This is a novel of two woman's lives during two wars. It makes for wonderful reading for one who is so captivted by historical stories. And this one hit the spot for me. A life of a young woman, Violet Jessop, who is truly "unsinkable". Her first cruise being "Titanic", as a stewardess. She will board other ships as a nurse and stewardess. Her life is taking care of her family, a mother, sister and brothers. When her mother becomes unable to work, she becomes the breadwinner. She is just so remarkable in wanting to be on the sea.

The other young woman is Daphne Chaundanson, who lost her mother in her infant years. She loves to learn, so education became important to her. So many languages she learned in her years of schooling. Her father was a busy man and did not have time for her. During World War II she become an agent to help the people of France. She goes through many dangers in this time of her life. She too is an "unsinkable" woman.

For me this book was so hard to put down. A true story based on actual events. Jenni L. Walsh, you did amazing research for this novel of truth and history. I am so looking for to reading other books you have written.

I absolutely loved Violet’s story. Violet is Miss Unsinkable. She worked as a stewardess and a wartime nurse and survived two sinking, including the famous Titanic sinking. All Violet wants to do is survive and refused to return to the sea. Daphne is recruited into the SOE during WWII, trying to conquer her fear and prove herself to her absent father.

I was hesitant when I saw it was a dual timeline but Jenni does a great job of weaving these two stories together. This was a great dual timeline story alternating between Violet and Daphne’s stories. I really enjoyed both POVs and was pleasantly surprised that Violet was a real person who did indeed survive the Titanic.

3.5 stars. Before reading this book, I wasn't aware it was inspired by a real person. The fact that it involved the Titanic disaster was enough to reel me in. It's actually about two different women with dual timelines who have common threads. I would recommend this one to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. My thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Two women, two world wars, two time periods, can these stories be linked somehow? That's what Walsh shares with us as we meet two strong and vulnerable women who both spend a decent amount of time on big ships designed to not sink!

Violet Jessop made a promise to her late father to care for her ailing mother and younger sister. Accordingly, she makes sacrifices for her own life including not falling in love so she can honour that promise. Violet is a stewardess on the Titanic. She survives and we follow her on future voyages through WWI and beyond.

Daphe Chaundanson joins the SOE in WWII to do her bit for the war effort. She's kinda estranged from her famous actor/director father, Charles Labine, and never met her mother, who perished on the Titanic. Daphe adopts various pseudonyms to fulfil her war duty as she and her small team are thrown into some perilous situations providing means for injured pilots to be transported back to London for recovery and re-assignment.

Both stories are fascinating. Both ladies meet men, Leo and Evan respectively, who become very dear to them. But for differing reasons, both are challenged to contemplate a future with them. I thoroughly enjoyed how Walsh explored singleness and the choices we make and those that are made for us that impact our relationship status.

The alternating timelines work well. At times, both characters morphed into the other and I had to correct myself as to which I was currently reading but that was rare. The final chapter was a little Hollywood for me which I actually don't think the story needed but I'm certain it will satisfy many readers.

Overall, this is a beautiful story and I'm finding Walsh to be a new author that I'm readily drawn to read.

I feel very fortunate to have received an early ebook copy of the story from Harper Muse via Net Galley but this has had no bearing on my review.

Being a fan of all things Titanic, I was drawn to the cover of this book, Unsinkable, by Jenni Walsh. This historical fiction book has so much more than the Titanic story. WWI and WWII are also main themes . There are two strong independent women, Violet and Daphne, who are the main characters. Their individual stories are told in alternating chapters, in two time lines, being a generation apart.
The story is packed with suspense and is well researched. Each chapter seemed to end in a cliffhanger and that just made be want to continue on reading. These women are not related but their connection becomes apparent later on in the book. The title Unsinkable is not just about the Titanic. It is really a metaphor for the book’s content and characters.

Can you imagine surviving the sinking of one ship, then another ship you are on sinks and you survive that too!? Well that’s what happens to Miss Unsinkable. The book is told through alternating perspectives about two wars. This was a really good historical fiction, and I’m glad I was able to read it!

This was a fascinating dual timeline story for me. I enjoyed learning that Violet's story was based on her real life! To think that she survived THREE ship sinkings is amazing! She felt called to be "on the water" and felt the most comfortable on a ship still amazes me. She loved being a stewardess, taking care of other people's needs. Of course, being on the Titanic sinking would have done it for me but she just kept going back on ships and still was part of 2 more sinkings after that! She was responsible to taking care of her family and that was the only way she knew how - sending her earnings to them. She even gave up love for that. The other part of the timeline was Daphne who lived during WWII and became part of the Special Operation Executives (kind of like secret agents) in Europe. She always wanted to approval of her absentee father so she thought this would make him proud of her. Wow! This was one way to do it! I could never have done this. It was fraught with danger and she had a lot of scary experiences as she lives in France among the Germans with other agents trying to secure passage for downed pilots in getting them out of the country. Many times it was touch and go but she learns a lot about herself.
The only negative for me was it was hard to follow at times as it jumped around and I had a hard time going back and forth. The characters were great but the constant back and forth got to me sometimes. I did enjoy the unexpected way the two characters were connected. I didn't see that coming!

