I was given an advanced reader copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed this historical fiction tale of the Pulaski disaster and its passengers. The story grabbed me from the beginning and the history was fascinating and I loved the way the author connected it to current times. Highly recommend!

The ultimate story of survival...more specifically, surviving survival....this book is the story of the sinking of the steamship Pulaski in 1838, also known as the "Titanic of the South." It is impeccably researched, written in vivid imagery, and told in duel timeline format from 3 female points of view.

Traveling between Savannah and Baltimore, the Pulaski tragically explodes and sinks 30 miles from North Carolina. The image of the sinking, graphically calls to mind our image of the Titanic. But while the story of the Titanic often focuses on the sinking itself, this book focuses on surviving the sinking. People were at sea for 5 days before being rescued and witnessed unbearable pain and death. This story focuses on how they survived at sea and how they survived the surviving for the rest of their lives. The duel timeline story set in today's time portrays a parallel account of how survivors survive trauma...in this case, the devastating loss of a friend, in agonizingly close proximity, killed by a drunk driver in a hit and run accident.

This tribute to the ability to survive surviving raises meaningful questions. What does it mean to "survive" a tragedy? Is it a miracle to survive or more of hell? How does trauma change you? What are the choices made in surviving? What is our destiny? How does one make meaning out of tragedy? How does one choose to live? Not everyone who survives chooses to live. And not everyone who survives makes good choices. The author shares what experts in shipwrecks have witnessed: "we are who we truly are at our core in the midst of such a crisis as a sinking ship."

There are many themes the author explores throughout the book including: choosing to live a real life vs wasting time focusing on the unimportant; recognizing the good/bad/ugly of the past as a means of moving forward; changing values when faced with life shattering tragedy; handling survivors guilt, coming to terms with deep divisions between people based on race, gender and wealth.

The author writes this book like a love letter to Savannah. She shares the beauty and the history of the city in such a way that clearly shows her proud devotion to the city. The book is well researched, with strong attention to detail, and with respect for the real people and real stories that are portrayed. Strong and haunting imagery is painted throughout the work, images I will not soon forget of people letting go and of a pocketwatch forever marking tragic time. Overall, it was a fresh change of pace to read a historical fiction on an incident I didn’t know anything about and to make me want to visit Savannah even more so than before.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

The novel is set in 1838 and centers on the sinking of the Pulaski, a luxury steamship filled with many members of Savannah and Charleston society. Based upon the real disaster, Callahan chronicles the story of one particular family, the Longstreets. Twelve members of the family boarded the ship and only a few survived. Two female members of the family are the focus of the historical narrative. One is the sister of Lamar Longstreet and the other is his niece. While most of the family members die, there is a mystery surrounding Lily Forsythe, the niece who supposedly survived, but there was no trace of what happened to her.

There is an alternating contemporary storyline that centers on Evelyn Winthrop, a professor of art history who is hired to create a museum display on the sinking of the Pulaski. The ship has been newly discovered off the coast of North Carolina and the display will highlight the passengers and the artifacts related to the disaster. Evelyn is willing to curate the display which means she will work with the museum director, the man who was her deceased best friend’s fiancée. She has many personal issues that she’s dealing with but her love of Savannah, of history and the beloved stories of the sea, draw her in and compel her to do the research.

As the divers find more objects from the sunken ship, Evelyn digs ever deeper into the story of the Longstreets and the survivors. Fortunately, readers get the inside story as the niece Lily and the sister Augusta get their own chapters in the narrative. The story of the disaster is reminiscent of the sinking of the Titanic and has led to comparisons. Society elites, assurances of safety, too few lifeboats and the images of people clinging to debris will bring to mind the movie with Leonard DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

Similar to the novel, the real objects from the Pulaski wreckage have recently been found after 180 years sitting at the bottom of the ocean. Callahan adds notes at the end of the novel to explain the actual disaster and the real passengers that she based her story upon. Her book is captivating and fascinating. The characters are well defined and add a human touch to the details of the disaster. Savannah is seen as a cherished city with an intriguing past and using the recent discovery of the wreck makes this book very timely. The addition of the fictional contemporary storyline gives the historical incident more impact. Not only does the book describe the survival of some of the passengers, but it entails the survival of Evelyn who is floundering in her own wave of grief and guilt.

