Tragic tale of the Titanic revisited with focus on lives of those involved

WITH the 100th anniversary of the 1912 sinking of the Titanic drawing closer, two books look at the lives of those involved in the disaster.

Titanic books

WITH the 100th anniversary of the 1912 sinking of the Titanic drawing closer, two books look at the lives of those involved in the disaster.

NON-FICTION

Shadow Of The Titanic

Andrew Wilson, $40, Simon & Schuster

EVERYONE knows the tragedy of Titanic's sinking. Andrew Wilson has trailed the tragic lives of survivors, from the moment their lifeboats hit the water.

One tragedy was Madeleine Astor. Just 19 and pregnant on her return from a European honeymoon, she lost her husband John Jacob Astor to the depths of the Atlantic. By trying to find happiness in two more doomed marriages, she lost entitlement to much of her late husband's millions. Male survivor Bruce Ismay's tragedy shows the stigma attached to many male survivors for not adhering to the strict code of honour of giving up their place in the lifeboats to women and children.

The director of the White Star Line lived many of his final years as a recluse, branded a coward for not going down with the ship as society figures like Astor were touted as heroes for giving their lives. Wilson also gives an excellent insight into social pressures of the time.

Matthew Le Rade

NON-FICTION

Titanic Love Stories

Gill Paul, $24.95, New Holland

WITH the centenary of Titanic's sinking heading slowly toward us, somewhat like a giant iceberg, we are beginning to see book releases on the subject picking up pace again.

Since the ship sank, there have been thousands of books on the doomed liner, some better than others. This is one of the better ones with an interesting theme. It focuses on the stories of some of the recently married couples who took up a berth on the ship. There are tales of couples who died together, some who escaped together but did not live happily ever after and there are many more stories of women who lived the rest of their lives as Titanic widows.

The ship seems to have damaged many survivors. The stories in the book often overlap, since they share the experience of being on a sinking ship, but this makes it interesting to compare the different experiences of people in the same situation. There is plenty of romance, but these are love stories of people under duress.

Troy Lennon