Every Man for Himself
Author: Beryl Bainbridge

The sinking of the Titanic. — As Bainbridge admirers might expect, it is not the kind of version that would make a spectacular movie; rather, it is a meticulously observed account that almost offhandedly convinces the reader that this is exactly what it must have been like aboard the doomed liner. — The story is told by a wealthy young American man-about-town, an adopted nephew of J. Pierpont Morgan, who, in search of something to do has had a slight hand in the ship's design ("the specifications of bathtubs"). Once aboard, he drinks too much with his layabout friends; sees people like the Astors and Strauses; becomes infatuated with a girl who in turn falls for a mysterious and cynical stranger; and gets to know a young Jewish dress designer who is hoping to become a hit in New York. In a few deft strokes Bainbridge shows the gulf between the steerage passengers and the "nobs" while communicating the alternating servility and resentment of the crew. The book is nearly over before disaster strikes, but once again, the unnerving details seem just right: the careless self-confidence at the beginning, the gallantry quickly eroding to panic. Bainbridge's swift, economical novels tell us more about an era and the ways in which its people inhabit it than volumes of social history.

Every Man for Himself was first published in 1996 and is about the 1912 RMS Titanic disaster. The novel won the 1996 Whitbread Prize, and was a nominee of the Booker Prize. It is always fascinating to me to read about that fateful night in the North Atlantic when the Titanic met its doom. In this novel, the story is told from the point of view of J.P. Morgan's nephew and abounds with the aspects of the rich as they go about their black-tie dining, drinking, and illicit affairs with no knowledge of what will befall them. The story is broken up into the four days of the voyage with the climax of the sinking occurring in the last 50 pages or so.

I really did not empathize too much with the characters in this novel but overall it was worth reading for another perspective on the Titanic disaster.

Including this in round 2 of the books starting with E ring. Hope someone will enjoy it.

taking out of the 2nd round of the "e" bookring. This book will most likely end up in a little free library.

left in the little free library