Dead Wake
Books | History / General
4.2
(1.1K)
Erik Larson
WINNER OF THE 2015 GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS ‘BEST HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY’ From the #1 New York Times bestselling author and master of narrative non-fiction comes the enthralling story of the sinking of the Lusitania, published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the disaster On May 1 1915, a luxury ocean liner as richly appointed as an English country house sailed out of New York, bound for Liverpool, carrying a record number of children and infants. The passengers were anxious. Germany had declared the seas around Britain to be a war zone, and for months, its U-boats had brought terror to the North Atlantic. But the Lusitania was one of the era's great transatlantic 'Greyhounds' and her captain, William Thomas Turner, placed tremendous faith in the gentlemanly strictures of warfare that for a century had kept civilian ships safe from attack. He knew, moreover, that his ship — the fastest then in service — could outrun any threat. Germany, however, was determined to change the rules of the game, and Walther Schwieger, the captain of Unterseeboot-20, was happy to oblige. Meanwhile, an ultra-secret British intelligence unit tracked Schwieger's U-boat, but told no one. As U-20 and the Lusitania made their way toward Liverpool, an array of forces both grand and achingly small — hubris, a chance fog, a closely guarded secret, and more — all converged to produce one of the great disasters of history. 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, mystery, and real-life suspense, Dead Wake brings to life a cast of evocative characters, from famed Boston bookseller Charles Lauriat to pioneering female architect Theodate Pope Riddle to President Wilson, a man lost to grief, dreading the widening war but also captivated by the prospect of new love. Gripping and important, Dead Wake captures the sheer drama and emotional power of a disaster that helped place America on the road to war. PRAISE FOR ERIK LARSON ‘Larson is one of the modern masters of popular narrative nonfiction … a resourceful reporter and a subtle stylist who understands the tricky art of Edward Scissorhands-ing narrative strands into a pleasing story … An entertaining book about a great subject, and it will do much to make this seismic event resonate for new generations of readers.’ The New York Tmes ‘[Larson is] a superb storyteller and a relentless research hound’ Time
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More Details:
Author
Erik Larson
Pages
448
Publisher
Scribe Publications Pty Limited
Published Date
2015-03-25
ISBN
1925113701 9781925113709
Community ReviewsSee all
"Just excellent writing and keeps your interest."
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Louise Gravina
"As a big Erik Larson fan I looked forward to this new book with anticipation. It didn't disappoint. Larson always exposes the interconnectedness of historical events. This is one of those books that I end up talking about to freinds and family. One of those "Did you know......." books."
S G
Sherrie Guerin
"This wasn't my favorite Eric Larson book but it still stands out in the realm of non-fiction, very readable accounts of an event. Larson has a way of presenting many threads leading to a single event, and then leading back out again. I learned a lot about history through the lens of the single event of the sinking of the Lusitania. The only reason I gave it three stars instead of four is that it felt like it ended a bit abruptly--although, to be clear, that may be partly due to the experience of reading it on a Kindle which was telling me I was only 75% of the way through, so I was assuming there would be more. Then suddenly, I get the notification I've reached the end of the book. The last 25% is endnotes, etc. So the fact the end of the book took me by surprise may be more circumstantial than anything. However, that being said, I feel like I would've appreciated a bit more exploration of the after-effects of the event, such as, were ships designed differently based on certain realities of the Lusitania; are policies of protection of civilian passengers/ships in wartime different now, and so forth. Larson points to some of these questions in the book, but doesn't really do as much with them as I'd have liked. However, he does an excellent job weaving threads together leading up to the event--all the things that needed to happen in certain ways to even make the sinking possible. Again, very readable, obviously extremely well researched, and eye-opening to a everything that weaves into a single moment in time."
"history"
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gabby miller
"I liked this book but was slightly overwhelmed with all of the names of people on the ship and in direct connections with the events that took place before and after the sinking of the Lusitania. I enjoy these kinds of books but feel bombarded with dates, times and details of the times which detract from the story. I honestly didn't know much about the disaster at sea and I really did find the content interesting. If you asked me to name one character, the only one that I could honestly remember off the top of my head was Theodate because she had a very peculiar name and I think I enjoyed her point of view about the sinking the best. Otherwise, the other characters floated in one ear and out the other as quickly as it was said. The most vivid and horrifying scenes were during the actual sinking. These scenes reminded me of scenes from the 1997 film Titanic, which now I want to watch again. A good book but probably not something I would revisit again."
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Allison Freeman
"I’ve learned more about history from Erik Larson than from any other author. I love his storytelling. I love how he brings the past to life, especially the people in stories. I would love to learn how he conducts his research to take all of those pieces of the past and turn them into compelling stories. Larson reveals so much more to the plight and impact of the Lusitania than I’ve ever learned in school. Devil in the White City still stands above anything I’ve read by him, but this was a great read too."