It was both a surprise and a thrill when I heard my name read out as the winner of the 2012 Hackmatack Children’s Choice Award for English Fiction on April 27th in Moncton, New Brunswick.   SincePrisoner of Dieppe is my first novel I was particularly happy and doubly pleased that it was a book that kids had chosen as their favourite. It was a great way to wrap up my reading tour of PEI and Nova Scotia. I Am Canada: Deadly Voyage is nominated for Hackmatack ’13 so I’m hoping to be asked back!

Having a book of mine reviewed in the New York Times Book Reviewhas been a secret fantasy for years. So it was a real thrill that ‘Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage‘ was one of only two new Titanic books they selected for  a full-page review on April 15, 2012. (The other was Andrew Wilson’s excellent ‘Shadows of the Titanic.) Of Gilded Lives, reviewer Holly Morris said: ”
“Brewster’s nuanced account introduces us to a plutocracy frolicking in the sunset of England’s Edwardian era and America’s Gilded Age.  He pushes past stereotypes to vividly describe the elite realm on deck.”

This was perhaps the jewel in the crown of all the reviews but here are some other great endorsements:

“will bring a tear to your eyes.” –Daily Beast, Hot Reads

” The greatest ship-borne collection of celebrities of its time… classy, delicious, wonderfully readable”
– Christian Science Monitor

“You needn’t be an avid Titanic scholar or enthusiast to find this story spellbinding.  No fiction author could ever concoct a tale of greater tragedy, irony, pathos, ‘what ifs’ and ‘if onlys,’ heroism, cowardice, wealth and poverty.”
– Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star

“[A] brilliant account of the first-class passengers who went down with the ship, giving us a glimpse into a Gilded Age about to disappear forever….Brewster’s method is simple and highly entertaining.”
– Minneapolis Star-Tribune

‘This is one of those rare books on the subject that provides information both new and relevant, in a scholarly but readable way. Highly recommended to anyone interested in the social history of the early 20th century.”
– Library Journal (starred review)