Gareth RussellReseñas

This book was a lot of fun. A short overview of the life of the legendary Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. This slim volume is chock-full of wonderfully funny anecdotes about a life that spanned over a century. It's a bit of fluff that is good to read if you're looking for something light and breezy. I don't know if I believe all of the book, though. Some of it seemed to come off as hearsay.

Still, fun reading!½

I've developed a bit of an obsession with the Titanic of late, so this book was fascinating. It gets off to a slow start, but for the most part I really liked the inclusion of details about the early 20th century, another topic I've been more interested in lately.½

What a truly fantastic book! Gareth Russell not only delves into the short life of this unfortunate young woman, he also describes aspects of Tudor life that are merely presented as the foundation in other books. As an example, the fosterage of young men and women. Yes, we know it happened; here, Russell explains not just the household in which Catherine [sic] was fostered, but how it led to her early death. It was scattered, minimally supervised, and Catherine was roomed with 4 or 5 other upper class women who were also enjoying amorous liaisons with young men surrounding the Duchess of Norfolk. Also, the petitioning of a Queen for a position in her household. How exactly did that happen? Russell provides a letter from Joan Bulmer, nee Acworth, a former "ally in mischief" in their youth, and explains the particulars of what was involved in contemplating royal service.

Also important were the physical placements of the women in Queen Catherine's household: those who allowed in guests and visitors to the main apartments, which rooms were locked from the inside or not, and which pages and women had access to the hallway to the actual private quarters. All very detailed and providing an explanation that is central to the Queen's flirtations.

These were difficult times in which to live and the end of the book describes not just Queen Catherine's beheading and the mutilations and deaths of her paramours, but also the casualness with which Henry VIII condemned to death anyone who displeased him. A well-written and sympathetic biography of a tragic figure in Tudor history.

This was a really fun read, if I’m honest. However, since I have a few books - maybe 1/3 of which (give or take a few) I’ve actually read - about specific points in English history, this was just a refresher for me. In addition, the book’s structure was a little awkward, and I felt like there were some topics that could have been elaborated on more. These reasons are why I gave it 3 stars instead of 4 or 5. This was a good read, though, and I do recommend

This is a thorough study of selected passengers and crew aboard the Titanic, as well as the worlds from which they came, so that everyone is put in proper context. Gareth Russell is a beautiful writer and has put detailed research in play to serve the characters, and to find the truth behind the myths.

If you think you know everything there is to know about the Titanic and its passengers, you're wrong. That is proved by the fact that this book exists. The author has given us a picture of the doomed liner's first-class passengers, a small handful in particular. I really enjoyed reading about the Countess of Rothes. Her story seems to be somewhat glossed over in other volumes. Here, she comes alive and ultimately becomes one of the heroines of the sinking. The story of the ship is told against the backdrop of the social history of the time. It's a unique look at an oft told tale. I couldn't put it down.

Highly recommended.½

This was entertaining and light.
Unfortunately it was not historically accurate.
A significantly better book that covers this same period in more depth try: George, Nicholas and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I by Miranda Carter

The authors theory is that monarchy is a benefit, yikes, and that abdication by Emperors Karl of Austria, Wilhelm II of Germany & Nicholas II were ultimately unnecessary.
I don't really care that he feels that way but he bends history to support this view and that I care about.
People in Russia were absolutely starving and what's more the soldiers didn't have bullets, shoes or food.
The revolution was absolutely necessary and NOTHING of value was lost by these abdications

I have read multiple books about the Titanic. I've read many, many facts and tales about the building of the ship, the White Star Line and its leaders, the race to build bigger and faster passenger ships in the early 1900s, the passengers, causes of the sinking, the trial and aftermath of the accident, etc. All that reading, and this book still provided details and information I had not read before! Gareth Russell digs down into the Edwardian Era and the people/time that created the Titanic and its sister ships. He also gives details about six different passengers on the ship....their privileged lives, what led them to be on board, and their fate.

So interesting!! I loved every single word of this book! Buying a copy for my non-fiction keeper shelf!

First off -- this book is non-fiction. This is not a narrative story or filled with fictionalized drama. This book presents facts -- lots and lots of details. The writing style keeps it interesting, but be aware that this is 300 pages of non-fiction -- not a story. Russell gets down to the nitty gritty of society at the time, details about specific passengers, text from reports, letters, telegrams, facts about the ship and other ships of the day, the crew, interior of the ship compared to other ships of the era, the White Star Line.....I could keep going. There is a lot of information tucked into this book. Readers who like Titanic facts but don't enjoy reading non-fiction might want to skip this one. I love non-fiction, so all of the details, facts, information did not bother me one bit. Loved it!

