The Girl Who Came Home - A Titanic Novel [Kindle Edition]

Hazel Gaynor (Author)

Book Description

Praise for The Girl Who Came Home

‘A beautifully imagined novel rich in historic detail and with authentic, engaging characters - I loved this book. Hazel Gaynor is an exciting new voice in historical fiction.’ Kate Kerrigan

'Our story lives on in this poignant novel.' Addergoole Titanic Society

'A small treasury of love stories, with some unexpected twists as it works its way to conclusion.' Kildare Nationalist

'Unexpected and absorbing. A sweet and thoughtful retelling of one of our most enduring stories. Perfect for readers of romance or historical fiction.' The Modern Woman's Survival Guide

'We guarantee you won't be able to put it down.' mummypages.ie

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Ireland, 1912
Fourteen members of a small, Irish village set sail on RMS Titanic towards a new life in America. Among them is seventeen-year-old Maggie Murphy, who wonders if she will ever see her sweetheart, Séamus, again.

Four days into their journey, disaster strikes Titanic. Finding herself distraught and alone as she recovers in a New York hospital, Maggie vows never to speak of the event again.

Chicago, 1982
After the death of her father, Grace Butler's life seems to be on hold. But when her Great Nana Maggie confides in her about her Titanic journey, Grace discovers an incredible story of loss and survival. It is a story which leads to unexpected reunions with friends they had both thought lost long ago.

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Inspired by true events surrounding a group of Irish emigrants who sailed on the maiden voyage of R.M.S Titanic, The Girl Who Came Home is a poignant re-telling of the Titanic tragedy. Blending fact and fiction, this Titanic novel tells the human story of the tragedy, not just on board the ship itself, but extending beyond the immediate aftermath of the event to explore the emotions of relatives awaiting news back home and of the impact that night had on the survivors and their descendants. It is also a love letter to a ship whose tragic legacy continues to captivate our imaginations one hundred years after she sank to the bottom of the Atlantic ocean with such devastating loss of life.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hazel Gaynor is an author and freelance writer, writing regularly for the national press, magazines and websites in Ireland and the UK. Her writing success has been featured in The Sunday Times Magazine and Irish Times and she has also appeared on TV and radio. Hazel is a guest blogger and features writer for national Irish writing website writing.ie for which she has interviewed, among others, Philippa Gregory, Sebastian Faulks, Cheryl Strayed and Mary Beth Keane. She also writes 'Off The Shelf', a book review blog for Hello magazine online, in addition to her own writing blog, Whims & Tonic. Hazel was the recipient of the 2012 Cecil Day Lewis award for Emerging Writers and appeared as a panel speaker at the Waterford Writer's Festival in 2011 and 2012. Originally from North Yorkshire, England, Hazel now lives in Ireland with her husband, two young children and an accident-prone cat. 'The Girl Who Came Home - A Titanic Novel' is Hazel's first novel. She recently completed her second novel which she hopes to publish in 2013. whimsandtonic.wordpress.com @HazelGaynor facebook.com/hazelgaynorauthor

Product Details

• File Size: 523 KB
• Print Length: 302 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1481950282
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007JMIENC
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,647 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #59 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical
  • #66 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical
  • #67 in Books > Romance > Historical

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 79 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic, timely novel March 21, 2012

By Ms J. Travers

Format:Kindle Edition

I've been drawn into the world of Titanic fascination by my Titanorak daughter who is ten. Because of her, I started reading a number of books about the history of the Titanic, all factual - until now. The Girl Who Came Home is the first historical fiction I've read on the subject, and I loved it.

Based on a true(ish) story of a group of people who emigrated from one Irish village, TGWCH brings the past to life in a vivid and absorbing way by introducing the reader to believable and engaging characters, both passengers and members of staff who were on board, and echoing the effects of that tragedy down to subsequent generations.

I highly recommend it to any reader who enjoys well-researched historical fiction, and who is caught up in Titanic centenary fever!

