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    The Girl Who Came Home: A Novel of the Titanic
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    The Girl Who Came Home: A Novel of the Titanic
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    The Girl Who Came Home: A Novel of the Titanic
    Ebook400 pages5 hours

    The Girl Who Came Home: A Novel of the Titanic

    By Hazel Gaynor

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    About this ebook

    Inspired by true events, the New York Times bestselling novel The Girl Who Came Home is the poignant story of a group of Irish emigrants aboard RMS Titanic—a seamless blend of fact and fiction that explores the tragedy's impact and its lasting repercussions on survivors and their descendants.

    Ireland, 1912. Fourteen members of a small village set sail on RMS Titanic, hoping to find a better life in America. For seventeen-year-old Maggie Murphy, the journey is bittersweet. Though her future lies in an unknown new place, her heart remains in Ireland with Séamus, the sweetheart she left behind. When disaster strikes, Maggie is one of the lucky few passengers in steerage who survives. Waking up alone in a New York hospital, she vows never to speak of the terror and panic of that terrible night ever again.

    Chicago, 1982. Adrift after the death of her father, Grace Butler struggles to decide what comes next. When her Great Nana Maggie shares the painful secret she harbored for almost a lifetime about the Titanic, the revelation gives Grace new direction—and leads her and Maggie to unexpected reunions with those they thought lost long ago.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateApr 1, 2014
    ISBN9780062316875
    Author

    Hazel Gaynor

    Hazel Gaynor is an award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, and Irish Times, bestselling author of historical fiction, including her debut THE GIRL WHO CAME HOME, for which she received the 2015 RNA Historical Novel of the Year award. THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER'S DAUGHTER was shortlisted for the 2019 HWA Gold Crown award. She is published in thirteen languages and nineteen countries. Originally from Yorkshire, Hazel lives in Ireland with her family.

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    Reviews for The Girl Who Came Home

