A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice by Rebecca Connolly Book Spotlight!

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

Stories about the Titanic have always fascinated me, that said, I really did not know anything about the Carpathia, the ship that rescued the survivors of the sinking. Told in alternating chapters, the captain, Captain Rostron,  and crew of the Carpathia and the passengers in the third class of the Titanic, Kate Connelly is one of many Irish immigrants traveling to America to better themselves.

What starts out as a maiden voyage with a new ship going from Ireland to New York City turns out to be a relative nightmare for everyone involved. The ship hits ice and slowly takes on water and sinks fast. April 15, 1912, is the fateful night that will forever be in history as one of the tragedies of maritime history.

There were 2228 people on board the Titanic, 337 in first class, 285-second class, 721 in third class, and 885 crew members, and only 705 survived. Molly Brown, wife of a Colorado silver mine entrepreneur, and John Jacob Astor were among the famous survivors.  

I found this novel based on facts, very enlightening and sad. All of the lives lost to the frigid waters, impeccable research went into the writing of the book. I found it interesting that the author described what happened to some survivors and the crew of the Carpathia. I read this book in a few sittings and was totally engrossed in the lives and deaths of the people involved. A definite page-turner.

I give the book 5 stars for the impeccable research and writing.

I received a copy of the book for review purposes only.

About the Author:

REBECCA CONNOLLY is the author of more than two dozen novels. She calls herself a Midwest girl, having lived in Ohio and Indiana. She’s always been a bookworm, and her grandma would send her books almost every month so she would never run out.

Book Fairs were her carnival, and libraries are her happy place. She received a master’s degree from West Virginia University.

Learn more about Rebecca and her books at rebeccaconnolly.com

   
 

Advance Praise:

“Reading A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice made me realize that the full story of the tragedy of the unsinkable Titanic hasn't been shared yet. Captain Rostron's decisive and heroic actions as he prepared his crew for what they were about to encounter was inspirational and heartrending. I've found a new hero in a man who never hesitated in doing the right thing.” —Heather B. Moore, author of The Paper Daughters of Chinatown “A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice is a haunting yet hopeful story of one man's rush to the rescue.” —Jen Geigle Johnson, author of A Foreign Crown

Titanic Facts:

20 – the number of horses needed to transport the main anchor.

$7,500,000 – the cost of building the RMS Titanic.

269.1 metres – the length of the Titanic (882 feet 9 inches).

220 to 245 feet – the estimated length of the gash caused by the collision (minimum to maximum length).

10,000 – the approximate number of lamp bulbs used on the ship.

There were 840 staterooms in all, 416 in First Class, 162 in Second Class, and 262 in Third Class.

825 tons – the amount of coal used per day. Sister ship Olympic, comparable in size but with a lower gross register tons of 45,324, had a daily coal consumption of around 674 tons.

1,050 tons – the amount of coal used per day by the Cunard ships, which although faster were also smaller and much less fuel efficient.

13 – the number of honeymooning couples on the voyage.

49% – the percentage of passenger places that went unused (the loss of life could have been far great still).

64 – the number of lifeboats the Titanic ship could have been capable of carrying

48 – the number of lifeboats originally planned for Titanic

20 – the number of lifeboats Titanic actually carried

472 – the number of lifeboat spaces that went unused.

20 – the number of people said to have cancelled their plans to sail aboard Titanic after dreaming that she would sink. 60 minutes – the delay between the collision and the first Titanic lifeboats launching. The Titanic, like her sister ship Olympic, had not been fitted with any form of public address system. 58 miles – distance of the rescue vessel Carpathia, at the time of the distress call.

15-45 minutes – the typical maximum life expectancy of the Titanic victims in the water.

At 11.40pm on 14 April 1912, the RMS Titanic strikes an iceberg

At around 2.20am on 15 April, the Titanic disappeared beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean

Striking the water was like a thousand knives being driven into one’s body. The temperature was 28 degrees, four degrees below freezing. -Charles Lightoller, Titanic Second Officer

Colonel John Jacob Astor IV was the wealthiest passenger on board, and believed to be one of the richest people in the world at the time, with a personal fortune that was estimated at between $90-150 million, which today would make him a billionaire a few times over.

You could actually walk miles along the decks and passages covering different ground all the time. I was thoroughly familiar with pretty well every type of ship afloat but it took me 14 days before I could, with confidence, find my way from one part of that ship to another. -Charles Lightoller, Titanic Second Officer

Everyone who purchases a copy prior to April 15^th will be able to submit their receipt to receive the exclusive goodies. Link to submit: shdwmtn.com/brilliantbundle