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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “The watch that ends the night is a great book it started of slow then it picked up after you figured out why the people where going on the titanic.This is not the story of Jack and rose this is the story of a mailman, a captain and a family of immigrants traveling without there father.I like this...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“What a fascinating read! Author Allan Wolf researched and retold the sinking of the Titanic through voices of 2 dozen people associated with that disaster. Entries from those that built the ship, worked on board the vessel, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd class passengers, as well as the search and rescue workers, each told their story about their experiences with this ship. Coroner notes and morse code messages all add to the authenticity of this historical volume of poems. Never before have I enjoyed poetry as much. Wolf's poetic stories are compelling, convincing, and chilling, as well as historically correct, which is even more astounding. I highly recommend this to those studying the Titanic. Furthermore, this makes an excellent example of how poetry comes in many forms.”
Jodie D'Alexander wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Everyone knows the fact that the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, but not many know the individual stories of the men, women and children who ventured onto the grand ship seeking pleasure or a start of a new life in America (Sorry, Jack and Rose did not really exist!). In this prose poetry written text, Allan Wolf highlights twenty-four stories, that of which include Captain E.J. Smith, Lebanese refuge Jamila Nicola-Yarred, millionaire John Jacob Astor, and even the ship’s rat! This historical fiction sheds light on the eerie secrets of those upon the ship as well as the little known facts regarding the Titanic’s almost near collision with another ship prior to leaving port and the undertaker’s enormous task of scooping up dead bodies after the ship’s sinking. You will become enveloped by this text’s ability to intertwine the lives of these “characters” and be captivated by the drama.
Jessica Schmidt wrote this review Saturday, February 23, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
As the novel unfurls, the notion of connectedness permeates throughout the book. The iceberg, which becomes personified in this text, even speaks to the fact that although there were some scoundrels who only sought to protect themselves in the face of the Titanic’s impending doom, there were many individuals that did band together to provide comfort and assistance to each other in this dire time. Furthermore, the undertaker drives home the point that no matter who you are, rich or poor, death is unavoidable. Nothing is indestructible… except hope and the human spirit.
This text has many teaching possibilities. Primarily, it could be incorporated into an English class to teach dramatic irony (reader knows that the ship will sink), personification (of the iceberg), and even symbolism. For example, Tom Andrews, the ship builder, often refers to himself as a bee, and although his family is his “flower,” he always returns home to his “hive” (his ship, the Titanic). This novel could also be used in a unit on historical fiction and paired with other similar poetic texts such as Karen Hesse’s "Out of the Dust."”
“One word... AMAZING!!! I am in love with this book, and i haven't even finished it. It is filled with poems from the voices of people from the titanic. I thought i knew everything about the titanic, but then i read this book and my mind now knows every detail about it, from how many life jackets (3,560) to the weight of the iceberg that crashed it (100,000 tons). You get a back stage pass to every thing there is to know about the titanic, but this book is not some research report, its also compact with all the inside scoops and gossip about and from the people on board. For example: Did you know that the officers hated the rest of the crew "god help us if we actually need lifeboats, since half the crew won't know which end of an oar goes in the water" those were an officers exact words. There are about seven poems that rotate through out the book about people telling you their lives and stories on the titanic. You even get poems about what it was like for the iceberg to be there. People thought the titanic was so unsinkable that they didn't even put as many lifeboats as they could have, because it blocked the 3rd class view. I bet you didn't know that now did you. "Scuttle scuttle scuttle sniff" go the ship rats running around the ship learning everything you wish you knew about the Titanic... "A shadow, cast by my prodigious bulk, becomes a phantom finger stretching out to mark the route Titanic's bow needs trace across the sea's gray-rippled endless face." - The Iceberg. Thank you Allan Wolf for creating the best historical fiction book i have ever laid hands on.”
Annika DeStefano wrote this review Friday, February 8, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“ I first picked this up because since i heard about it, I have been fascinated with the Titanic. You know how it ends but still you start to like the characters and you know that probably half are going to die. I really like how all these characters were real. I also like the story because of the points of view. All are first person but the characters talking is funny but cool. Like some of my all time favorite poems are from from the point of view from the ice- burg itself. Some are from the ship rat and some from the multimillionaire, John Jacob Astor the Fourth. Some other Titanic books are nonfiction all the way. Like with facts and stuff, but this book is from the real passengers point of view so you get every detail. Because you see the world of the Titanic through passengers eyes, you feel like you are there talking and you are walking like they are. You really get to know how everybody works and functions, like you are them and they are you.”
Fire Skyler Waffles wrote this review Thursday, February 21, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No1 of 1 members found this review helpful“ The watch that ends the night is a great book it started of slow then it picked up after you figured out why the people where going on the titanic.This is not the story of Jack and rose this is the story of a mailman, a captain and a family of immigrants traveling without there father.I like this story because it shows the perspective of certain people and some of them are not on the boat as a vacation the where traveling to New york to start a new life but because of the out come of the voyage they never reached there destination. I like the watch that ends the night much better than any other book about the titanic because all the other books only talk about the rich people and how it was so sad that they died but in this book the people who they are talking about are on the boat for a reason not to gamble and party they where trying to start a new life and they could not that is the real sad part.”
Logan dain wrote this review Thursday, February 21, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Fans of the Titanic will quickly be drawn into this novel in verse which tells the tale of what happened to the ship from the perspective of a number of different passengers, crew, construction funders/designers, and even a rat and the ice burg that caused so much damaged.
Aaron Coutu wrote this review Thursday, November 8, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I thought the author did a great job capturing unique voices and presenting them so it is easy to tell them apart. They represent the richest of those on board, such as Molly Brown and John Jacob Astor IV, to immigrants and other poorer folks from third class.
I liked this one so much that I actually read it in just three sittings. I wanted to find out the full details of what was going to happen to each individual. The real strength of this book is the quality of the writing. The author makes use of a number of poetry styles, and their is no question about the research involved thanks to the extensive bibliography provided at the end. The included Author's note highlights what happened to each of the people in the book in real life. Yep ... that's right! None of the characters are fictional people.
This really is a must read for Titanic fans!”
“True stories are the basis of characters in this uniquely written verse. There is not any new information presented from that vast history of Titanic as we know it, and the verse can slow down what should be a quick read.
Colleen LeComte wrote this review Wednesday, November 7, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
That being said, it is a solid novel in its material and the characters are interesting. The cover is dark and intriguing; the pages short. I don't think it is something that many will be clamoring to read, but if they happen to pick it up, love verse, or it is recommended to them, they will plow through. ”
“ok”
rileyb wrote this review Tuesday, October 30, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“North Carolina Young Adult Book Award
Polk County High School Media Center wrote this review Wednesday, October 24, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
High School Nominee
2012-2013”
“Arrogance and innocence, hubris and hope—twenty-four haunting voices of the Titanic tragedy, as well as the iceberg itself, are evoked in a stunning tour de force. Millionaire John Jacob Astor hopes to bring home his pregnant teen bride with a minimum of media scandal. A beautiful Lebanese refugee, on her way to family in Florida, discovers the first stirrings of love. And an ancient iceberg glides south, anticipating its fateful encounter. The voices in this remarkable re-creation of the Titanic disaster span classes and stations, from Margaret ("the unsinkable Molly") Brown to the captain who went down with his ship; from the lookout and wireless men to a young boy in search of dragons and a gambler in search of marks. Slipping in telegraphs, undertaker’s reports, and other records, poet Allan Wolf offers a breathtaking, intimate glimpse at the lives behind the tragedy, told with clear-eyed compassion and astounding emotional power.”
Ms. Poole wrote this review Monday, October 15, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