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    • 4/5
      A fun, yet sobering read about a girl beginning a new life by traveling to America aboard the Titanic. Maggie Murphy sails away to the unknown, leaving all that's familiar behind: home, family, love. Aboard the Titanic and even in its aftermath, Maggie finds the strength and courage to meet life's challenges. An excellent book.
    • 4/5
      In the early years of the 20th century hopes of opportunity and prosperity lured many to immigrate to America. A group of fourteen from the Irish town of Ballysheen left their homeland on the maiden voyage of the luxury ship Titanic with a sense of adventure as well as the feeling of loss for what was left behind.What I liked about the book was the tale that Maggie recounted about the departure from Ireland in 1912 and the recounting of life aboard ship from the point of view of third class passengers who were well pleased with their steerage accommodations but had a wide-eyed awe of the ship as a whole. I thought the book dragged in the alternate narrative (in 1982) with Maggie and her great-granddaughter, Grace. I also had trouble trying to sort out the relationships between the many characters introduced in the first part of the book. After the passengers left their village and boarded the Titanic the book moved along with great pace. The story of this state of the art ship and its tragic encounter with an iceberg is well known, yet the author beautifully captured the suspense of the collision and its aftermath. The facts of the journey of the Titanic were woven well with a fictional set of characters in whom she portrayed a mix of adventure, optimism and worry. Readers who enjoy historical fiction will find this a nice summer read.
    • 5/5
      "Life is fragile, Grace-it is no more than a petal of cherry blossom: thriving and in full bloom one minute and blown to the ground by a sudden gust of wind the next."Oh the emotions that this book made me feel. I knew that this was going to be an emotional book, I mean it is about the Titanic of all things, but this was just such a beautiful book. This book was inspired by the Addergoole Fourteen who left Ireland on the Titanic, eleven of which perished in the disaster.This book mainly switches point-of-view between Maggie and her great-granddaughter Grace. It also does switch point-of-view between other characters that were on the Titanic and some of their relatives. I loved reading about Maggie and her voyage to America when she was only 17. It is absolutely heartbreaking to think that the things she experienced in this book many in real life experienced as well. To go from the only place she knows at home and to end up in a foreign land having just lost friends, family, and familiar faces was an unimaginable blow. Not only that but leaving the man that she loves behind.I wasn't really as interested in Grace's story as Maggie. After all that Maggie has gone through it kind of felt like Grace's experiences paled in comparison. I did really enjoy getting to see Grace and Maggie bond over Maggie's story.I loved reading from the point-of-view from others on the ship (especially Harry) and the other characters besides Grace and Maggie. It really enhanced the story to see these events from the other character's point-of-views.The ending just left me in chills and sobbing. It was just so beautiful and it was a twist that I have to say I didn't see coming. I felt stupid for not seeing it coming but I absolutely loved the twist and the ending.I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to read a great historical fiction book about the Titanic from the perspective of someone who was in the 3rd class on the ship.[I received this book from a Librarything Early Reviewers giveaway. The content of my review is in no way affected by that.]
    • 4/5
      Maggie Murphy - young Irish lass - leaving her home to travel with friends and a family member to the United states aboard the infamous Titanic. She leaves behind the boy she loves and all she knows trusting in her Aunt's love and support to help her build a new life in America. Grace Butler, Maggie's great grand daughter, attending college and striving toward a career in journalism until her Dad's passing brings her home to care for her ailing mum. At Grace's birthday celebration Maggie reveals to her great grand daughter that she was a survivor of the sinking - deciding it is time to confront her past and share her memories. This story brings past and present together - it is a celebration of hope, dreams, love and "coming home". I would and will highly recommend this novel with anyone that loves historical fiction and will watch for future books by Hazel Gaynor! :) Thank you LT!
    • 5/5
