Jim. Ellie finds it hard to think of his name now. After their wonderful time in Quebec City, that awful night happened. The screams, the bodies, the frigid waters … she tries hard to tell herself that he survived, but it’s hard to believe when so many didn’t.
So when Wyatt Steele, journalist at The New York Times asks her for her story, Ellie refuses. But when he shows her Jim’s journal, she jumps at the chance to be able to read it herself, to find some trace of the man she had fallen in love with, or perhaps a clue to what happened to him. There’s only one catch: she will have to tell her story to Steele and he’ll “pay” her by giving her the journal, one page at a time.
Ruth 7B
ReplyDeleteI rate this book a 9/10 for the following reasons:
I thought that Caroline Pignat did an amazing job of expressing Ellie’s feelings. I thought that this book was really well illustrated and I did not see the part that Jim and his father had actually been on the Titanic coming whatsoever. I thought that this book was really touching and I really could not put this book down. I really thought that either Meg, Aunt Geraldine or Wyatt Steele are absolutely the best characters and I actually almost cried when Meg died. I thought that it was so sad that Ellie didn't really ever get to say goodbye to her aunt before she died. I love the way that Steele is so persistent and so kind as well. I did not like that Steele was so mean in saying that he would give Ellie Jim’s journal as payment for her story but then gives it to her knowing that her questions will not be answered because almost all the pages are washed out. I was so into this book that when Ellie went to go and return Jim’s coat and journal to his family I was so wondering what family of his she would meet and I felt so disappointed (as I imagine she was) to find that it was Jim’s wife and daughter (or so she thought) I also thought that it was great that she actually found her daughter in the end and that she would actually do anything in order to make it possible to live with her. I thought that is was very nice of her aunt to leave Ellie all her books and all her profits from her books even though the two of them had never had a very good relationship. I had wished that Ellie and her Father would end up being friends in the end instead of her just buying the house from him and him still rejecting his daughter.
Sequoia Kim 8A
ReplyDeleteI give this fabulous book a 10/10
I really wasn't expecting such a high rating for any of these books, but wow---Caroline Pignat is just awesome. This book is sorta out of my genre, but I absolutely loved. it. One aspect I found interesting was that the sinking of the empress, by far Canada's worst sea disaster, sorta just got sucked under the wave of other things including war etc, nevertheless, the empress did have more deaths than the titanic. Only 4 children survived. She really captured the essence of Ellie, and when I look back on the book; it's sort of a story that morals the fact that Ellie went through a stage of fear, depression, sadness, and then emerged to be the beautiful butterfly she never knew she had inside her. She changed because of her faithful companion, who was't so faithful at the start, WYATT STEELE. Wyatt completely rewrites the story for Ellie. Not only does he open up a new Ellie inside, but literally turns her life around. Faith, her baby, and her house, and friendship.
This story however is about a dramatic love story. Jim and Ellie, met on the Empress, spent a wonderful afternoon in Quebec, and then Ellie dreams of Jim in all her spare time. Caroline keeps huge secrets the whole book until the end. I was quite frankly so disappointed when they came to the conclusion that Jim was presumably dead in the ocean somewhere. I was like: "This is not gonna be a very good love story with Ellie reading from his journal and mourning..." But then; Jim came back, Ellie's daughter was alive after all, Wyatt didn't twist her story for the news, Jim's sisters, Jim's secret, Ellie's secrets, the literary collection of Aunt Geraldine, everything that was wrong for Ellie turned around in the end. The biggest surprise was when Jim saved Faith from drowning. This book was downright amazing because the story was intriguing, the characters I disliked in the beginning changed into my favourite., and there was really never a dull moment.
I thought it was creative to make all the ignorant Canadians remember, or learn (as I did) about the tragedy that should have been world famous. The sinking of the Empress of Ireland.
Liam 7B
ReplyDeleteI think this book deserves a 9/10.
I don't like romances a lot. But this story was very deep. I really liked Wyatt Steele as a character. He starts off as an aggressive reporter trying to get information and becomes an endearing character. He and Meg were my favorite characters. I choked up a bit when Meg gave her life jacket to Ellie and then drowned. It's incredible that the Empress of Ireland was the biggest peacetime naval wreck in Canadian history and yet is so unheard of. I also admired how well written Ellie's dad was. He is written in a way that makes him so despicable that you just hate him. It was such a surprise when Jim appears at the very end safe and sound. The book left me with two questions; what was Jim doing all that time? and Which ship had it's engines powered on? all in all it was a really good book
Liam 7B
ReplyDeleteGenerally, I dislike romances. But Unspeakable was more then a romance. It was a story about lost children, tragedies and sadness. The characters were vivid and real and the story pulled me through its ups and downs. I choked up when Meg gave her life jacket to Ellie. I grew angry when Ellie found out that the ink in Jim's journal was washed away. I felt Joy when Ellie finally found Faith. This was a truly spectacular book that deserves a 9/10.