While the story of the Titanic has been told many times and in many ways, Sisters of Fortune is unique in that the main characters are inspired by actual people and fictionalized to tell an incredible story. Sisters Flora, Mabel and Alice are each searching for something in her life - though they don’t all realize this at the beginning. Each sister is well-developed throughout the story. Most of the story takes place on the ship prior to the collision with the iceberg and the descriptions of the ship and the interactions with various other characters was insightful and enjoyable. The nod to suffragettes was pointed but not preachy. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres…I truly enjoyed this book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Books, for my complimentary digital copy for review.

In Anna Lee Hubert's historical fiction, "The Sisters Fortune," readers are introduced to another set of unforgettable characters: Alice, Flora, and Mabel Fortune. These three sisters, all survivors of the Titanic tragedy, offer a fresh perspective on the often-told story.

The Fortune sisters' narrative is set against the backdrop of the early twentieth century, an era when the suffragist movement was gaining momentum, and societal expectations for women were predominantly domestic. Despite their affluent upbringing, Alice, Flora, and Mabel find themselves ensnared by societal constraints. Yet, they are imbued with a deep desire for autonomy and a clear vision of the lives they yearn for.

Hubert's novel explores the sisters' internal struggles and their quest for self-discovery, a journey that is cruelly interrupted by the catastrophic sinking of the Titanic. The author skillfully depicts the terror and chaos that ensued as passengers scrambled to escape the doomed vessel. Hubert's vivid portrayal captures the heart-wrenching moments of separation as women and children were prioritized for the limited lifeboats, leaving the men to face uncertain fates with stoic resignation.

The narrative plunges the reader into the midst of the disaster, eliciting a profound sense of empathy and sorrow, particularly in the knowledge of the impending doom. Yet, while the Titanic's demise serves as a poignant backdrop, the novel's core is firmly centered on the resilience and emergence of the Fortune sisters.

The Sisters Fortune is a poignant tribute to the strength and determination of young women during a pivotal time in history. Hubert's novel is not merely a recounting of a historical calamity but a testament to the enduring spirit of its survivors. It is a story of personal growth, societal boundaries, and the relentless pursuit of one's aspirations in the face of adversity.

Sisters of Fortune is based on three young women who boarded the RMS Titanic on the 10th of April 1912, with their mother, father and younger brother and being passengers on the doomed first voyage. Their father Mark Fortune decided to treat his wife Mary, daughters Alice, Flora, and Mabel and youngest son Charlie to a grand tour, visiting Italy, France, Greece, the Middle East and Egypt.

Alice is both worried and excited about the journey home, she had her palm read by a fortune teller in Cairo and he told her she faced danger every time she travelled by sea and waiting for her in Winnipeg, Canada is her fiancé Holden Allen and she’s confused about her feelings for him.

Flora is engaged to a banker Crawford Campbell, he didn't mind delaying their wedding and she’s only had one letter from him the whole time they have been away. Flora meets tennis player Chester Kingey, he’s handsome and charming and she develops feelings for him and how can she break off her engagement and what will her parents think?

Mabel has fallen in love with a jazz musician, her parents are horrified and her father organised the Grand Tour to get her away from him. Mabel doesn’t really want to settle down, she would like to be a suffragette and go to college and her father's against further education for women.

As we know the Titanic hits an iceberg on the 15th of April 1912, you read about how luxurious the ship was and it was huge, the family has three rooms, a steward to take care of their needs and they ate in the dining room and took the elevator because Mrs. Fortune didn’t want to climb stairs. When you read a story about the Titanic it can be a little predictable, the unsinkable ship and most technological advanced vessel at the time, with it’s sixteen reinforced compartments, it breaks in half and sinks to the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean.

I received a copy of Sisters of Fortune from Kensington Book in exchange for an honest review. Using real and fictional characters Anna Lee Huber writes a narrative that makes you think about the time after the Titanic hits the iceberg, the uncertainty and disbelief the passengers felt, the bravery of the crew and men who stayed aboard. Many of the women had to be dragged away from their male relatives, despite them wanting them to get on a lifeboat and what they witnessed afterwards. On the Carpathia survivors spent their time scanning the ocean hoping more lifeboats would be found, when the word came there was no more and they said the sorrow and sound of grief and loss was something they would never forget or want to experience ever again.

I found the story prior to the sinking of the Titanic a little slow and Ms. Huber ups the pace when she writes about the mighty ocean liner sinking, afterwards and the survivors arriving in New York, with so much empathy and I felt more of a connection to the characters and four stars from me.

