Titanic Survivor - by Violet Jessop (Paperback)

About the Book

Throughout her 40 years at sea, Jessop survived an unbelievable series of events including the sinking of the "Titanic "and the World War I hospital ship, "Brittanic." This unique autobiography is a story that could be told only by a "Titanic" survivor.

Book Synopsis

Violet 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.

Review Quotes

Aside 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"

Readers of this absorbing account of her untrammeled life will agree that 'ostensibly unsinkable in life, she has proved positively unsinkable posthumously.' An important contribution to the growing body of Titanic literature.-- "Booklist"

This is a true first-hand account of the sinking of the Titanic, written by a stewardess for the first-class passengers. As if that wasn't enough, four years later she was working aboard the Britannic when it struck a mine and sank. These memoirs cover both disasters, along with many tales about passengers and shipmates.-- "Latitudes & Attitudes"

About the Author

Violet Jessop (1887-1971) was a maritime stewardess and nurse who survived the sinking of both the Titanic and Britannic. She worked aboard ships into her sixties, traveling all over the world. After her last voyage, she lived the rest of her life in Suffolk, England.