Orphans of the Storm
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- Create Date：2021-08-12 00:50:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Celia Imrie
- ISBN：152661491X
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Summary
Nice， France， 1911: After three years of marriage， young seamstress Marcela Caretto has finally had enough。 Her husband， Michael， an ambitious tailor， has become cruel and controlling and she determines to get a divorce。
But while awaiting the judges’ decision on the custody of their two small boys， Michael receives news that changes everything。
Meanwhile fun-loving New York socialite Margaret Hays is touring Europe with some friends。 Restless， she resolves to head home aboard the most celebrated steamer in the world – RMS Titanic。
As the ship sets sail for America， carrying two infants bearing false names， the paths of Marcela， Michael and Margaret cross - and nothing will ever be the same again。
From the Sunday Times-bestselling author， Celia Imrie， Orphans of the Storm dives into the waters of the past to unearth a sweeping， epic tale of the sinking of the Titanic that radiates with humanity and hums with life。
But while awaiting the judges’ decision on the custody of their two small boys， Michael receives news that changes everything。
Meanwhile fun-loving New York socialite Margaret Hays is touring Europe with some friends。 Restless， she resolves to head home aboard the most celebrated steamer in the world – RMS Titanic。
As the ship sets sail for America， carrying two infants bearing false names， the paths of Marcela， Michael and Margaret cross - and nothing will ever be the same again。
From the Sunday Times-bestselling author， Celia Imrie， Orphans of the Storm dives into the waters of the past to unearth a sweeping， epic tale of the sinking of the Titanic that radiates with humanity and hums with life。
Reviews
Cathy
，
Marcella is a dreamer， she dreams of being a famous singer， but she hasn't had any training。 Her family thinks that she needs a trade， so she goes to a college to learn about tailoring。 It is here she meets Michael and her life changes。 She falls in love with Michael， they get married， have two children and then he changes。 He becomes jealous of her relationship with their two young sons。 April 1912 and the Titanic is due to set sail。 The vessel holds many wealthy people on it along with others Marcella is a dreamer， she dreams of being a famous singer， but she hasn't had any training。 Her family thinks that she needs a trade， so she goes to a college to learn about tailoring。 It is here she meets Michael and her life changes。 She falls in love with Michael， they get married， have two children and then he changes。 He becomes jealous of her relationship with their two young sons。 April 1912 and the Titanic is due to set sail。 The vessel holds many wealthy people on it along with others of lessen fortune。 We meet Margaret， a bored young woman who has led a priviledged life。 Her life， along with many others changes forever as a result of the fate of the Titanic。 Her life becomes intwined with Michael， the two boys and Marcella。This is my first book by Imrie that I have read。 I will admit to requesting it mainly due to the Titanic voyage angle。 It was a highly enjoyable read。 。。。more
Alayne Emmett
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I’ve read Celia Imrie’ s books before and enjoyed them so， I was pleased to see she’d written another one but， this one disappointed me somewhat。 The book was slow to get going and I found the only interesting bit was on the Titanic。 After hat I found myself thinking of giving up but， I didn’t hence only giving this book three stars。 My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review。
Ruth Busby
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Marcella is a young Italian girl living in Nice in the early 1900s， with dreams of being a singer。 But her family want her to have a proper job and she is sent to learn to be a tailor， meeting Stefan and then Michael。Michael is ten years older than Marcella， but she falls for him as he whisks her away to marry her away from her family’s gaze。 But after having two children by the time she’s 20， Michael changes and things aren’t the fairy tale they first seem。 Marcella takes the bold step of seeki Marcella is a young Italian girl living in Nice in the early 1900s， with dreams of being a singer。 But her family want her to have a proper job and she is sent to learn to be a tailor， meeting Stefan and then Michael。Michael is ten years older than Marcella， but she falls for him as he whisks her away to marry her away from her family’s gaze。 But after having two children by the time she’s 20， Michael changes and things aren’t the fairy tale they first seem。 Marcella takes the bold step of seeking a divorce， but before that can be finalised， disaster strikes （quite literally as it involves the Titanic）。I’ve never read any of Celia Imrie’s previous work and so went into the book not really knowing what to expect。 I gobbled it up - the story is well crafted and the pace is great， getting the right balance between the build up and the disaster， keeping me wanting more when each chapter ended。 Marcella is a great character that I rooted for and I genuinely didn’t know what the outcome would be at the end of the book。I was also pleasantly surprised to discover at the end that Orphans of the Storm is based on a true story - with some of the historical research shared at the end of the book。 I really enjoyed this and highly recommend it。 。。。more
