Before the Storm by Susan E Jones

4 Stars from me

This book is a gentle, almost melodic, read that closely follows the life of Bessie Fielding. I haven’t read the earlier book but didn’t in any way feel that I had missed out, the story stands well on its own.

I was fascinated by the insights into Bessie’s life, tales of her husband Lionel and of various family members were a captivating glimpse into life in 1912.

I enjoyed the letters, with responses written immediately and urgently delivered so as to ensure they caught the post on the same day – the juxtaposition of this against the immediacy of emails and WhatsApp messages was quite stark. I can’t imagine posting off a letter and then embarking on lengthy train journey in the hope that someone will get the letter and then anticipate the train time to meet me. Bessie was really quite a brave lady in a lot of ways.

There were many links to the sea throughout the book which was really quite lovely too. There were frequent mentions of the Titanic and of people’s fears for loved ones, along with mention of the navy, and of lighthouse keepers – really quite charming.

Bessie and Lionel came across as a lovely couple, he sounds like the perfect pharmacist with his potions and tonics – I imagine he was quite the catch before Bessie snapped him up. And his faith in her was delightful.

This slow and steady read was outside of my normal ‘wham bam action packed’ thrillers, and I appreciated it all the more for it!

My thanks to the author and Zooloos Book Tours for an ARC in return for an honest review as part of my place on the blog tour for Before the Storm.

Blurb: It is the spring of 1912 and Bessie and Lionel Fielding have escaped the hubbub of London and are living serenely on the Devonshire coast. Bessie, new to married life, is determined to make the most of her freedom after years spent in the service of others.

But when her nephew Walter alerts her to a crisis in his fiancée’s family, the Fieldings are drawn into a tragedy of epic proportions. The RMS Titanic, bound for New York on its maiden voyage, has struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic. A beloved aunt was on board, travelling alone in steerage. In the absence of any information as to her fate, Bessie and Lionel must become involved in the search for answers.