Broadly described, Maiden Voyages is a nonfiction account of women at sea and the careers/lives they built, mainly during the early 20th Century. The author uses short, well-researched segments of the book to describe the conditions the women faced, as well as the backstories of their lives. Sometimes, the stories intersect. I did find the back-and-forth confusing at times, though it did not stop me from continuing to read.

While thoughtfully researched and well-written, it was not a recent favorite. If you enjoy historical accounts of women's lives, you may want to check this out! Thank you NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advance e-reader copy of this book.

Maiden Voyages
Magnificent Ocean Liners and the Women Who Traveled and Worked Aboard Them
by Siân Evans
St. Martin's Press
Pub Date 10 Aug 2021

#MaidenVoyages


A compelling and entertaining, Maiden Voyages captures everything of the golden age of ocean liners. The book weaves through the stories of those women whose transatlantic journeys helped shaped the world.

Siân Evans gives the reader a meticulously researched book through archives and personal records and correspondence of the woman employees for the Cunard and White Star lines. An insightful look at the transatlantic crossings in the golden age of ocean liner travel. An exceptional tale of those people that undertook these crossings from all walks of class. From the many historical well known celebrities to those who are the struggling immigrants, the authors writing gives you a glimpse of these individuals time aboard these monumental ocean liners transatlantic crossings.

A wonderful book for historical fiction lovers everywhere.

A decent nonfiction book to dip in and out of. A leisurely read for fans of history and women's opportunities in the workforce. Not engrossing, but it's a nice casual read if you want something light but not like, trashy romance or whatever.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

History bluffs will love this book. Interesting stories of how women crossed the Atlantic Ocean, some for the glamour, some for a new life, others for work. Stories are of the rich and famous and others trying to find freedom by coming to America. Seemed to me a little dry, stories ran from one to another. I felt like I was back at school. Really wasn’t my normal read, but wanted to read it since that was how my mother came to the USA.

During the early twentieth century, transatlantic travel was the province of the great ocean liners. It was an extraordinary undertaking made by many women, whose lives were changed forever by their journeys between the Old World and the New. Some traveled for leisure, some for work; others to reinvent themselves or find new opportunities. They were celebrities, migrants and millionaires, refugees, aristocrats and crew members whose stories have mostly remained untold—until now.

Maiden Voyages is a fascinating portrait of these women as they crossed the Atlantic. The ocean liner was a microcosm of contemporary society, divided by class: from the luxury of the upper deck, playground for the rich and famous, to the cramped conditions of steerage or third class travel. In first class you’ll meet A-listers like Marlene Dietrich, Wallis Simpson, and Josephine Baker; the second class carried a new generation of professional and independent women, like pioneering interior designer Sibyl Colefax. Down in steerage, you’ll follow the journey of émigré Maria Riffelmacher as she escapes poverty in Europe. Bustling between decks is a crew of female workers, including Violet “The Unsinkable Stewardess” Jessop, who survived the Titanic disaster.

Women and the Golden Age of Transatlantic Travel

This interesting book chronicles the transatlantic ocean travel in the first half of the 20th century and focuses mainly on the female passengers and crew members who traveled or worked aboard ocean Liners: Edith Sowebutts and Violet Jessop just to name two. Most of us will remember the famous liners such as the Titanic, the Queen Mary and the Britannic, but the book doesn’t stop with these three. On board often seen where the rich and famous who travelled in first class, Marlene Dietrich, the Prince of Wales, Mrs. Simpson and many others often boarded these luxurious ships to travel back and forth from Europe to the Americas. In the earlier years, those famous liners gave widows the needed jobs in order for them to care for their family, thousands of emigrants escaped poverty in 1930 for a better life in Canada and the USA. After the war, war brides wanted to join their husband were also passengers......etc..... Most of all, this true account is of women who pierced the gender barriers and worked as “conductress, stewardess or nurse” and made a career that lasted decades, in fact, opening the doors for future generation.