Felicity Butler
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Having enjoyed all of Celia's previous books， I was instantly drawn to her new book， which is completely different。 Based on true lives， the story is of Marcella， who is caught in a manipulative marriage， how she escapes， and what happens within her family in Nice in the early 20th century。 I had no idea where the story was taking me， and glad I hadn't read too much， as I love to dive into a book and see where the story draws me in。 So no spoilers from me here。The research is quite outstanding， Having enjoyed all of Celia's previous books， I was instantly drawn to her new book， which is completely different。 Based on true lives， the story is of Marcella， who is caught in a manipulative marriage， how she escapes， and what happens within her family in Nice in the early 20th century。 I had no idea where the story was taking me， and glad I hadn't read too much， as I love to dive into a book and see where the story draws me in。 So no spoilers from me here。The research is quite outstanding， and the history uncovered that was the basis for the story at the end of the book was fascinating。 Well written， insightful， interesting and atmospheric。 I loved learning about life in Nice around 1910。Highly recommended。 A fantastic read， I loved it！！Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read early。 。。。more
Jenny H
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This book is a slow burner。 We gradually learn the differing backgrounds of the main characters who end up on Titanic's fateful journey。 Vivid descriptions of people boarding the ship really bring them to life。 Marcella files for divorce， an unusual step for a woman at the time， especially one with two small children。 She is married to controlling Michael and they live in Nice。 What happens next results in him boarding the Titanic in second class with the children。 Well-travelled but naive Marga This book is a slow burner。 We gradually learn the differing backgrounds of the main characters who end up on Titanic's fateful journey。 Vivid descriptions of people boarding the ship really bring them to life。 Marcella files for divorce， an unusual step for a woman at the time， especially one with two small children。 She is married to controlling Michael and they live in Nice。 What happens next results in him boarding the Titanic in second class with the children。 Well-travelled but naive Margaret decides to change her plans on a whim， booking a first class cabin at the last minute and taking her little puppy。 The scenes after the ship hits the iceberg show how various passengers react in different ways: some selfish， others selfless but somehow it all seems a bit remote。 I couldn't really relate to any of the characters， except perhaps Marcella。 A bit disappointing。 。。。more
Louise
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I've read all of Celia Imrie's fiction books and this one is very different to its more lighthearted predecessors and， in my view， better for it。The book tells the story of Marcella， her marriage and， ultimately， their connection to the Titanic。 I thought the first half of the book could have been slightly compressed and told in a more focussed way， but it set the scene for the dramatic events of the second half of the book。 It was an enjoyable read nonetheless and one based largely on true even I've read all of Celia Imrie's fiction books and this one is very different to its more lighthearted predecessors and， in my view， better for it。The book tells the story of Marcella， her marriage and， ultimately， their connection to the Titanic。 I thought the first half of the book could have been slightly compressed and told in a more focussed way， but it set the scene for the dramatic events of the second half of the book。 It was an enjoyable read nonetheless and one based largely on true events， which made it all the more interesting。I also thought Celia Imrie's book really brought out the lives of those who were onboard the Titanic and made me consider things related to that ill-fated voyage in a different way。 I thought the explanation at the end of the book of the research and various inspiration for the story was also really interesting and showed the amount of work that went into telling this fascinating tale。Of Celia Imrie's novels， I think this was the best and was a well-told tale of love and loss。 。。。more
Julia
