I loved this book! Patti Callahan is such a talented writer, weaving an incredible, heartbreaking history with a contemporary story that gets at tragedy, vulnerability, and redemption. I can't recommend it enough!

I was drawn into the story from the start and loved the alternating chapters between the present and the past and the different points of view that each was in. The story not only felt real, it is based on a real steamship that sank off the coast of North Carolina. I didn't really know anything about the story when I started the book, but Ms. Callahan did an excellent job telling it. The characters filled my imagination and I was invested in them, both those from the past and those in present day. I would definitely recommend this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Patti Callahan's Surviving Savannah introduces readers to the little known story of the Pulaski, a luxury steamship that tragically sank in the middle of the night on June 14, 1838. Known as the Titanic of the South, the Pulaski represents one of the largest maritime disasters the US has ever experienced. Told in alternating viewpoints, Surviving Savannah follows three young women: Lilly and Augusta in 1838 and Everly Winthorp in present day Georgia. All three women are struggling with how to move forward in the aftermath of tragedy, while also finding out who they are as individuals and gaining strength from what feels like impossible circumstances.

I found Callahan's writing prose to be compulsively readable and sophisticated. All three women were brought to life in vivid detail and it was not hard for me to connect with the story. As a huge history buff myself, I particularly enjoyed the back story of the Pulaski and found myself googling the disaster to dig deeper into historical basis for the story. I could tell through the storyline that the author did her due diligence in research so that the reader is provided with a factual foundation to build her story off from. I find historical fiction is always the most successful when it has a strong base to build off from.

There were a few aspects of the novel that I wished were a little bit better. I felt that Lily's story ended a little abruptly. I wish the author had chosen to include one to two more chapters from Lily's viewpoint. I know that she has Augusta wrap up Lily's story in the end, but I feel like it would have been more powerful if Lily's fate had been revealed in her own voice. I also found that Everly's storyline started out really strong but ended up being slightly predictable and a little underwhelming. I would have liked to have seen maybe a little more of a twist with the resolution to her tragedy as it seemed a little too rushed and convenient.

Overall, I found this novel to be a strong piece of historical fiction. I always enjoy when I can learn something new about history and the people who took part in the events. It is a read that I would recommend and have actually recommended it to friends already. If presented in the future with an opportunity to read more work by this author, I would happily accept.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a wonderful historical fiction. I grew up near Memphis, TN, so stories of steamboat disasters is part of the history here. This book really struck close to home and a wonderfully written story of PULASKI. If you like stories written by Lisa Wingate or Kristin Hannah, you'll want to pick up a copy of this book.

Surviving Savannah was a really good book about how people survive the aftermath of tragedy, and the hope that can be found within that. It focuses on two timelines and three different women: Augusta Longstreet and Lilly Forsyth, who boarded the ill-fated SS Pulaski, and Everly Winthrop, a museum curator who delves into the past while dealing with an immense tragedy in the present. I liked this story a lot, although I was slighty disappointed that Augusta and Lilly were fictional as opposed to real passengers on the Pulaski. But this is historical fiction, not a history book, and I respect the choices the author made in this regard, and it really does pay off from a storyteller's perspective. Entangled with this long-forgotten steamboat tragedy dubbed "The Southern Titanic" are significant historical events and issues including issues of slavery and privilege, and I appreciated how the author did everything she could to pay homage to people who have long been denied a place in the historical record, namely enslaved persons and women. Surviving Savannah was well-written and super emotionally poignant, and being a historian myself, I loved how Emily's storyline and healing journey coincided with the thrill and importance of historical discovery. Surviving Savannah is a story about surviving the surviving of tragedy, and the choice posed to each one of us to turn our grief into an opportunity for healing and an opportunity to find out what it truly means to live.

Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan was a wonderful book. I love this historical fiction with the right amount of romance throw in. Great read!!

I waited way too long to read this. I love historical fiction, especially when it's set in the South. Surviving Savannah did not disappoint.

The story switches back and forth between present day with history teacher Everly and 1838 and the people on the Pulaski, or the Titanic of the South.

Everly has always wanted to know more about the Pulaski. She gets a chance to make an exhibit for a museum and finds the opportunity to learn more about the ship.

