Sisters of Fortune

This book was one of the most poignant, evocative, and beautifully written books I have ever read. It made the Titanic’s voyage real to me – in every way. The author tells the story through the Fortune family who were actually on the voyage in real life, but little is known of them. Their story is fictional but, goodness, you feel it – as if you are right there with them. You feel the bubbling, electric excitement of the passengers as they board the unsinkable Titanic. You feel the glamour of the jewels and the people, the sumptuousness of the surroundings. You also feel the panic, heroism, and bravery of the passengers and crew. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book that gave me so many feels.

The Fortune family – father, show more mother, brother, and three sisters – were taking their version of the Grand Tour. They traveled from their home in Canada to Europe where they spent time in all the great places and even went to the Middle East to ride camels and see the sights in the desert before finally deciding to travel home on the marvel of the times – the Titanic.

The story's main focus is on the three sisters, Flora, Alice, and Mabel, and their lives, expectations, frustrations, loves, and insecurities. Each of them has their own strengths and weaknesses – hopes and dreams. They also find they are stronger than they ever thought they could be – especially in a time when women were to be coddled and looked after like fine porcelain figurines. However, we also get to know, like, and respect their father as well as their mother and young brother who had so much ahead of him in life.

Flora is the older sister – dutiful, caring, obedient, and engaged to a man of her parents' choosing. As she grapples with that expectation, she meets a man who captures her attention totally and finally wins her heart. Will her parents agree to her ending her current engagement?

Alice is also engaged, but to a man she adores – but she has trepidations of returning home. She wants adventure, travel, and excitement, not the protected life her fiancé has described to her. Can she find a way to have both adventure and her fiancé?

Mabel is the rebel of the family – she chafes at being coddled and protected – she believes women have intelligence and should receive an education, the right to vote, etc. Her father adamantly denies her when she begs to go to college. Can she convince him while they are on this voyage?

If you love historical fiction, or even if you don’t, you will surely enjoy this book. Anna Lee Huber’s research and attention to detail is second to none. When you finish the book, you will feel as if you walked the corridors of the Titanic, smelled the delicious aromas of the rich foods, felt the sea breeze on your face, met all of the people on board – the glamorous and the not so glamorous, and felt the fear and panic as the passengers tried to find and board lifeboats.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. show less

I really liked this. I mean, we all know what happens on the maiden voyage of this unsinkable ship. The Fortune family, from Winnipeg, Canada, were real passengers on the Titanic and because they remained so close mouthed about their harrowing experience, Huber is able to craft a gripping story about them. The parents, along with the four youngest children, are returning home after a grand tour of Europe and Egypt. The two older girls are betrothed but have very different feelings about what awaits them back home. Responsible Flora is open to a shipboard flirtation, while Alice worries about a cossetted future after the freedom of her trip. Youngest girl Mabel wants to convince her father to let her go to university as she searches for show more meaning among some of the accomplished female passengers. Charlie, the youngest, is mesmerized by the ship itself, exploring every nook and cranny. It was an engrosing and fascinating read that truly kept me turning the pages to the end. show less

For some reason, this book took me a bit to read, but it was really, really good! I feel like these sisters will be in my head for quite some time and made me think of the Titanic and what the people went through. Just awful. And how many people lost their husbands, sons, etc. And the love story in this was incredible. I loved to hear the author's thoughts at the end and how she came to write the novel. I was sad to hear in real life that the oldest sister actually married Charles or whoever his name was. Of course, I know the author took a lot of liberties. A great story about three sisters an the relationships. Very, very enjoyable read!! I was nervous when I saw a list of characters at the beginning of the book, but really, I found show more it very easy to follow. I did reference it with some of the lesser mentioned characters. I also got a special edition hardback of this book that is soft and sprayed edges and it's soooo pretty!! Definitely an added bonus! show less

Thank you Kensington and Between the Chapters for the gifted ARC book.
Inspired by the true story of three young women’s journeys aboard the Titanic, SISTERS OF FORTUNE brings historical fiction to life.

With vivid imagery, SISTERS OF FORTUNE places the reader right with the Fortune sisters as they travel aboard the Titanic exploring new freedoms, romance, and opportunity. Huber’s writing captured the opulence of the ship and its occupants and conveyed the direness of the situation during the sinking scene. While reading, I kept thinking back to the extreme popularity of the Titanic movie – how people I knew had gone to the theatre countless times to see it. To this day I have only watched snippets. Despite not having the obsession show more with Titanic that others have, this was still an enjoyable read. show less

I found this novel about the Fortune sisters (loosely based on the real Fortune sisters of Canada) interesting and compelling. After touring Europe and the Mediterranean, the Fortune family was headed back to their native Canada on the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic. Flora, Alice, and Mabel each have different perspectives, different hopes, and find different diversions on board the famous ship. As first-class passengers, however, they mingle with some of the notable people who they sailed alongside. I enjoyed Flora's romance (the highlight of the book, in my opinion), and was saddened by the inevitable conclusion of the voyage.

I've read several books and seen several movies based on the topic of the Titanic. Most have been informative and worthwhile my time. "Sisters of Fortune" by Anna Lee Huber fell into this category. The plot focuses on the lives of the wealthy Fortune family from Winnipeg, Canada. Like the Fortune family, some of the characters were actual historical figures, while some were made up. I loved how Ms. Huber took her time developing the characters and her storyline, before delving into the sinking of the Titanic. In my opinion, this really added to the intensity of the plot. The characters, plot and setting were so well described, that the reader could easily picture the scenes throughout the novel. There are quite a few characters in this show more novel, the "Cast of Characters" listed at the beginning, helps the reader have a better understanding of what lies ahead. The book also includes discussion questions at the end, which would make this novel a great book club read. show less

Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber

The story the Fortune sisters: Flora, Alice and Mable along with their parents and Brother returning form a long trip abroad, traveling on the infamous RMS Titanic.

Each Sister is unique in thought, hopes and dreams. Their lives will be forever changed on that dreadful night when the "unsinkable vessel" plunges to the bottom of the Ocean.

A compelling story with attention to detail and engaging dialog. Perfectly blending fact, fiction, real passengers (and) events leading up to the dreadful night, had me engrossed from the start.

Sisters of Fortune brought out all the feels in this emotionally charged memorable read. I highly recommend to those who enjoy Historical fiction (based on true events). I look show more forward to reading more fromAnna Lee Huber . show less