follow the food
follow the rats
scuttle, scuttle
follow the rats
scuttle, scuttle
follow the food
Following 22 different voices - each from a different class and station - this novel shares the experience of the Titanic, the largest and most luxurious ship in the world. Various people, such an immigrant, a millionaire, a gambler, a socialite, a dragon hunter, a tailor, a refugee, and an undertaker, share their story of the Titanic. Others that worked for the White Star Line, such as a shipbuilder, a navigator, a spark, a wireless man on Carpathia, the bagpiper, a lookout, a stoker, a businessman, a junior officer, an entree cook, Captain E. J. Smith, and a postman describe their experiences.
Everyone was so confident that the Titanic was unsinkable.
I will say this with the certainty my thirty years at sea allow:
any absolute disaster involving the passengers is inconceivable.
Whatever happens, there will be time enough
before the vessel sinks to save the life of every person on board.
I will go a bit further: I will say that I cannot imagine
any condition that would cause the vessel to flounder.
Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.
So he captained the maiden voyage with 606 people in first and second class, 710 people in third class, and 890 crew members across the North Atlantic Ocean.
Despite receiving several wireless transmissions about an immense ice field, the Titanic continued her fateful straight line to New York.
"Another ice message. Enough with the bloody ice.
I've got messages to send!"
No binoculars, on a moonless night.
As I speak up, I keep my eyes fixed
on the monster emerging from the night.
A monster that has already doubled in size.
No mistaking it now.
"Iceberg," I say.
"Iceberg, straight ahead!"
The world was stunned on the night of April 14, 1912. The unsinkable Titanic.
"My God."
The words escaped my mouth before I could stop them.
The clinometer showed a five-degree list to starboard.
The toothpick fell from my mouth to the wheelhouse floor.
Titanic was taking on water.
The Watch that Ends the Night is a good read if you enjoy reading historical fiction, if you like learning about early 20th century, if you're interested in learning more about the Titanic. It's written in free verse, so it's a quick read, but there are parts that I thought were a bit awkward. Even the iceberg and rats have a voice in this book. It might be difficult for young teens to figure out the metaphor and I think these two things might distract several readers.
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars
*Not available at NOLS...yet!
