The Titanic Sisters by Patricia Falvey

          3.5 Stars

This is a fairly solid novel and I enjoyed it enough that I read it in a day.  However, it couldn't help but bring to mind the film Brooklyn - especially the yellow dress and the Saturday night dances.  Only a tiny bit of the book but it did overshadow things for me a little bit and meant that no matter what happened I kept looking for other parallels with the film.  The problem being that both tell the tale of Irish Immigrants to New York and to do so believably they need to draw on the same source material for historical accuracy which means that there was always going to be some overlap.

I also found that there was an air of unreality to some of the situations the characters found themselves in.  Whether for dramatic effect or just simply because imagination ran way with us and got the better of editorial sanity it was all a bit superficial and far fetched.  Characters also held little in the way of interest as they never really reveal themselves properly on the page.  Yes, there is change for both Delia and Nora but they almost seem to swap characters so this seems to negate any character development.  Supporting cast are either good or bad with little nuance to them.

What really got me though was towards the end of the book when Nora proves herself to be an excellent business woman and negotiator.  I really, really struggle to believe that pre- First World War Texan men would actually deal with a woman for business matters this important.  It simply feels too many shades of wrong, no matter how many pains the author goes through to tell us how very, very relaxed Texan society is compared to Ireland or even New York.  Throw in a will-they-won't-they romance.  A chance of business ruin and some dastardly dealings.  All underpinned by a family life that destabilised the sister's relationship due to an all but silent father and a controlling shrew of a mother.  You just know you are going to get the happiest of endings before you have got more than a handful of pages in.

All that said I did find myself enjoying the story.  I just went with it and decided just to enjoy it as a yarn and nothing more.  The plot moves quickly and covers 4 years, or so, of the Sisters Sweeney's lives.  From their separation after the sinking of the Titanic and their ultimate reconnection on the oilfields of Texas a LOT happens, and yet it really doesn't.  Somehow events are underplayed at the expense of relating the character's emotions that the tension is dissipated and although enjoying the read I wasn't really that bothered at the outcome.

Very strange one this, it read well without actually involving me or making me care about the characters.

THIS IS AN HONEST REVIEW OF A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK SUPPLIED BY READERS FIRST.