Description
Book SynopsisViolet Jessop's life is an inspiring story of survival. Born in 1887 in Argentina, the eldest child of Irish immigrants, at the age of 21 she became the breadwinner for her widowed mother and five siblings when she commenced a career as a stewardess and nurse on some of the most famous ocean going vessels of the day. Throughout her 40 year time at sea she survived an unbelievable series of events including the sinking of the TITANIC. “One awful moment of empty, misty blackness enveloped us in its loneliness, then an unforgettable, agonizing cry went up from 1500 despairing throats, a long wail and then silence and our tiny craft tossing about at the mercy of the ice field.” For most people one sinking would be enough. But four years later Violet, now a nurse with the British Red Cross, was on board the World War I hospital ship BRITANNIC when it struck a mine and sank to the bottom of the Aegean. To her, this disaster was even more horrifying-- “Just as life seeming nothing but a whirling, choking ache, I rose to the light of day, my nose barely above the little lapping waves. I opened my eyes on an indescribable scene of slaughter, which made me shut them again to keep it out." By the end of her story we have a met a woman who could handle whatever life threw at her with determination and good humor. She knew that only by her own strength of character would she survive. But Titanic Survivor is much more. A unique autobiography for those who want to know how it really felt, a story that could be told only by a Titanic Survivor.
Trade ReviewAside from the disasters, there is much in her memoirs to enjoy; from her tales of travel, to the ships themselves, and to the many characters she met in a fascinating lifetime at sea. * Sailing *
Compelling...a fresh, indispensable chapter to the legend...invaluable. * Publishers Weekly *
Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Chapter 1: The Early Years Chapter 2: The Railway Interval Chapter 3: Buenos Aires Chapter 4: In the Mountains Chapter 5: Illness and Death Chapter 6: Repatriation Chapter 7: In Charge Chapter 8: Convent Days Chapter 9: Choosing a Career Chapter 10: To Sea at Last Chapter 11: Enter Ned Chapter 12: Insufferable Passengers Chapter 13: Troubled Voyage Chapter 14: The South American Run Chapter 15: The White Star Line Chapter 16: Cabin Drama Chapter 17: Olympic Chapter 18: (This chapter is missing) Chapter 19: Polemic and Lament Chapter 20: Titanic Chapter 21: Into the Lifeboat Chapter 22: Rescue Chapter 23: Australia and Ned Chapter 24: Shipboard Romance Chapter 25: A Nurse in the Great War Chapter 26: Britannic Chapter 27: Aftermath Chapter 28: Peace and Prohibition Chapter 29: Tim Goes Missing Chapter 30: World Cruise Chapter 31: At Sea Chapter 32: The Jinrikisha Man Chapter 33: The Baroness Chapter 34: Tom's Downfall Epilogue Appendix I Appendix II Bibliography Index