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Orphans Of The Storm by Celia Imrie is a thrilling and powerful historical novel based on fact。It is set around the early 1900’s in France， London， on board the ill-fated Titanic and in New York City。 As the storm physically rages around， it is mirrored by mental anguish and a stormy relationship。 The fall-out is the young boys。The novel is a compelling read。 The leading lady is well drawn， capturing the reader’s heart as her marriage falls apart。 Her strength of character shines through as she Orphans Of The Storm by Celia Imrie is a thrilling and powerful historical novel based on fact。It is set around the early 1900’s in France， London， on board the ill-fated Titanic and in New York City。 As the storm physically rages around， it is mirrored by mental anguish and a stormy relationship。 The fall-out is the young boys。The novel is a compelling read。 The leading lady is well drawn， capturing the reader’s heart as her marriage falls apart。 Her strength of character shines through as she seeks a divorce， virtually unheard of at the beginning of the twentieth century。As the action moves to onboard the Titanic， the reader reads with dread and intrepidation as we know what is coming。The after effects of the sinking are a mixture of guilt， grief and relief。Until I read the after words， I did not realise that the tale was in fact true and based on real life people and experiences。 It was good to find out what happened afterwards to all the characters。Orphans Of The Storm is a marvellous read that will educate， inform and keep the reader glued。I received a free copy via Net Galley。 A favourable review was not required。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Andrea
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-copy of this book for review。I'm afraid I didn't enjoy this as much as I expected。 I felt the story was rather slow， especially the first half of the book which was quite plodding。 There was some tension in the second half， but I didn't find any of the characters particularly likeable so I wasn't really bothered about finding out what happened to them。Just not for me。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-copy of this book for review。I'm afraid I didn't enjoy this as much as I expected。 I felt the story was rather slow， especially the first half of the book which was quite plodding。 There was some tension in the second half， but I didn't find any of the characters particularly likeable so I wasn't really bothered about finding out what happened to them。Just not for me。 。。。more
Lola Hodgson
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'Orphans of the Storm' is an enjoyable piece of historical fiction， in which Imrie utilises a writing style that is easy and quick to read， which made it difficult to put down。Although I originally picked this up due to a personal interest in Titanic， for me the Titanic sections themselves felt slightly rushed， and the use of multiple perspectives meant there were some characters I liked a lot more than others， and found some more difficult to get through。The first half of the novel also felt sl 'Orphans of the Storm' is an enjoyable piece of historical fiction， in which Imrie utilises a writing style that is easy and quick to read， which made it difficult to put down。Although I originally picked this up due to a personal interest in Titanic， for me the Titanic sections themselves felt slightly rushed， and the use of multiple perspectives meant there were some characters I liked a lot more than others， and found some more difficult to get through。The first half of the novel also felt slightly too drawn out， though I did enjoy the non-Titanic elements and sections much more than I expected myself to， and found myself really sympathising and bonding with Marcella as a character， which made it an almost unputdownable read。（Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for providing me with this eARC！） 。。。more
Sarah
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Orphans of the Storm sees Marcella stuck in a very unhappy marriage to Michael Navrotil。 As she begins divorce proceedings， she sets in place a chain of events that brings New Yorker Margaret Hays plus the RMS Titanic and its fateful voyage into their lives。 I was drawn to this book due to a personal fascination with the Titanic。 The section of the book that covers the voyage was well researched， and portrayed the emotions of the survivors beautifully。 However I did feel that the beginning of th Orphans of the Storm sees Marcella stuck in a very unhappy marriage to Michael Navrotil。 As she begins divorce proceedings， she sets in place a chain of events that brings New Yorker Margaret Hays plus the RMS Titanic and its fateful voyage into their lives。 I was drawn to this book due to a personal fascination with the Titanic。 The section of the book that covers the voyage was well researched， and portrayed the emotions of the survivors beautifully。 However I did feel that the beginning of the book was too long - the scene setting of the marriage Marcella found herself in was drawn out， and didn't need to be half of the book。 It then made the second half， where there was lots of action that could have been detailed， feel very rushed。 I really liked the final section， explaining the research that was undertaken - it was lovely to read about the people the story was based on。 。。。more
