Award-winning author, Tricia Goyer, wrote By the Light of the Silvery Moon last year to commemorate the Titanic’s 100-year-old tragic maiden voyage. It’s a sweet story of romance, faith and forgiveness wrapped in a tale of second chances suggestive of the prodigal son.
In her well-crafted historical fiction readers meet Amelia, a young woman who questions why her mother left her in care of an aunt to become a ship stewardess when she was six-years-old. Now grownup, Amelia and her aunt have tickets to America on the Titanic. In America she plans to meet Mr. Chapman, a man she’s only communicated with by mail. After many letters between them he paid for three second class tickets on the Titanic for herself, her aunt and her cousin Henry. However, when Henry had “…been foolish enough to land in jail last night” Amelia gave his ticket to a stranger.
Then there’s stowaway, Quentin Walpole. Amelia’s heart is torn when she sees stewards drag the young man down the gangplank and throw him to the ground with a good, swift kick to his ribs. She saw his clothes looked tattered and unkempt as she moved toward him. Up close, Amelia could smell the stench of the streets and believed he was a beggar, albeit a handsome beggar. There was nothing about him that revealed he was once a member of the upper class accustomed to privilege. Two short years ago he’d come to London with a small fortune to start a business only to lose the business, his fortune and his old way of life.
In the same way Damien, Quentin’s older brother and their railroad tycoon father couldn’t know they would meet Quentin on board the Titanic under an assumed name. A meeting that would cause dismay in one and astonishment in the other as the ship that “symbolized such promise” plowed through icy ocean waters to meet its destiny.
Tricia’s well-drawn characters, seen through formative early wounding’s, portray true-to-life people and suspenseful situations that capture readers hearts. Common themes of grief, romance, shame, forgiveness and love texturize the plot, the intriguing subplots, characterizations and the clear gospel message of brotherly love.
Tricia, an accomplished word smith, brings the story of the Titanic to life in her fictionalized account with rich word descriptions of true-to-life artifacts from the Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson Missouri. She’s written an unforgettable tale of lives forever changed aboard the “Ship of Dreams” to enchant her readers. If you aren’t already a fan of this writer, you will be by the time you finish.
‘By the Light of the Silvery Moon’ by Tricia Goyer, Barbour Books, 2012, 320 Pages, 978-1616265519, $12.99
Back Cover Copy:
~~Destiny brought them together—will tragedy draw them apart~~
Amelia Gladstone’s mind is filled with promise as she gazes at the marvelous new ship, ready for its maiden voyage. The Titanic holds the promise of a reunited family…and of possible love waiting on American shores. Nothing could mar Amelia’s joy, until she sees a ragged stowaway being escorted down the gangplank.
Down-and-out after squandering his fortune, Quentin Walpole thought his voyage to America ended on the Southampton pier. Then a sweet lady—his angel of mercy named Amelia—secured his passage with a spare ticket. Now he’s headed to America, eager for a second chance.
But once the voyage begins, the past confronts Quentin when he discovers that his wealthy railroad tycoon father and older brother Damien are also on board. As Amelia tries to bring about reconciliation between father and son, she suddenly finds herself the center of both brothers’ attention with a choice to make: What can she trust with her heart?
Then the fateful night arrives, and one brother faces a greater choice.
Will Amelia’s fate ultimately be one of love or loss?
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