The Girl on the Titanic: A Novel of the Titanic

Novels of the Titanic

by Eileen Enwright Hodgetts

Titanic passenger American heiress Sophie Paxton once dreamed of Olympic glory, but the sinking of the Titanic shattered her aspirations. Injuries from that icy night ended her hopes of competing for an Olympic tennis championship, but they ignited a new fire within her—a burning need for revenge. Convinced that another ship, the Californian , was close enough to rescue the Titanic's passengers but chose to ignore their cries for help, Sophie embarks on a relentless quest to expose the truth.

With the reluctant assistance of Sam White, a reporter more interested in discovering the secrets of the Jekyll Island banking conspiracy, and John Alder, a determined senatorial aide, Sophie uncovers the identity of the Californian's Stanley Lord. As she digs deeper, Sophie’s obsession with holding Lord accountable for her shattered life spirals out of control, blinding her to the danger she is bringing upon herself and those she loves.

In a race against her own demons, Sophie teeters on the brink of self-destruction. It will take a brave soul to stop her before she destroys everything and everyone in her path. But as her thirst for vengeance consumes her, the question Will Sophie find the justice she seeks, or will her quest for retribution lead to her ultimate undoing?

Genres: Historical Fiction

269 pages, Paperback

Published August 18, 2024

About the author

Eileen Enwright Hodgetts is a much traveled writer. Brought up in England and Wales, she has also lived and worked in South Africa and Uganda. Eileen and her husband, Graham, now make their home in Baden, PA. Eileen’s life experiences allow her to use exotic backgrounds for her novels and to understand how an adventure can begin with just one small incident. For ten years she directed a humanitarian mission in East Africa as an employee of Christ Church at Grove Farm in Sewickley, PA. and her whole family continues to be involved in Uganda through the Ugandan Gold Coffee project bringing coffee to the United States and returning the profits to Uganda to be used for drilling water wells. She writes historical fiction from Arthurian sagas to World War Two murder mysteries. The major movie "Unsinkable", currently in production, is based on her national award-winning stage play "Titanic to all Ships". Her latest work "The Girl on the Carpathia - A novel of the Titanic" reflects over twenty years of research into both the US senate hearings and the British inquiry into the sinking.

