Larson is my favorite author and his latest book does not disappoint. I learned about the Lusitania in school however it was shoved in between the civil war and WWI as maybe just a paragraph or two in a textbook. I never knew so much detail about it, especially that British naval secret intelligence KNEW that this disaster was going to happen. Larson writes with such poignancy. The characters come to life for me in the book and in the last few chapters, when the boat sank and the passengers perished, I found myself crying. This is a good story and worth reading!

I LOVED this book. I listened to it on Audio and found myself wanting more. I will admit, halfway through the book I realized that it was somewhat about the famed "father of impressionism" Camille Pissaro. Once I realized that the book took a better spin for me. What I enjoyed most was the spirit and spunk of the main character, Rachel. For a woman during that time (the 19th century) she knew what she wanted and was willing to get it. The author wrote well too. Often describing St. Thomas and Paris with such vivid detail that I felt like I was there. A must read!