Maurice and Maralyn

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