I absolutely loved this novel! It really captivated me. I just could not stop reading it. Two fantastic story threads of two unsinkable women who faced life-changing events. Anything that includes the Titanic is always of great interest for me. And this book took me on a very different journey from others. It was a very pleasant surprise! The cover first caught my attention and then the first page pulled me in. This is a remarkable novel I will never forget.

Dual timelines are my favourite way to read a story and this was handled brilliantly
Will be interested in picking up some more titles in the future from this author

Would recommend

4 stars

Unsinkable is a fascinating interweaving of the lives of two strong, courageous women. Violet, a ship's stewardess, survives the sinking of first the Olympic, then the Titanic. Again and again she's drawn to the sea despite these experiences, consistently sacrificing her dreams to care for her mother and siblings.
Daphne has grown up in boarding schools since her mother died, generally ignored by her famous father. When she's recruited by a Special Operations Agent to be a spy in France during WWII, she thinks she's finally doing something that may win his approval.
The switching between two timelines is relatively seamless once the pattern is established, and while each storyline could stand on its own, they enrich each other. And, bit by bit, the two women's lives are revealed to me more linked than they first appear.
While it took me a bit to really get into the story, once it grabbed me I couldn't put it down. Highly recommend.

Violet Jessop survives not only the sinking of the Titanic but also the Olympic through her job as stewardess on these luxury ships. Her unknowing attachment to Daphne Chaundanson and her work with the French Resistance during WWII makes this an interesting well written book. Recommended reading.

I have been obsessed with the history of the Titanic since I was a child, so I knew I would love Unsinkable. This book is the story of two strong women during times of war. I was vaguely familiar with Violet's story, but the way the author interwove it with fictional characters was very interesting. If you are a lover of historical fiction or the Titanic, then this book is for you.

** “I’d felt like I’d been cheating death and testing fate ever since I was a young girl. Sometimes I feel as if I’m living on borrowed time. Or maybe it’s an ongoing, never-ending mentality of simply surviving. Whatever the case, all there’s left to do is continue on, one foot in front of the other, only ever looking toward that next footfall.” **

Jenni L. Walsh delivers a delightful dual-time story about two incredible infallible women with a keen ability to survive in “Unsinkable.”

Violet Jessop cares for her family by serving as a cabin stewardess aboard cruise ships. After surviving the Olympic’s near-sinking, she finds herself on the Titanic’s maiden voyage. Barely escaping on a lifeboat with an unknown baby in her arms, she goes on to work as a Red Cross nurse before returning to a life on the sea. Surviving two world wars and yet another ship sinking, she truly is an inspiration and unsinkable.

In 1942, Daphne Chaudanson finds herself recruited into the Special Operation Executive agency to aid in Britain’s and France’s war efforts. Secretly the daughter of a famous actor who lost her mother when she was a baby, she finds the skills she’s worked hard to achieve on her own, including the ability to fluently speak a number of languages, aids her in helping to defeat the Germans.

As both women work to stay true to themselves, possibly find love and be an inspiration to others, will their stories strangely become linked?

Walsh does an incredible job of taking the stories of Violet, who actually existed, and Daphne, who was based on a number of real women who helped with the war efforts, and creating a story filled with inspiration, hope and incredible moments. She also fills the story with some great themes, like familial obligation; dealing with duty and responsibility; the concept that we all need to be somebody; having hope or the lack thereof; and finding one’s purpose and identity (“What’s a person to do when faced with great uncertainty and fear? Remember the reason for being.”)

Fans of historical fiction, inspirational stories about strong, brave women and dual-timeline stories will enjoy “Unsinkable.”

Five stars out of five.

Harper Muse provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this book! The two women in the different timelines were so interesting and I loved how the stories connected. If you like historical fiction with strong female characters this book is for you! I can’t wait to read more from this author. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

A fascinating dual-timeline historical tale, "Unsinkable" vividly depicts the struggles of two women who strive for success in the face of overwhelming adversity.

While we wonder more and more what each tale has to do with the others, Jenni Walsh deftly advances them all. One story is more interesting than the other, which is a concern associated with dual-timeline novels. In this instance, I wished there had been a whole book about Violet—a stand-up comedian whose difficulties were typical of working-class women in the early 1900s. Daphne doesn't add much to the canon of female spies in France during World War II, and her story reads more like fiction.

I assumed that Unsinkable was just about Violet Jessup and her surviving, but it was so much more. Violet, a stewardess on the Titanic, later a nurse during WWI and Daphne, an SOE agent during WWII. This is a great book for those wanting to learn more about the Titanic and White Star Cruise Line and the SOE during WWII.
I am not a huge fan of dual timeline stories, but I did enjoy this book and didn’t want to put it down.

Unsinkable is a captivating story about a real-life survivor of the Titanic disaster and the mostly fictional story of the very real baby she carried off the ship. Two timelines, one following WW1 after the sinking and one during the german occupation of France during WW2, both women overcome obstacle after obstacle to stay alive. Right up there with "Sisters of Night and Fog", it's a true story of feminine heroism that oft goes overlooked by history.

