An interesting way of combining several tales - the stories of some imaginary members of the band of the Titanic. While each was good in its own right, the resonances between them were too slight to make this feel completely coherent. The stories were embedded within the tale of the fatal voyage, but each would stand alone just as well, a bit like the movements of a complex symphony for those of us without a finer appreciation of the development of a theme.

The story that engrossed me most was that of David, driven to despair when his love was no longer requited, yet at the same time that was the most cloyingly sentimental: that of Jason, for example, was far better written.

Overall, this book was wistful and sad, as one would expect, and enjoyable enough in that way, but I had hoped for more.