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 *
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 *
An amazing tale of survival . . . reminds me how incredibly hard it is to find love out there in the world -- Tracey Thorn * New Statesman *
A gripping tale of maritime catastrophe but also of marriage -- India Knight * Sunday Times *
An epic story of adventure and survival * Daily Express *
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 *
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 *
Never sentimental and perfectly paced, this is the best sort of story: a true one * Economist *
A quirky, thrilling and moving tale of a love which proved stronger than starvation, dehydration and the mighty Pacific -- Peter Carty * i *
Extraordinary . . . Elmhirst is a terrific writer -- ELIZABETH DAY
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 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
A beautiful, brilliant book, an exquisitely written piece of non-fiction that reads like a great novel
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
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
A beautiful, searing book -- a miniature epic of seafaring and survival with an unbreakable, unusual love story at its heart -- SAM KNIGHT, author of The Premonitions Bureau
What an astonishing story. And what a sublime piece of writing -- JULIET NICOLSON, author of A House Full of Daughters
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 *
An unlikely love story wrapped in a dramatic adventure * Waitrose *