A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice by Rebecca Connolly

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A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice by Rebecca Connolly
Published by Shadow Mountain on April 5, 2022
Age Group & Genres: Adult, Historical Fiction
Format: ARC, Physical
Source: Publisher

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

Shortly after midnight on April 15, 1912, the captain of the Carpathia, Arthur Rostron, wakes to a distress signal from the Titanic, which has struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage. Though information is scarce, Rostron leaps into action, determined to answer the call for help. But the Carpathia is more than four hours away, and there are more questions than answers: Will his ship hold together if pushed to never-before-tested speeds? What if he also strikes an iceberg? And with the freezing temperatures, will there be any survivors by the time the Carpathia arrives?

Kate Connolly is a third-class passenger on Titanic, and she is among the last to receive instruction and help after it hits an iceberg. Despite the chaos of abandoning ship, Kate is able to board a lifeboat, though after seeing the Titanic sink into the abyss and hearing the cries from hundreds of people still in the water, she wonders if any rescue is even possible.

Told in alternating chapters from both Captain Rostron and Kate Connolly.

A copy of the book was provided for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore does not affect the opinion or content of the review.

When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the Titanic, having first come across the disaster while making my way through the Magic Tree House novel and its accompanying Fact Checker novel, then through Dear America. Based on true events, A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice highlights the Carpathia’s involvement in the rescue when they answered the distress call that night.

The story is told in alternating chapters that eventually converge together: Arthur Rostron, the captain of the Carpathia, and Kate Connolly, a third-class passenger on the Titanic who’s excited to join her sister in America. I loved the choice of alternating chapters, capturing the awe and recognition of the history the Titantic is making at the time with their different observations. I don’t think the novel could have worked with just one or the other.

Connolly also brilliantly captures all the emotions of the unbelievable events of that night as they unfold:

• The suspension and fear of Titanic’s passengers through the chaos as they wonder if they will survive or if any of their loved ones made it out.
• The grief they experience as they watch what they believe to be an unsinkable ship break in two and finally get swallowed up in the dark and cold night, leaving them to wonder if any help is on the way or if they’ll eventually meet the same fate.
• The urgency and worry as the Carpathia navigate at full speed to reach the sinking ship as quickly as possible, wondering if they would also hit an iceberg and sink.

While most of the action is in the first half of the book, and the second feels a lot slower in comparison, I was immersed in the novel from the moment their journeys start all the way through the end when they begin investigating the cause of the Titanic’s sinking. I also loved the touch of quotes from those involved and the survivors in between chapters and the inclusion of an afterword.

A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice was emotionally punching and impactful, and while there were some liberties taken (as is the case with historical fiction), it was thoroughly researched. I highly recommend it if you enjoy historical fiction, especially if you’re interested in the Titanic and reading about the Carpathia’s involvement, which tends to get overshadowed in history.