Maurice and Maralyn

Author Sophie Elmhirst
Narrator Florence Howard
Publisher Random House
Run Time 5 hours and 52 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Biography and non-fiction prose, Biography: adventurers and explorers, Navigation and seamanship, Ships and boats: general interest, True stories of heroism, endurance and survival.

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

**WINNER OF THE NERO AWARDS GOLD PRIZE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024**
**WINNER OF THE NERO AWARDS NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024**

An extraordinary true story of shipwreck, survival and love

Bored of 1970s suburban life, Maurice and Maralyn plan their escape: sell the house, build a boat, set sail for New Zealand. Then, halfway around the world, their beloved boat is struck by a whale and the pair are cast adrift in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Alone on a tiny raft, their love is put to the test. This is a book about human connection and the human condition; about how we survive – not just at sea, but in life.

'An enthralling, engrossing story of survival' Bill Bryson
‘An absolute jewel of a book’ India Knight
‘A gripping tale of adventure’ Elizabeth Day
‘An extraordinary survival story’ Sunday Times

A Guardian, Observer & Waterstones Non-fiction Book of the Year

©2024 Sophie Elmhirst (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

An enthralling, engrossing story of survival and the resilience of the human spirit

BILL BRYSON

Electrifying . . . a tender portrait of two unconventional souls blithely defying the conventions of their era and making a break for freedom

Guardian

Extraordinary . . . Elmhirst is a terrific writer

ELIZABETH DAY

An extraordinary survival story… Elmhirst’s reconstruction of their ordeal is riveting, told in illuminating detail

Sunday Times

Maurice and Maralyn somehow contrives to be both gripping and elegiac. Sophie Elmhirst’s graceful, confident prose is novelistic in its pleasures and profoundly moving in its impact

KALIANE BRADLEY, author of The Ministry of Time

A compelling book about a shipwreck, but also as thoughtful a tale about marriage, for better and worse, as you are likely to read

Observer

Thought-provoking…compelling…tender… An ideal gift for a friend or family who likes incredible true stories of survival. But it’s also a book about love and hubris. And in that sense, it’s a book for us all.

PANDORA SYKES

An amazing tale of survival . . . reminds me how incredibly hard it is to find love out there in the world

New Statesman

This dramatic, profound human story is so beautifully told in calm, thoughtful, perfectly judged prose. I really could not put it down

NINA STIBBE, author of Love, Nina

A gripping tale of maritime catastrophe but also of marriage

Sunday Times

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