The Glass Ocean

Books on the sinking of the RMS Lusitania were very popular three years ago as it was the 100th anniversary of the event. Now three years later Team W (Williams, Willig, & White) bring it to the forefront again in THE GLASS OCEAN. This historical fiction novel provides just the right blend of mystery and romance.

The book is written with alternating timelines. It begins in 2013 with author Sarah Blake, broke and struggling to come up with her next book idea. Out of desperation she opens an old chest that had belonged to her great-grandmother. Inside it are the items that were found on the body of her great-grandfather, who had been a first-class steward on board the Lusitania and died on its last voyage when it was sunk by a German show more U-boat. Among those items Sarah believes she not only has a story but one that will change how history saw the sinking of the great ship. Thus she heads for London to find John Langford whose ancestor was also on board that fateful night. She hopes that his family archives may hold the clues she needs to solve the mystery of what really happened on board the ship.

Then the story flashes back to 1915. Gilbert and Caroline Hochstetter are preparing for their voyage on the Lusitania. Their marriage is floundering and Caroline doesn’t understand why her formerly affectionate husband has become so distant. She is hoping this trip in first-class luxury will revive her marriage. However, also on board is her old friend Robert Langford who provides the attention she has been lacking.

Also on board are sisters Ginny and Tess who are traveling in second-class. However, those are not their real names. Tess is a first-rate forger and her sister learned well from their con-man father. Tess wants out of the game and her sister has promised this will be their last one. When the ship sets sail for England, the lives of the Hochstetters, Langford, and the sisters will be irretrievably linked.

The book was written as a collaboration of the three best-selling authors. The story flows so seamlessly it is impossible to determine which author wrote which portion of the book. It is a pure joy to read a book in which the characters come to life and I feel like a participant in the story rather than just an observer. My heart raced as people were frantically attempting to flee the sinking ship. I could feel the fear, hear the screams, see the panic on the faces. This is masterful writing! show less

I have to note that I did wonder at first if a book written by three different authors would prove to be as seamless as you would expect from a book written by a single person. I’m very pleased to report that if I had read the book without that knowledge I would have assumed it was penned by a single author.

The story takes place in two time periods; 2013 when Sarah, a woman who has written a best selling book finds herself struggling to write another. Her finances are a mess and her mother needs round the clock medical care. She thinks she finds the story she is looking for when she goes through her great grandfather’s trunk that was sent back when the Lusitania was sunk.

It also takes the reader to 1915 for that final sailing of the show more Lusitania. There we meet Caroline and her husband Gilbert; Caroline is a Southern belle of an old family who married Gilbert, a self made man. They are traveling to England with a close friend from her childhood, Robert who is going home to see his family. Also part of the narrative are two sisters; one of whom is a forger the other a grifter.

Usually when I write about books in dual timelimes I end up preferring the half of the story that takes place in the past. With The Glass Ocean that wasn’t the case! I ended up liking both sections equally. In fact I read the book in one sitting as I really didn’t want to stop until I got the end. Knowing the Lusitania was going to sink didn’t take away from her leisurely passage from New York. I almost hoped history would change as I read but it was not to be.

This is a great read with a sweet romance and a solid mystery at its center. It makes for a lovely read that keeps you guessing until the end. show less

I loved THE GLASS OCEAN. It beautifully wove the stories of three women and two time periods into a compelling and intriguing story.

In 2013, Sarah Blake is desperately searching for an idea for her next book. Her first was a best seller and made her a literary sensation. It also made her a bunch of money. But, with a mother with early-onset Alzheimer's and in need of expensive care, she needs a new idea fast. She decides to break a promise to her mother and open a chest that has been locked since her great-grandparents' time. In it, she finds the effects of her great-grandfather who died on the Lusitania when it was sunk by a German U-Boat in 1915. Some of the things she finds, including a watch with an interesting inscription, sends show more her to England to try to get into the archives of the Langford family.

