Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady

This is definitely not one of the happier books. For one thing, the story starts out with Margaret's parents dying; Her father is killed in an accident at work and her mother dies of illness. Her older brother and her do their best to survive, including stealing and living on the streets. Eventually her brother leaves her at a Catholic-run orphanage and he goes to America.

Margaret is a good, if somewhat headstrong, girl, and the nuns manage to get her a position as a companion to a rich lady going to America on the Titanic.

Which is downer number two. The description of the sinking of the ship and the actions of the passengers is quite vivid, and the historical section makes it even moreso. It's not a pretty tale, although it's a historical one.

The book is done quite well, especially in the fact that Margaret is from a lower class then the lady she has been companioned to, and there is the class differences that adds even further interest to the story.

A good, but very unhappy, book.


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