Luck of the Titanic

Valora Luck is determined to leave her life as a servant in London behind.  Her English mother died when she and her twin brother were young, and her Chinese father finally died from his addiction to alcohol and lingering grief over his wife's death.  Now Valora is on her own and she's ready to make a new life for herself.

Her plan is simple.  Her brother Jamie has been working on passenger ships for two years.  She knows he's on the ship her employer planned to take before she unexpectedly died.  The tickets are already purchased, and Valora is getting on that ship one way or another.  She doesn't think she will have a problem since she has a ticket, and she can just tell the truth, that she is a maid to one of the wealthy ladies on board.  She doesn't count on being turned away at the gangway because she's Chinese.  

Now she has to stow away and spend half her time wearing a heavy veil and pretending to be a rich widow and the other half of her time pretending to be a boy and meeting Jamie's tight knight group of Chinese sailing friends.  Her real plan is even more complicated.  She wants to convince her brother to perform the acrobatic skills they learned from their father for a circus owner who just happens to be on the ship.  

Then the unthinkable happens, and the Titanic hits an iceberg.  Now, it's a race for survival as many of her friends will perish before the night is over.  Will Valora survive and have the chance to make her dreams come true?

Stacey Lee's new book is another willing tale from history, highlighting the prejudices against Chinese people and their struggle to work and survive.  Valora is a strong character with plenty of spirit and ingenuity.  Through the novel, she learns to see the world through perspectives outside herself and take advantage or opportunities (or make her opportunities!) when they appear.  Recommended.