I was intrigued by the potential of this novel. There have many stories about the Titanic but this held the possibility of an untold tale. How many survivors might not have been who they said they were? Unfortunately, this narrative wasted the first half of the book dwelling on a tale told many times over. A marriage entered under false premises, the misery of the protagonist, and tragic sinking of the Titanic. All of this is framed in class.

It didn’t start getting interesting until the protagonist, Elinor, actually became the lost passenger. The last half of the book was absorbing and fresh. But, it could have been much better developed if it had the space. I loved this immigrant family and wanted Molly/Elinor’s deception explored. A woman of her station who admittedly didn’t know how to do a thing for herself adapted seamlessly while shellshocked from her tragic experience. No, I don’t think so. Once she got her footing, I wanted more of the pushcart world and the launch of spunky resourcesfulness wound more fully into this woman’s story.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for the opportunity to review this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

I could not put this book down- Stayed up half the night to Finnish it!! The story is captivating and the characters seem real. There are a lot of twists and turns that makes it interesting and a mystery.

The Lost Passenger by Francis Quinn was a surprisingly engaging read. I don't always love reading books where a tragedy, like the sinking of the Titanic in this case, is involved, but this story kept me up reading past my bedtime.

This is a tale of Elinor, who is a naïve but intelligent and accomplished 19-year old. She finds herself in a loveless and controlling marriage that she's desperate to escape, especially for the sake of her son. When Elinor's father gifts her and her husband tickets on the Titanic, Elinor's chance to start over comes in the midst of tragedy.

I very much enjoyed Elinor's changes and growth throughout this story. She starts out as a strong and admirable female main character, loses herself along the way, and comes back even stronger, shrewder, and more independent by the end of the book. Her experiences and how they alter her are believable, and I found myself sympathizing with her even though I didn't always agree with her outlook and choices.

As an American, I enjoyed this glimpse into the British aristocracy. I thought the portrayal of the sinking of the Titanic was handled well, without overdoing it. And, I loved the descriptions of New York city in the 1910's. To me, this was a fascinating time in American history, and the author's depiction of the city made it feel really immersive.

4/5 stars. Recommended for anyone who enjoys a strong woman lead, or who enjoys engrossing historical fiction.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is how I know a historical novel is well written- when I finish it in two days! Such a great story. Poor Elinor lied to by a man (shock!) and his family. Boarding the Titanic was so interesting and well done. Her idea of freedom is fragile. Great ending- love this one!

In THE LOST PASSENGER, Elinor Coombes is trapped in a marriage to an aristocrat whose family wants to control every aspect of her life, including how much time she can spend with her infant son Teddy. The family have also assured that guardianship of Teddy will be given to her in-laws should her husband die. So, when the family sails on the Titanic, and her husband indeed perishes, Elinor makes the bold decision to assume the identity of the young Molly Mortimer, who had been helping care for Teddy aboard the ship.

Elinor’s life as “Molly” is the polar opposite of the life she knew, as the real Molly’s family lives in a lower East Side tenement where she and Teddy must sleep on the kitchen floor. Elinor must learn to do all the things she has never had to do— cooking, cleaning, sewing, and indeed learning how to care for her own child, since she was previously only permitted twenty minutes a day with her son. Although the adjustment is difficult, Elinor comes to love her new life, as well as her newfound family of Molly’s relatives. But, when she is recognized, the new life Elinor has built on a lie may be exposed and she is in danger of losing everything.

THE LOST PASSENGER is a thoroughly entertaining read featuring an instantly likable heroine. Definitely recommended for people who enjoy DOWNTON ABBEY, THE GILDED AGE, and other tales of class differences featuring strong women.

THE LOST PASSENGER

In 1910 England, Elinor Coombes and her newly wealthy father, are unexpectedly invited to an aristocratic ball. There she meets Frederick Coombes, heir to his family title and estate. They quickly fall in love and are immediately wed. Elinor soon realizes she was married only for her father’s money, and her husband has always been in love with someone else. She dutifully produces a male heir to the family title, but must accept he will be raised by nannies, not her.
She is trapped in a miserable situation. When her father produces tickets for the Titanic’s maiden voyage, she excitedly accepts, hoping to spend more time with Teddy as well as skiing help from her father. When she and her son survive the sinking, she assumes the identity of her maid in order to start a new life. Penniless, with no friends, or family she finds the grit and determination to not only survive, but to thrive in New York
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I absolutely loved this! As soon as I read the synopsis, I was hooked!

Elinor is the son of the wealthy “Cotton King” but she comes from a different breed of money than the aristocratic money of England. When the son of a wealthy family seeks to marry Elinor to get her father’s money, Elinor naively thinks it’s for love and she becomes trapped in a lonely and loveless marriage.

When they set out on a trip on the Titanic, Elinor is excited to finally spend some time with her young son, but when the ship goes down and she must make a decision that will change the course of her life.