This is the first book by Gareth Russell that I've read. I will definitely be reading more! It is obvious that he did a huge amount of research and I like his writing style. The facts are all laid out in an interesting manner. I read this book slowly -- one chapter a night to let all the facts and details soak in. In my opinion, this is the best book on the Titanic and its sinking (that I have read). Interesting, sound research, and an in depth look at the aftermath of the sinking and the era that created larger, faster and much fancier passenger ships. Awesome read!

**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from Atria Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

A different telling of the well-known story, highlighted by the social phenomenons of the time. Special detail given to the wealthy, socially prominent passengers -- the back details of their lives is a bit long-winded at the outset but necessary to set the stage. I especially enjoyed the delightful narrator, Jenny Funnell.

The Ship of Dreams: The Sinking of the Titanic: and the End of the Edwardian Era by Gareth Russell.
This book gives another look at the sinking of the Titanic, focusing in in on The Countess of Rothes, Thomas Andrews, Isidor and Ida Straus, the Thayer family, and Dorothy Gibson.

I read this aloud to one of my sisters. Sadly, we didn't particularly like this recounting of the sinking. First, though I completely understand giving background to characters you are introducing in the book, I wasn't used to how long the character introductions were. I suppose they were probably not really much longer than any other historical introduction of characters in any given book, but they seemed longer because they kept interrupting the narrative of the time of the passengers on the Titanic. I would have preferred that the biographies had been placed at the beginning, before getting on the Titanic. But then, I suppose there wouldn't have been as much time spent 'on' the ship as it were, because it mainly focuses on a select group of people and the events happened pretty fast. Of course, this biography thing is just a matter of taste and others may not mind it.

Second, and this also is just a matter of personal preference: there are many 'rabbit trails' that are scattered throughout this book. The 'rabbit trails' are, in my opinion, longer than necessary historical background of various things. For instance at one of the meals on the Titanic , "Conversation at the table flitted between what was happening on Wall Street, the misspending US presidential election, the forthcoming nuptials of the Wideners' eldest daughter and the Titanic's speed. The November election was shaping up to be both vicious and important for the country…" A few things could have been mentioned about this election, but it goes on for what seemed quite a while (we ended up skipping it). I felt like saying, "No, I want to stay on the ship! I don't care to hear all of this about the Presidential election!" Some of these rabbit trails just didn't seem to have much relevance to the topic at hand.

But the biggest problem I had was that there were many details given about people's private lives that I didn't care to know much about. Maybe a short summary would have been fine as historical information about the person, but I don't want to go into detail about someone's affairs, someone's sexual life. My sister and I ended up skipping most of that as well.

There of course were many interesting things in the book, but overall the other things were too distracting. It just seemed as though we were skipping quite a bit out of indifference to what was being talked about, more wanting to get back to what was happening on the Titanic itself, rather than learning (what seemed like) a lot about any particular person's personal issues or going into detail about some historical thing that had happened on land in the past or that was happening at the time of the narrative itself.

Many thanks to the folks at Atria Books for sending me a free review copy of this book (My review did not have to be favorable).

There are a lot of fine details about the background of the noble Rothes family that started the book off very slowly. But then, something clicked and I was hooked into Russell's interesting take on these upper class passengers, the business of moving people across the ocean quickly and how it revolved around the end of Edwardian era. By focusing on just a few, he has access to more information,( as more of them survived the sinking), plus the ancestry of the families are more well known. Like many, Walter Lord's A Night to Remember was my intro to Titanic lore and it was fascinating to learn the he corresponded for his own book with the Countess before her death. Really well done non fiction. Not the easiest of reads, but I felt I still learned quite a bit about this disaster.½

I've always been interested in the Titanic. My grandfather worked 8 years after it sank, in Belfast in the ship yard where the great...thought to be unsinkable...ship was constructed. I thought I had read and seen every documentary about the fatal voyage until reading Mr. Russell's account. This is a fascinating book, Gareth Russell tells the story of the fatal ship’s sole journey through the eyes of six very different first-class passengers, from the Irish engineer Thomas Andrews to early film star Dorothy Gibson. The English Captain was blamed and stood trial for the disaster but the blame really lies with the Swedish radio operator who received, but fail to give the message to the captain who had already retired for the night. You can't try a dead man so history stands in error as of yet today. Don't think I want to take any cruises anytime soon.½

maritime, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, early-20th-century *****

The book is a detailed reminder of the lifestyles of people on both sides of the Atlantic before and after the sinking. I truly geek history, so the intensive research was definitely a big plus. It is made more real and more manageable by using only a handful of the glitterati as focus persons. Very interesting whether one is afflicted by Titanic Madness or not. I really enjoyed this different take on a subject peripherally known to most!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Atria Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

