Hardcover, 448 pages
English language
Published Nov. 12, 2015 by Random House.
It is a story that many of us think we know but don't, and Erik Larson tells it thrillingly, switching between hunter and hunted while painting a larger portrait of America at the height of the Progressive Era. Full of glamour and suspense, Dead Wake brings to life a cast of evocative characters, from famed Boston bookseller Charles Lauriat to pioneering female architect Theodate Pope to President Woodrow Wilson, a man lost to grief, dreading the widening war but also captivated by the prospect of new love.
It is a story that many of us think we know but don't, and Erik Larson tells it thrillingly, switching between hunter and hunted while painting a larger portrait of America at the height of the Progressive Era. Full of glamour and suspense, Dead Wake brings to life a cast of evocative characters, from famed Boston bookseller Charles Lauriat to pioneering female architect Theodate Pope to President Woodrow Wilson, a man lost to grief, dreading the widening war but also captivated by the prospect of new love.
Very interesting story of the multiple motivations and perspectives that led to the Lusitania disaster.
Excellent, well-researched examination of the Lusitania disaster delving into the lives of crew and passengers from that last ill-fated voyage
Erik Larson makes history come alive once again. I'd known nothing about this subject, except having the misconception that the sinking of the Lusitania had immediately forced the US into WWI.
One would think that when reviewing a history book, there would be no risk of spoilers, and yet--there are some surprising and shocking facts here that I will not give away. Larson's research is
intense and encompassing, and he packages and delivers this fascinating account in a very readable form.
Larson breathes life into the passengers of this ill-fated voyage through survivor memories and correspondence, the ways people packed, what they brought, and why they were traveling. It's an interesting look at life as it was one hundred years ago. We also get a peek into President Woodrow Wilson's life and the private, emotional challenges he had to navigate at this time.
At the end of the narrative, there …
Erik Larson makes history come alive once again. I'd known nothing about this subject, except having the misconception that the sinking of the Lusitania had immediately forced the US into WWI.
One would think that when reviewing a history book, there would be no risk of spoilers, and yet--there are some surprising and shocking facts here that I will not give away. Larson's research is
intense and encompassing, and he packages and delivers this fascinating account in a very readable form.
Larson breathes life into the passengers of this ill-fated voyage through survivor memories and correspondence, the ways people packed, what they brought, and why they were traveling. It's an interesting look at life as it was one hundred years ago. We also get a peek into President Woodrow Wilson's life and the private, emotional challenges he had to navigate at this time.
At the end of the narrative, there are about one hundred pages of notes that are fascinating, as well. The best compliment I can pay Erik Larson is that I feel compelled to look up more about the Lusitania. He provided just the right amount of information to get many people interested in further reading.
Bravo!