emma
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I'm going to be honest， this was very hit or miss for me。 I didn't like any of the main characters， I found them boring and irritating。 The plot took a while to get started （almost half of the book）， but once it did I was interested。 I just wish there was more to love， the writing was easy to read and understand and the ending was sweet。 It was an amalgamation of good writing but bad characters， unfortunately。Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for a I'm going to be honest， this was very hit or miss for me。 I didn't like any of the main characters， I found them boring and irritating。 The plot took a while to get started （almost half of the book）， but once it did I was interested。 I just wish there was more to love， the writing was easy to read and understand and the ending was sweet。 It was an amalgamation of good writing but bad characters， unfortunately。Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 #OrphansOfTheStorm #NetGalley。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Angela Thompson
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Orphans of the Storm。What a rollercoaster coaster of a ride in the book ！I've never read a book by Celia Indie before， and omg I've missed out。Poignant， hearbreaking ， exciting， tense - need I go on ？ Oh and throw in an excellently researched to a well known history of the maiden voyage of the Titanic。Read the book ， you will not be disappointed。 Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the ARC。 Orphans of the Storm。What a rollercoaster coaster of a ride in the book ！I've never read a book by Celia Indie before， and omg I've missed out。Poignant， hearbreaking ， exciting， tense - need I go on ？ Oh and throw in an excellently researched to a well known history of the maiden voyage of the Titanic。Read the book ， you will not be disappointed。 Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Ceecee
，
3+In this historical novel we follow the lives of three main characters。 First of all， there’s Marcella Caretto， a young mother of two little boys who in 1911 is seeking a divorce from Michael Navratil whom she alleges is abusive。 The second is Michael himself， a Hungarian born dressmaker who evades the authorities in several ways。 The third is New York born Margaret Bechstein Hays who is on a European tour with her friend Olive Potter and Olive’s mother Lilian。 They decide to cut short their to 3+In this historical novel we follow the lives of three main characters。 First of all， there’s Marcella Caretto， a young mother of two little boys who in 1911 is seeking a divorce from Michael Navratil whom she alleges is abusive。 The second is Michael himself， a Hungarian born dressmaker who evades the authorities in several ways。 The third is New York born Margaret Bechstein Hays who is on a European tour with her friend Olive Potter and Olive’s mother Lilian。 They decide to cut short their tour and head home， embarking on the maiden voyage of The Titanic where her life coincides with that of Marcella and Michael in the most dramatic and heartbreaking of ways。 First of all， this is an exceptionally well researched novel based on true events and characters， it’s very evident at the end of the book the research for it has been exhaustive and kudos and absolute respect for that。 Marcella’s youth is captured well with all her conflicting emotions， she’s hardly gown into an adult herself and is trying to be a wife and mother in increasingly difficult circumstances。 It’s like she’s living with a weather system， sometimes Michael is benign and at others he’s a raging storm。 I really like the character of Margaret， she’s lively with a great sense of humour and her resilience when meeting so much resistance post Titanic demonstrates her indomitable spirit。 I can’t make entire sense of Michael， he’s a nasty piece of work that’s for sure but apart from his actions I can’t quite get to grips with him。 The sections on The Titanic and afterwards are done very well and this part of the book is really good。 However， the pace for the first 60% is incredibly slow with events occasionally perking things up a bit。 Some dialogue I’m sorry to say I find dreadful and some peripheral characters don’t feel authentic。 The repetition of the song La Petite Tonkinoise gets on my nerves after a while！ Overall， it is worth reading especially since it’s factually based and so well researched but you do have to stick with it to get to the best bits！ With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Bloomsbury Publishing PLC for the arc in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Natasha
