The Glass Ocean

by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

Scott County Library hardcover 403 pages

Published: 2018

Genre: historical fiction

 

This book was recommended by a friend. I didn't love it. The three authors focused on three different main characters: Sarah (a modern day author and historian), Caroline (a wealthy society woman), and Tess (a working class con artist forger). The main body of the story surrounds the sinking of the Lusitania. 

Caroline and Gilbert Hochstetter are "new money" people. She has long been attracted to Robert Langford, a British man.

Tess (Tennessee) Fairweather looks up to her sister Ginny who is ten years older and has long looked out for her baby sister. Their dad raised them in the art of con games.

Sarah's great-grandfather Patrick was an Irish steward on the Lusitania. In doing research for a new book, she connects with John Langford whose great-grandfather Robert was also on the Lusitania. Sarah has found a connection between the two men and wants to know what it means. Were either or both of their forebears spies?

In toting this book around, one of my post-it notes got dislodged. I have no idea what it tagged and I'm not going to try to figure it out! Warning: there are ***spoilers*** in this review!

Page 57: "Despite her reassurance that it wasn't necessary for the trip, and that Alfred Vanderbilt had reserved a smaller, one-bedroom Parlor Suite, Gilbert had pressed his point and, as usual, Caroline had capitulated."

I realize that I live in a different era and in a much lower socioeconomic class, but the number of times Caroline's thoughts and opinions were completely blown away by her husband left me frustrated. This theme (and her cheating on him with her Robert romance) made it difficult to believe their lovey-dovey routine toward the end of the book. Yeah, right. Someone who is constantly "capitulating" to her husband's will doesn't just switch to undying devotion.

Page 85: 

"'Salt!' I gasped.

'Salt?'

'In the sugar bowl.'"

This was funny. Sarah and John are having tea. Mrs. Finch, his housekeeper, is described as deaf and blind, but in a goofy way. I love that she mistakes Sarah for John's ex-wife at first and is trying to protect him.

Page 149: ". . . was the R2-D2 clock lamp on the bedside table, and that only because I had to hunt for the off switch for a minute or two before finding it inside R2's shiny Cyclops eye."

As Sarah goes on to describe the room that Mrs. Finch has put her in (John's childhood bedroom), it just got funnier and funnier. ". . . the soft, worn sheets, which were chillingly festooned with Darth Vader masks . . . "

***spoiler***

Page 301: "'Taking my wages.' Ginny's' face twisted into a simper, her voice taking on an exaggerated drawl. 'Oh Jones, what a treasure you are. . . . '"

 

I didn't figure this out in advance! I had suspicions about Jones (she seemed too perfect), but had no idea it was Ginny! 

Page 314: "'Trust me, there was no happy ending there. Trust me. You absolutely cannot redeem another human being. You just can't. Only God can do that, I suppose, God or whatever it is you believe in. The only person whose behavior - whose goodness - you can control is yourself. You just get up every day and do the best you can."

 

I know John Langford is speaking from the experience he had with his ex-wife's addiction, but this little speech is applicable to all of us! (Except that it has a deeper meaning when you know that God is the only one who can redeem another human being.)

 

 Page 368: "Tess squared her shoulders. 'We hang on. We wait. And if you think God will listen to you, then pray. I'm afraid He's all but given up on me by now.' 

Caroline regarded Tess for a long moment, wishing she could believe in mercy enough to convince Tess that it existed."

So close! This exchange caught my attention. Adrift on the sea, clinging to life, wondering about their loved ones . . . Tess and Caroline are bonding.

Page 369: "The heart never seemed to recognize the imperfections in others, nor was one given the chance to choose one's family."

Interesting how easy it is to make allowances for those we love.

I did like that the authors made connections to help chapters flow from one to the next. They used specific words to make the connection (moonlight, a loud noise, a man and his dog, . . . I also like the fact that the story made me curious about the actual facts of the Lusitania sinking. I don't know that I'll pursue my curiosity, but it's fascinating to look at the historical implications of this event.

Oh, and I knew early on that Tess ended up with Robert, but didn't foresee Gilbert surviving the sinking only to die the next day. I also didn't "get" that Caroline had Robert's baby nine months later. I knew that Sarah and John would end up together but was a bit surprised at how their story concluded. I didn't think it would take two years!