Surviving Savannah was well researched and a great story.

Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan is a 2021 Berkley publication.

1838-

An exciting voyage on the Pulaski steamship, suddenly turns into a nightmarish tragedy. On board the ship, are Lilly and Augusta, two women trapped by their societal obligations and expectations.

Thrown into a life or death situation, the women come to a point of reckoning… yet only one of them would make it home to Savannah..

One hundred and eighty years later, the discovery of the sunken Pulaski steamship, once dubbed the ‘Titanic of the South’, gives Everly Winthrop, a professor, a chance to curate the Pulaski exhibit for a museum, providing her with a much needed lifeline.

Since the loss of her best friend, Everly's been riddled with guilt, going through the motions of life, unable to pull herself out a deep depression. As a museum curator, Everly dives into the history of the Pulaski- both figuratively and literally.

I loved the premise of this novel and of course the setting. Savannah is such a storied location the city nearly always steals the show.

I have learned, by now, that when dealing with a dual timeline story, the historical elements are the heart and soul of the novel, nearly always overpowering the contemporary elements in terms of depth.

This book is no exception to that rule, although, I felt the historical portions were not as frequent or fleshed out, as I would have liked.

The author obviously did her homework, though, creating a very vivid picture of the ship, the horrifying disaster, and the struggle for survival.

The mystery of the Pulaski is so interesting it easily makes Lilly and Augusta’s part of the story the most heartbreaking, compelling, revealing, and riveting!

That said, it would have been incredibly hard for Everly to compete with that level of intensity, but her research is what helps to bring the history alive in her contemporary setting.

Still, Everly’s emotions were often palpable, beginning with the heaviness of her spirit, then progressing to her slow building excitement about the museum project, which leads to her eventual reawakening to life and living, which was a wonderful transformation to witness. I loved the way the past blended into the present and was a source of inspiration to Everly.

The book also takes a look at how people cope with what comes after, once they've managed to survive something monumental, still living, seemingly by fate, when others do not. It is a thought provoking topic, as not everyone who survives will go on to live productive or exemplary lives.

Overall, this was just the kind of historical fiction I have been craving. I learned something about a historical event I was not familiar with, and the storyline gave me some psychological elements to chew on. It is always nice to feel one has learned something new. It seems to me that the Pulaski steamship doesn't pop up in historical fiction too often- if ever, which is part of the reason it captivated me, I'm sure. I also really liked the characters, and watching them develop as a fascinating, historical mystery unfolded.

Overall, this was an interesting, memorable and lovely story, all around.

4 stars

I looked forward to another book by Patti Callahan, and I love southern settings and stories. To be honest, I found it a little difficult to get 'caught up" in this one. I believe because I didn't connect with Everly very well. I live in Georgia, and have visited Savannah, so I was able to visualize the setting easily. I didn't know about this event in history, but found it interesting. I love dual time period stories, but this one didn't grab me as most do.

On June 14, 1838, the steamship Pulaski sank thirty miles off the coast of North Carolina and two-thirds of her passengers and crew perished. Such is the backdrop of author Patti Callahan’s historical novel, Surviving Savannah. When the wreckage is discovered 180 years later, Savannah history professor Everly Winthrop is asked to guest-curate a new museum collection of artifacts. Everly can't resist the opportunity to solve some mysteries and myths surrounding the devastating night of its sinking. Her research leads her to the astounding history of a family of eleven who boarded the Pulaski together, and the extraordinary stories of two women from this family.

Wow… doesn’t that synopsis make you want to snatch up a copy of the book? When I received an advance reader copy of Surviving Savannah, I was excited. It sounded like a great departure from typical WWII historical fare, and besides, my small Minnesota community is home to Lake Pulaski. How could I not love it? First the good points. I’d never heard of the Pulaski disaster and I loved delving into the history of the sinking. The dual timeline alternating between the past and the present was an effective way to structure the novel. On the downside, I just couldn’t take off my editor’s hat. I wanted to restructure the sentences, put a red pen through oft-repeated words and phrases, and change the voice from passive to active. In my humble opinion, the ending was too predictable and the commentary on slavery didn’t seem to fit the narrative. 3.5 stars

Surviving Savannah
by Patti Callahan
Publishing Date: March 9. 2021

I highly recommend this author and her books! I have read many of them and they are great! This one is historical fiction and this author has done her research!! I follow this author and a few others on Friends and Fiction.
Thanks to her publisher and Netgalley for the digital ARC of this book,


5star

Thank you Berkley Publishing for gifting me a copy of Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan to read and review!

