A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice

By: Rebecca Connolly

Narrated by: Alana Kerr Collins, Antony Ferguson

Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Based on the remarkable true story of the Carpathia—the only ship and her legendary captain who answered the distress call of the sinking Titanic.

Just after midnight on April 15, 1912, the passenger steamship Carpathia receives a distress signal from the largest passenger liner ever built, RMS Titanic, which is on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York.

Captain Arthur Rostron is awakened to an enormous maritime emergency with little information to guide his actions in answering the call for help. Is the dire threat to the unsinkable Titanic accurate? His ship is more than four hours away; will Carpathia hold together if pushed to never-before-tested speeds? What if his ship also strikes an iceberg? How many of Titanic’s 2,200 passengers will the Carpathia be able to accommodate? And with the freezing temperatures, will there be any survivors by the time the Carpathia arrives?

Kate Connolly is excited to join her sister in America and proud to be traveling on the grand Titanic, which was built in her Irish homeland. As a passenger in third-class accommodations, she is among the last to receive instruction and help after Titanic hits an iceberg. Among the chaos of abandoning ship, the chances of her securing a spot in a lifeboat appear grim. With the help of several men, also from Ireland, Kate finally reaches the upper decks and feels lucky to board Lifeboat 13, although no one knows if or when a rescue ship will come. She fears the icy water and wonders if they’ll all freeze to death. After seeing their magnificent ship submerge into the abyss, and hearing the cries of hundreds of fellow passengers drowning, it is almost too much to bear, and Kate fleetingly thinks succumbing to her ordeal is the easiest escape.

Told in alternating chapters from the perspective of Captain Rostron on the Carpathia and Kate Connolly on the Titanic, this historical novel is a compelling, heart-pounding account of two eyewitnesses to an epic disaster. Rostron’s heroic and compassionate leadership, his methodical preparations for rescue, and his grit and determination to act honorably and selflessly to save lives and care for the survivors, sets the course for this awe-inspiring story.

©2022 by Rebecca Connolly (P)2022 by Blackstone Publishing

Brilliant Historical Fiction!

Wow! This book was incredible! The detail and story were heart wrenching. I was brought to tears many times while reading. Whether it was in the Titanic’s point of view, or the Carpathia’s, I felt like I was there with them. Freezing on a life boat or struggling to get to the survivors. So wonderfully told and I will definitely be telling everyone I know to read it!

Very good

So nice to hear the story of the events of the Titanic told from a different perspective. This story was very well written and preformed.

Historical fiction that’s more history than fiction.

I was excited for this book because I love historical fiction. However, it read more like history with a little bit of description added rather than fiction. The characters are incredibly one dimensional, there is no theme or arc other than to simply follow the events of the sinking of the Titanic and the subsequent rescue. Which is all really interesting stuff. And honestly, if it were just a non-fiction book about that, I might not have picked it up. But, because it was billed us historical fiction, I was interested. If you go into this book thinking you’re going to read a lot of details about the rescue of the passengers on the titanic, thinly veiled with some point of view characters, you’ll be fine.

Interesting history!

Nice learning of history I didn’t know about. Average story, but nicely written and narrated.

History presented at it's best

the author sites all her research in notes at the end. These notes validated my emotion, dismay and tears as I listened to this well narrated story... History not to be forgotten.

There is still hope for us humans…

Congratulations Mrs Rebecca Connolly!!! Precisely in the present days when the world is facing wars, and people whose values have changed so much in such short time. A historical novel that extracts from a terrible catastrophe, the best of human nature.
It is so good for the heart and mind to hear this type of facts that really happened not so long time ago.

Interesting and Enjoyable

This was a very interesting and enjoyable story the narration was outstanding although sometimes the volume is a little low. While it is a fiction novel, it is based on a lot of historical facts.

A Unique and Powerful Titanic Novel

Like many young people, I was fascinated by the story of the Titanic as a tween/teenager. I watched the movies, read tons of books, saw the museum, etc. So, when I came across this book as an Audible Daily Deal, I thought "why not?" and I'm so glad I did.

What I loved most about this book was just how different it was than any Titanic story I've seen before. Of course, the split perspective between a Titanic passenger and the captain of the Carpathia, played a huge role in that, but it was novel in other ways as well. For one, the majority of the focus of the book is not the sinking of the ship, but what happens after. The emotions, the trauma, the rescue, the grief, and the news storm in the wake of the disaster.

This book was emotionally impactful and thoughtfully done. Most of the characters were based on real people, and they were treated with care and compassion. There was no melodrama or cheesy romances, just lots of people doing the best they could in a terrible situation.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't super action-packed or fast-paced like you might expect from a disaster novel, but it was a thoughtful, well-researched retelling of a well-known story. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the story of the Titanic.

Never enough Titanic perspectives

Why are most of fascinated with that night in April of 1912? If everyone had been lost, would it be a thing?
The Carpathia captain was an example of a true gentleman who followed his instincts and training as a sailor. But he also had a more modern sensitivity toward class and religion and empathy.

Very well done!

Lots of new interesting facts and from a different perspective. Thank you for your research!