      With “The Girl Who Came Home,” Hazel Gaynor takes readers on an incredible journey through time, exploring how the effects of one tragic event reverberates for generations. As a seventeen-year-old girl, Maggie Murphy leaves her home of Ballysheen, Ireland with thirteen others from her village to travel to America onboard the Titanic. Harry Walsh, a young steward assigned to the steerage deck, likewise departs from his own hometown of Southampton, England and does his best to take care of the third-class passengers—Maggie and her companions among them. As the catastrophic events of April 14 and 15, 1912 unfold, the lives of each passenger are irrevocably changed, and Maggie vows never to speak of the ill-fated ship afterward. Until, that is, her great-granddaughter’s twenty-first birthday—seventy years to the day that the Titanic sank into the ocean depths. Telling her story at long last sets into motion a chain of events that will again change lives, perhaps this time for the better.Gaynor crafts a poignant and engaging tale sure to delight and mesmerize fans of historical fiction and light romance. The novel, based on true historical persons and told partly in epistolary format, develops through a series of flashbacks and alternates between the years 1912 and 1982, interweaving the lives of the various characters in an unforgettable saga. Appended to the story is a section entitled “P.S.”, which includes a short author bio, the story behind the novel, a glossary of Irish terms with pronunciations, and sixteen Reading Group Discussion Questions to be pondered after reading the novel in its entirety.
    • 4/5
      Maggie Murphy was one of fourteen from the village of Ballysheen, Ireland aboard the Titanic. She was heading to America to live with an aunt after her mother's death, leaving behind the love of her life, Seamus Doyle in the village as he cared for his sick father. The story alternates between 1912 and 1982 when Maggie finally tells her story to her great-granddaughter, a journalist. One of the heroes of the book is a steward by the name of Harry Walsh who ensures that Maggie gets safely on board a lifeboat. The published story, of course, receives much attention by the press and brings with it some touching moments. I loved the historic story of the TItanic, but the parallel story of the present between Maggie's great-granddaughter Grace and Jimmy didn't have the punch that was probably intended. Fortunately, that is a minor part of the overall book, so the book was quite enjoyable. The book was received through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program with the expectation that a review would be written.
    • 4/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this book; the author did a great job of mixing the Titanic story with the present day story.I found it fascinating to read about this group of 14 people from one little town of Ballysheen Ireland it was a fictional town (but there was a real town Addergoole that had 14 people on the Titanic and lost 11 people) which made me want to do even more research on them. Also I loved the pictures of the real cables and telegrams from the titanic and the Carpathia interspersed in the book.Maggie was a great character she was strong willed and a survivor, this book really made you feel how terrifying it was and how lucky it was that anyone at all from 3rd class survived that awful night. I found it interesting that Maggie had never spoken to her family of her time on the Titanic and it made me wonder how many other survivors never spoke of it again. We all know the story of the titanic and I have read many books on the subject myself but when Maggie is talking to Grace and says she never talked about it because even this many years later she can still hear the screams of the people in the water and as the ship went down, how awful to live with that the rest of your life.I also enjoyed the love story of Maggie & Seamus, if you follow my reviews you know I’m not much into romance but this love story was so sweet and the way Maggie told the story just made me want them to make it.Maggie’s granddaughter Grace was so different than Maggie I felt she was weaker because look at what Maggie had been through, when all but herself and one other that were traveling on the titanic were lost to the sea but she went on with her life but Grace loses her father and completely falls apart and gives up everything she loves to take care of her mother but really I felt it was more about Grace herself than taking care of her mother, it was her way to hide.All the characters on the boat were well written and I really felt the author did a great job of putting you in their shoes, even though you as a reader know what will happen it was still edge of your seat hoping your favorite characters make it to the life boats.Make sure you read the acknowledgments and the PS to learn more about the real town and where the author got the ideas for this book I found that interesting.I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any historical fiction fans out there.4 StarsI received this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program for a fair and honest review.
