The Glass Ocean by Beatriz WIlliams

I'm a bit behind on my blog posts because life has been a little crazy lately, but I'm ready to catch up.

In October I read The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White. Whew! That's a lot of authors for one book, but they totally pull it off. This book follows a set of fictional characters aboard the Lusitania during its final sailing and subsequent sinking. Caroline and Tess are very different women traveling in vastly different circumstances. Caroline is surrounded by luxury in First Class, traveling with her wealthy husband and a personal maid to wait on her every need. Tess is bunking with three other young women in Second Class and attempting to steal a very important manuscript from Caroline's husband. Meanwhile, in 2013, Sarah is an author whose book success has passed and is desperate to find her next bestseller. Researching the sinking of the Lusitania, Sarah means to discover the secrets behind the attack on the ship.

This historical novel was wonderfully well written and filled with interesting characters, flaws and all. I really didn't know much about the Lusitania and I really enjoyed learning about it. I find historical fiction an extremely effective method for, if not teaching about history, at least leading to research I might not otherwise have done. The number of lives lost in the disaster is astounding- 1,198 of the 1,962 passengers and crew on board perished in the icy waters off the coast of Ireland. Only six lifeboats were successfully launched.

The authors do an excellent job of connecting the reader to the events of the novel and with the characters, those central to the story as well as many of the background characters. Every time the book mentioned children playing on the decks with their nannies I felt chills knowing their fate.

I really enjoyed this book and I think you will, too.