This book was riveting, compelling, heartbreaking, and beautifully written. The story lost a bit of momentum around the 70% mark but it picked back up around the end.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and I think it will resonate with a lot of people. It was interesting twist on a Titanic story and I really liked it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

Really good read. Different take on the tragedy of the Titanic. Storyline and characters are all spot on. Recommend. I was given n advanced reader copy of this well written book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

This author is the US debut of a British author, Frances Quinn, and it's an impressive start. The main character, Eleanor, has wealth from her father's hard work, but she marries, she believes for love, an English Lord. Once she has a son, she realized very little is in her control.
Her dad had booked first class tickets on the Titanic, and she put her foot down this once. She, her husband, dad, and her son all boarded for an anticipated voyage. Eleanor realizes, in the chaos, that she has an opportunity to raise her son in a normal life, without money, but filled with love.
New York isn't easy, and she has to work hard, but she begins to make friends, and she finds her inner strength.
I loved this book. I highly recommend The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group/Ballentine for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheLostPassenger #FrancesQuinn #Titanic #RandomHouse #Ballantine #NetGalley

The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn is a tension-filled story wrapped around the Titanic disaster. The main character, Eleanor/Molly is deeply disillusioned with her fairy-tale marriage to an English lord. When disaster opens the possibility of abandoning the life she'd dreamed of for a reality in the slums of New York. The challenges and emotions she encounters drag the reader into her heart-rending struggle. This is an excellent tale of courage and kindness in times of deepest trouble. A very rewarding read.

This book was fabulous! There’s such a range of emotions that I experienced in this book- sadness for the difficult life Elinor had in England, more sadness with the sinking of the Titanic, and then hope and inspiration for the new life she works to build in America. The author does such a beautiful job building the characters and the relationships between them. It is such an inspirational story about love, life, and hard work.

I enjoyed the story, though I wish it had been more fleshed out. The authors use of the Titanic disaster for a young woman to disappear was amusing, though I don’t know how realistic it was. I really enjoy historical fiction and I would have liked to hear more about her story especially about how she managed to create an Empire. We would all like to create empires though she did it. How did she do it? Wouldn’t this be a fun book to take along on a cruise.

I enjoyed reading this book as it had a take on a character from the Titanic sinking I’d never come across before. Elinor is married to an English lord, is unhappy in the marriage and dreads having her son, Teddy, face the same future as his father. As the family takes a trip on the Titanic and the worst happens, she sees it as a chance to begin anew as a different person after arriving in New York. What happens is interesting and the author wraps up the story ver well, I thought.

I received this book from the publisher via net galley in exchange for an honest review. Four stars,

A very interesting premise, which I’m sure happened more than once when the Titanic sunk…. a young woman with a child unhappy with her life in England, disguises herself as one of the victims who drowned and begins a new life on the lower side. The character shows grit and determination and you root for her to succeeded. This book shows the hardships of what it was like to live in the early 1900s where so many immigrants came ashore to make a new life for themselves. I believe it follows history, pretty closely . The book is well written and a pleasure to read.

While it might be difficult to feel any compassion for Elinor, I’m certain that happened too often in England to enable large estates to continue. Elinor had many difficult decisions to make and her conscience played a huge part in helping/justifying her decisions. Her family taught morals and love of family impacted her greatly. Feelings of those who survived the Titanic aren’t often written about. The author did well by Elinor helping her work through the tragedy and its aftermath.

Random House offered this book to me and described it as an historical drama women”s book. Despite that description, I downloaded the book because I enjoy reading about all aspects of the Titanic disaster. I found myself transported back to the world where women were 2nd class citizens, where the titled and entitled male was everything, the nightmares of survivor’s guilt and the world of immigrants struggling to survive in New York City. I found the novel interesting and enjoyed reading it and I thank NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity.

I absolutely loved The Lost Passenger! This book is beautifully written - the beginning draws the reader in very quickly and makes it impossible to put down. Very different story about the Titanic as we follow a survivor looking for a fresh start and how she makes a new lift for her and her son in NY. Highly recommend!

Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

Oh, Wow! Downton Abbey meets The Unsinkable Molly Brown! What a wonderful tale with utterly believable characters, historical fiction at its best. Frances Quinn writes a potboiler of a novel. Elinor, the daughter of the Cotton King, a self-made millionaire, has been raised by her father to be a businesswoman. In the early part of the 20th Century? No way that can happen.

Instead, Elinor is courted by the son of an earl who resides in an unheated ancestral home, which mirrors his cold and unfeeling family. He does not love her but needs the wealth of her father to keep up the manse. When their son is born, the heir to Winterton, he is removed to a nanny's care and Elinor is allowed only 20 minutes a day with him. (This portion of the book is the Downton Abbey part and it's wonderful.)

It's 1912 and Elinor's father buys them all, himself, Elinor, her husband and little son, tickets to sail to New York on the unsinkable Titanic's
's maiden voyage. You know what happens next. Elinor and Teddy are saved, but her husband, father and maid are not. Knowing that she will lose her son to his controlling grandparents, Elinor takes little Teddy to the Lower East Side where she assumes the name of her lost Lady's Maid, Molly.

The Titanic's sinking is described chillingly, and Ellinor's act is one you can see her doing. There is so much life in the descriptive prose, crowded dwellings, communal outhouses, home sewing businesses, pushcarts, bargaining with tradesmen. the teeming streets of Old New York. I absolutely loved reading this book and ended with an even greater admiration for the first-person narrator..

Thank you Random House/ Ballentine for offering me this novel to read. This is an honest review.

LOVED it! Immersive from the beginning, it was easy to slip into the world between this book’s cover! The plot was a new twist on historical Titanic fiction, the setting was vivid, and writing was easy to gulp down in large quantities in one sitting! I love this period of NYC history, so this book will be a re-read for me! Thank you NetGalley for the chance!

Well done story with an unusual twist to the Titanic narrative; the pace was well done with enough time spent in England to establish the situation there, then an appropriately short time on the actual ship, followed up by Molly's/Elinor's time in NYC. I liked that everything didn't just fall into place for the character and hard choices had to be made; the only exception to that might be that the blackmail sideline with the fellow Titanic passenger was a bit contrived. However, even that served its purpose within the story. I will be looking for other Frances Quinn material to read.