    • 3/5
      Let me begin by saying that I’ve read quite a lot of books and articles on Titanic. I’ve seen ‘the’ movie several times and watched various documentaries. I’m always on the lookout for something new or different. I liked that this book was presented from the perspective of a third-class steerage passenger.We meet seventeen year old Maggie Murphy who is about to embark on her journey to America on Titanic. She doesn’t want to leave Ballysheen (her home village) and her boyfriend Seamus. But when her mother passes and her Aunt Kathleen comes from America to collect her, Maggie has no say in the matter. She and her aunt, along with twelve other folk from Ballysheen, decide to travel together. Maggie’s friend, the outspoken Peggy Marden, is ready to leave. She dreams of marrying a rich American man and living in a fancy mansion.The story then switches us to Chicago in 1982 and we meet Grace Butler, a journalism student who sets aside her studies when her father passes so that she can stay home with her mother who is in a deep state of depression. After watching her great-granddaughter give so much of her self to her family, an 87 year-old Maggie decides to open up about that fateful voyage on Titanic. It is Maggie’s story that helps Grace get on with her own life, take up her studies once more and reunite with her own boyfriend whom she hasn’t seen in over two years.Maggie’s story is moving, especially since her emotions embody those of her fellow travelers. Her realization that she should have stayed in Ballysheen with Seamus are reinforced as Titanic moves further away from Ireland. With her great-granddaughter’s help she rediscovers her small travel case that contains two parting gifts from Seamus as well as her journal. Happily Grace writes the story of Maggie’s journey on Titanic and it is printed in a prestigious newspaper. It is that article that reunites Maggie with people and artifacts that she thought she had lost long ago.Although I liked this book overall there were too many similarities to the movie that starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet: the narrator was an original Titanic survivor, an old woman; there were scenes that could have been lifted in their entirety from the movie, i.e., the lowering of the lifeboats; and I won’t give any spoilers but the ending of the story was quite similar to the end of the movie (other than the ship sinking). Because the story has become over-told I suppose that all of these scenes could overlap in the various re-tellings. I did like the detail behind the New Yorkers who waited for word of their loved ones and the hospital scenes with young Maggie.If you are fascinated by the Titanic story, you’ll like this book. Worth reading for the differing point of view and the story of the folk from Ballysheen which is based on the true story of the Irish folk who made the journey.
    • 4/5
      I received this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer's program. It tells the story of Maggie Murphy, one of 14 immigrants from Ballysheen, Ireland, to survive the sinking of the Titanic. The story jumps back and forth between 1912 and 1982, when Maggie's great-granddaughter, Grace, discovers that Maggie is a Titanic survivor and writes an article for the paper about her story.I found this book very easy to read, and it gives a different perspective of the sinking of the Titanic as compared to other stories I've read before. The historical detail seems accurate and serves as an excellent backdrop to the narrative itself, which is ultimately about survival and perseverance.
    • 4/5
      Grace is a college student when her father dies suddenly and decides to drop out and care for her mother. A couple of years later still at home and celebrating her birthday her great grand mother decides to share the story of how she came to America on the Titanic. Alternating between 1912 and 1982 we see the Titanic through the eyes of Maggie and 17yr old irish girl and in the future through Grace as she discovers Maggies past. Interspersed are letters and diary entries of the wonders of this great ship and the horrors its passengers encountered. A well written and told story about an event that is still being told over 100 years later.
    • 4/5
      I always love a good story with a bits of history and deep rooted romance. This one did not disappoint in that aspect. Maggie is a character that all readers will love and her romance with Séamus is understated, but beautiful. While it's not overly intimate, it's a classic love story about overcoming tragedy. I loved their journey, but I did have mixed feelings about Grace's story.