Reading “Maiden Voyage” added pieces to the puzzle of all the books I read of this era. Fifty years a period from the end of the Edwardian era, WW1, the interwar years, WW11 and its aftermath. The author gives us a huge range of information vividly said with colour and drama. I love the story of the “Unsinkable” Violet Jessop who survived the sinking of the Titanic, what an amazing woman.

I admit the first few chapters left me indifferent but I soon changed my mind as it moved along the story became such an interesting account I couldn’t put it aside and continuously gave my husband a wrap up of what I had read (I rarely do this). Although, I would have preferred the author to have stayed on track with the lives of the women who staffed the ocean liners instead of covering panoply of subjects, I think it would have made an easier read. Nevertheless I enjoyed passing time with “Maiden Voyages”: a well-research account and one skillfully written. Well said, well-done.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Maiden voyages
this was not my favorite read, I appreciated the intro but would have preferred to get right to the story.. it was interesting to read about women on ships and how they were viewed and the different classes, I would have preferred more of a story than a non fiction in hindsight

"Maiden Voyages" by Sian Evans is a great book! I learned so much! This nonfiction account of various women who worked or travelled on the great ocean liners of the past is both entertaining and interesting. I absolutely loved the stories of these strong and independent women, all of whom would make great role models for girls today. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all history lovers, especially those who enjoy learning about how women have help shaped the world we live in.

Interesting non fiction read. You will learn a lot of information and history of ships and voyages.
I was invited to read this galley in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars as I found this truly fascinating and I love learning while I read!

Maiden Voyages by Sian Evans was an interesting and well-researched look at the history of women in the world of large ships—both those who worked on them and those whose lives were changed because of them.
This book has a really nice mix of informative history: from the protocol and culture of working on a ship, to celebrity glamor, to those who were crossing the Atlantic in times of war.
I enjoyed reading how the oceangoing experience changed over time, and the broad range of experiences among the different classes of passengers and the reasons for their travel.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In this social history, Sian Evans describes women on the sea from the 19th century until the 1970s, when air travel made sea travel something largely reserved for cruises. Her chief focus is travel between England and the US. She provides many details of the ships themselves, particularly those of the Cunard line, but her eye is always on the women.

As women became ship passengers, it was necessary to hire women to provide services to those passengers. Many stewardesses were widows of liner employees, providing much-needed funds to support their families. Some of these women survived multiple ship sinkings, returning to service out of necessity or because the sea had become irresistible.

My favorite parts of the book were the 1920s, when ship travel became glamorous, and during World War II, when liners were converted to war use. There were so many stories about World War II, from refugees traveling, including the soon-to-be movie star Hedy Lamarr, to war correspondents like Martha Gellhorn, to war brides. One particular riveting story is that of Victoria Drummond, one of the first ship’s engineers, during a lengthy attack by Germans on her British vessel. She sent the rest of the crew topside, where they were more likely to survive if the ship was sunk, while she stayed below, doing everything possible to get more speed out of the ship so that the captain could evade being sunk.

This is an entertaining look at a phenomenon that lasted only about a century, but is filled with adventure.

An interesting history of women working on ocean liners and tidbits of women passengers. The time period is focused on 1900 to post WWII, 1950s. Interesting tidbits on women passengers such as Lady Astor, Gloria Vanderbilt, hedy Lamar, Martha Gellhorn; and celebrities such as Prince Edward, Charlie Chaplin, Bob Hope, Cary Grant, Jimmie Stewart., Douglas Fairbanks Jr. an enlightening read.

The book starts out with the history of male dominated crew and ships changing over time, and the shift to female crews I think the focus was a bit heavy on the history of ships and could have been reduced to focus more on the evolution of the crew makeup.

This work of nonfiction tells the tale of women through the golden era of ocean liners crossing the Atlantic. Yes, we hear about the Titanic and her sister ships, but we also encounter many other vessels. The ships are the background for women coming into their own in an age dominated by men. Many are working due to war, and still others work the ocean liners to car for family back home under various circumstances. It’s a glimpse into life from long ago, and is an easy read. My one complaint is that some of the descriptions are far too detailed and unnecessary for the purpose of the book. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance read.

