By the Light of the Silvery Moon by Tricia Goyer

 

I’ve always loved studying about the Titanic, but I’ve never read fiction around the tragic sinking. Tricia gives us a very engaging story, and though you know what’s about to happen to the ship, you don’t know how these characters will fare. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

This book releases March 1, 2012 from Barbour Publishing. Here’s the summary:

Remember the Titanic 100 years after its doomed voyage with Tricia Goyer’s fictional portrayal of one woman’s journey. To Amelia Gladstone, this ship means promise of seeing family again. To Quentin Walpole, the Titanic represents a new start in America…if he can get onboard. All seems lost until Amelia offers him a ticket, securing his passage—and bringing him face-to-face with his railroad tycoon father and older brother, Damian. As Amelia works to reconcile father and son, she finds herself the object of both brothers’ affection. Can she choose between two brothers? Or will she lose everything to the icy waters of the Atlantic?

And now, my review:

What an enjoyable story! Tricia’s novelization of the great tragedy is a fulfilling, compelling read. She gives updates as to what day of the voyage we’re on and though her characters are fictional (the main characters anyway), it’s as if they really existed. We get to see what it might have been like to be a passenger on the Titanic, as compared with the documentaries that show the more technical aspects of the sinking and normally revolve around the crew and the specifics of the ship's damage. Tricia interweaves her character’s lives together from before they boarded, though we only learn of it once we’re on the big ship. I loved seeing how the characters tied together, as well as watching them deal with their issues.

The heroine is torn between her unknown future and her attraction to the downtrodden hero of the story. She has a drive to help others. I liked this part of her characterization. Through her, the author was able to include strong faith elements with phrases that had double-meanings, especially where the love and forgiveness of a father character were concerned. When the heroine gave us with thoughts like, If only he could trust in his father's love and forgiveness, readers are left to ponder that concept in their own lives where God is concerned. It’s a little blatant, but nonetheless impactful. 

The other obvious element was the tie-in with a specific and popular parable of Jesus found in Luke 15. I appreciated this inclusion, though it was rather transparent, right down to the biblical quotes coming from the character’s thoughts or words. I haven’t read this kind of obvious treatment of biblical parables in fiction before, so it intrigued me. The parable certainly lent itself to a powerful retelling in this novel. 

I recommend this story both to Tricia’s fans and those who haven’t read her work before. I was attracted by the Titanic connection, given this is the 100^th year anniversary of the great tragedy. But lovers of wholesome romance and servant-hearted characters will enjoy this historical. 

I was provided a free copy in exchange for my unbiased opinion. For your convenience, here are the amazon links for print and e-book versions (in that order).