      While I loved the historical aspect and Maggie, I wasn't a huge fan of Grace. There were multiple times I wanted to close the book during her parts, but the journal entries always pulled me back in. I know Grace was an important role in the story, but I just lacked any connection to her. Where with Maggie I felt the romance and emotion pouring off the pages... Grace's character wasn't as well developed. It wasn't until the end that I truly felt the importance of her. Speaking of an ending.... It was AMAZING! I wanted it to be true, but until it was written in ink I wasn't sure what would happen. It really answered all the questions I had.

      Overall, I really enjoyed this story. The history sucked me in with it's rawness and the romance consumed my heart. I was pulling for a happily ever after and I feel satisfied with the way everything came together. I definitely recommend this book to all readers that have a love for history.

      The story of the Titanic is very important and I loved how a fiction tale captured the essence of reality.
    • 4/5
      LibraryThing: Early ReviewersOver and over again Maggie had heard the screams and terror of a thousand voices. The Titanic sinks with 1800 on board, and only 675, mostly women and children, survived. Maggie felt so guilty over the years and wondered why she had survived when so many died.April 10, 1912 – Fourteen people, their home in a small village, Ballysheen, Ireland, would be sailing on the Titanic, the queen of the ocean. They were headed to America, leaving their families behind, in search for a better life. Maggie Murphy’s heart was heavy and troubled. She really wanted to stay in Ballysheen, where she was leaving Seamus behind, the love of her life. Maggie was making the journey with her Aunt Kathleen, her guardian since her mother’s recent death. Kathleen Dolan organized the group of travelers for this journey. She was a strong influence on the people in Ballysheen and felt very strongly that life in America was better. Kathleen and Maggie enjoyed each other’s company and soon formed a bond. April 15, 1982 – Illinois – Grace Butler, a college student with a talent for writing, was the great-granddaughter of Maggie. Grace needs an inspiration for a story for a feature article she is about to write. That inspiration comes from Maggie. And the story unfolds as the tragedy of the Titanic comes to life through Maggie’s reminiscences. 87 year-old Maggie, now a bit frail and diminutive, had not shared with anyone her experiences of the titanic, and the nightmare it brought to so many people. For the most part, this was a captivating read. The writing is simple and flowing with well-developed characters, including the minor ones. I especially liked the relationship between Maggie and Grace – they certainly had a special bond. A few problems – The story lost its momentum part way through, becoming a bit blah, but did pick up again. Also, there was a large cast of characters to keep track of. I sometimes got names confused. But, I must say, Maggie, unique and realistic, and wonderfully portrayed, brought the story to life. The ending was great, with a few unexpected twists and a satisfying conclusion. The Girl Who Came Home is an enjoyable and simplistic read. My rating is 4/5 stars. I received a complimentary copy of this book from LibraryThing: Early Reviewers, to read and review. All opinions shared are my own.
    • 3/5
      Maggie Murphy, a recently orphaned Irish teen, is leaving her small village to emigrate to America with her spinster aunt. She will travel aboard the Titanic on its doomed maiden voyage. Seventy years later, her great-granddaughter, Grace Butler, struggles to find her way forward in life after the death of her beloved father. The stories of these two women (and a few more minor characters) are woven together in Hazel Gaynor's fiction debut, The Girl Who Came Home: A Novel of the Titanic.Originally self-published before being picked up by William Morrow, the story is highly readable and fairly light. It should appeal to readers of Victoria Hislop and Rosie Thomas, and would be a nice vacation book.I found parts of the tale to be overly contrived and the language a bit "cheesy" at times, generally leaning more towards chick lit than literary fiction. While I would have preferred more in the way of plot and character development, I did find the reading of this novel a pleasant way to pass a rainy day indoors.
    • 4/5
      Maggie Murphy is 87 years old and a survivor of the Titanic, but has never spoken about it until now. She decides to share her story with you great-grand daughter Grace. What unfolds is a truly an inspirational story of love and second chances.Hazel Gaynor has taken facts about the Titanic tragedy and a group of women who left Ireland to find a better life in America and interwoven into this wonderful story of these women then and now. I really enjoyed how she added actual copies of telegraphs that were sent before the beginning of each chapter. As the story changes back from 1912 to 1982, I ached to find out what would happen. We all know what happened with the Titanic but I was curious to know about the characters involved. Very enjoyable story.
    • 4/5
      What a wonderful story author, Hazel, has weaved in The Girl Who Came Home. Maggie was a great character. For me she is what really made this book special. I did not really care about what most of the other people in this book. Well except for Harry, Maggie's friend, Peggy, and Grace, which is pretty much the main group of characters in this book. Although, I was not so much into Grace in the beginning. But as the story progressed and I got to know Grace better, I warmed up to her. What a happy ending for all. There is nothing you can do to really improve on for such a well known subject matter as the Titanic. The only thing you can really do is bring the story to life with good characters. Which as I stated before, I thought the author did a nice job in this area. As I was reading this book, I felt like I was one of the passengers on the Titanic. I could picture the upper class deck that Maggie walked on, saw the dining room, pictured her room in the lower deck, felt the water spray on my face, and could feel the cold water and the screams of fear. I look forward to reading more books from this author.