Violet and Daphne were the perfect embodiment of what it means to be a Survivor with a capital s.

Violet's story showcases the integrity, determination, and courage that one young woman posses as she faces life first as daughter to a poverty-striken family, then as a maid on Titanic, and also as a nurse while onboard Titanic's sister ship The Britainic during WWI. The dual storyline brought me further under this book's power when Daphne's story moved me to the 1940s as she trained to be one of the many women who silently and often anonymously helped fight in WWII. This book brought the lives not of these women to the page while highlighting how the Twentieth Century allowed them to find the place in the world. Beautifully written, this book will enable you to stand alongside these women and wonder...could I have survived this moment as well.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for the ARC that I read.

The story of the Titanic has been told time and time again. And there's not much left to tell, especially after the movie has come out two decades ago. Yet the author has found a way to find a new hook for the story. It involves a survivor who is handed a baby as she climbs into the lifeboat. And then the baby is snatched from her arms as she is on the Carpathia.

The tale follows the story of Violet who travels the world working in cruise ships. Unfortunately Violet has the distinction of serving on three of the most famous ship sinkings,the Titanic and her two sister ships, all on their maiden voyages. Plucky and strong, Violet sails the seas to help keep her family afloat financially. Along the way she almost loses her life to a watery grave. But she is lucky compared to some of her dear friends on the crew who drown She also loses her heart as she chooses her career over romance. But the strangest incident occurs when she is handed a baby while in the Titanic lifeboat. Violet has no clue who the mother is or where she is. All she knows is she is given charge to save this infant's life. But upon the Carpathia, the baby is taken from her arms and she is left with no knowledge of what happens to her.

The other storyline follows the adventures of Daphne, a well versed gal who is picked to serve the SOE in France as an agent in WWII. Her storyline revolves around the training to be an agent, which was actually fairly interesting, and her time in France. The author did do a good job tying the French Resistance stories to actual events and agents. It was easy to recognize some of the infamous spies such as Virginia Hall.

The problem with the book is the two stories are so different and distinct, They really have no tie together till the slapdash link in the last few pages. This trend of telling separate stories in one book to link the past with the present has become almost cliche in women's historical fiction. It's actually one of my pet peeves. Just tell one story and tell it well. Quit bouncing back and forth. The stories of Violet and Daphne have no commonality. While I enjoyed their exploits, I felt I was reading two different books bound together.

Jenni Walsh writes an easy to read novel that is a good beach read or a hammock read. It moves quickly and the two women protagonists are very likable and tough ladies who overcome unspeakable odds. Walsh's historical research shows in her details. No glaring historical faux pas. She writes well and the reader moves fast through the book. Not my favorite read about the French Resistance and the sinking of the Titanic but others might like it more than me.

Let’s get this out of the way right now. What an AMAZINGLY beautiful cover this book has. OMG… Walsh has done it again with this one, and it is going immediately onto my “best covers of 2024” list. Obviously, the biggest question is, does it reflect what’s on the inside? Well, you’ll just have to read on to find out! (Ha! Gotcha!)

To start out with, if I recall correctly, this is the first time I’ve seen Walsh using two totally distinct timelines, with two seemingly separate main protagonists. Yes, there is a connection between these two women, but for the most part, these women’s stories are very separate and different. Violet’s story begins with the sinking of the Titanic and her survival; Daphne’s story starts with her becoming involved in the resistance movement during WWII. The truth is, from the author’s notes, we find out that Violet was a real woman, who survived the sinking of three ships. We also find out that Daphne is based on a whole bunch of women who worked for the SOE during WWII, and made into a composite character. With this you might think that these two stories could easily have been two novellas and not one novel, and that crossed my mind several times while reading this book. But in the end, Walsh takes one small fact from Violet’s memoire, and uses that to bring the fictional and the reality together.

Again, for those who dislike dual timelines, I have to say that I appreciated this twist that Walsh used, which allowed her to tell two separate stories. Admittedly, as I was reading, I did take to Violet just a touch more than I did to Daphne. I’m guessing that’s because Violet was a real person, and having her actual memoir to use in building her character made her come alive to me just a bit more. Plus, the stories about SOE women working to defeat the Nazis abound, but there was only one Violet Jessop, aka Miss Unsinkable! At the same time, I must say that Walsh did a wonderful job of piecing together all those SOE female heroes and turning them into her one Daphne.

So, to answer the question in my opening paragraph here, yes, the inside is as beautiful as the cover, absolutely. Okay, there was one tiny niggle for me, that being the ending, which tied things up just a touch too conveniently for my taste. Even so, it did choke me up (damn, I am a romantic after all), and bring a tear to my eye. Because of this, I have no choice but to very warmly recommend this novel. What a wonderful way to start 2024 than with a book to which I can’t give any less than a full five out of five stars!

Received this book to my kindle from netgalley in exchange for a honest review. This was a great historical novel read that takes place on the Titanic. It had a great story and the writing style was great. Highly recommend if you love history.