Lisa Plotnick

Book review: A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice, by Rebecca Connolly

(A novel depicting the experiences of a third class Titanic passenger and the Captain of the Cunard ship Carpathia that came to the rescue.)

I typically avoid historical fiction about Titanic as I’ve studied the actual history for more than 25 years and am highly protective of it. That said, I’m glad I gave this novel a chance, based on recommendations of other researchers.

Author Rebecca Connolly truly researched the history well, and her descriptive scenes on the lifeboats were superb. The chapters that got into Captain Rostron’s inner thoughts weren’t as good, in my opinion, although referring to him consistently as Arthur certainly humanized him.

Overall, I’d recommend A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice to those who want to go beyond the 1997 movie, and also to historical fiction fans who are drawn to stories that take very few liberties with the real events. 

My rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Book cover large iceberg Based on the remarkable story of the Carpathia the only ship and her legendary Captain who answered the distress call of the sinking Titanic.
Cover of the novel A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice, by author Rebecca Connolly. Sourced from the publisher’s website https://shadowmountain.com/product/a-brilliant-night-of-stars-and-ice/.
Display shows 4 items. 1 Postcard with Bernice Palmer's photograph of the survivors onboard Carpathia, 1912, a crowded scene of women on deck chairs 2 Postcard with photograph of the first female survivor boarding Carpathia, as viewed from alongside Carpathia 1912 3 Postcard with an illustration of the arrival of Carpathia, as viewed from Titanic’s lifeboats with 2 other lifeboats in view 1912 4 Bottom of a receipt for the third installment for Carpathia's construction, 1902
Several Titanic-Carpathia artifacts from the exhibit Titanic: The Human Story at Musée de la Civilisation, Québec City, 2025. (c) Lisa Plotnick and NauticalNotebook.com.

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