This book came to my attention directly from the publisher - and I'm glad to have read it! The bulk of the book takes place between the World Wars - though it covers a bit before and after, focusing on the roles of women on board large ocean liners. Evans focuses on a few specific women - like Violet Jessop - a woman who survived the sinking of two ships (including the Titanic) and one ship collision, earning her the nickname of being "unsinkable" - and others like Edith Sowerbutts who worked as a conductress to assist women and children emigrating. The romance, decor and place in the minds of society that these large ships held also unfolds along with the change of women going from being considered "unlucky" on board, to then taking on the nurturing roles all the way to becoming certified to man the life boats.

The author's own grandfather captained one of the ships featured so the author's own passion for the subject is obvious. Some ships included are common household names - like the Titanic, the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth. Evans provides windows into a variety of roles and positions open to women - from shipboard entertainment, as passengers, swimming instructors, nurses, stewardess and the first female engineer. The vignettes included are fascinating - and well as including the overall rise and decline of the massive ships, it features a specific segment of women's history. It reads smoothly - although the concluding summaries at the ends of each chapter and the conclusion of the book itself does read a bit redundantly. But, it makes for a fun summer read and a chance to learn a bit more. I imagine that this would be a great resource for any author looking to set a book on board one of these ships any time from the 1910s through the 1960s. I am happy to have read this one and I think it would also make a good choice for any book clubs looking to highlight more of women's history!

Maiden Voyages by Sian Evans is a compilation of biographies of women who crossed the ocean in an ocean liner in the 1900s. Some were short, some were long. Many contained stories of the voyage, a world that no longer exists and was beyond interesting. All strata of society were included from the uber-rich to the employees who took care of the guests. Vignettes like this are excellent because most are not worth of a book of its own and yet are an important part of history. It was well-researched and well-told and a non-fiction lover would be enthralled. The stories were told in an engaging way and it was an interesting book to read. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Maiden Voyages by St. Martin's Press through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. Netgalley #stmartinspress #maidenvoyages

A competent account of the Golden Age of ocean liners and the women who worked and traveled on them.

This is a satisfactorily researched account of the subject, though I was expecting at least some new information and more sophisticated writing.

If you don’t read much nonfiction or aren’t at all familiar with the subject, this book will probably be more appealing to you than it was for me. Evans has correctly and competently researched and organized the information, but there’s nothing close to original research here. If you read up on this subject (even historical fiction that focuses on it), you’ve heard most of this before.

The highlight for those already aware of the subject becomes the anecdotal stories, which help liven up the book and at least provided a handful of new-to-me content.

The writing is also competent but fairly unsophisticated and while it flows well in parts the way narrative nonfiction should (mostly during the anecdotal portions of the text), it’s clunky and oversimplified in others.

This is a decent overview if you’re completely new to the time period and topic, but this is too simplistically written and thin on unique content for your typical Historical Nonfiction reader.

I've never been on a cruise ship, or as they were called in the early part of the twentieth century, an ocean liner. But some of my earliest memories of television was watching Love Boat on Saturday nights, as a kid. Being on a passenger ship has always been shown as glamorous and exciting. What I didn't know was that this has been the public image for over a century. And while seeing Julie the cruise director on the Love Boat didn't seem out of place in the 1970's, just sixty years earlier women on ships were few and far between. That is what make Maiden Voyages, by Siân Evans, so interesting. This non-fiction book tells the history of women aboard ocean liners from just before WWI, to just after WWII. I found the writer's style to be very entertaining while also sharing the important history behind the many contributions of British women in the maritime industry.

Before the age of the cruise ships we know today, such as Royal Caribbean, and Carnival Cruise Lines, there were the Cunard and White Star Ocean liners out of Britian, and the French Line, which ran ships such as the SS Normandie, on trips from Europe to the United States. And while these ships were ultra luxurious and glamorous with passengers that included movie stars, politicians, and royalty, they also were the only way for people to emigrate from Europe to America. This book covers every type of traveller, from the rich and famous, to Jews escaping Nazi Germany. Who took care of these people? Women, of course.

Women start out at the turn of the twentieth century in more traditional nurturing roles on ships. They were chaperones , cleaners, and nurses, mostly interacting with female passengers. But over the years opportunities opened up in a variety of occupations at sea, particularly during wartime, when men were fighting. I found this very encouraging. Yet, as with others at the same moments in history, women were the first to lose their jobs in economic downturns, or after the end of a war. These women were smart, brave, and open to leading adventurous lives. I really admired them.

In this historic nonfiction, Siân Evans highlights the role of women on the transatlantic ships, particularly in the years between the wars. Evans chooses a few specific figures to represent the various job that made travel by ship possible for women.

