Alive on the Andrea Doria!: The Greatest Sea Rescue in History Paperback – August 1, 2008

I am giving this four stars... though I just could not get into it.The author writes well enough and it was nice to have some personal insight. She also took great care to interview other survivors, so as a history of the wreck it is wonderful.I just found it a hard book to read.. maybe I am just not interested in the subject as I thought.I think for someone who IS interested, they would do well in purchasing it.

Well written. personal accounts of many second and third class passengers and their stories.

A wonderfully told book of tragedy! Each personal account of the sinking of the Andrea Doria made me happy to be at home, safe in bed. The accident must have been the most terrifying event in the lives of all those aboard. I felt their aloneness and fear as each told of their own struggle to get off the ship. I loved the first account of the little girl and her family who sold their home, land and animals in order to travel to America to live. I felt so sad for all the immigrants who had money, clothing and personal treasures left behind on that sinking ship. I lost interest in the story when the trial began. The personal stories were wonderful! For history buffs and those who needed details of the crash there was more than enough facts in the final pages, but I left those chapters and picked up on the portions of how each one was able to find work and rejoin life after such a horrific event. For some, returning to the sea was necessary for their healing. Others lived with difficulty for the rest of their days as memories drifted back into their minds.

Nicely written account with a few over-the-top flourishes (e.g. a reference to people jumping into 'shark infested waters' when there were apparently no sharks). Counterintuitively the most interesting part is the analysis of the collision, not the survivor accounts which are a bit repetitive. Like many, I was always under the impression that the collision was mostly the fault of the Italian ship, but the author demonstrates compellingly the opposite.

Alive on the Andrea Doria is a excellent book on the tragedy that sent the Andrea Doria to the depths of the Atlantic. The author does a good job of having different passengers from both ships share their experiences on that fateful night. With each story told, the reader can visualize the fear and urgency the passengers must have felt while trying to escape the listing ship. It was a shame that Captain Calamai of the Andrea Doria was the scapegoat due to the media and the non-support from his own country. The pictures of the sinking Doria along with a DVD of this tragedy that I have just brings chills to your spine. I would like to thank the author, Pierette D. Simpson for sharing her story as well and the stories of all of the courageous passengers who had to live through the nightmare of July 15, 1956.

The story of the sinking of the Andrea Doria from a passenger's point of view was amazing. To relive the many stories she - Pierette Domenica Simpson - remembered and researched that puts the reader on board that horrible night and morning of the crash and eventual sinking. One young woman went to sleep on the Doria and woke up in the wreckage of the Stockholm. Amazing. I could not put the book down.

Great first hand account of the sinking. I've read other books on the sinking, but this had some stories and such that made me realize that there were aspects I had not previously appreciated. The author did treat the Captain of the Ile de France a little unfairly, saying that he had to decide whether to rescue those in peril or continue on his way, which of course was never an option. But overall I thought it a great book.

This book is pretty much all text. I expected tons of pics of the ship itself. What there is - are pics of the passengers (not being rescued or of the sinking). Since I have not yet read the book. So, if you are looking for pics - this isn't the book for you.

Very well written by someone who was actually on the ship and she interviewed others who also were on the ship.Also all the background information about the ships and naval practices are very thorough. I believe the captain of the Stockholm was at fa

This book is an italian tale trying to make the italian crew to heros. Among other things not mentioned is the fact that the two first lifeboats arriving to Stockholm from Andrea Doria was filled with crew members only. And if Andrea Doria was not gilty to the collision it looks strange that the Italians agreed to pay about 30 million dollar + sacked the captain. The Swedes payed 1 million dollar and gave the companys newest flagship to the captain of Stockholm.Now we are eagerly awaiting the next book from the autor who preferably can include onother Italian see hero. captain Francesco Schettinos and his actions on the Costa Concordia.