Maiden Voyage

Artistically, the book is spun with beautiful, modernist, poetic prose. The characters are real and autonomous, complex and flawed. Somehow, unlike any film or other novel, this book turns the sinking of the Titanic into a very real event. It's not a lame excuse to retell the sinking, to catalogue all the set details and historical moments. It's as if the characters are really, really there and experiencing, commenting, feeling. The story concerns a young boy, Sumner (named after the near-martyred abolitionist), who's mother is a suffragette and feminist and whose father is trying to live the bohemian artist life. It's--of course--this young man's coming-of-age tail, perfectly matched with that of the Romantic, idealistic, heroically-idealizing Edwardian society coming of age with the modernism, naturalism, and realism of WWI. These conflicting themes are perfect for the event of the Titanic, where these heightened ideals of heroism had their last moments, for better or for worse. The novel brings this to a horrible human moral conflict as the passengers (most importantly, Sumner), are forced to chose between death and life, bravery and cowardice, heroism and survival. Instead of the usual class issue that usually placed upon the tragedy of the Titanic, this novel investigates feminine issues (appropriately for a ship always referred to as a "she" that sinks on her maiden voyage). Sumner, who falls in love for the first time, desires to be a grown up, but more importantly, a man. He wants to die heroically on the Titanic while saving the women. Meanwhile, Ivy--the object of his affection and attempted heroism--is a suffragette, wanting to be treated equally to a man, but also to (obviously) not die in the tragedy. The idea of "women and children first" is ironically (as are most things associated with the ship) amazingly heroic and gallant, and horrifyingly, insultingly sexist. The ignorant, enslaved women are saved by the men because they supposedly can't save themselves. Yet, Ivy is willing to let men die for her, but not vote for her. It's amazingly, beautifully, perfectly complex, and absolutely suited for the story of Titanic, who herself is a woman.

Sumner Jordan is 12 years old and he dreams of being a hero. He has just spent some time visiting his father in London and is returning home alone on the Titanic. It's a lonely trip for him as everyone around tends to ignore him. Everyone, except for him, seems to be having a good time. Then suddenly, he sees Ivy Earnshaw. He first had seen her in London at a suffragette demonstration. Since then, he had thought of her often. She had become part of a mob scene. He had tried to "save" her but wasn't able to. Now he wants to meet her but doesn't know how.He gets some advice from Pierce Andrews, aviator and cynic. Following that advice, he goes to a party the next night and asks Ivy to dance. She accepts and his dreams have come true.The disaster strikes later that night. Sumner makes a decision that changes his life and has long-lasting consequences.The book is realistic of the times. But unlike other books about the Titanic, it describes the aftermath of the disaster. The time spent in the lifeboats waiting for help, the trip home and the guilt of those who survived.It was interesting seeing it through the eyes of a 12 year old. Quite a different approach.

A superb work by Cynthia Bass. This book is completly thrilling. You will not be able to put it down.

This is a novel told from the POV of a 12-year old boy who was a first-class passenger on the Titanic. The author had all the facts right (I've studied the subject for years) and was surpringly credible. It also raised some interesting and disturbing issues of the day that were also very publicized at the time, namely allowing women the vote vs. "protection" by the male sex, supposedlly shown on the sinking ship by the rule of "women and children first" to the boats. The author does a great job describing the guilt of the narrator (a child) and a woman suffragist at having survived, yet also points out that more first-class men than third-class children were saved, and the real issue was that there should have been enough lifeboats for everyone (about 1/3 of the people on board survived). She also raises the thought-provoking question of what good it would have done for these two people to die with the others? This issue was raised also in the case of Joseph Bruce Ismay, managing director of the White Star Line, when he testified at the British Board of Trade hearings on his survival. It evidently was with him the rest of his life from what I read. I'd recommend this book as the author has put a lot of thought and attention to detail into it and it is very believable.

The character of Sumner was not fully developed, in my opinion - he was selfish, narcisstic (as, I suppose, most boys his age are) and always feeling sorry for himself. As for the Titanic herself, Ms Bass did not do her research - witness have always maintained the ship broke above the surface between the third and fourth stack before the stern attempted to right itself and eventually plunge to the bottom of the ocean. Overall, I found the story of a boy who wants to be a martyr and the historical inaccuracy distracting and not very appealing