I have never heard of the ship Pulaski, known as the "Titanic of the South," but after reading this excellent historical novel, I feel like I was actually on the ship when it exploded and sank. The story is told by 3 women in 2 timelines. In the present Everly is curating a new museum exhibit about the tragedy. In 1838 Lilly and Augusta describe their own experiences during the tragedy. The parallel stories demonstrate how different people deal with tragedy differently, with drastically varying results. Riveting 3-dimensional characters, vivid descriptions of time and place, and mesmerizing writing all combine to create a beautiful, extremely readable page-turner. Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing an ARC.

Surviving Savannah is a story told from the sailing of the ill-fated steamship Pulaski in 1838 from Savannah to the present day, where curator Everly Winthrop is tasked with reconstructing what may have happened to the survivors of the disaster. Winthrop is dealing with her own tragedy when word comes that the remains of the ship have been found off the coast of North Carolina after one hundred and eighty years. She throws herself into the project, and is intrigued by the passengers Augusta Longstreet and her niece Lily Forsyth.. How did they survive the terrible night the ship went down and the loss of so many fellow passengers, most of whom they knew? Everly delves into the history of the Pulaski and her own as both stories become one. Callahan’s love of the sea and Savannah are very evident. The charm is comparing the old city to the present, and that we are all survivors of something.

Trigger warnings: drowning, slavery, abusive relationship, grief

(4.5 stars, rounded up)

Augusta Longstreet is aboard the Pulaski to help her brother and his wife with their children, of which there are several. Augusta is viewed by society as a widow because her fiancé died weeks before their wedding.

Lilly Forsyth is a local legend in Savannah, with a statue of her dedicated to the Pulaski tragedy. She is traveling on the ship with her odious husband Adam, their baby Madeline, and her nursemaid slave Priscilla. Augusta is her beloved aunt who is really more like a sister to her.

The story of the women on the Pulaski unfolds as present-day historian Everly Winthrop researches the passengers for a museum exhibit. Everly's story is also rich despite the lack of a naval disaster. She is dealing with the grief associated with the untimely death of her best friend. Her life has stalled as she struggles to deal with the loss.

The narration of the story vacillates between the present-day and the 1800s. In modern Savannah, Everly grew up listening to stories of the Pulaski and works on a museum exhibit when the remains of the ship are found. In the 1830s, Lilly and Augusta convey the sinking of the Pulaski.

The novel is beautifully written, which makes reading it a pleasure. The details of the ship sinking feel particularly real, if gruesome at times. The struggle of all three women to survive and "survive the surviving" knit their stories together.

Recommended for fans of Southern fiction, historical fiction, and Titanic stories.

One of history's greatest maritime tragedies. The book, Surviving Savannah is the mixture of factual details and fictional liberties mixed detailing the wreck of the Steamship Pulaski. The cause is the starboard boiler exploded and the ship sunk about 45 minutes after the explosion. Onboard were about 150 passengers,their servants and 37 crew members.
What took place you could vividly imagine with the author's detailed descriptions of this tragedy.
This past Summer I visited a maritime museum having no idea I would be reading this amazing book Surviving Savannah. Now I wish I had read the book earlier so I could have seen if there were any items from this particular shipwreck there.
This book was fabulous,amazing and all the positive things you could think of.
A great deal of it covered the details of the aftermath of the tragedy.
Just imagine these people on a boat there's a horrific explosion it's 11 p.m. pitch dark and your out in the ocean miles from shore. They were 38 miles from shore. These people were dressed in dressing gowns,startled awake by this explosion ,the boat is sinking fast,some have families some don't but how can you hold onto your children and prevent yourself from going to your watery grave?
Emotional but yet you feel hope as you read this.
This is a time split novel that also has a connection to the present with a man and woman researching this disaster.
I very strongly recommend this book. It will stay with me for a long time!