This was kinda a who’s who on the big cruise ships. It seems to be a well researched book. It was full of interesting facts. I think anyone who is a big fan of ships and those who cruise on it will enjoy this book.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

The ‘maidens’ of this title include both passengers and those employed on ships from the 1800s thru the hey day up until the 1950s. The details amaze and inspire. You meet many inspiring women in its pages, from the stewardess who survived the sinking of 3 ships on which she sailed to the woman engineer who was failed 31 times on her engineering test by British authorities due to her gender only to pass the first time she took the test in Portugal’s anonymous grading system. The latter undertook alone to engineer a ship under sustained attack. after sending the men to a safety she did not share. The description of the designs for each class of passenger and of the foibles of the rich and famous, the travails of the more modest sailors are all addressed. The book inspires and horrifies in equal measure. A moving exploration of a little known era in sailing. This should be on the shelf of everyone interested in the unsung women of history.

I actually forgot I requested this book and also took out the audiobook so my review is based on that instead of the print version. That said I enjoyed the whole entire book, listened to in sections here and there, and actually preordered it for my grandma. Overall, I'm so glad I came across this.

Interesting book about the lives of women those that traveled and those that worked on the cruise liners during the early 20th century. You are brought into the lives of the well to do on the upper deck and the migrants down in steerage escaping poverty of Europe. The book is filled with well researched facts. At times, I felt it was a bit dry. If you are a history buff and enjoy stories about transatlantic travels, you will enjoy this book.

Thank you @NetGalley, @St.Martin’sPress and @SianEvans for the advance audiobook for my honest review on “Maiden Voyages”.

I probably would have given this four stars, or at least three and a half, if I would not have had to read about the journey of the mother of the worst president in the history of the United States.

Aside from that drivel, this was a book packed with tons of interesting anecdotes and gossip and I feel the author did a fantastic job portraying life at sea for these women and how their work evolved over time.

I enjoy this period of travel. I love that the author focuses specifically on women and how they made a living on the massive liners that once ran regularly between the US and Europe.

I appreciate that she focused on a a wide variety of women, from all walks of life. We read of celebrities, artists, and the wealthy travelling for pleasure, migrants and refugees seeking safety and a new life, as well as the women who worked for the great shipping companies, sending their wages back home to help care for parents and siblings.

I found women on the crew to be of the most interest to me. I admire these women who worked these long, hard hours at sea to provide for their families. Violet Jessop is mentioned here and I absolutely recommend her autobiography, which I wrote about HERE. Not only did Violet survive the sinking of Titanic, but not long after she survived the sinking of the Britannic (Titanic's sister ship) as well. Her book is a wonderful look into her life, in which the famous and not-so-famous shipwrecks play but a small part. She had even been aboard the Olympic in 1911 when it collided with the HMS Hawke.

There were times when the narrative was very slow and felt like a slog. This could be a personal thing, as we learn plenty about those who travelled by liner because they had the money to do so, sailing back and forth between the Old World and the New. Still, it did take me a bit to finish this one and some passages and stories were not nearly as interesting as others.

There were times when the book became a bit repetitive as well, especially when stories were similar. Not always, but enough to be noticeable.

I never really thought about until this book, just how critical this work was for women who sought independence and a way to support themselves. To say that it changed countless lives would not be an overstatement. Slowly but surely, as women began travelling more, the need for stewardesses arose to help tend to them aboard the ships. That role of stewardess even evolved over time as some women were able to become conductresses and coordinate activities for the passengers. And then as two world wars came, women were able to stay aboard as nurses and continue to make a life for themselves.

Overall I appreciate the author's work and the research that went into the book. She's given a voice to many women who otherwise might remain unknown to us today.

What a long overdue subject! I was absolutely engaged by the stories of the females who crossed the oceans after WWI and engaged in WWII as steamship matrons, passengers or nurses, to name a few. Unfortunately I found the book rather lengthy, but still enjoyed what I was reading. An astute editor will bring it all together, of that I have no doubt. Kudos to the author!