The owner of the archive is John Langford who happens to be a disgraced politician who was forced to resign because of a scandal caused by his late wife. He isn't interested in sharing potential family secrets with Sarah as he sees her as someone else who wants to exploit him. When the paparazzi catch the two of them together, he decides that sharing his archives with her will have the benefit of getting them both out of London.

The other part of the story takes place in April and May of 1915 and follows two very different women who are passengers on the Lusitania on its final voyage. Caroline Hochstetter is a former Southern belle who married an older, wealthy man who made his money in the iron and steel business. She deeply loves him but their marriage is in trouble because Gilbert has become pre-occupied with business and who tries to treat her like a pretty doll. She's hoping the voyage will give them a chance to rekindle their marriage. She's surprised when old friend Robert Langford is also on the trip. She has known him since her debut and considers him a good friend and companion. However, Robert fell in love with her when the first met and he's been pining for her ever since.

Tess Fairweather is also on the trip. She and her sister have a long history of con games and various swindles. Tess wants to leave the life and start anew in England. She is an excellent, though untaught, artist and is the team's forger. Her sister wants her to make a copy of a Strauss waltz that is in the Hochstetter's safe. Gilbert gave Caroline the unpublished and priceless waltz as a gift but now has convinced her that they have to sell it in England. Tess keeps running into Robert as she tries to get access to the waltz and she falls in love with him.

This book has secrets and spies and romance and heartbreak and happy endings. It was a great story. show less

I was not sure The Forgotten Room the first collaboration book from Willig, Williams and White could be topped but this is a fabulous book. Truly could not put it down. Remarkable character development and voice. You will be on the edge of your seating as the ending rushes toward you and you wonder the fate of your favorite characters.
A must read for historical fiction fans. 5 Stars from me.

Sarah Blake is a best selling author who needs a new idea for a book. Her finances are in dire need after spending the money from her first book on care for her mother, who has early-onset Alzheimer's. Sarah decides to look into her own family history for inspiration, a chest of belongings from her great-grandfather, Patrick Houlihan a porter aboard the Lusitania. Patrick's effect lead to another passenger, Robert Langford and a conspiracy that might change history. Sarah sets off to find Robert's great-grandson, John Langford. Finding John is an easy task since he is currently a disgraced politician being hounded by the press. Sarah tries her luck with asking John about his family and finds more than she bargained for with John and his show more family.
In 1915, aboard the Lusitania with Patrick and Robert are Mr. and Mrs. Hochstetter. Caroline Hochstetter is the owner of an unknown Strauss Waltz that her husband, Gilbert has found a buyer for. Caroline is reluctant to sell the beautiful piece of music, but trusts her husband, even though he is being secretive and distant lately. Also aboard, are Ginny and Tess, sisters and con-artists who are there to make a copy of the Waltz and sell it abroad. Tess wants out of the con game and decides to trust Robert with her secret. Upon doing so, Tess and Caroline find out that nobody is truly who she thought and everyone is hiding something. Before anyone can confront anyone else, the Lusitania sinks and the secrets are taken into the ocean.
The Glass Ocean is an exciting and intriguing historical mystery that pulled me in with interesting characters, an intense plot and fascinating setting. Written by three authors and told from three different points of view, this dual-time story meshes together perfectly. I am a huge fan of dual time stories, so The Glass Ocean really hit the spot for me. Caroline, Tess and Sarah are all wonderfully developed characters who possess different strengths of character and are all attempting to find the best way to use those strengths. I was very pleased that the connection between Caroline and Tess in 1915 and Sarah in 2013 was more about a shared struggle than blood relation. Usually in dual time stories, I find myself being pulled more into the historical side of the story, I was pleasantly surprised that I cared equally about both the past and present sides of this story. I loved learning more about the Lusitania and the many conspiracies her voyage played a part in during World War I. Through Tessa and Caroline I was able to envision the many decks, staterooms and conditions for passengers as well as the many different dishes they were served at various mealtimes. Most impressively done was complex plot of the Strauss Waltz, the hidden formulas and the spy espionage aboard the ship. With masterful writing, The Glass Ocean is one of my favorite reads this year. I hope that these three authors continue to create together.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review. show less

Booking passage on the Lusitania or any ship during WWI would not seem like a good idea to me, but Caroline Hochstetter and Gilbert needed to get closer, and figured this would be a wonderful way to help their relationship. Did Gilbert really agree to the reason they were going on the Lusitania or did he have ulterior motives?