Give me a historical fiction novel about a historical event that I have never heard of and I will be one happy girl. One of my favorite things about being an avid reader, especially of this particular genre, is that I often have the opportunity to learn about a history that we don’t hear too much about. Along the east coast of the United States, there are hundreds of shipwrecks. I was fortunate enough to be able to scuba dive down to one in the Florida Keys and the image of the wreck still sits in my mind.

I found the concept of this story to be fascinating and loved how the author offered us glimpses of three different characters. Everly, 180 years after the wreck of the Pulaski and then Augusta and Lilly who were both survivors of the wreck.

I think that often when we read books told from the points of view of multiple characters, that we find ourselves drifting towards one more so than the others. That is how I felt about Lilly's character. I loved her kindness, devotion, tenacity and felt that she was a force to be reckoned with. I could have read an entire book just about her life.

Unfortunately, I didn’t love Everly’s character but I do find the chapters detailing what happens once shipwrecks are discovered, how the artifacts are cleaned and preserved, and where they are sent off to until it is their time to be displayed in a museum to be fascinating.

Overall, it was an enjoyable novel and I highly recommend adding it to your reading list. Be prepared to want to deep dive into the world of shipwrecks and learn all about the ones that have been discovered.

Surviving Savannah was published on March 9 and is available to purchase now!

Surviving Savannah is an epic story about the tragic explosion and sinking of the steamship Pulaski, and the fates of Savannah "royalty" on board, told in two separate timelines: one during the disaster and one present day as Everly grapples with her own demons as she pieces together the story of the steamship. Moving, difficult to put down! Patti Callahan Henry tells this story wtih tremendous heart, and her research on this novel means that for the first time, there is a true pasenger manifest for the Steamship Pulaski.

I am a big fan of histories of shipwrecks and probably have been to almost every Titanic museum so when I read this synopsis I knew I had to read it.

In 1838, the Pulaski, known as the "Titanic of the South", started it's journey from Savannah to the north advertising it was only one night at sea. Unfortunately, that one night was all it needed for the boiler to explode and the ship to sink into the ocean with some of Savannah's most elite society. 180 years later, the wreckage was found and Everly, a local history professor is asked to curate a new museum of the items that were found.

Told from three perspectives, Everly in the present and two ladies onboard during the explosion, Augusta and Lilly. I think I would have preferred just one from the night of the wreck just because I was a little confused going between the two. I did enjoy Everly's point of view the best, but found her back story a little bit unnecessary at times. It does all come together in the end which is always appreciated, I just think it could have been slightly shortened to really move the story along as it was slow going at parts.

If you like shipwrecks, history, strong women and stories of survival I would highly recommend this book. Thank you Netgalley, Berkley Publishing and the author for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

4 stars - A great HF novel about a topic I knew nothing about!

This was a beautifully written and extremely well researched book about the sinking of the luxury steamship, Pulaski or the “Titanic of the South”. The story of the Pulaski sinking was completely new to me and one I found very interesting. It is told from multiple narratives and dual timelines, so you get to read experiences first hand on the ship as well as in present time with the discovery and restoration of the ship, its artifacts and piecing together what happened. As often is the case for me, I enjoyed the past perspective more than the present, but both provided knowledge that helped flesh out the story in its entirety. I thought the theme of survivor’s guilt was well conceived and done very well. This book would be great for a book club as well!

Since this was my first read by the author, I look forward to her next and cannot wait to see what topic she picks!

Thanks to Berkley Publishing for the Netgalley widget in exchange for an honest review.

