Helpful Score: 1
Drowning by T.J. Newman is THE thriller of summer 2023, and I loved it!
Soon after takeoff, a commercial jet flying from Honolulu to the mainland suffers a catastrophic malfunction. The pilots are unable to control the plane so the only option is to ditch into the ocean. The 99 souls onboard include Will, an oil rig engineer, and Shannon, his 11-year-old-daughter. Miraculously, nearly everyone survives the water landing, but then the situation gets more complicated when jet fuel catches fire, separating the survivors into two groups - those who've already exited the battered aircraft and the twelve who remain onboard.
Many private and military resources race to the crash site to help the victims, including Chris, a professional deep sea diver who is Shannon's mother and Will's estranged wife. The rescuers can't agree on the best plan for extraction. Can they reach the people trapped inside before it's too late?
I really enjoyed Newman's debut Falling, but I liked Drowning much more. In both, a unique aspect is the author's insider knowledge about flight operations from her experience as a flight attendant.
The third person narrative switches between the survivors and rescuers. I got fairly well acquainted with the trapped passengers and crew and felt great empathy for most of them, but the many rescuers blended together in my mind, except for Chris. Chris and Will's backstory, including a tragic loss, is shared in flashbacks, which brings more emotional depth to an already intense and fast-moving plot. The ending could have gone two ways, and Newman led me to be happy with either option.
I highly recommend reading this via audiobook narrated primarily by Steven Weber with Laura Benanti voicing Chris. At 1.0 speed, it's just under 8 hours long, but I'm guessing most listeners, like me, will bump up the speed as the plot's pace increases. As many reviewers have stated, this novel is truly like a movie in your mind, and I hope this story will inspire a film adaptation.
Many thanks to Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster Audio, NetGalley, and Libro.fm for access to review copies of this summer blockbuster.
Soon after takeoff, a commercial jet flying from Honolulu to the mainland suffers a catastrophic malfunction. The pilots are unable to control the plane so the only option is to ditch into the ocean. The 99 souls onboard include Will, an oil rig engineer, and Shannon, his 11-year-old-daughter. Miraculously, nearly everyone survives the water landing, but then the situation gets more complicated when jet fuel catches fire, separating the survivors into two groups - those who've already exited the battered aircraft and the twelve who remain onboard.
Many private and military resources race to the crash site to help the victims, including Chris, a professional deep sea diver who is Shannon's mother and Will's estranged wife. The rescuers can't agree on the best plan for extraction. Can they reach the people trapped inside before it's too late?
I really enjoyed Newman's debut Falling, but I liked Drowning much more. In both, a unique aspect is the author's insider knowledge about flight operations from her experience as a flight attendant.
The third person narrative switches between the survivors and rescuers. I got fairly well acquainted with the trapped passengers and crew and felt great empathy for most of them, but the many rescuers blended together in my mind, except for Chris. Chris and Will's backstory, including a tragic loss, is shared in flashbacks, which brings more emotional depth to an already intense and fast-moving plot. The ending could have gone two ways, and Newman led me to be happy with either option.
I highly recommend reading this via audiobook narrated primarily by Steven Weber with Laura Benanti voicing Chris. At 1.0 speed, it's just under 8 hours long, but I'm guessing most listeners, like me, will bump up the speed as the plot's pace increases. As many reviewers have stated, this novel is truly like a movie in your mind, and I hope this story will inspire a film adaptation.
Many thanks to Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster Audio, NetGalley, and Libro.fm for access to review copies of this summer blockbuster.
Helpful Score: 1
Only minutes after its departure from Honolulu, Flight 1421 crashes into the ocean. Surprisingly, many of the passengers are uninjured and begin evacuating into the ocean to wait for rescue. This is a bad idea. Fire in the engine sparks the leaking fuel which has surrounded the plane. As the people in the water try to swim clean of the fire, those still onboard close the plane doors to avoid the black smoke. Suddenly, Flight 1421 sinks to the bottom of the ocean with twelve people onboard.
This story is told (mostly) from the point-of-view of two characters. Will Kent is an engineer who is accompanying his eleven-year-old daughter Shannon to San Francisco. Chris Kent is Will's soon-to-be ex-wife. She is also a professional diver who is currently working with the Navy on a salvage operation. Will knows that the chance of rescue is slim, especially since the plane has only 5-6 hours of oxygen left. When Chris learns of the situation, she is determined to rescue her daughter, no matter the cost.
Wow! This book was non-stop action. As other reviewers have mentioned, this book reminded me of the disaster movies that were so prominent in the 1970's. (I've watched them all.) Just how were they going to rescue twelve passengers who were in a plane teetering on a ledge in the ocean? Would everyone survive? I listened to the audiobook and had a hard time stopping. Totally addictive. My rating: 5 Stars.
This story is told (mostly) from the point-of-view of two characters. Will Kent is an engineer who is accompanying his eleven-year-old daughter Shannon to San Francisco. Chris Kent is Will's soon-to-be ex-wife. She is also a professional diver who is currently working with the Navy on a salvage operation. Will knows that the chance of rescue is slim, especially since the plane has only 5-6 hours of oxygen left. When Chris learns of the situation, she is determined to rescue her daughter, no matter the cost.
Wow! This book was non-stop action. As other reviewers have mentioned, this book reminded me of the disaster movies that were so prominent in the 1970's. (I've watched them all.) Just how were they going to rescue twelve passengers who were in a plane teetering on a ledge in the ocean? Would everyone survive? I listened to the audiobook and had a hard time stopping. Totally addictive. My rating: 5 Stars.
This is the second book by this author and it does not disappoint. Minutes after a jet takes off from Honolulu to the mainland, it crashes into the ocean. Some people decide to leave the plane to try and save themselves. 12 people remain on the plane and it's a massive effort to rescue them before their oxygen runs out. Edge of your seat thriller. I could not put this book down!
