Maurice and Maralyn

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

'One of those very special books that makes you put everything on hold so you can get back to it' RACHEL JOYCE
'Beautiful, moving and genuinely unputdownable' JOANNA CANNON
'Extraordinary . . . Elmhirst is a terrific writer' ELIZABETH DAY
'Easily one of the most captivating works of narrative nonfiction I’ve ever read' OLIVER BURKEMAN

What begins as an eccentric English love story turns into one of the most dramatic adventures ever recorded...

Maurice and Maralyn couldn't be more different. He is as cautious and awkward as she is charismatic and forceful. It seems an unlikely romance, but it works.

Bored of 1970s suburban life, Maralyn has an idea: sell the house, build a boat, leave England -- and its oil crisis, industrial strikes and inflation -- forever. It is hard work, turning dreams into reality, but finally they set sail for New Zealand. Then, halfway there, their beloved boat is struck by a whale. It sinks within an hour, and the pair are cast adrift in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

On their tiny raft, over the course of days, then months, their love is put to the test. When Maurice begins to withdraw into himself, it falls upon Maralyn to keep them both alive. Their pet turtle helps, as does devising menus for fantasy dinners and dreaming of their next voyage.

Filled with danger, spirit and tenderness, this is a book about human connection and the human condition; about how we survive -- not just at sea, but in life.

©2024 Sophie Elmhirst (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

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

    Sunday Times

  • 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

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

    Guardian

  • The extraordinary 1973 ordeal of Maurice and Maralyn Bailey comes to life in Sophie Elmhirst’s telling… it speeds along like a novel

    Daily Telegraph

  • Extraordinary . . . Elmhirst is a terrific writer

    ELIZABETH DAY, author of Friendaholic

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