68 of 74 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A story well told March 17, 2012

By Trapman

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

When there's something that you always want to do, there comes a time to do it, writes Brian Byrne. And if you don't do it at that time, then you probably never will. The trick is to know when the time comes.

For local writer Hazel Gaynor, the time came, and she noticed it. The result is her first novel, 'The Girl who Came Home'. It's a Titanic novel, in the sense that it is located on that ship of terrible tragedy, and in the places where some of the Irish passengers came from and where some survivors might have gone to.

Hazel has been fascinated by the story of the Titanic since she was a small child. Not for any particular reason, just that the enormity of the story grabbed her imagination when she first heard about it. She always gathered information about the tragic event, and any time she came across a related article she assimilated every word.

The fictional characters and the fictional Irish village in 'The Girl who Came Home' are all based on a real set of people, and a real village near Killala in Co Mayo. The 'Addergoole Fourteen' were a group of men and women from there who sailed on the Titanic. Only three survived. Today there is a strong Titanic heritage in Addergoole, concerned with properly preserving the memory of what was a massive loss to a small community.

Hazel's main character is Maggie Murphy, and it doesn't spoil the storyline to say that she survived the encounter with the iceberg. Another protagonist is Maggie's great-grand-daughter Grace, starting out on a career in journalism in the US. There are other people in the story, some close to Maggie, others who came in peripherally but in some cases became very important.

It may be the fact that Hazel was raised in Yorkshire which gives her a grasp of old rural life, but she captures in 'The Girl' a very believable depiction of a Mayo village in the early years of the 20th century, the hopes and fears of its people, and the small details of life at the time.

The book is written in a number of formats, flashbacks and flashforwards, letters from a lover, Maggie's private journal, actual telegrams from the ship. Through them all is the very clear detail of many aspects of the Titanic and its maiden voyage destined to be its final one. It is detail that only someone who has gathered a treasure chest of knowledge over many years could credibly provide.

'The Girl who Came Home' is a small treasury of love stories, among other things. It is primarily a woman's book, the main characters women, the perspective the particular romantic one from that side of the gender spectrum. But it is also a story of human journey, and the search for meaning and fulfillment on that journey.

It's a story well told, with some unexpected twists as it works its way to conclusion. It is only available in Kindle form on the Amazon website. But even if you don't have a Kindle, you can download it to your computer or your smartphone on the relevant free apps. It's worth doing, and worth reading.

In this centenary year of the Titanic tragedy, Hazel Gaynor has successfully reached a major moment on her own journey as a writer. We'll be reading more of them in coming years.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Girl Who Came Home - an excellent read March 14, 2012

By SD135

Format:Kindle Edition

Just read "The Girl Who Came Home", thoroughly enjoyed it. It brought the Titanic story alive for me. Beautifully written, nice twist and it really captures the human side of the story. Would recommend for all those who want to understand what it was really like to have been affected by the Titanic tragedy.

More About the Author

Hazel Gaynor is an author and freelance writer, writing regularly for the national press, magazines and websites in Ireland and the UK. Her writing success has been featured in The Sunday Times Magazine and Irish Times and she has also appeared on TV and radio.

Hazel is a guest blogger and features writer for national Irish writing website writing.ie for which she has interviewed, among others, Philippa Gregory, Sebastian Faulks and Cheryl Strayed. She also writes 'Off The Shelf', a book review blog for Hello magazine online, in addition to her own writing blog Whims & Tonic.

Hazel was the recipient of the 2012 Cecil Day Lewis award for Emerging Writers and appeared as a panel speaker at the Waterford Writer's Festival in 2011 and 2012.

Originally from North Yorkshire, England, Hazel now lives in Ireland with her husband, two young children and an accident-prone cat.

'The Girl Who Came Home - A Titanic Novel' is Hazel's first novel. She recently completed her second novel which she hopes to publish in 2013.

whimsandtonic.wordpress.com
@HazelGaynor
facebook.com/hazelgaynorauthor

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#70 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Historical

#70 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Historical