Readers who like stories about the titanic who enjoy this book. Based on the Fortune sisters, this story begins with a dire warning from a fortune teller. Lots of characters throughout but the author did a wonderful job listing everyone with a short description to help readers sort out everyone. I would have liked more written about the sisters and their feelings. Too many descriptive passages for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review. Great book if you enjoy historical fiction. The first half of the story was a little slow for me; however I still appreciated all the details the author provided. All the characters were well developed, and you can't dislike the Fortune sisters. The writing style is beautiful and keeps you engaged the entire time. The novel is based on the true story of the Fortune sisters, and Anna Lee Huber did a great job at research. Very solid 4 stars!!!

I loved getting to know some of the passengers on the Titanic. Many I had already heard of. I became more and more anxious as we approached the night the ship sank. How many of my new acquaintances would survive? The details, the anecdotes, the back stories, the descriptions. the flirtations-all contribute to this first rate story of the Fortune sisters of Winnipeg.

I loved this book! It was very engaging and I loved the characters. It certainly was sad at times, being that it’s a novel that takes place on the ill-fated Titanic. A must-read for any historical fans!

Oh devastatingly beautiful!

Titanic has always been something that had my interest. The stories are just beautiful and also heart wrecking.

The author did such a beautiful job at portraying this story. Considering it’s based off a real story at Titanic, it’s slightly a heavy subject yet I believe the justice has been made. I could feel all of the characters’ feelings, I truly felt like I was reading about real people. It just made the story better and I could connect with both the story and characters better.

Man this book was a hard slog! For me it started off really slowly and I had to force myself to read it, but it did pick up eventually and redeemed itself in the end. I know the author was trying to express how impressive the Titanic was with the descriptions of the ship itself and the people on board, but there was just too much of that and I got confused with all of the characters.

The author obviously did a huge amount of research into actual passengers aboard the Titanic in order to infuse this book with them. However, the huge amount of characters and storylines were a bit confusing and the book seemed to drag a lot in places. I found it interesting overall as this was a family I was not familiar with as a Titanic buff.

The historical period is perfectly set, as you’d expect from one of Huber’s books. But I struggled with the pacing and with 4 POV characters. I wanted the beautiful but lengthy descriptions to end and the action and character development to begin.

With four main characters and written in the third person, it didn’t have the deep point of view I’m used to from Huber’s writing. We’re told that Flora feels she’s on the precipice of something great as her copper brown hair blows. Is she really thinking about her own hair color? Between things like that and all the details of setting the historic scene, I felt like I was being told what happened rather than feeling it along with them. The details of Chess’s survival in the water is told to us afterward. Flora’s breakup with Crawford is told to us even though it was built up. Some of the time spent on the historical details could have been spent on other character moments.

This was a book I kept putting down after a chapter or two and then coming back to. It wasn’t until after the ship struck the iceberg that I got into the feelings of the characters and the pace quickened. The survivor’s despair was especially heartbreaking.

Worth a read if you like Titanic fiction or historical, but not a reread for me.

What a good book! I haven't read a page-turner in ages, this is a read-in-one setting book. I have read many true stories about the Titanic, it is tragic, to this day, I want the ship to have had enough rescue boats, I want those poor souls to have survived, yet the horror of that night never changes. I remember when James Cameron's movie came out, how irritated I was with the whole Rose story, it was tragic enough, did he really need to have her fiance trying to shoot her and Jack? This story is based on real people, the private conversations are fictional, but so entertaining, and so believable. I loved the Fortune Sisters, they were strong young ladies, who survived this floating catastrophe, and they should be remembered. I highly recommend it. Thank you #Netgalley #Anna Lee Huber
carolintallahassee

I am a tiny bit unhappy with this novel. The main part of the story revolves around sister Flora, and when looking up the family for more references, I didn't find the name Flora to be on the passenger list. https://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/features/t... It took some delving to find out that Flora's first name is really Ethel. I almost felt cheated until I did my extra research. Yes, yes, I am one of those PIA's who like to see if the facts are correct when a fictional story is based on truth.

The other things that I was unhappy about were 1- the huge amount of characters who did not always show up under the name with which you first met them. 2- the interminable descriptions of the clothing and food. 3-the quickness of the romance.

The writing was well done otherwise, and since we already knew how the story was going to play out, it was clever of the author to pick this family to write about. The sisters all had a lot of issues, and it compelled me to finish what might have been a bit of a lackluster novel.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Kensington Books, the author, and NetGalley.
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The writing was beautiful and rich - outlining the characters and their backgrounds in vivid detail. It is evident that the content was researched and presented in a way to draw the reader into the characters and their choices. Setting the story on the Titanic, where the reader knows the general outcome, propels the reader to turn pages in order to find out the fates of these characters. The cast of characters was long and intimidating, including them in the front of the book is helpful. Overall, I did find the book difficult to read due to the length and complexity.

This book was captivating! I had high expectations for this book, and Anna Lee Huber didn’t disappoint! I felt transported while reading this the amount of detail that was weaved in this story made it unbelievable real. The amount of research that must have gone into the book is impressive on its own.. It was a beautiful novel that I look forward to rereading!