Review Date: 03/11/2021
Publication Date: 03/09/2021

Intriguing mix of history and fiction. If you are charmed by the south - Georgia and Savannah, in particular, you will enjoy this novel. Savannah is a town steeped in history and built on alluring stories. This story, about the steamship Pulaski, called The Titanic of the South, is an interesting one. In this novel, you get a real feel for the day to day family life of the 1830's and 40's in the south. I especially enjoyed the aspect of the finding of the wreckage which is factual - happening in 2018 - and the idea of linking the items recovered with the families aboard the ship and curating a museum to tell the story of the Pulaski and it's passengers. Entertaining read.

This was one of those "do-not-disurb-me-I'm-reading" books that I seriously could not put down.

There were very few things that I didn't like about Surviving Savannah, so I'm just going to gloss over them quickly. First, I found it hard to keep the whole Longstreet family organized in my head throughout the story. I was constantly asking myself, "Who is this again?" A family tree could've helped me keep them straight as I was reading, but I was reminded of who fit where at the end during the museum display's grand opening. Along with that, it was sometimes a challenge switching between three different POV's, but they all flowed nicely.

Other than that... I was obsessed. The stories of Everly, Augusta and Lilly were hauntingly enchanting and I clung to every word. I loved how the title ties into the story by the end and I got literal goosebumps when I read, "'The life we live is the life we choose with every decision of the heart, soul and mind. What do we do with our survival? Now what?'"

Ugh.

So. Good.

But it gets better (in a morbid sort of way)...

Surviving Savannah was based on a true story. The Pulaski shipwreck was a legit shipwreck in 1838. In her author note, Callahan explains that this story was both fictitious and factual. She did intensive research to tell the story of the victims on the Pulaski - a story I would've never known had it not been for this book. All I ever heard about was the Titanic!

If you love history and are as fascinated by shipwrecks as I am, Surviving Savannah is the perfect read for you. And just in time for summer!

Last summer, I read Callahan's Becoming Mrs. Lewis. So while southern fiction isn't a genre I typically enjoy, I loved Callahan's writing and knew I had to read her new book or I would be missing out.

Surviving Savannah is a dual timeline story. This has become a pretty common trope in historical fiction and one that I enjoy most of the time. I liked Everly Winthrop right off. She is the protagonist of the present-day timeline. I love when the present-day timeline is about researching the historical timeline. In this book, Everly is a historian who takes on curating a museum exhibit of the steamship Pulaski which sunk off the coast of North Carolina in 1838. Often referred to now as the "Titanic of the South", a number of prominent Savannah families had set sailed on the ship to escape the heat and humidity and spend the season in the cooler climes of Baltimore. However, a horrific accident caused a massive explosion and entire families (generations of families) were lost.

I live in Georgia, I've never visited Savannah and I've never heard of the Pulaski. As someone who loves history, I was really interested in learning about this event. The historical timeline is told through two females - Augusta Longstreet and Lilly Forsyth. Augusta made me think of Scarlett from Gone with the Wind. Their story starts in the Savannah port as they are preparing to board the steamship. It is interesting to note what they packed - their good silver and china. I got the impression they spent "the season" in the north every year. So I wondered if they owned a house there and did it not have appropriate silver and china? Was this a comment of their wealth or was it just not wise to keep the good stuff in a house that sat empty several months a year? Also, their slaves did not travel with them (outside of a nursemaid). Presumably, it was so that the slaves wouldn't have the opportunity to escape in "abolitionist territory". But I again I wondered what they did for servants. That is out of the scope of this story, but I will have to find one that deals with these issues (any suggestions?).

Back to Surviving Savannah, I enjoyed Augusta's and Lilly's chapters more than I did Everly's. Oh, I loved when she was digging into the history and seeing the finds from the ship salvage, but there was another side plot thread in her story that I just didn't care about. This is where the story took on a more southern fiction vibe and veered from the historical fiction focus. So it is purely a matter of reading preferences that had me disliking it.

I did like how Callahan wove the history into present day.

Having no knowledge of the Pulaski, I didn't know that the historical characters were fictionalized until I read the Author's Note at the end. Longstreet and Forsyth could (and were) typical family names of the period. I'm not totally clear why she created the fictional characters except the historical record of the time is not very complete (Savannah has seen a number of tragedies - Civil War, fire, earthquake - in which records could be lost or destroyed). It was pointed out in the story that the manifest itself wasn't complete - women often were not named. It also allowed her to tell a few different people's experiences without having to have a huge cast of characters. I thought the story was more powerful by just having it told by Augusta and Lilly.