By the 1910s, airplanes were barely in use and certainly couldn't make it across the ocean. Ocean liners were the best way to go, both for the well-heeled and the working class. The next two decades would mark a golden age for shipboard travel.

After WWI, more women were able to enter the workforce and this coincided with the increase of transatlantic travel. Many took positions as stewardesses, working long hours as a sort of maid, assistant, dresser, nurse and food deliverer. The best became invaluable companions, requested by guests on subsequent trips. It was hard work, but offered a solid salary and some freedom of adventure.

Read my full review at: https://www.mwgerard.com/review-maiden-voyages/

This book was promoted as being an "engaging and anticdotal" history of woment who traveled or worked on the Ocean Liners so popular during the early 1900s.
There were certainly spots of that, and they were wonderful. I enjoyed reading the vignettes of both the wealthy and the working class. But this was not the majority of the book. So much of the book was history and tangent and nothing to do with ships, travel, or woment at work or play. That was disappointing.
Also, there were many redundancies in the text as well as some organizational issues.

I appreciate the review copy from NetGalley and the publisher. Clearly, my review is my own thoughts. I just wish the book would have more stories and life aboard the liners and less of all the other stuff.

This is not a book I would have chosen on my own but was offered the opportunity to read it from the publisher St. Martin’s press and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is filled with interesting stories about women who went to sea at a time when it was not an acceptable thing to do, but they needed to support their children and found their way on ships. There is so much to learn from this book about these women’s roles in making the trans Atlantic crossing easier for women and children, even those in 3rd class as well as how the war impacted their ability to do their jobs. I highly recommend this book! I appreciate the opportunity from St. Martin’s press and NetGalley to read the ARC.

I find that I rarely read fiction these days, But I was excited to read Maiden Voyages, based on-premises. alone. I honestly learned so much. I had no idea the roles women played on ships, it was fascinating. Especially the little tidbit about Hedy Lamarr!!! It really is amazing the strength of these women! It also has me wanting to go on a cruise, so that's a win for the industry. Overall it was an enjoyable, informative read.

This book chronicles the lives of women who worked on British cruise ships in the early days of this industry. If you like social history, this is a highly readable piece of academic research. Several individual women are highlighted, including a select few "stewardesses" who survived the sinking of the Titanic and other famous disasters. The book also included several horrific disasters I had not heard of before, and it was heartbreaking to read these stories.

The book covers the early twentieth century up through the post-WWII era, showing the rise and eventual acceptance of women working on cruise liners.

First of all, thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book and this is my honest review. This was a very well researched and well written book about women and their various stories aboard ocean liners. This is not a quick book to read but it is full of useful information covering several decades in the 20th century. This is a great look at a portion of history and well worth the read.

A non fiction account of the board and ocean liners that sailed across the ocean. This was a enjoyable experience to read how they started and where the journey took them. This story also told us about the women who traveled on them as well as the ones who eventually worked on them. I enjoyed the authors writing and look forward to reading books this author. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC copy.

I have always been fascinated by all things nautical. I saw the movie Titanic 6 times in theaters… I honestly lost count of how many times I have watched since. I love shows like Below Deck, showing the over the top lifestyle of passengers while the crew are sleeping on top of each other down below.

So it should be of no surprise that I loved Maiden Voyages by Siân Evans. I am always trying to add more nonfiction into my reading, and this quick read, looking at women and their role on cruise liners in the early 20th century was fascinating.

I sped through Maiden Voyages. I was intrigued to read about the sinking of the Titanic and the Lusitania from the perspectives of the female stewardesses who survived. One highlighted stewardess, Violet Jessop, survived THREE different boats sinking!

While it was fascinating to read about their lives onboard- what I enjoyed most was their personal lives. How they came to be working on boats. Several female passengers are also highlighted but what can I say- I am more of a below deck kind of gal! This would be a great read for someone who wants to start reading more nonfiction as it reads more like fiction!

Maiden Voyages
Magnificent Ocean Liners and the Women Who Traveled
and Worked Aboard Them
author: Siân Evans
St. Martin's Press

In Maiden Voyages, readers will be transported to the Golden Age, between the two world wars, of travel for women aboard ocean liners. Evans' historical non-fiction book exquisitely details the journeys of women through telling of their individual maritime lives in narrative form. The women are as diverse as their stories, with a wide range of social class, heritage, jobs, and purposes of their travels during post war migration between Europe and North America.
Lovers of history and those who like stories about women's heritage throughout time will find this book intensely intriguing and educational, as well as entertaining. I loved reading about the jobs women had such seamstress, sailmaker, cook, stewardess, nurse, chaperone, and so much more. This book presents pieces of history that readers may be familiar with, but Evans adds the polish with these stories of the Maiden Voyages.
Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the advance reader's copy and opportunity to provide my unbiased review.
#NetGalley #MaidenVoyages

I loved reading about the history of ship travel and seeing how it evolved from it's heyday to it's competition with the airlines in later years. All through this history, we learn about the women who were so important to making these trips run smoothly but also the women who came aboard to make their way in the world. This book is peppered with stories of brave women but also a wonderful look into the history of the industry we know today as the cruise ship. A very enjoyable, informative read.