Reviews

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally finished this series. Mostly cause I'm stubborn and like to finish what I start. I'll start off with the positive. Overall all three stories have been engaging if a little off the rails at times. At least the ship on the cover of this book looks like Titanic, I'm pretty sure its a still shot from the 97 movie. The first two books looked like something spit out by AI.
While a part of me suspected that this book might go into the ridiculous switch theory, happily I was wrong. It did threaten to go into the other rather dumb theory the ship was deliberately sank to avoid the creation of the federal reserve. Why would White Star risk their reputation? Ugh I wish people would use common sense sometimes with these theories. Even if all went well, ship sank, most if not all lives saved it's still traumatic for the passengers and a mark against the company's reputation especially a maiden voyage of a ship with all the latest and best safety features.
The history remains questionable here. Again she did fix previous mistakes like having Scandinavians out on Carpathia's deck waiting for their loved ones as they were the most populous third class group. However I'm not sure there's a language called Scandinavian. There are several different languages as there are several Scandinavian countries. Considering that the first class passengers noting this probably had a good education you'd think they would know this.
Apparently the lifeboats were unable to be launched on port side due to a bad list which is verifiably stupid. Fun fact Titanic had a list before she sank. Remember the coal bunker fire from the last book? Coal was moved from that bunker to another bunker on the port side. When the iceberg hit it was the starboard side and therefore there wasn't as much of a list to that side. The ship did list between starboard and port throughout the over two hours it took to sink due to the pumps working below deck. But it sank on a mostly even keel and boats were launched from both sides without issue except maybe inexperienced or disorganized crew. Perhaps the author wanted a certain male character to get in the boat with Mr. Ismay and as Murdock was letting anyone into the boats she needed a reason to keep him away from the port side. A reason that even those not well versed in Titanic would call ludicrous.
And oh boy the Carpathia. If this book is to be believed the dining saloon which was a hospital of sorts looked like a front line hospital in WWI with body parts being amputated left and right, fingers, toes, noses you name it it was being chopped off. There is no evidence of anyone being operated on while on Carpathia. There were amputations that occurred later, one in 1940 thought to be from long term affects of frost bite suffered in the wreck.
I haven't even gotten to the actual story yet. Our main character is Sophie, she's a tennis star, this was probably to introduce Dick Williams a real life tennis player who was told his legs would be amputated due to frost bite but he walked and walked and brought back circulation and went on to have a very successful tennis career. Sophie was okay, Poppy is still my favourite in the series. Sophie falls somewhere between Poppy and Kate. She wasn't the most likeable but she wasn't bad. She's on Titanic with her newly married cousin Maxine. Maxine's husband has a title and a gambling problem. He's also learned that Sophie will inherit the fortune and not his new wife and as he has gambling debts to pay he wants Sophie out of the way and there's a few amusing scenes where goons attempt to kidnap or threaten Sophie's life. Of course there's a romance cause that's how these books go. Gotta fund a husband ladies, you're nothing without one and a few kids. (I mean back there that was probably true)
Each book has its bad guy, one was Ismay, two the cover up of a fire and this one goes into the Californian controversy. I have no love for Captain Stanley Lord, if you want a good look at him read The Other Side of the Night by Daniel Allen Butler, it was quite eye opening. Like Ismay he had his life forever ruined and I'll say anything positive thing about these books the author gets that ultimately Captain Smith is to blame. He was the one who gave the orders and he sped through a field of ice at night without posting extra lookouts like Rostron did on Carpathia. Whether he had adequate information about the ice you can debate but he was the man in charge. The book did go a bit into the mystery ship theory which has been debunked and isn't really worth mentioning.
Also one thing people don't realize about Californian is that a ship stopped dead doesn't just fire up and take off. It's not like a car, where you turn the key and off you go. You've got to get the crew up and sent them to the boiler rooms and they have to start up boilers that are cold. It takes time. Even if they had gotten the message of the sinking at best they would've arrived just in time to see Titanic slip beneath the waves and might've saved a few more people, but not everyone on board as is often stated.
While this series hasn't been my favourite, it didn't help that it was a written about a topic I've been reading and learning about since my grade one teacher read us Dr. Ballard's book in the late 80s. While I'm far from being an expert, I do expect basic history to be correct. Also justice for Harold Bride. The man despite being badly injured continued to work on Carpathia alongside Cottam something erased in these books to give the annoying Kate a love interest.
But this book was probably the best out of the three. The Californian subject is always an interesting and controversial one and Captain Lord is an enigma of a man who is hard to pin down, people either love or hate him. Not sure if I'd recommend this to anyone, I'd say read A Night to Remember or if you're feeling ambitious On a Sea of Glass instead.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was provided with a free ARC copy and this is my honest review:
I thoroughly enjoyed this historical fiction book about the Titanic, and learned and/or was reminded of things that I never knew or forgot about - like the ship the Californian that was very close to the Titanic but didn't get to her in time. Or that one of the survivors was a future Olympian! Eileen Enwright Hodgetts does a wonderful job weaving historical fact with fiction. The book reads from the perspective of several different characters - sometimes the perspective is from aboard the Titanic, sometimes from a lifeboat, from the Carpathia (the ship that did rescue several from the sea), some from the Californian, and some from land in various places. The book is not just about the disaster - it is also about family, betrayal, love, and courage with a strong female character front and center. I highly recommend this book!

[Holly Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this perspective of survivors after the Titanic and the on going theme of what if the Californian had answered their distress call? All these years later we are still interested in the Titanic. It’s so sad that so many people died but I can’t imagine the chaos of that night.