    • 3/5
      THERE ARE SOME SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW:I won this book in the Goodreads Giveaways, and I thank the author for sending me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. From reading previous reviews on Amazon, I think this might be a re-do of the same book, this time using an editor to eliminate grammatical and punctuation errors so often mentioned. I am very put off by these errors and only found a few in this book, mostly sentences beginning, "Me and Peggy...", etc. I found the story to be very engaging and I loved the descriptions on the ship. Although the accommodations in third class were nothing like the first class enjoyed, these Irish immigrants were thrilled to have things such as linen tablecloths, and seemed to enjoy the trip so much prior to hitting the iceberg. All eight of my great grandparents were Irish immigrants, having arrived in the 19th century, so I got a feel for the difficulty of leaving their homeland in search of a better life.However, I had a hard time believing some of the parts of the story, although I realize it is a semi-fictional account. I could tell from the very beginning that the missing letters would be found, that was so obvious by the constant mentioning of them, and I think anyone could tell that she had married Seamus and he was the same person as James. I know some things in fiction writing have to stretch the imagination to make a good story, but this one bothered me the most; On board Titanic, every time Maggie turned around, Harry was there. Even as the ship was sinking and amid the chaos, he only had to raise his hand and call her name, and they found each other. Once aboard the Carpathia, with only a fraction of the passengers on board the Titanic, Harry was unable to find Maggie in the three days they were aboard ship? He was unable to return her treasured letters to her? Really? And once in the US, even though Seamus had no trouble locating her through her aunt in Chicago, Harry still can't find her? And did not her granddaughter Grace, knowing Maggie's husband, her great grandfather, so well, never noticed an Irish accent or ask where they had met? Those and other inconsistencies bothered me. I also thought everything wrapped up too perfectly in the end.But with that said, I really did enjoy the book a lot, and read it quickly and looked forward to opening the book each evening. I think this author has great potential and I would read anything she writes in the future. (less)
    • 4/5
      This was not really a YA book but was well suited to YA.
    • 3/5
      Just couldnt get into it. Well written but slightly boring
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed reading this book. I wasn't expecting any new information, but I was provided with a different perspective from other Titanic stories I've read. Unlike other reviewers, I did understand the purpose of introducing the granddaughter, Grace. She provided a way for bits and pieces of the story to come together like how the letters were retrieved. The wouldn't have turned up if she hadn't written the article. I also was so glad to know that Maggie married Seamus after all. I was hoping it was true, but I didn't connect "James" and "Seamus" until the author revealed it.
    • 5/5
      This fact based fictional story is loosly based on a group of fourteen people from a small village in Co.Mayo who set sail on the Titanic for a better life in America,(only two of whom survived!) and also on information pieced together from other survivors after the tragedy.It tugs at the heart strings, giving us an insight to the feelings of dread, terror and guilt of the two girls from the village that were lucky enough to survive. The lives they hoped to live, and the ones that fate gave them. The loves they lost and the loves and families they found.I really enjoyed this book, even knowing what was to become of the ship. It was told in a heartwarming and sympathetic way, and I gave it 5 stars.
    • 3/5
      Where I got the book: freebie on the Kindle.This is a weak 3-star read, in my opinion. I was tempted to 2-star it, but I'm not going to do that for two reasons: it's a debut novel and therefore by definition not representative of the author's future development, and in some ways I rather enjoyed the story. I saw the twist in the tale coming a mile off, but it might come as a pleasant surprise to a less observant reader.Things I liked: a) the cover. Great cover. b) the fact that it was about steerage passengers instead of banging on about the rich and famous all the time c) to some extent, the 1980s story that's woven in with it. d) The author handles dialogue well when there is dialogue. e) Maggie, the Titanic-era heroine, seems real and ordinary (after my last Titanic read I'm feeling allergic to super-talented heroines). (The 1980s heroine, on the other hand, was a super-talented writer. Sigh. I need to start keeping count of the number of heroines or major supporting characters in debut novels who are super-talented writers, and they write ONE THING and everyone falls on their faces and goes "we're not worthy, you're such a genius, have an important job in journalism" and so on.)But I digress. My issue with this book can be summed up thus: the author seemed to take every opportunity to pull the reader out of the story and drop her into the Limbo of Annoyance. My status updates give my blow-by-blow opinions, but if you're a diehard reader (or especially if you're a writer) you'll recognize the symptoms: chunks of exposition, flashbacks, POV-hopping, and worse, easily checkable inaccuracies/anachronisms such as mentioning the Heimlich maneuver in the 1912 story.The text could have done with a proofread - it wasn't too bad, but there were quite a few grocer's apostrophes, especially in family names, and some homonym errors. I'm not going to carp about the that/which issue, because having grown up in England I know that rule isn't generally respected over there, but I want to point it out. All in all, editing at the developmental and final stages could have done a great deal for this novel. The writing got better toward the end (another trend I often note in debut novels, and another reason to edit the heck out of your MS once you've written The End).Finally, I'd like to give the author props for taking on the Titanic. It's not easy writing a story about an event that is well known to so many. I still haven't found the perfect Titanic novel, but writing about the steerage passengers is a good start if you ask me.
    • 3/5
      It was a good story, pretty simply written
    • 5/5
      The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor was inspired by true events about 14 Irish emigrants from a small fictional town called Ballysheen. The protagonist is Maggie Murphy, a 17 year-old girl who really does not want to leave Ballysheen and her boyfriend, Séamus Doyle, behind. They spend only a brief few moments together on that morning before her Aunt Kathleen tells everyone they must leave so they can be in time to catch the train to the harbor where the RMS Titanic awaits.Aunt Kathleen had come back to Ireland to watch over Maggie after her parents died, and now it is time to return home. But many won’t make it home. In fact, out of the group of 14, only two arrive to the harbor in New York, having been rescued by the Carpathia on the dismal night of April 15, 1912. Maggie wishes to never speak to anyone again about the terrible tragedy. For most of her life, she keeps it out of any conversation. Then on April 15, 1982, her great granddaughter, Grace, celebrates a birthday. It is also the 70th anniversary of the Titanic, and Maggie begins to open up to Grace telling her the whole story of what she left behind and the tragedy on the Atlantic Ocean.There is a great blend of fact and fiction within the 384 pages of this novel. Other than a bit of repetition, the story is very engaging. I loved the historical version of events mixed with the events of 1982. I become ever so curious when reading a historical novel and start researching interesting things. For instance, it is mentioned in this novel that a movie star was on board the Titanic with her fiancé and with her little dog. Her fiancé didn’t make it but the dog was with her on one of the lifeboats. I wondered if this was fact or fiction. Turns out, it was based on fact. There were many animals on the Titanic. Three dogs were brought onto a lifeboat from the sinking Titanic. Two of those were a Pomeranian and a Pekinese. The book is well done; I gave it a rating of 4.5 out of 5.
    • 4/5
      The Titantic has always been an interesting topic to me and this novel introduced us to a character who survived the sinking of the Titantic and was an embellishment based on actual events and actual survivors - page turner. At the end of the book the author discusses which character each person was based on, some names in book were the same as actual people who persished. Good read.  
    • 4/5
      [The Girl Who Came Home] by [Hazel Gaynor] will appeal to fans of the movie Titanic. Fortunately this story has more depth and more believable characters. [Gaynor] tells the story of Maggie, and Irish girl, who is leaving her home to travel to America with her aunt after the death of her mother. Maggie does not want to leave unlike those she is traveling with since she is in love.This novel does a good job mixing history with fiction and making it believable. It is also told as a memory to Maggie's granddaughter, Grace, who has made her own sacrifices for family. It is an enjoyable read with a slight twist at the end.
    • 4/5
      Most often books relating to the Titanic and its survivors are about the upper classes, why? because it was the bulk of those who survived the horror. THIS books takes us from Ireland, to the ship, to the U.S. and fills in all the blanks. All the sad blanks filled with family, love, avoidance, true courage and above all humanity.Very much worth any cost and amount of time taken to read this and get a new perspective.
    • 4/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this book, having read it while on vacation in Las Vegas at the Luxor Hotel, which houses a major Titanic exhibit. It is a well-researched work of historical fiction, with well-developed characters. I recommend it!
    • 4/5
      Maggie Murphy along with 13 friends and neighbours left their homes in Ballysheen, Ireland to start a new and hopefully better life in America. They were sailing on the Titanic. Everyone is familiar with the history of the ship (so no spoiler alert necessary), when the ship went down only two of the fourteen survived. Maggie Murphy was one of the survivors. After the initial interviews by newspapers and the White Star Line investigators in the first week after the tragedy, Maggie never spoke to anyone about her ordeal, not even family members. As Maggie approaches her 90th birthday she feels it’s time for her story to be told. Her granddaughter, Grace needs a story for her journalism class and, with Maggie’s blessings, uses her memories of Titanic.

      With so many stories written about the Titanic I was quite surprised at the freshness of this telling. Based (very loosely) on the lives (and deaths) of fourteen Irish immigrants traveling on the Titanic. Maggie’s story is told through reminiscences, a journal she kept and a long-lost bundle of letters. Although the ending contains a little twist I must admit I did see it coming. All in all this was a well told story set against the backdrop of the ocean disaster. Ms. Gaynor did a marvelous job when it came to describing the final hours of the sinking. Without being overly graphic, she had me holding my breath while I was reading, feeling every emotion Maggie experienced. That certainly bumped the rating up one star for me.

      Not belonging to a book group I don’t always read the “Reading Group Discussion Questions” sometimes provided at the end of books, but in this case I did and the last two questions posed struck me as being very insightful.

      Question 15 asked “There have been many other shipping tragedies since Titanic. Cunard’s passenger liner RMS Lusitania (traveling from New York to Liverpool) sank off the coast of Ireland in 1915 when the liner was truck by a torpedo fired from a German submarine. There were 1,198 civilian fatalities in the event. In the light of many tragedies with great loss of life since 1912, why do you think people continue to be so fascinated by Titanic a hundred years later?

      Question 16 asked “Australian businessman Clive Palmer is starting construction on a replica of Titanic – Titanic II – which is scheduled to re-create Titanic’s maiden voyage in 2016. There have been very mixed reactions to this project among relatives and descendants of Titanic’s passengers and Titanic enthusiasts. What are your thoughts on it?

      That gave me something to think about!
    • 4/5
      The Beach Club Book Club, as part of Book Club Girl's book club, read Hazel Gaynor's historical fiction The Girl Who Came Home- A Novel of the Titanic. Taking the true story of a group of fourteen people from a small Irish countryside village who were on the Titanic, Gaynor uses the prism of one passenger, 17 year-old Maggie Murphy, to tell her tale.Maggie's aunt Kathleen, who moved to Chicago to start a new life, returns to Ireland after Maggie is orphaned. Kathleen has come to take Maggie back to America with her, although Maggie does not want to leave behind the young man she loves.Along with thirteen other people from their small village, they book passage on the maiden voyage of the Titanic, the most impressive ship ever built. Maggie and her friends meet a young steward Harry, who has eyes for pretty Peggy.Gaynor's descriptions of life on the Titanic mesmerized us all. The opulence of the first class passengers, and life in the steerage, which was still impressive for many of the passengers, was so vividly portrayed. The author dropped the reader right onto this massive ship, making us feel as if we were along for the voyage too.The action picks up when the ship hits the iceberg, and Gaynor also ratchets up the tension, and even though we know the outcome, it is startling and heartbreaking. The scenes of the survivors hearing the weakening cries from the sinking ship are gut-wrenching. For my money, this book was as good as the movie Titanic in creating that picture in the reader's mind, an amazing accomplishment for the author.Maggie's story is interspersed with her great-granddaughter's Grace's. Grace loses her father when she is in college, and comes home to care for her mother. Maggie decides to share her story of the Titanic with Grace for a newspaper feature story Grace hopes to write to start her journalism career.I liked the relationship between Maggie and Grace, and fans of Christina Baker Kline's Orphan Train will also enjoy this aspect of The Girl Who Came Home. But like The Orphan Train, I felt that the older woman's story was so powerful, it somewhat overwhelmed the younger woman's story. Fans of Kate Kerrigan's Ellis Island trilogy will like this book as well.One of group mentioned that although she felt she knew what was going to happen (there is a surprise twist at the end) we all still greatly enjoyed The Girl Who Came Home. I am a big fan of stories that start with a true story or character and build from there, and The Girl Who Came Home scored a big hit with me.
    • 3/5
      I really enjoyed this book and the author held my attention throughout, although I felt some of the line edits could have been tighter and I preferred the 1912 plot scenes far more than those set in 1982.

      However, upon finishing, I was left feeling underwhelmed by Maggie's story, as if I'd been expecting more behind her survival. That could, of course, have been sparked by the comparisons I drew with the Titanic movie, where the ship sinking was only part of the drama. And while Ms. Gaynor writes very well, I do feel it's easier for a writer to create a sense of suspense when the reader knows in advance the ship is going to sink and is familiar with the appalling survival rate of steerage passengers. The book club questions make particular mention of survivor guilt, but I didn't feel this issue was fully explored - there is no debate in the lifeboat about returning to seek further survivors, and in later years all we're told is that Maggie never talked about the experience.

      Overall, I suspect a novel set on the Titanic is a savvy choice for an author and highly marketable for the publisher. For me, it was an engaging read but not truly memorable.