opener into that night.
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It sounds fascinating – I like that the author has taken a lot of the facts and written a fictional story around them. I’m definitely going to buy it when it’s out and am already looking forward to reading it.
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It really was, I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
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I’ve just bought it today – it might be a little while before I get a chance to read it as I have review books to read first but I’m looking forward to it. I wouldn’t have known about the book without your fab review so I’m really glad I follow your blog. 🙂
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Oh good, I’ll keep an eye out for your review to see what you think. I really am a sucker for this type of book so if you come across any good ones let me know too. 🙂
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I wish I could start reading it now but I must get some of my review books read first. I’ll let you know if I come across any other books like it, will you let me know too? 🙂
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Definitely! It’s not very often to find something like this one that focuses on a complete different angle of the event that usually is not covered where I don’t feel like I’m reading just another recap. 🙂
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