I enjoyed this novel set on the Titanic by one of my favorite authors. Even though it’s not my favorite of hers I still enjoyed it.
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“Based on the true story of the Fortune sisters, three young women each at a crossroads when they boarded the RMS Titanic in the spring of 1912 – and how that maiden voyage would transform their lives in profound and unexpected ways.”, says the publisher , and as an avowed Titanic fan, I was curious about this story. I don't think there's much more to say about the Titanic and its disastrous end, and everyone who, like me, has inhaled the James Cameron film several times already has images in their heads anyway. And that's a good thing, because the images in the film were very authentic, and the author of this book also stuck very closely to the historically proven facts and framework. So, unlike the Rose-Jack -love story, this one is based on real people. The well-heeled Fortune family from Winnipeg actually went on a world tour in 1912 and planned to travel back on the Titanic. So that was a template from real life, even if the author of course spun a fictional story out of it. So we go traveling with the sisters Flora (the eldest, 28), Alice, and Mabel. In Egypt, Alice receives a prediction: the palm reader sees her alone on a boat in the sea and foresees great losses. As a keen reader, we of course know immediately what's going to happen here, but Alice is only uneasy for a short time. Yes, and then the Fortunes board the Titanic. It is a worthy end to the great journey, after all, the Titanic is the largest and most magnificent ship of all time. And just as we strolled through first class and its amenities with Rose in the film, we do the same here with the Fortune sisters. And these three aren't particularly happy with their situation either. Mabel, the youngest, wants to study, but her father is anything but enthusiastic about it, and so Mabel hopes to meet female university graduates on the ship who might be able to help her. Alice, on the other hand, misses her fiancé Holden, whom she loves dearly - but traveling has also broadened her horizons, and Alice isn't really happy about the prospect of a typical small town life as a married woman ... and Flora has completely different problems. As the eldest, she has always been given the role of the sensible one, and she spent the current trip as the chaperone of her younger sisters. Flora is also engaged, but is he the right one? When she meets the tennis player Chess on the ship, everything changes again...
My reading impression: This was great. Dramatic, heartbreaking, exciting, great authentic characters, and of course a cool background story on the Titanic. Each chapter is titled with the date and time, and of course you get more and more excited the closer we get to the evening of April 14th... but even without this knowledge the novel is really well written. You are there live. Captivatingly done. We have romance, action, adventure - the author has taken full advantage of it and the result is a fantastic story that I am very happy to recommend! Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy!

I have always been interested in anything Titanic so I had to request this book.

I was not disappointed. although it was slow at first. I soon became entranced and felt myself aboard this I'll fated ship with the sisters, who I loved.

A well researched and Huber knew how to make the characters feel real. A good titan historical fiction story that I would recommend

Thanks Kensington Books and NetGalley

All thoughts and opinions are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else

I was hesitant to start this book but at the same time excited. Hesitant because there’s just so many books you can read about this ship and excited because, well, what if you discover something you never knew? As well as over half the population, I am intrigued by the Titanic and it’s sinking. Intrigued I think because there are so many mysteries surrounding it that we will never know.
Sisters of Fortune offered me a glimpse into what life must have been like aboard on the days leading up to the sinking. A personal glimpse. And yes, this book is largely fiction, but Huber(the author), stuck as close to the facts as possible. Even delving into the archives.


I would have had the book read faster but with all the names that Huber used in the book, I had to google them all and see which ones were real or just fictious. I’m happy to say she used mostly all real people that were on board including the three Fortune sisters as well as their parents and younger brother. We meet Mabel, Alice, and Flora. The three Fortune sisters who are traveling back from a months long tour ending in Cairo, Egypt. Each one of them have their own crisis on board the ship, the story is largely how they transverse their own conflict.

I would have absolutely loved to have even read a chapter about the third class or better yet had one of the main characters have a moment’s compassions for them as they were scrabbling overboard. Maybe that’s a bit much of my expectations, but I’m sure at least one of the well to do had a passing thought/concern in real life? Hopefully? Maybe I was still lost in the romance between Jack and Kate though.

All in all, I loved this book! Not just because it was about the mysterious titanic, but because Huber made the characters come to life! And we had a chance to learn about most all the first class people, and not just the Astors, Mrs. Brown, and Mr. and Mrs. Strauss etc. But Huber introduces a handful of other socialites and their husbands.

Sisters of Fortune is a well written historical novel set during the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic. The story centers around the three Fortune sisters: Flora, Alice and Mabel. Yes, they are upper-class ladies and yes, they really did exist. However, Flora’s real name was actually Ethel. And…the three sisters each hold a deep secret with themselves.. It has fifty chapters of various lengths. Longer chapters provide background while the shorter chapters are to promote action - especially during the Titanic’s final hours. Anna Lee Huber did an excellent job with her research, it is woven into her fiction like a fine tapestry. Another Historical Novel that should be read!