The Titanic Survivors Book Club

A Novel

By: Timothy Schaffert

Narrated by: Max Meyers

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the author of The Perfume Thief, a remarkable tale about the life-changing power of books and second chances, following the Titanic librarian who opens a bookshop in Paris where he meets a secret society of survivors.

"Deeply moving and rich with vivid detail . . . Timothy Schaffert is an exquisite storyteller."—Lara Prescott, New York Times bestselling author of The Secrets We Kept

For weeks after the sinking of the Titanic, Yorick spots his own name among the list of those lost at sea. As an apprentice librarian for the White Star Line, his job was to curate the ship’s second-class library. But the day the Titanic set sail he was left stranded at the dock.

After the ship’s sinking, Yorick takes this twist of fate as a sign to follow his lifelong dream of owning a bookshop in Paris. Soon after, he receives an invitation to a secret society of survivors where he encounters other ticket holders who didn’t board the ship. Haunted by their good fortune, they decide to form a book society, where they can grapple with their own anxieties through heated discussions of The Awakening or The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Of this ragtag group, Yorick finds himself particularly drawn to the glamorous Zinnia and the mysterious Haze, and a tangled triangle of love and friendship forms among them. Yet with the Great War on the horizon and the unexpected death of one of their own, the surviving book club members are left wondering what fate might have in store.

Elegant and elegiac, The Titanic Survivors Book Club is a dazzling ode to love, chance, and the transformative power of books to bring people together.©2024 Timothy Schaffert (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Deeply moving and rich with vivid detail, The Titanic Survivors Book Club is as heartbreaking as it is enthralling. About love, fate, desire, and the power of books, this wonderful novel will delight fans of historical fiction and captivate booklovers. Timothy Schaffert is an exquisite storyteller."—Lara Prescott, New York Times bestselling author of The Secrets We Kept

"In The Titanic Survivors Book Club, Timothy Schaffert takes the iconic tragic event of the Titanic and turns it into a story of chance encounters, entanglements, romance, and engagement with books. Set against the backdrop of the first world war, this is an ambitious novel that is as engaging and fast-paced as it is intellectually stimulating—like something written by Iris Murdoch."—Chigozie Obioma, Booker-prize finalist and author of The Fishermen

"Miraculously spared from the tragedy of the Titanic, Yorick embarks on an even more precarious voyage: a love affair. In this clever and high-concept novel, lush with emotion and vivid with period detail, we root for Yorick, in the company of his mysterious and provocative new friends both real and fictional, to grab the reins of fate and change his fortune yet again. What a ride!"—Christopher Castellani, author of Leading Men

nothing happened in this book that I expected

I am this books target audience. A lesbian bibliophile Titanic buff of French descent, I was so worried to start this book and so immediately relieved and joyed when I finally did. This book was exquisite and funny and charming and not at all what I anticipated when I opened, which I think I like it more for. Our main character tipped me off to the inaccuracies of my assumptions within the first hour (think: you had my curiosity, now you have my attention) after which I was happy to follow along after him for the next 9 hours of my life just to see what was next. I'm so pleasantly relieved by the consistency of this book, it's starts well, it remains interesting through the middle, and it sticks the landing, which is where one finds book usually fumble. So pleased with this, truly.

Involving story of unrequited life

The triangle at the heart of this novel is not exactly new, but it is well written and in the context of early 20th century Paris, with well written characters, it is entertaining, even compelling. It’s not clear to me what the author’s ultimate point is, but I’m also not sure that matters. Well-narrated.

Sensual themes drive this intriguing story

This book is exceptionally well written and the author details with delicate attention the myriad themes which intertwine throughout the story (and character development) and leave the reader piecing all the ways they fit together even after the book is finished.
The reader settles into a place in time which is quickly familiar and is brought along into this invented world through the sensual description of everything Paris-past from books, street life, cover-art and bookbinding to visual and culinary candy-art and wrappers all through the minds of fascinating characters. There is plenty of old-bookstore-core. moment-placing scent combinations, precise texture descriptions, atmospheric sounds, and the flavors of things from food to skin, and breath, and spiders’ webs. There is imagery which is about both what is seen and what is imagined as much as how it is framed. The author explores types of love and its potential facets, attitudes towards love and sexuality, and feelings for loved ones in comparison to those who love us, as well as deep longing, desire, and limerence. There is much to enjoy and ponder!

Sounds like a great story but…don’t waste your time

Book started out dull and never got better. Both my husband and I were waiting for “ something”. There was no meat to the story line. Hours and hours of blah.

nothing kept hoping for something.

this book stunk! I would not waste my time with this book. don't recommend......not exciting. too much dragging out of things.