ON A COLD DARK SEA was a very well written book, but at times I found myself wondering if there was an actual point to the novel. For me, it was just telling the story of three woman who were loosely connected, but there was no real overall point to the story. The novel centers around the sinking of the RMS Titanic, and, in particular, what happened in one of the lifeboats after the ship sank. The three main characters were all in Lifeboat #21, and their lives are all tied together because of something that happened in the lifeboat between leaving the Titanic and getting picked up by the RMS Carpathia. The problem is that it takes until two-thirds of the way through the book until the reader finds out what happened in the lifeboat. By then, the event has been built up so much that the actual event seems anticlimactic and disappointing. Lifeboat #21 goes back to pull survivors out of the freezing ocean after the ship has gone down. They attempt to rescue a man they find floundering in the water, an argument ensues among the people in the lifeboat, and they ultimately fail to save the man – a man that most of them agree would have probably died anyway. This event haunts three of the women in the lifeboat.
The three main characters of ON A COLD DARK SEA are all interesting, well-developed characters. Esme Harper is traveling in first class with her husband. They are returning from their honeymoon. Esme is a spoiled young woman who really thinks of no one but herself. It’s her affair with a man she met while in England that makes her interesting. As Esme’s lifeboat is being lowered towards the water, she pulls her lover, Charles, into the boat and saves his life. Charlotte Digby is traveling in second class, posing as a married woman. Meanwhile her “husband” is in the cabin next door with his male lover. Charlotte is a pick-pocket and a con artist. Despite her faults, Charlotte is a very likeable and relatable character. In my opinion, Charlotte was the more interesting character and was what kept me reading. The third passenger is Swedish immigrant, Anna Halversson. She is traveling in third class with two of her friends from home, and all three of them are looking forward to their new lives in America. Anna is plucked out of the water by the passengers in Lifeboat #21 before the Titanic sinks.
The first part of ON A COL DARK SEA introduces the three main characters and tells their life story up until they board Lifeboat #21 and the Titanic sinks. The second part of the novel picks up twenty years later when Esme’s lover (now husband) Charlies dies. Charlie’s death forces all three women to confront what happened on the night the Titanic sank. Part two also fills in the readers on what happened to each of the characters over the past twenty years. The third part of the novel puts the three women in the lifeboat and shows us what happened that night. And the fourth part of the novel wraps up each of the three characters’ stories after they’ve confronted what happened that night in the lifeboat.
While I was never quite sure of the point of the novel, it was an enjoyable, well-written read. I enjoyed Charlotte’s character immensely. I believe that Titanic aficionados will definitely enjoy reading ON A COLD DARK SEA.

The sinking of the Titanic remains a subject of interest, even more than one hundred years later. The challenge for writers is to spin the tale in a new and interesting way, and Elizabeth Blackwell has done a fine job in that regard.

The novel begins with three women passengers and their backgrounds, and then soon takes us to Lifeboat 21 and its various inhabitants and challenges. The question of taking on more passengers from the freezing water. The chain of command which is quickly put into place. The water that seeps into the boat through a poorly placed plug.

In the later pages, we are re-introduced to Anna, Charlotte and Esme twenty years later, and we see the effect of the Titanic's sinking which continues to haunt each of them.

You may think you know the ending, but I urge you to read to the very last word to see the twists and turns of this remarkable story.

I read this EARC courtesy of NetGalley and Lake Union. pub date 04/10/18

Wonderful writing, great storytelling. Loved all of the characters and the setting. However, wishing the ending came together more. Was left wondering...

I did not care for this book at all. I could barely get through the first couple of chapters.

Blackwell's On a Cold Dark Sea is a story of survival, both physical and emotional, and the repercussions for the choices we make in life. Told from the perspective of three women (all from different classes and nationalities) and plotted around the sinking of the Titanic, each account has a “before”, “during”, and “after” section, giving us an inside look into each woman’s trials and tribulations throughout the story. What I liked best about OaCDS was that I felt sympathy, regret, anger, and hope for all three women. It didn’t matter that the writing wasn’t top shelf, the story had an organic feel to it, and I was allowed to see these women at their best and their worst.

3 stars: A quick, enjoyable, and insightful read for any Titanic fan, whether it’s the movie or Scott’s A Night to Remember.

This was a spin on a familiar story. What happened on one of the lifeboats as they watched the Titanic sink? The story was told from the point of view of three different women who all shared the same lifeboat. The book sets up the story with some unanswered questions, and I liked how the author shared some of the answers throughout the book, instead of stringing the reader along until the very end, only wrapping up all the missing pieces in the last few pages. It gave the book a nice flow and the characters were set up well to where you got to know quite a bit about them.

Well written,good description of the titanic tragedy. Unusual to have leading female characters who are a bit bad.She was very likeable tho.

I thought that this book was well written and I enjoyed the format. I especially liked the scenes of the book that described events the characters were experiencing that cold April night in 1912. I would like to have had more explanations of the secondary characters. The conflict did not seem to fit within the narrative of the story, and it would have been just fine without it.

I was really enjoying this book until the last chapter, i kept waiting for Charlotte, Anna and Esme to meet up , the ending i felt didn't make sense and seemed rushed.

Excellent!! So much more to this than "just another Titanic novel." There was a depth to the characters, and a realism, that had me wanting to know what happened to each of them, where they went, how they fared. Highly recommended!

What is it about the Titanic? There have been other maritime disasters, other tragedies that resulted in great loss of life, but we are continually drawn back to Titanic. In Blackwell’s book, three very different women board the ship, one as part of a con, one as a married woman planning a tryst with another man, and a third looking to start a new life in America with her family. The stories unfold first before Titanic, then aboard her the night of the sinking, then some twenty years later as they all come to terms with what happened on the lifeboat that carried them to safety. An engrossing story about survivor’s guilt in the aftermath of a great tragedy