Pub Date 09 Mar 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Have you ever heard of the steamship Pulaski? I never had until starting this book. In 1838 it exploded, and while many perished, several others fought for days at sea to survive. This story is told in dual timelines between then and today.

The present day story is about Everly Winthrop, who takes on the challenge of curating a museum exhibit featuring the ship after artifacts are found in the wreckage off the North Carolina coast. Everly is dealing with a loss of her own and it is hindering her daily living but she throws her entire being into uncovering more information about the explosion and the survivors.

I really enjoyed the historical accounts from the survivors and the chapters from the passengers while they were trying to survive. At times I felt the connection with the present day story was a little too coincidental and it moved a little slow at times but overall this was a beautiful and harrowing book.

I enjoyed the author’s note at the end and I liked how she took a family who was truly on the ship, and brought their story to life, as well as gave other passengers a new life and story in fiction form.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley. Thank you to the author and publisher!

This was an amazing, memorable, historical deep dive by a master storyteller who deftly blended fact and fiction. Surviving Savannah introduced me to a piece of history that I didn’t know about but am now inspired to learn more about and will stick with me. Using equally compelling dual storylines, Callahan brings to life the story of “the Titanic of the South” the sinking of the Pulaski steamship off the coast of North Carolina in 1838. The characters are well crafted and developed and vivid descriptions transport the reader to Savannnah and the remnants of the Pulaski adrift at sea. This tale of loss and survival inspires one to explore “how we survive the surviving”. This was an immersive, engrossing terrific read! Highly recommend! Great choice for book clubs.

Let me tell your a story....

Oh indeed! What a story it is. A good story reveals the human spirit. The choices we make from start to finish. A story can give us hope and answer the old age questions such as suffering and tragedy.

The narration was simply brilliant. From present to past. In the present Everly Winthrop is recovering from a tragedy of her own. It has been several years since her best friend Mora was tragically killed. She blames herself and is at a crossroads when Mora's fiancé asks Everly to join him in curating a new museum collection focusing on artifacts recovered from the steamship Pulaski. The steamship sank in an accidental explosion in 1838 and has recently been found 180 years later.

The past are two women that boarded on that doomed steamship with stories in the making when the accident changes their course. Lilly Forsyth is in a terrible marriage and with her young baby. She has a hidden strength has she survives the sea. Her aunt Augusta Longstreet family is boarded on the steamship and she is separated from them as the ship sinks. She has to make choices that are life changing to survive the seas.

Has Everly uncovers the secrets of the tragedy, she sees her own tragedy on how to survive. How one must go on and why. What do we do with our survival. There is a connection from the past to the present that we all can learn from. Highly recommend.

A special thank you Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

Thank you, Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I adore historical fiction and this book didn't disappoint.

I loved the dual timeliness and was captivated by the characters in each timeline.

The writing was descriptive and had me invested in every character.

I definitely will read more by this author.

Historical Fiction was one of my least read genres, now it’s a genre I’ve been reading regularly and creeping it’s way up my ranks.

Thank you @berkleypub @netgalley for the arc.

Surviving Savannah by @pattichenry is based on the real life Pulaski shipwreck off the coast of North Carolina.

Told in dual timelines with Everly Winthrop who is tasked with curating an exhibit for the sunken steamship Pulaski, the Titanic of the South and Lilly Forsyth and Augusta Longstreet who were onboard the ship, survived the wreck and continued with their lives carrying guilt and grief.

I can’t express how much I loved this story. I didn’t know much about the Pulaski and I now want to know more of its history. I enjoyed the characters of these three strong women as they managed so many challenges and coming to terms with decisions made. To me this is the most compelling part of the story.