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A deeply poignant and heart wrenching tale based， not only on real life events but real people， too—albeit fictional versions。 Set both in Nice， France and on board the doomed maiden voyage of the Titanic。 Set in 1911， after three years of marriage Marcella Carretto has decided to divorce her cruel and controlling husband， Michael。 But while awaiting the judges’ decision on the custody of their two children， Michael receives news that changes everything。Meanwhile， fun loving New York socialite， A deeply poignant and heart wrenching tale based， not only on real life events but real people， too—albeit fictional versions。 Set both in Nice， France and on board the doomed maiden voyage of the Titanic。 Set in 1911， after three years of marriage Marcella Carretto has decided to divorce her cruel and controlling husband， Michael。 But while awaiting the judges’ decision on the custody of their two children， Michael receives news that changes everything。Meanwhile， fun loving New York socialite， Margaret Hays has grown bored of her Grand Tour Of Europe and decides to head home on the most famous steamer ever built—RMS Titanic。 As the ship sets sail for America， carrying two children bearing false names， the lives of Marcella， Michael and Margaret cross—and nothing will ever be the same again。 I really enjoyed this one， it was undeniably gripping and had me emotionally invested in the fates of Imrie’s characters， particularly Marcella and her young sons。 The level of historical detail was absolutely incredible， it was easy to tell that Celia Imrie had done extensive research on the topic。 The characters were also written incredibly well and imbued with the humanity （and flaws） that I found brought realism to their narrative。It’s told from three separate POVs- Marcella， Michael and Margaret。 The first half of the book starts with Marcella’s POV and chronicles the start and eventual deterioration of Marcella and Michael’s marriage—I found it quite slow at first but the pace does pickup in the second half。Overall a pretty solid read！Though Celine Dion wasn’t singing during the Titanic scenes （or the aftermath）， nor was there a Jack or a Rose—I couldn’t help but cry several times whilst reading this， so—if emotionally charged historical fiction is your thing， then I thoroughly recommend you check this out。 Also， a Massive thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
T
，
We follow Marcella， a young woman who filed for divorce from her abusive and quite frankly narcissistic husband， triggering a series events which leave her fighting for， and eventually searching for， her children。 The characters were extremely believable， the relationships between them had depth and overall they were written in a way that made them relatable。 The main events don’t start until about 60% into the book。 Up until that point we’re talking slow （VERY SLOW） burn。 Then we get to the tit We follow Marcella， a young woman who filed for divorce from her abusive and quite frankly narcissistic husband， triggering a series events which leave her fighting for， and eventually searching for， her children。 The characters were extremely believable， the relationships between them had depth and overall they were written in a way that made them relatable。 The main events don’t start until about 60% into the book。 Up until that point we’re talking slow （VERY SLOW） burn。 Then we get to the titanic element of the story and it all seems to be over so very quickly。 To me， the main ‘meat’ of the book was all wrong。 There was only so many times we needed to see Michael treat Marcella like dirt to understand he was a nasty man。 This isn’t a book or a story about the titanic， but the titanic does feature in it。 As an aside， the title seems rather amiss - what storm？ There was no storm， the ‘orphans’ became so due to an iceberg， not a storm。 It seems a very odd choice of title， unless it refers to the ‘storm’ that brews between their parents perhaps？The writing style， especially descriptive elements， to me， felt like someone trying to design a film set or TV series。 It was like Imrie was trying to tell someone what it should look like rather than what it was like - which felt a little disingenuous and ‘externalising’ to me at times。 It made it difficult to be immersed in the story。 Perhaps that’s the actor in her coming through。 It’s worth the read。 It’s captivating at times， engaging and it is really quite easy to connect with the characters。 If you’re into character driven historical fiction， a slow burn and long build up to ‘the main events’ - this one is probably for you！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Orphans of the Storm
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Orphans of the Storm&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Orphans of the Storm&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0