Along with Caroline and Gilbert on a ship in waters that German submarines were prowling, we meet Tess, a female thief, who needed to steal valuable music sheets to pay her bills. We also meet Robert Langford, a man who has been in love with Caroline since the first day he saw her many years ago.

All of the characters had a reason to be on the Lusitania, and the reasons were all different.

Meanwhile the story line show more moves from the 1915 Lusitania story to present day and introduces the reader to a struggling author, Sarah Blake, who found a trunk containing things of her great grandfather’s who perished on the Lusitania. This mystery centered around what could these things have to do with Robert Langford and the story.

And.....what could Sarah, Caroline, and Tess have in common all those years apart. We knew why Robert was there even though it actually was a coincidence that he and Caroline were booked on the same ship.

THE GLASS OCEAN weaves all of these characters together taking us on a ship that was to be a luxury cruise but leads to intrigue, mystery, death, and secrets.

The writing is flawless and beautiful even though I was a bit confused at first about how it all was to fit together. Learning the history of the Lusitania, the life style and protocol of the ship’s passengers, and having no sea legs along with the passengers kept my interest.

THE GLASS OCEAN is another marvelously researched book that smoothly moves from chapter to chapter and gives the reader a marvelous history lesson.

One chapter ended and the next began with a take off from one or two words that ended the previous chapter.

ENJOY when you read the newest gem by these lovely, talented ladies. 5/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher. All opinions are my own. show less

THE GLASS OCEAN is a joint project by authors Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White. It's a book about the fate of three women. Two of the women were on board the doomed passenger Line, RMS Lusitania. Although they differ in class. While Caroline Telfair Hochstetter is traveling in first class is Tessa Fairweather traveling in second class. But, both women's lives will intertwine...

Years later bestselling author Sarah Blake breaks her promise to her mother and often the old chest that belonged to her great-grandfather. He died when RMS Lusitania sank after a hit by a German U-Boat in 1915. What she finds makes her travel from the US to England. There she obtains help from John Langford to find out more about what she found in show more the chest...

I'm a fan of Beatriz William and have read almost all of her books. So far, haven't I read that many books by Lauren Willig and Karen White. I was, therefore, curious to see how this joint collaboration would work out for me. I would say it's a book that for me felt a bit predictable, and I struggled a bit with the storylines from 1915. It's a risk while reading a book with a dual storyline that you will find yourself more taken with one of them. In this case, there are three women's stories we are following and I found Caroline's storyline to be the one I had the hardest time enjoying. It could be the fact that she suddenly out of the blue started to have feelings for another man while at the same time being in love with her husband. I just couldn't find myself truly enjoying this triangle drama. I found Tess's story, and her character to be more much interesting and engaging to read about. Especially as her story started to mix more and more with Caroline's. And it's Tess's interaction with Caroline that makes Caroline a bit more interesting to read about.

Then we have Sarah Blake. Without a doubt was it the modern storyline that I liked the best. I enjoyed her hunt for the truth. Her growing closeness to John Langford. Sarah for me was the character I found I liked so much that I almost groaned when it was time to go back to the 1915s. Although there is one event, one so totally frustrating towards the end of the book. That typical "let's throw in a predictable problem between Sarah and John," that almost made me scream with annoyance. I had myself a face-palm moment there.

Still, I liked the ending. And, part of me wanted more. I had wanted to learn more about what happened after RMS Lusitania sank, not just snippets at the end. And, I loved that Beatriz Williams threw in a connection to her own books in that there were two ladies on the ship with a familiar surname...

I want to thank William Morrow for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review! show less