Rating: 
Summary: Ho Hum. Who cares?
Review: I would not have thought that I could be so unmoved by the horror and tragedy of the sinking of the Titanic. However, this novel portrayed all of the characters in a somewhat sardonic unemotional nonintimate way. This historical novel was eminently unsatisfying in creating any sort of "connection" with me.
Rating: 
Summary: Beryl Bainbridge gets that sinking feeling...
Review: It seems somewhat modish to harp on about yet another Titanic-related novel, yet Bainbridge's forensically researched piece of tragic history is more than just a souvenir. Displaying a mastery of early 20th century discourse, she expertly weaves historical fact into a post-modern, coming of age allegory.
Rating: 
Summary: A mediocre account about the Titanic
Review: Milestones are not very obvious in the novel, I thought. And the story's a bit different from history. Was there really a boat for the officers? Though this fully arrives at our title: Every Man For Himself. For me, I would rather catch the movie as the book is lacking in sound-effects after all.
Rating:
Summary: absurdity at its best
Review: The setting:a larger than life historical event.The challenge:make it interesting.Beryl Bainbridge gets top mark for this.Perhaps the offbeat subtlety of the characters were misunderstood by some of the readers but this is truely British writing at its best.When disaster strikes it often carries an sureal quality and this book captures the moment perfectly.If you like quirky this is it!
Rating:
Summary: POORLY WRITTEN TITANIC BOOK
Review: THIS IS BY FAR ONE OF THE WORST PIECES OF FICTION I HAVE EVER READ. SOME CHARACTERS APPEAR AND FLOAT ABOUT THE BOOK WITHOUT A PURPOSE. OTHER CHARACTERS APPEAR AND DISAPPEAR TO THE POINT THEY DO NOT EXIST. MOTIVATIONS ARE UNCLEAR OR VAGUE AT BEST. I WISH THE AUTHOR HAD RESEARCHED THE STORY BETTER.
Rating:
Summary: Icebergs Part II
Review: This is the second Historically Based Novel I have read by Ms. Beryl Bainbridge, the first was, "The Birthday Boys". Of the two I believe the one based upon the Scott voyage to the Pole was much stronger, however the Author's writing is consistently good. I think this work suffered a bit in my reading as the movie, "Titanic", kept intruding. There were bound to be similarities in this maritime mess, however the screen version insinuating itself into the written work was a distraction."Every Man For Himself", takes place in virtually the same time frame as, "The Birthday Boys". The latter work was excellent in telling a story that became a metaphor for the time and its philosophies, the former does this again in a confined setting, and for this reader it was less interesting. Blind faith to the point of negligence in Technology of the unsinkable ship, and a list of passengers that would rate the top tier of Fortune's wealthiest certainly make for an interesting cast. However unlike the Scott work which spread itself across a wide range of people, this was more narrowly confined to the wealthiest cast, and finding empathy for these incredibly rich and generally pompous caricatures is hard. Our guide through most of the book is a member of The Morgan Clan, and even though his relation is tenuous his wealth makes him as boring as the rest. The Author did introduce an event that was new to me, and even if it is not historically accurate (I don't know) it did make the story much more intriguing. If that plot line had been the main thread instead of more traditional love interests, and the preoccupation with scoring off of others to their detriment I think I would have enjoyed the work more.
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