Maurice and Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst
** Be swept away by this extraordinary true story of shipwreck, survival and love on your holiday this year ** *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 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
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
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
A gripping tale of maritime catastrophe but also of marriage -- India Knight * Sunday Times *
A gripping story of survival at sea and a haunting account of the yearning to escape . . . It hasn’t left my mind since I finished it -- OLIVER BURKEMAN
An epic story of adventure and survival * Daily Express *
A beautiful, brilliant book, an exquisitely written piece of non-fiction that reads like a great novel
Superb… Elmhirst is good at evoking an era that feels both familiar and like deep history… you really do hang on to her every word -- Maggie Fergusson * Spectator *
A beautiful meditation on endurance, codependence, and the power of love. A dazzling book -- PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE, author of Empire of Pain
With its period detail and softly poetic prose, the book melds together the sweet conjugal bonds of a quirky pair with the adrenaline kick of Jaws… It is a remarkable portrait of a marriage kept afloat against the odds * Financial Times *
An exciting, fast-paced, terrifying adventure story, and at the same time a slow, gentle commentary on love -- ALEXANDER MASTERS, author of Stuart: a Life Backwards
Never sentimental and perfectly paced, this is the best sort of story: a true one * Economist *
Maurice and Maralyn is a very accomplished bit of writing. I am not drawn to adventurers and explorers but this skilful storytelling drew me in. The scenes in the life raft were very touching indeed -- JAMES REBANKS
A quirky, thrilling and moving tale of a love which proved stronger than starvation, dehydration and the mighty Pacific -- Peter Carty * i *
This is a survival story of relentless power, an epic of human resourcefulness, and of the emotional toll taken at last by suffering’s extremity -- COLIN THUBRON
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 -- 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
A gripping tale of maritime catastrophe but also of marriage -- India Knight * Sunday Times *
A gripping story of survival at sea and a haunting account of the yearning to escape . . . It hasn’t left my mind since I finished it -- OLIVER BURKEMAN
An epic story of adventure and survival * Daily Express *
A beautiful, brilliant book, an exquisitely written piece of non-fiction that reads like a great novel
Superb… Elmhirst is good at evoking an era that feels both familiar and like deep history… you really do hang on to her every word -- Maggie Fergusson * Spectator *
A beautiful meditation on endurance, codependence, and the power of love. A dazzling book -- PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE, author of Empire of Pain
With its period detail and softly poetic prose, the book melds together the sweet conjugal bonds of a quirky pair with the adrenaline kick of Jaws… It is a remarkable portrait of a marriage kept afloat against the odds * Financial Times *
An exciting, fast-paced, terrifying adventure story, and at the same time a slow, gentle commentary on love -- ALEXANDER MASTERS, author of Stuart: a Life Backwards
Never sentimental and perfectly paced, this is the best sort of story: a true one * Economist *
Maurice and Maralyn is a very accomplished bit of writing. I am not drawn to adventurers and explorers but this skilful storytelling drew me in. The scenes in the life raft were very touching indeed -- JAMES REBANKS
A quirky, thrilling and moving tale of a love which proved stronger than starvation, dehydration and the mighty Pacific -- Peter Carty * i *
This is a survival story of relentless power, an epic of human resourcefulness, and of the emotional toll taken at last by suffering’s extremity -- COLIN THUBRON
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.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781529931495 |
| ISBN 10 | 1529931495 |
| Title | Maurice and Maralyn |
| Author | Sophie Elmhirst |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Vintage Publishing |
| Year published | 2025-02-06 |
| Number of pages | 272 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |