Author: Rebecca Connolly
Narrator: Alana Kerr Collins & Antony Ferguson
Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing
Publication Date: April 5, 2022
Genre: Historical Fiction
They would be forgotten when history looked back on the Titanic and her tragedy. The Carpathia might be recollected as the vessel who picked up the survivors, but the details of her journey there, the people involved in the rescue, and all that had transpired would fade when set against the more pressing, terrible facts and stories of that night. That was as it should be. Those who were lost should be honored and revered. Those who were saved should be treasured and known. The disaster itself ought to be a warning to all ships and seamen traveling the same sea.
Goodreads Summary:
Based on the remarkable true story of the Carpathia—the one ship and her legendary captain who answered the distress call of the sinking Titanic.
Shortly after midnight on April 15, 1912, the captain of the Carpathia, Arthur Rostron, wakes to a distress signal from the Titanic, which has struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage. Though information is scarce, Rostron leaps into action, determined to answer the call for help. But the Carpathia is more than four hours away, and there are more questions than answers: Will his ship hold together if pushed to never-before-tested speeds? What if he also strikes an iceberg? And with the freezing temperatures, will there be any survivors by the time the Carpathia arrives?
Kate Connolly is a third-class passenger on Titanic, and she is among the last to receive instruction and help after it hits an iceberg. Despite the chaos of abandoning ship, Kate is able to board a lifeboat, though after seeing the Titanic sink into the abyss and hearing the cries from hundreds of people still in the water, she wonders if any rescue is even possible.
Told in alternating chapters from both Captain Rostron and Kate Connolly.
My Thoughts:
A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice tells the tragic story of the sinking of the Titanic and the events that followed when the Carpathia came to aid the survivors who boarded the lifeboats. We meet Kate Connolly, a third-class passenger who boarded the Titanic with her friends from her hometown, seeking better opportunities in America. During her voyage, she spends her time exploring the grand ship, making new acquaintances, and celebrating with them as they all embark on a new chapter of their lives. But her happiness is short-lived, as disaster strikes when the Titanic hits the iceberg. She manages to escape on a lifeboat but soon witnesses the horrific sight of the Titanic sinking and its passengers drowning in the ocean, which shakes her to the core. Meanwhile, the captain of the Carpathia, Arthur Rostron, rushes against time to save the lives of the passengers after receiving the distress signal from the Titanic. He not only has to speed up his ship, but he and his crew also have to keep an eye out for the icebergs that lie ahead to ensure the safety of their passengers onboard. As the story unfolds in dual POV, we get the full picture from the perspective of the survivors and the saviors.
The fact that this novel is based on Captain Rostron and Kate Connolly’s real-life experiences is what ultimately drew me to read this book. I hardly knew much about the ship that rescued the passengers of the Titanic, so as I began to read this book, I discovered a great deal of information about the challenges faced by Captain Rostron and his crew on their journey to rescue the survivors. On the other hand, we also gain insight into the perspective of the survivors, their helplessness and anguish over losing their loved ones, and the trauma they deal with after witnessing this tragedy. I was getting emotional as I read about Kate’s harrowing ordeal and the guilt she and many survivors carry in their hearts after surviving a near-death situation. But even in the wake of this disaster, the story also inspires hope as we learn about the compassion and generosity shown by the people, be it by the group of wealthy passengers who raised funds for the victims or by the Carpathia passengers from different classes who came to tend to the needs of the survivors.
Apart from the protagonists, a lot of the characters who appear in this book are real-life figures. I really appreciate the amount of effort the author has put into her research to write about them as well as about the events that followed when the Carpathia arrived in New York. However, I wouldn’t mind if the book were slightly longer, as I wanted to learn a bit more about Kate’s experience as a third-class passenger on the Titanic and especially about the new friends she made on her voyage before the inevitable doom. But all in all, this book was fast-paced, compelling, and poignant, and it was enlightening to read about the Carpathia and the commendable efforts of Captain Arthur Rostron and his crew, which saved the lives of 705 people who survived the sinking of the Titanic.
Thank you, NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing, for sending me the ebook of A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice. 😄❤️
 | 4/5 ★★★★☆ | Get “A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice” now! |
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