[Dave Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it a take on a historic avent that has you gripped , well it did me.

Sophie and her sister are just 2 of those on the Titanic's tragic and only voyage across the Atlantic where events change everything and those that survive well? Sophie and her sister are fictional, as are many of the folk they meet, but it includes many that were there and facts that are true. Also the ships 🚢 that rescued and the one that didn't. There is a lot to take in but it's still a fantastic read. There is the drama you expect and some interesting twists along the way. Heartbreak as this is hard to not include in any novel linked to such an event.

This is well written, plus addictive from the start. Sophie is the centre of the story (character wise), but some of the others are fantastic as well. Plus, there are the villans, some easier to spot than others and some historically known of by many. But it's the storyline that wins the day, and this is a great story to read. Hence I've given it 5 stars and hope you love it as well.

[Annette Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a history buff and enjoy all things to do with the Titanic, then this book will definitely have appeal. It’s a story within a story as the fictitious characters are woven indelibly within the facts of the true story.
With extreme hardships to overcome, overwhelming memories that threaten to push even the strongest to their limits, and a complex mystery to unravel, there are plenty of challenges to solve.
The characters range from likeable to loathsome depending on where your sympathies lie as you get to know them. While I didn’t particularly like the lead female character, Sophie, she was young and had a lot of growing up to do, John Alder showed true strength of character throughout the story.
While answers are sought and the story unfolds, you have to think twice as to who really is the enemy.
I was lucky to receive an ARC in return for an honest review.

[Christine Grabowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't get enough of the Titanic. This story focuses the involvement, or lack thereof, of the Californian on that fateful night and adds more "what ifs" to a story already loaded with "what ifs". I think it interesting to read about what happened after the sinking. There are still many unanswered questions, which makes the story of the Titanic timeless.

The author weaves the historical facts with fiction flawlessly. The fictional characters added depth and the story of Sophie Paxton gave the reader an insight to what an impact the Titanic had on people and their lives after the sinking. Her dreams were crushed but she came to realize there were so many more who lost much more than she did.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC in return for my honest review.

[Leesa Slade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was provided with a free ARC copy and this is my honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. The fictional story is magically interwoven with true events, which are important to me , having a fascination with the Titanic. The story is about love, loss, pride and stoicism. The author centres on a protagonist and how her position in society influences the actions of what is to follow and how it shapes her relationships with others. Absolutely a page turner! A must read.

[Tony Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely marvellous book, well written and the fictional characters are so well described that it is difficult to imagine how they could not have played a part in the drama that was the Titanic. The fact that the story is written from different viewpoints makes it even more readable. Also, being not only about the sinking and everything involved (beautifully described, I really started to feel cold whilst reading it!), but also about subsequent events makes this a really interesting and well researched page turner.
I received this book as an ARC and this my honest review.

[Alan Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was provided with a free ARC copy and this is my honest review: This is a well researched book and a thoroughly enjoyable read. It is obvious that Eileen knows her subject extremely well. There are several strands to the main plot, not just about the sinking but the subsequent events. The characters are believable and the story is written from several viewpoints. Definately one to recommend

[Emmy McCabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly enjoyed this book. Although many of the characters were fictional, I believe the writer gave us a feeling of what horrors the passengers of the Titanic felt and lived through. I'm not sure if what actually happened that night will ever be fully known for many different reasons. Could the Californian, could Captain Lord done more. So many unanswered questions.

[Kate Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written from multiple viewpoints, this novel tells of the ship that was close on the fateful night but did not respond, the unravelling of the complexities of personalities and how they were affected. I received this as an advance copy from the author and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[I like what I like · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great engaging read! Several story lines but not distracting. I couldn’t put it down. Flawed characters. This series was a wonderful mesh of fact, fiction and possibility.
Maybe 4 1/2 stars

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

good story with historical info and characters and fictional . depicts actual happenings in those last moments on the sinking ship