As a history, there weren’t a lot of voices or characters that he needed to do. My audiobook was narrated by Martin Jarvis.

However, that would have extended the book beyond the scope Lord set and I understand why he didn’t do it. I almost hoped for a bit more about the inquiry because it was referenced several times toward the end but never talked about in detail. The book seemed to come to its conclusion a bit abruptly. All of these details made it easier to imagine how the night felt to the survivors.

I hadn’t considered how spread out the lifeboats would be after being adrift at sea on a dark night. I wasn’t aware such good notes were taken about this time. I’ve not read a lot about that part of the sinking and it was interesting to learn something new. I loved all the detail Lord had about who was in what lifeboat and what happened while they were waiting for the Carpathia. I hope I never find myself in such a horrible position. Coming to terms with death and loss aren’t easy to do and I’m getting chills thinking about it. It’s hard to imagine oneself in a position like those on the boat. I can’t imagine the responsibility he felt and how hard that was to live with. He never recovered from the Titanic and lived out the rest of his life solitarily in Ireland.

The one thing I learned about a passenger that I hadn’t heard before was about Bruce Ismay. There wasn’t a lot of characterization in this book which was fine with the ‘hard facts’ mood that Lord picked. The crew is an often-forgotten group as well but Lord did them tribute. I’m glad he focused on people of all classes instead of on the first class ‘glamorous’ experience. It helped make this slim volume very engaging. He didn’t weigh down in the loading, construction, or investigations. I enjoyed that he stuck to a set time frame, the night of the sinking. Thankfully, Lord stuck to facts and this book was a wonderfully detailed account. However, finding the wreckage changed a lot of ‘known’ facts about the sinking. I know that sounds silly when it’s about such a historic event. I wasn’t sure if this would feel dated to me. Wives beseeched husbands to join them in lifeboats gentlemen went taut-lipped to their deaths in full evening dress and hundreds of steerage passengers, trapped below decks, sought help in vain. Some sacrificed their lives, while others fought like animals for their own survival. First published in 1955, A Night to Remember remains a completely riveting account of the Titanic’s fatal collision and the behavior of the passengers and crew, both noble and ignominious.

A Night to Remember by Walter Lord