Surviving Savannah Hardcover – March 9, 2021

SURIVING SAVANNAH by Patti Callahan is a compelling and riveting saga based on the true story of the tragic sinking of the steamship Pulaski in 1838. Thought of as the “Titanic of the South”, the luxury steamship set out from Savannah, Georgia traveling to Baltimore with the wealthiest and most elite residents of Savannah on board, along with their most prized possessions. On the evening of June 14, the steamship’s boiler exploded and the ship sank, claiming the lives of nearly two-thirds of its passengers. What happened that fateful night remained largely a mystery. One hundred and eighty years later, the Pulaski wreck was discovered deep in the ocean off the North Carolina coast and so began an effort to curate the artifacts from the wreck, piece together the lives of those aboard and learn of the events of that night and harrowing days to come. The story is told in dual timelines. The story from the past is told from the alternating perspectives of two women, Augusta Longstreet and her niece, Lilly Forsyth, and their struggles to survive for days in the icy waters of the Atlantic. Later it is learned that Augusta has survived, but Lilly, her baby and the baby’s nursemaid are never found. In the present day timeline, Savannah history professor Everly Winthrop is asked to help curate a new museum collection centering on the artifacts that are being recovered by the divers. Her research finds her delving into the astonishing history of the Longstreet family, eleven of which were on board the Pulaski for that voyage, including Augusta and Lilly. Everly is herself dealing with a heart-wrenching tragedy. The author expertly weaves together the two timelines and the voices of the three main characters. The vivid imagery brings the settings, past and present, to life. The survival stories of all three women are heart-wrenching and emotional, but also uplifting. I was captivated by this well-researched and well-written story and loved learning something of a time and event in history with which I was completely unaware. It was, to me, the perfect blend of fact and fiction. I highly recommend this sweeping and unforgettable novel.

My Impressions:Surviving Savannah is a great novel for fans of the dual timeline genre. With 3 points of view — modern day Everly and 1830s Augusta and Lilly, it portrays a number of ways people survive — physically and emotionally. The plot surrounds the historic sinking of the Pulaski, a steamship that boasted the latest technology (for 1838) and safety. Often called the Titanic of the South, you can guess the outcome of its voyage. With meticulous research, the novel is a great representation of the South before the Civil War. Callahan based many of the main characters on actual passengers of the fated ship, as well as including those who really did perish or survive. The modern day story assists in bringing history to life, as well as examining the many traumas people experience and the ways to cope (or not as the case may be). My book club really enjoyed this book. We think both the modern and historic story lines were well written. But we have differing favorite characters — we split between Augusta and Lilly. Sorry, Everly, but her story could not compete against the two women who heroically survived what life brought to them. That’s not to say that we didn’t like Everly. Her character was necessary to find out more about the Pulaski and those who were aboard on the night it sank. Her story was also a good counterpoint to the women of the past.Our book club discovered there was much to talk about — life in the 1800s, historic research and preservation, even maritime law 😉 . We definitely recommend Surviving Savannah. It would be a good choice for your book club as well.Recommended.Audience: adults.(I purchased this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Based on the true story of the sinking of the steamship Pulanski in 1838, sailing from Savannah to Baltimore via Charleston, and told in dual timelines with fictional characters including a modern day history teacher/museum curator who lost her BFF due to a drunk driver, and two women traveling on the steamship, one with her abusive husband, their baby and slave nursemaid, and her aunt who was traveling with her brother and his wife to help care for their children and get away from the Savannah heat for the summer.Everly has survivor’s guilt, not to mention feelings for her BFF’s fiancé who was also her friend, and has pretty much shut Oliver out of her life in recent years. Still Oliver approaches Everly to curate an exhibit based on the now found wreckage and its artifacts, since he knows her interest in the ship’s fate as her grandfather had told her fascinating tales about one of the women on board the doomed “Southern Titanic” when she was a child. Everly sets out to investigate what happened to the passengers, specifically Lilly, which passengers survived, and how their lives were affected by the sinking of the ship.Lilly and Augusta are both women dealing with similar and vastly different issues living in the South in the 1800s, which come to a head during the disaster on the ship. They both have choices to make and they have to live with the repercussions, one has the potential to forge a new life and one must learn to make survival mean something more than just surviving, which has a very strong connection with the modern storyline with Everly.I truly enjoyed both timelines. I loved both the adventuresome tale of the survivors and the investigation and adventure into the depths to find the artifacts. There is a lot to discuss with the book from the time period and location, from history to women’s issues and slavery. I think this will make an excellent book club pick.

This one felt like you were there taking part in the tragedies and the discovery of nearly two hundred year old mysteries. Fascinating characters that rang true.