I know better...

...than to read a fictional book that was set in/around the time of the Titanic.  But here's what happened...I got to page 10 of Promise Me This and was already smitten with the characters and Cathy Gohlke's style of writing...and then I read something about the main male character who was going to work on a ship...and when I turned to the next page and I read the name of the ship, Titanic.  At this point, I should confess that I was reading the book on my Nook and wearing headphones while at the gym.  I'm pretty sure it was a LOUD audible gasp because people turned around...several people.  

And then you can fast forward to several days later as the days drew closer (for my fictional friends) to the iceberg encounter.  My fictional friends commented on the drop in temperature.  All the while, I wanted to shout of to them, "You are going to hit an iceberg!!!  Warn the Captain!!!."  You will find me again at the gym on the elipptical and when the boat made contact with the iceberg and the characters (who were in third class) were confused and wondering what was going on...and there was so much confusion -- different languages and nationalities, I got trapped in their fears and confusion...and yes, I, Angie Good, shed a few tears for those innocent lives that were lost because of the lack of life boats and the lack of communication between the crew of the Titanic and the mainland.  No distress calls...only flares shot up in the air.  Michael, one of my fictional friends, described it as rockets that were launched to celebrate a new year except it wasn't a new year and merriment.  Another noted the change from the ragtime tunes of the on-board band to sad, morose hymns.

What a tragedy.  

After the sinking of the Titanic and the death of so many, then there was a war...and my two main characters are trying to heal and recover from the effects of the war.

The thing is -- I know better than to read a book about the Titanic.  I know the ending of that sad story . The ship sinks.  Innocent lives are lost.  Goodness, I've seen the movie twice.  Each time - I cry when I watch the young mother with the two children (apparently in third class - based on their clothing) crawl back into bed and pull the covers up as if for one final "goodnight"...  Can you even imagine what it was like for those people?  Truly, I don't think we can.

I'm not near the end of this story.  330 pages down and 37 more to go.  I do hope my two favorite characters are reunited and all ends well... Time will tell.