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" Interesting firsthand account of what happened as the Titanic sank. Col. Gracie was swept over board by a wave as the Titanic sank. He managed to surface and found an overturned lifeboat...that is all the farther I have read. "
- Julie, 2/12/2014
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" I really didn't learn anything new, and it was pretty repetitive. "
- Tiffany, 2/6/2014
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" I made the mistake of listening to the book rather than reading it. The narrator sound somewhat pretentious and laked emotions. "
- Haines, 1/26/2014
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" I liked it. I agree that it was repetitive in places - mainly due to the Colonel's thoroughness. He often retold the same event several times from different witnesses standpoints and testimonies. Its worth reading the first half just for the story of how he personally was saved. Lucky just isn't the word!?! "
- Paul, 1/26/2014
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" 3.5. This non-fiction account was written by an American, who was returning to NY on the Titanic from a European vacation. Gracie was a Civil War buff, and he had just finished writing a book about a battle his father had fought in. Gracie helped load the lifeboats as the Titanic sank. He essentially sank with the ship, and survived by clinging to an overturned lifeboat until the Carpathia picked up the survivors the next day. Gracie spent the next months of his life gathering information and corresponding with survivors. His book includes excerpts from inquiries launched by both the US and British governments. There are some references to people in terms of their racial profile, but Gracie wrote this book at a different time in history so I did not find that so offensive. I did think the book was oddly restrained in emotion, given that it was written by one who experienced the full horror of the event. After I finished the book, I read a little about Gracie, and was sad to learn he never really recovered from the hypothermia and other effects of that night. He died within a year of the sinking, and was in fact the first survivor of the sinking of the Titanic to die. "
- Lynne, 1/23/2014
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" Although it was interesting to read a tale of the famous disaster from the pen of a survivor, the reality of what he saw and reported combined with the actual circumstances of how the ship went down are so divergent that I had issues with the book. I also had some problems with his obvious class structure hangups and other things that are really more a product of the times, but I still was bothered by them. Read on my NookColor. "
- Erulisse, 1/20/2014
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" A compelling book written by a survivor in 1912, the year of the sinking, as a first person story as well as the accounts of other survivors. Gracie was on the Titanic as it slipped under the surface. He was able to surface and swim to an overturned lifeboat that was not launched before the sinking. After hours standing on the capsized boat in the extreme cold with others, he boarded the Carpathia at dawn surrounded by icebergs that forced the survivors to row to the rescue boat that couldn't pick them up because of the danger of striking the ice. He finished writing the book before his death December 4, 1912. It was published in 1913 although he never was able to polish it. The language usage of the time period makes it an even better read for those facinated by the Titanic. "
- Beth, 1/13/2014
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" An interesting insight into the rigid social structure of the time. The unapologetic sexism and racism kept me more riveted than the account of the event itself. "
- Arika, 1/11/2014
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" The first part detailing his own escape and eye-witness account has a real freshness and immediacy. The second part where he goes through stories of each lifeboat is also fascinating. "
- Jude, 11/20/2013
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" Being a Titanic freak this book is required reading. It was just what anyone who wants to read this book should expect. Well done, great read. Not my favorite Titanic book, but still interesting. "
- Andy, 11/4/2013
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" A fascinating text with a unique insider's perspective. The only thing I would say is that it can make for a tough read in places- it's one I had to take in short bursts. "
- Mel, 11/1/2013
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" A little boring but very interesting "
- Dave, 8/11/2013
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" This is a very important book. The two accounts herein comprise what was the full historical record of the Titanic disaster until Bob Ballard found the wreck in 1985. Not to be missed for the history buffs out there! "
- Stacy, 6/9/2013
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" A very good read. The writing has held up in my opinion. Mr. Gracie was not quite a man when the ship went down but in the end he became a real one. His depiction of the last moments of Titanic still stay in my mind. "
- Laura, 4/23/2013
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" Mind numbing. "
- Simone, 2/28/2013
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" A fascinating account of events from a survivor; I read the Kindle edition which I advise you to avoid. It was full of typos and some entire pages that were unreadable. Otherwise, well worth the read. I read this book primarily for research purposes, and it fit the bill. "
- Linore, 12/17/2011
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" Well-written, great background information on the passengers. "
- Michele, 8/13/2010
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" If you are interested in the Titanic you will find his point of view interesting. "
- David, 9/11/2009
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" snoozer! "
- Jackie, 7/23/2009
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" loved it, it was told what really happen "
- Nichole, 2/10/2009
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" Bought this in London soon after the movie came out. It's an incredible story and provides great context for the movie. "
- Sylvie, 11/8/2008
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" This was an interesting review of the Titanic's fated night. Extremely thorough, though with an obvious bias to the upper-class that he comes from, it mostly reinforced what I already knew, although there were a few surprises. What a terrible tragedy that was. "
- AmyLyn, 1/1/2008
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