As a retired English professor specializing in the Tudor and Stuart periods, and a long-time Tudor junkie, I've read many books about Henry VIII, his six wives, and his court (including a few truly dreadful novels--avoid Suzannah Dunn at all costs!). Aside from Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, the king's fifth wife, may be the one about whom least is known. A teen-aged lady-in-waiting to the soon discarded Anne of Cleves, Catherine's vivacity and beauty captured the stout, ailing, middle-aged king's heart--and then broke it. Gareth Russell's biography, while an enjoyable read, doesn't offer much that is new. We know that Catherine had a bit too much freedom in her step-grandmother's house, leading to several flirtations that may have been full-blown sexual affairs. We know that she and Francis Dereham may have thought themselves betrothed, a question of importance during her trial. And we know that she engaged in a flirtation with Thomas Culpepper that included exchanges of letters and gifts and nighttime visits to her chamber that may or may not have been sexual. And we know that, to some extent, she was a pawn in the political games being played by her family members and a group of courtiers who opposed them. Catherine's naiveté, set against this background of vipers, is at the heart of Russell's biography. An enjoyable read, but perhaps more so for readers who know little about this ill-fated queen.

I found this a very readable and captivating history. Katherine Howard is a bit of an enigma - so little is actually known about her. It is possible to tell her story in many ways and present her in different lights. The portrait presented here is quite believable based on the evidence - a young woman without the guile needed for her role, who was unfortunate to first attract the attention of a king and then hurt his pride. I particularly felt, in reading this, the tensions that must have been present at all times among the members of the court, knowing that their lives could be ended by shifting faction loyalties or the whims of a single man.

It is important to note, that I never finished this book. I think I got to Chapter 4 or so.

Now, the reason I didn't finish this book is because I feel its target audience is for younger teens, not older ones like myself. Therefore, I found it some of the plot a little petty and it just didn't capture my attention. It has nothing to do with the writing style being awful (because it wasn't) it was just because I am not the audience it is written for.

The whole premise itself is like what would happen if [b:Gossip Girl|22188|Gossip Girl (Gossip Girl, #1)|Cecily von Ziegesar|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347320144s/22188.jpg|3061184] and the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series by [a:Louise Rennison|65189|Louise Rennison|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1217261779p2/65189.jpg] had a baby. The need for popularity and social structure is like Gossip Girl but the humour very much reminded me of the British humour seen in the Georgia Nicolson series (though this is Irish).

I wished I had read this book when I was younger; I think I would have really liked it.

(Find more book series reviews and book recaps on my blog: http://seriesousbookreviews.wordpress.com/)

Catherine Howard was the fifth wife of Henry VIII, she was a teenager whereas Henry was middle-aged, corpulent and tyrannical. After the death of Jane Seymour, Henry needed to make a political marriage and his advisor Cromwell settled on Anne of Clever. However Henry did not find her attractive and divorce was quickly sorted. Henry looked for an attractive bride next and the flirtatious young Catherine fitted the bill. Although naive, Catherine had a history, she had been involved in a relationship with Francis Dereham which may or may not have involved sex. All the pieces were in place for a tragedy when Catherine's head was turned by the younger, attractive men at court. Before she was twenty-one Catherine became the second of Henry's wives to lose their head accused of treason.

That is the simple story of Catherine Howard, she is either a silly naive girl or a girl who was abused at an early age and know no better. In this biography Russell tries to learn more about her background and deliver some evidence about what really went wrong for Catherine. Her family life was difficult, related to Anne Boleyn and with a father who seemed to go from disaster to disaster, she was brought up in the household of her grandmother. However the 'Maiden's Chamber' was a place where girls flirted with the young men of the household and sometimes went further and Russell explains how this 'education' created a women aware of her charms but also demanding of attention. In terms of marrying Henry, Catherine didn't really have a choice but Russell places her position into context. I felt that the research here cast a lot more light on Catherine's actions by placing them in the context of the court and he offers a balanced picture of Catherine as Queen - her relationships with Henry's children are particularly telling.

3.5 An ominous beginning. A very young Catherine Howard, marries Haney VIII, on the same day his former favorite Cromwell is beheaded. This man child of a king has discarded precious wives like used candy wrappers, and keeps his court in a state of fear. He rewards greatly but punishes in horrific ways.

One probably would not be reading this unless they were a Tudor fan or have a interest in this much married King and his unfortunate wives. Catherine Howard was the last to lose her head, but why she did, when the King was so obviously besotted, the things she did wrong and if in anyway her fate could have had a different ending is the subject of this book. It is well done, almost exhaustively so, many details, at times I thought too many as the author takes many side roads, exhaling the background of anyone important that came in contact with her whether they led to her downfall or not. There were some new details, things I hadn't read previously, some new ways of looking at things, so this was well worth the read. Liked how the author explained the political intrigues at the time, Catherine's daily life, and her childhood. A childhood, which in the end, her poor decisions or youthful mistakes, would prove to be impossible to overcome. A good, solid addition to the Tudor lexicon.

ARC from Simon and Schuster.½

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