Since Everly has been intrigued by the sinking of Steamship Pulaski in 1838 since childhood, she jumps at the chance to create a museum exhibit about it. What will she uncover about those who survived, and those who perished? Even though the ship sank 180 years ago, will she be able to dig up enough information to create a meaningful exhibit? And, lastly, how will her own life be altered by the project?

Unfortunately, for many reasons, this was not the book for me. There were too many coincidences and for the most part, I was bored by the current timeline. I wish it would have focused solely on the past so that I could have felt more immersed in the time period, characters, and story of survival. Speaking of survival and since it was titled Surviving Savannah, I wish it had focused more on the survivors and how the tragedy changed their life's trajectory. The only thing I liked about the present timeline was learning more about the work of a museum curator and how the exhibits are researched and designed.

Location: Savannah, Georgia

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I love stories with a back and forth timeline, and I love books that take place on ships, so this one was a winner for me. I almost wonder though, if it would have been served better by being a strictly historical fiction book because that part of it was SO interesting and such a quiet part of history that I didn't know about before this.

A Historian discovers more than treasure in an ancient shipwreck in “Surviving Savannah”

In her latest historical novel, “Surviving Savannah,” (Berkley), New York Times bestselling author, Patti Callahan, takes her readers on a riveting deep-sea treasure hunt of a sunken pre-Civil War steamship. The heartbreaking tale of the opulent steamship named the Pulaski and the myths about its survivors has intrigued Everly Winthrop, and her best friend, Moira, since they were kids growing up in Savannah. For the past year, though, Everly has been sleepwalking through life because of Moira’s death in a hit-and-run car accident. Believing she’s responsible for Moira’s death, she’s plagued by guilt, causing her to question “why not me?”


The full review can be found at https://booktrib.com/2021/03/10/a-historian-discovers-more-than-treasure-in-an-ancient-shipwreck-in-surviving-savannah/

Have you heard of the Pulaski,” the titanic of the south“. A steamship that sunk off the coast of North Carolina in 1838, carrying some of the wealthiest residents of Savanna at the time. I know I hadn’t heard of the Pulaski before this book. I love reading a story that introduces me to a piece of history I never knew about before. This is a dual timelime Story bouncing between 1838 and present. The present day story is about Everly. An archaeologists who has been hired to put together the museum exhibit of the Pulaski. The ship always had a special place in the heart of Everly‘s grandfather and in turn hers. The past story alternates between the perspectives of Lily and Augusta. Both ladies are members of the same wealthy Savanna family and are traveling on the Pulaski to spend the summer in New York. Lily is traveling with her husband, her baby, and her nursemaid. She feels trapped by marriage and social expectations. Augusta was traveling with her brother and his family, she is a doting aunt. Augusta is a great confidant to Lily and knows far too much about social expectations.

Both storylines quickly captured my attention. Everly had recently gone through a major tragedy and was still dealing with the aftermath of that. Working on this museum exhibit gave her something to look forward to, but it also made her confront her past. Lily and Augusta’s stories were much more tense. The author did an amazing job of vividly describing the survival scenes in this book. I felt like I was right there in the water with both Augusta and Lily trying to hang on with everything they got. Made me really think about the resilience of the human spirit and the desire to survive. The overall arching theme of the story really was surviving, and surviving the surviving. Focusing on what it is you do with your life after you have survived the surviving. The story also addressed issues such as race, gender, grief, wealth. There is also a mystery and some romance peppered into the book. Another wonderful story from this excellent author.

This book in emojis 🛳 🥂 🤿 🌊 🎟

*** Big thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

As someone who loves Savannah and grew up in Baltimore (the two cities the boat was traveling between), I felt it was destiny to want to learn more about what happened. This was such a beautifully written and extremely captivating story. There is a dual-timeline in this story flashing between the past and present, and I really wanted to spend more time in that past more than anything. The characters were extremely well developed in both story-lines, I can’t complain much! What an awesome read!

