Sophie Elmhirst

An enthralling, engrossing story of survival and the resilience of the human spirit

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

Extraordinary . . . Elmhirst is a terrific writer

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

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

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.

An amazing tale of survival . . . reminds me how incredibly hard it is to find love out there in the world

This dramatic, profound human story is so beautifully told in calm, thoughtful, perfectly judged prose. I really could not put it down

A gripping tale of maritime catastrophe but also of marriage

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

An epic story of adventure and survival

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

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

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

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

Jaw dropping... Maurice and Maralyn is unforgettable

A quirky, thrilling and moving tale of a love which proved stronger than starvation, dehydration and the mighty Pacific

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

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

An absolute jewel of a book. I can’t stop thinking about it

An unlikely love story wrapped in a dramatic adventure

Much of human life is contained in this beautiful, moving book about two people cut off from everything but each other

LARISSA MACFARQUHAR, author of Strangers Drowning

I turned each page with my heart in my mouth

No one finds the wit, warmth and mischief in a story quite like Sophie Elmhirst. I will read anything she writes

A gripping true story of love and survival against the odds

Immersive, insightful and beautifully written – I loved this book from first page to last

Both a nail-biting adventure story and a somehow even more compelling journey into the hidden dramas of marriage

A riveting adventure as well as a compelling examination of a marriage. Genuinely unputdownable

Good Housekeeping, *Summer Reads of 2024*

Never sentimental and perfectly paced, this book tells the best sort of love story: a true one

An extraordinary true story of shipwreck, survival and love

**THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER** 
**WINNER OF THE NERO AWARDS GOLD PRIZE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024** 
**WINNER OF THE NERO AWARDS NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024** 
 
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’

Sophie Elmhirst

Praise for Maurice and Maralyn

An enthralling, engrossing story of survival and the resilience of the human spirit

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

Extraordinary . . . Elmhirst is a terrific writer

An enthralling, engrossing story of survival and the resilience of the human spirit

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

Extraordinary . . . Elmhirst is a terrific writer

An enthralling, engrossing story of survival and the resilience of the human spirit

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

Extraordinary . . . Elmhirst is a terrific writer

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