"They had a sense of their own agency, and had proved to themselves that they could earn an independent living...that they could be citizens of the world...And in order to do that, they had to go to sea."

The time from WWI and WWII proved to be transformative for women in the work force and Maiden Voyages by Sian Evans takes us through the surprising changes that had world wide and royal ramifications.

This extremely well researched history book not only details how women became necessary on ocean liners whether as maids, companions for unaccompanied women and children and eventually some radio operators but how those traveling from Europe to America and America to Europe changed our current world.

I also listened to the audiobook narrated by Jilly Bond who with her British accent lends substance to some great gossip about famous travellers like Hedy Lamar and Josephine Baker.

My favorite story was about how Gloria Vanderbilt's twin sister was the mistress of King Edward but had a shipboard romance that ended their affair and led to him falling for Wallis Simpson and abdicating the English throne. There are also fascinating stories about the Titanic, Lusitania and Queen Mary.

Women fought for these jobs often told no because the ship builders would not make a women's bathroom. They had to take tests twice as hard as the men to show there was no favoritism and then they were told no because it was thought they "might go to pieces in a crisis."

Though the parts on the building of the ships went over my head I will remember the sacrifice and bravery this author highlights of these revolutionary women.

I received a free copy of this book and audiobook from the publishers via #Netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Ocean Liners Presented Life Changing Opportunities for Women

Between the two world wars women were traveling alone some for pleasure, some for business and others to start a new life. Ocean liners with routes across the Atlantic from Europe to America and back, provided luxurious and also rather primitive accommodations for these women. Travel on land was somewhat restricted for women alone, so the ocean lines afforded a chance to be independent. Many women craved this, particularly those engaged in business.

In this anecdotal history we meet many women from socialites like Thelma Furness, long standing mistress to the Prince of Wales, to working women like the stewardesses and Virginia Drummond, a ship’s engineer during WWII. In third class there were many women looking to find a better life in America. This book concentrates on success stories, but many did not find what they were looking for.

The author also described in detail the liners, particularly the accommodations and salons. I found the descriptions fascinating. One liner, the Aquitania, was especially designed to appeal to women. The accommodations in third class were much more primitive with bunk beds and common facilities for bathing and personal hygiene.

The book is very well researched. With all the detail, the text could become heavy and boring. However, the author effectively uses anecdotes about the passengers not only to give a view of who was traveling, but to humanize the history.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

An interesting and informative account of the women who served on and were passengers on the ocean liners that dominated world travel of past. These accounts reflected the bravery, sacrifices and he inequities of the women who worked on these vessels endured. Also the distinction between the women who were passengers in the different traveling classes was represented well. An interesting, informative and well written non-fiction book.

An interesting historical read that takes you on the journey of these well known and some not so well known ocean liners. Throughout this book, Sian Evans introduces the reader to a group of women who helped in spearheading working for these transportation co.panies as a woman and contiuing to assist in finding roles as the course of history evolved. Sian Evans takes the reader through a vast amount of history and the reprecussions on the ocean liner industry. During some of the anecdotes, I felt the anxiety of those in the ship as they became parts of history, I also felt happiness as one of the woman achieved their goals.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Let me start out with saying I love reading about historical events but I have never had historical reads make me cry like this one did. Don’t get me wrong this was a very fascinating read and I enjoyed it immensely. This is a non-fiction book but it does not read like a non-fiction book normally does. I would recommend this book to anybody who loves reading about history. Great job Sian Evans!

The premise of this nonfiction book sounded promising, as the synopsis says it's a book about the Golden age of ocean liners told through the stories of women who traveled and worked on them. Let me be forthright, some of this book was a struggle for me to get through. There was a lot of drudgery about the different ships and how they were built and what they meant. I realize it was a component to the story, but these parts seemed to drag on for me. However, once we got into the stories of the women crossing the Atlantic, especially those who made careers out of working on these ships, I was invested. This showed me a side to history that isn't much talked about a lot and I really enjoyed that glimpse. You can tell this book is well-researched and it does span a good amount of time. Overall, this was an interesting read, especially if you are into learning about the history of ships and how women got their start working and traveling aboard these vessels. Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC of this book.