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A Far-flung Life

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

*THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*

The mesmeric new novel from the author of the award-winning global bestseller, THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS

Outback Western Australia, 1958: for generations, the MacBrides have lived on a remote sheep station, Meredith Downs. A million arid acres, it’s an ocean of land, where the weather is a capricious god, and time still roams untamed.

One ordinary day, on a lonely road, under the unending blue sky, patriarch Phil MacBride swerves to avoid a kangaroo. In seconds the lives of the entire MacBride family are shattered. Then, instead of leaving wounds to heal, Fate comes for them yet again, in a twist of consequences that will cause one of them to lose their life, and another to sacrifice theirs for the sake of an innocent child. Matt, the youngest MacBride, is plunged into a moral and emotional journey for which there is no map, no guide, as he is forced to choose between love and duty, sacrifice and happiness.

A tale of family and belonging, of compassion and hope, A Far-flung Life is about people trying to do their best, each, for private reasons, seeking shelter from the storm of life. Exploring the lives of a handful of isolated souls and the secrets they shield in order to survive, this epic novel stands as a testament to the enduring power of love.

‘This is a book I couldn’t stop listening to. The narrator was superb with the various voices of the characters. The story is mesmerising’ 5 stars, audiobook reviewer.

‘Utterly glorious. I have so much love for these characters. A truly brilliant novel’ FLORENCE KNAPP, author of The Names

'Stedman mixes big emotions with beautiful writing to intoxicating effect' Good Housekeeping Book of the Month

© M L Stedman 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critics Review

Utterly glorious. I have so much love for these characters - I felt their regrets, yet just as deeply, Stedman’s compassion. A truly brilliant novel.
FLORENCE KNAPP, author of THE NAMES
Masterful. A remarkable poignant tale
GUARDIAN
Heart-wrenching and beautifully set. A gorgeous feast of a novel about family, community, love and the lengths we will go to save them all.
RACHEL JOYCE, author of THE HOMEMADE GOD
A big, bold story of resilience and hope. I was completely swept away.
BONNIE GARMUS, author of LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY
A world, a story, and a cast of characters I truly lost myself in. So much so I slowed down my reading of it, as I never wanted it to end. A Far-flung Life is a rare jewel of a novel and one I will never forget
JENNIE GODFREY, author of THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS
Truly a masterpiece. I loved the very bones of it
JOANNA CANNON
Epic, intimate and aching. A novel that carries its secrets in hidden places, burying its wounds in the vast, empty landscape of Western Australia and in the broken hearts of its characters. I loved it.
MIRANDA COWLEY HELLER, author of THE PAPER PALACE
Mesmerising and unforgettable, this sweeping novel aches with life’s impossible choices, thrums with love and pain, and imprints itself on your heart. I loved it.
JOANNA GLEN, author of ALL MY MOTHERS
One of those books that fill the soul. I couldn’t put it down. What an incredible story, as vast and starkly beautiful as the unforgiving terrain of its setting, and filled with light and love.'
DONAL RYAN, author of HEART, BE AT PEACE
Like the heartrending The Light Between Oceans, the MacBrides' story interrogates ideas of right and wrong in specific and complicated cases, and the experience of humans writ small against a vast landscape... Heartbreaking and painfully beautiful, A Far-flung Life will haunt and comfort long past its final page.
SHELF AWARENESS
Author M L Stedman
Narrator Lewis Fitz-Gerald
Duration 13 hours and 41 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781529968408
Format Audiobook
Publisher Transworld
Genre Family life fiction, Generational sagas, Modern and contemporary fiction, Narrative theme: Sense of place
Availability GB, IE

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