Anything that is remotely compared to the Titanic, I’m in! Surviving Savannah is a dual timeline account of the sinking of the steamship Pulaski and then recovering the wreck in present day. In the past, Lilly and Augusta are traveling with their family to the North for the summer. When the ship sinks its a fight for survival. In the present, Everly is struggling after her best friend is killed. She’s asked to put together an exhibit on the Pulaski and goes on a hunt to learn what happened to those on board.

What I liked: There was quite a bit of suspense, I wanted to know who lived and how Lily got away from Adam. You got a sense of how terrifying and perilous it would be to survive a shipwreck.

Everly’s story is interesting although a bit more predictable. I liked the focus was on her career and recovering from her friend’s death and not so much a love story.

What didn’t work for me: I really enjoyed this one so I’m going to pick a little. A problem I have with dual timelines is I usually like one storyline more. Both storylines are engaging but I did prefer the past and especially wanted more of Lilly.

I would have liked a bit more leading up to the sinking to get to know the characters. There’s a lot of characters related to Lilly and Augusta and I found it a little hard to keep up with who is who and how they were related.

Who should read it: historical history fans, shipwreck fans this sent me on a Wikipedia deep dive.

"How will we survive the surviving..." -Patti Callahan

In her newest historical masterpiece, Patti Callahan brings her readers to Savannah Georgia in 1838, where a family of 12 is preparing to board a steamship for a one night journey to Baltimore, but tragedy strikes when the boiler explodes.... and the steamship Pulaski is dubbed the Titanic of the South.

With a modern day timeline of a Savannah curator named Everly researching the wreckage for a museum exhibit, and told alternating from her point of view and those of two women on board the ship Callahan flawlessly explores the tragedy of that fateful night and the aftermaths that it had on not only the town of Savannah, but the lives of those who were lucky enough to survive and the descendants of those who perished.

Callahan weaves the tale to perfection and keeps you turning the page so too can learn who ultimately survived.

As richly detailed and immensely researched as the historical element is; I'll be honest, the modern timeline was even better. I truly loved Everly's perspective and seeing her own growth from the personal tragedy she was dealing with, and how the story of the surviving Pulaski patrons shaped her life.

Patti Callahan steps up her game with every book she publishes and historical fiction fans will not be disappointed by this great treasure she has written. Run, don't walk, to get your copy today!

"How do we survive the surviving? What happens to us after we live through tragedy both great and small? Is there such a thing as fate? Who do we become and why?” - Patti Callahan, author's note to Surviving Savannah

I've never quoted from an author's note in a book review, but these questions perfectly captured the spirit of this dual timeline novel centered on the historical sinking of the luxury steamship Pulaski. On the surface, the historic segments of the plot occur in 1838 on the days around the horrific sinking of the Pulaski, known as "the Titanic of the South." Although records vary, 187 to 192 passengers and crew were aboard the ship on its fourth voyage and 128 to 133 perished, many of whom were members of Savannah's elite society. I had an instant connection with this novel since the ship was named after Casimir Pulaski, a noble Polishman and military commander; my Polish husband has taught me about Poland, its history, and its war heroes.

The contemporary storyline features a young museum curator who struggles to reconnect with daily life after a devastating loss. Her survivor guilt is strong and tempers her enthusiasm when she is asked to create an immersive exhibit of recently-discovered artifacts recovered from the Pulaski.

I was particularly compelled to read the historical segments featuring passengers Augustana and Lilly to learn what happened next, yet did so with apprehension because their circumstances were dire and the outcome unknown. Ms. Callahan described the scenes so vividly I could feel the bitterly cold water and their sun-blistered skin.

Below the historical facts and imagined actions, this novel can be read at a much deeper level. How do we go on after surviving a tragedy? Does the world expect survivors to lead fuller and better lives? Can the way we treat fellow survivors impact the balance of their lives and ours?

Despite the many hardships, the novel concludes with a spirit of hope in both storylines. I anticipated a rich, meaningful reading experience with this novel and was rewarded beyond my expectations. Thank you to Berkley for the gifted egalley; all thoughts are my own.