Chris' Fish Place

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley in exchange for a review.

The wreck of the Andrea Doria led to one of the most memorial stories about a shipwreck – that of a young girl who fell asleep in her bed on the Andrea Doria and work up on the deck of the Stockholm. It is amazing luck and tragedy for her stepfather and sister died. Linda Hardberger (nee Morgan) perhaps is the most person, the image, that one associates the most with the Andrea Doria. Whether this is due simply to her story, or also to who her father was, can be debated. But in many ways that story has become the central point of the Doria shipwreck in many narratives. It is to the credit of King and Wilson that they do not do this and give equal (if not more) time to various people who were not famous after the wreck.

King and Wilson not only provide background on the captains of both vessels but also of the rules of the sea of the time, and of various passengers. There is an overview of the lines as well as the placement of cross ocean travel. The description of the wreck and the rescue is balance and clearly presented. While the background information might make the beginning of the book dry for some readers, when the voyage starts, the writing propels the reader forward quite easily.

It is to the authors’ credit that they provide information on the survivors and their lives after the wreck. More importantly there is an excellent analysis of the question of guilt as well as how the question played out in the media. The media analysis is particularly good and well done.
The book is an excellent read and offers a good history.