Surviving Savannah was a fascinating story and one I truly enjoyed. It made me want to dig more into the history of Savannah. So if you love reading about little-known historical events or stories of women who have long been overlooked in the historical record, then you should pick up this book.

My review is published at Girl Who Reads - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2021/04/females-featured-in-two-new-books-for.html

Surviving Savannah is a beautifully written tribute to a city, its people, and its history. In this dual timeline novel, Patti Callahan moves seamlessly between the past and present to weave a wonderful story of survival through tragedy.
If you have enjoyed previous books by the author, you will not be disappointed in Surviving Savannah. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Review will be posted on 4/16/21

Everly Winthrop is a historian living in the beautiful city of Savannah, Georgia. She should be happy, but she has a lot of guilt surrounding her best friend's untimely death and this has impacted her life greatly the past few years. However, things are starting to look up for Everly when she is offered the amazing opportunity to guest-curate a museum collection of artifacts from the steamboat Pulaski, which was just found at the bottom of the ocean. This is a dream come true for Everly and she dives right in learning more about the passengers aboard the Pulaski on that fateful night in 1838 when the boiler exploded and caused the ship to sink. Flashback to 1838 and readers switch points of view to Augusta Longstreet, one of the passengers aboard the Pulaski. She is heading with her brother's family to a vacation home up north to escape the southern heat. Also aboard is Lily Forsyth, Augusta's niece, who is trapped in a difficult marriage, but must focus on raising her daughter. Once the explosion takes place, Savannah's finest citizens now struggle to survive and are faced with unimaginable choices that will haunt survivors for years to come. Meanwhile in present day, Everly finds out what truly happened aboard the Pulaski, who survived, and she especially highlights the strength and bravery many women possessed in the face of tragedy. Patti Callahan's Surviving Savannah is one of my favorite historical novels of the year.

I immediately liked Everly once I "met" her in Surviving Savannah. She is smart, is a history professor, she appreciates her family, and is a complex person. Everly has endured tragedy and can't seem to completely get over the death of her best friend. She feels guilt surrounding it and even plays the game of "what if" as she feels partly responsible for her death. This spills over into every aspect of her life including her opportunity to guest curate at the museum as there are reminders of her best friend everywhere. Nonetheless, Everly throws herself into the exhibit, the history of the Pulaski, and the lives of the people on board. I liked how Callahan had Everly find out information about the survivors just as the other timeline of the novel was telling us what was happening on board in 1838. It was a great way to tell the story and I especially appreciated how it unfolded. While Everly is studying the Pulaski tragedy, she is also making connections to her own life and in turn begging readers to ponder how tragedy impacts a person's life. Does a person come out of it a better person? What if you had a second chance at life?

The other story line of Surviving Savannah takes readers back to the Pulaski and what it was like for Augusta and Lily. Some scenes here broke my heart and it reminded me a bit of the Titanic. In fact, the Pulaski is called the Titanic of the South, so the similarities are definitely there. Entire families were wiped out by this tragedy and it was devastating. I loved how Callahan used this story to showcase the bravery of women during times like this and their strength to survive. Both August and Lily had to make upsetting decisions, but they had to do what they had to do in order to survive as there were only four lifeboats on the ship and half didn't work! The stories of survival broke my heart as this tragedy could have been avoided, but there's no denying the courage that these women possessed.

Callahan brings to life Savannah so well in Surviving Savannah. I haven't visited Savannah in a few years, but after reading the novel, I felt like I was back in the historic city filled with its cobblestoned squares, the bustling waterfront, the blooming flowers, the Spanish moss, and the gorgeous architecture. It's such a charming and memorable city; Callahan does it justice.

While I had a review copy of Suvriving Savannah, I also listened to the audio version from time to time and the narrators were outstanding. I absolutely loved the Southern accents and how each narrator brought the characters to life. I thought this was one of the best audio books I've listened to all year.

If you love stories of survival filled with historical details, look no further. Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan is one of my favorite novels of the year and one that I won't easily forget.