It is April 1912, and most incredible ship in history – the unsinkable HMS Titanic – has just left England on its maiden voyage. The ocean liner is packed with people: travelers, thrill-seekers, wealthy vacationers. Among the first-class passengers are two completely different men. They have different backgrounds, different morals, and different goals in life, and their chance meeting will forever change each others’ lives.

James Hyde is a grifter and a con man, always looking out for “number one” and constantly seeking to avoid the police. He might have a first-class ticket in his pocket, but he is flat broke. His goal: latch on to some unsuspecting and rich soul and take them for all he can get before he arrives in New York. Will Woods is a man with too many responsibilities and too much guilt. He has no time to think about himself but has a fragile and elderly mother, a waiflike fiancée, and the weight of the world on his shoulders. All he wants is to get back to America and fulfill his responsibilities by marrying his fiancée and starting a family.

As the last hours of the HMS Titanic tick away, James and Will find a connection between them that can’t be denied. Unexpectedly, each man has something to offer the other. Will teaches James that love means thinking about the other person and wanting what is best for them. James shows Will that life is short and you should embrace your happiness while you can. Neither man realizes how close to death that they actually are.

Reading Ship of Dreams by Reilly Ryan is like stumbling over a treasure when you least expect it. This is a lovely, almost sepia-toned story that will captivate its readers and will fascinate lovers of Titanic lore. When I read this, I felt as if I were being pulled back into 1912 – the environment is perfect, the characterization is appropriate, and even the language has period ring to it.

The tension that is caused by the reader knowing in advance what will happen with the Titanic is almost tangible, and Ms. Ryan’s countdown of days is a very clever device to boost this suspense to an even more intense level. As the time for the Titanic to strike the iceberg drew near, I could feel myself holding my breath in anticipation. How would these characters that we’ve gotten to know so well be affected by this horrible tragedy? Who would die and who would survive? The sinking of the ship and the in-water experience towards the end is drawn with almost crystalline clarity, so that I could almost feel the numbing cold of the water and hear the cries of the victims.

This is a stunning and very moving novel that I gladly endorse as a recommended read. I’m not an expert on the Titanic, but after reading this tale, I definitely have a yen to know more about her.


Reviewed by: Whitney