An extraordinary true tale of love, shipwreck and survival, beautifully told -- Maurice and Maralyn's escape from 1970s England and its oil crisis, strikes and inflation is also a story for our times **THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER** **WINNER OF THE NERO AWARDS GOLD PRIZE BOOK OF THE YEAR** **A BARACK OBAMA BOOK OF THE YEAR** An extraordinary true story of shipwreck, survival and love '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 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. 'This skilful storytelling drew me in...very touching indeed' James Rebanks 'With the adrenaline kick of Jaws . . . A remarkable portrait of a marriage kept afloat against the odds' Financial Times 'This dramatic, profound human story is so beautifully told. I really could not put it down' Nina Stibbe A Guardian, Observer & Waterstones Non-fiction Book of the Year **READERS ADORE MAURICE & MARALYN** 'A riveting tale of survival . . . and of the power of love when all appears lost' 'A mind-blowing story of resilience and love in the face of adversity' 'The very best kind of true story, and beautifully written' 'I couldn't put this book down' 'I was absolutely hooked from the outset' Published as A Marriage at Sea in the USA

Details

ISBN13: 9781529931495
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 272
Edition:
Publication Date: 28 Jan 2025
Publisher: Vintage Publishing
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 19.7(H)x12.7(L)x1.9(W)188
Weight (gm): 188

Author Biography

Sophie Elmhirst is a prizewinning writer for the Guardian Long Read and The Economist's 1843 magazine, and a contributing editor at the Gentlewoman and Harper's Bazaar. In 2020 she won the British Press Award for Feature Writer of the Year; she has also won a Foreign Press Award and been longlisted for the Orwell Prize. She first came across the story of Maurice and Maralyn Bailey researching a piece on our desire to escape. This is her first book. She lives in London.

Reviews

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 -- Fiona Sturges * 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
Amazing -- BARACK OBAMA
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 -- Tracey Thorn * 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