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There are currently 23 member reviews
for The Midnight Watch
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Amy W. (Annapolis, MD)
Must Read for anyone interested in the Titanic
If you are interested in the sinking of the Titanic then this is a great book to read. This book is the story of the Californian as reported by a journalist investigating the tragedy of the Titanic. The reader experiences the sinking of the Titanic from the perspective of the crew of the Californian. The book is throughly researched as the author was allowed access to court documents from the official inquiry. I found the book to be fascinating and tragic - even though I knew how the story ended- I kept hoping it the Californian would come to the aid of the Titanic. The book kept me engaged through the very last line.
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Jane A. (Lakeport, CA)
....The Rest of the Story....
For readers interested in naval history, the story of the Titanic holds a special place, and many volumes have been published. With this book, however, David Dyer has shed light on a facet of this tragedy that has been somewhat overlooked. His adept combination of factual data, literary references, extensive research, and riveting prose has resulted in a volume that is truly compelling throughout. I won't hesitate to select this book as 'my selection' for our next book club meeting! Mr. Dyer has indeed given us ...."the rest of the story" (as newsman Paul Harvey used to say).
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Elizabeth T. (Salem, MA)
Lovely, thoughtful first novel
As the Titanic sinks in in less than 2 hours on April 14,1912, the crew on a nearby ship, the Californian, tragically miss the short window of time to come to the rescue. The narrator, a journalist who specializes in stories about deadly accidents, explores the mistakes, missed communications, and failures of character that made this possible. The mystery unfolds a little at a time and is never really solved, but the book insightfully explores the closed-minded denial, the shifting of blame, and self-protective rationalizations which surround any tragedy resulting from human error. There are many fascinating conversations and brief-but-shining appearances of woman characters, but to me the book lacked a certain focus, which diminished its impact. I had trouble from the beginning differentiating the various characters comprising the crew of the Californian; I reread the beginning several times, but still struggled. These organizational difficulties took a bit away from the otherwise great idea and beautiful writing.
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Barb W. (Mechanicsburg, PA)
The Midnight Watch
I have always been fascinated by stories/movies about the Titanic, so I was excited about reading this book by David Dyer. Many times, when I go into a book with such high expectations, I am left disappointed by the time I finish reading, but this was not the case for The Midnight Watch. The author manages to write a compelling novel while basing the book on historical fact, a feat many authors are unable to accomplish. If I could, I would give this book 4.5 stars rather than just four.
Thank you to Book Browse and to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book!
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BookLover MN
A Night to Forget
This book is a fictionalized version of real events, and fills in characters and thoughts of persons aboard the ship Californian, which was stopped in ice a few miles from the Titanic and did not respond to distress signals. The characters are very human: the crew members of the Californian try to shift blame on each other for their inaction; the journalist uses whatever means he can to get the story. All in all, it is a story of the frailties and poor judgments that are regretted in hindsight but somehow inevitable.
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Kate G. (Bronx, NY)
The Midnight Watch
I was eager to read this as my oldest son was quite the Titanic aficionado when he was young and I spent 2 years listening to all things Titanic. I enjoyed this novel about the California's lack of response the night of the tragedy. I knew nothing about this aspect of the tragedy and did not realize there was a ship other than the Carpathia nearby. It was well-written and compelling, but I am not always a huge fan of multiple viewpoint stories ( I feel like this device is over utilized lately). Also, it was very frustrating to read about the Captain of the California who was probably portrayed realistically. His lack of responsibility and remorse the book left me vaguely dissatisfied, while actually describing the situation realistically.
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Carol R. (Foster City, CA)
Both Fascinating and Educational
I love reading historical fiction! While I understand that it is fiction, I learned so much about a historically significant event, one which is still interesting, despite having happened over a century ago I found the book very detailed and well written. I would have preferred more detail about the event and less focus on the reporter's personal story. What resonated most with me was the coverup, still so true in corporate life in 2016, and how the story emerged because of courageous whistleblowers. I'd recommend this book highly!
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