Scan barcode
A review by jess_esa
Maurice and Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst
4.5
I had never heard of the shipwrecked couple Maurice and Maralyn before picking this up, and it's hard to believe this ever happened and that they genuinely did survive being out on the Pacific Ocean for months on a tiny raft.
My partner and I were laughing because Maurice's immediate consideration of ending it all and it being purely Marlyn's unhinged blind optimism getting them through is absolutely how it would go down if we ever found ourselves shipwrecked.
I have such a fondness for stories of married couples getting through tough times together and this is where this book shines, it's a book full of touching and tender moments both at sea and in the aftermath where they end up rescued by a South Korean crew, and later tour Korea, Hawaii, California, and beyond as their reluctant fame precedes them.
Being someone who has had a lot of skipper friends, friends with houseboats, and those who prefer life at sea, I couldn't help but think of them fondly whenever the couple talks about how suffocating they find life on land in the UK and was not surprised that they wanted to be immediately back at sea after their ordeal.
The pacing of this book is the only thing that stops me from giving it five stars, it takes a little too long to get to them setting sail and stays a little too long as we follow the couple into old age and beyond. The middle feels like being on the waves yourself, excitement followed by calm, only for things to amp up again unexpectedly.
It can also occasionally feel disjointed, especially towards the end where it feels like a journalist piecing together what information there is and it loses its narrative flow and voice.
Overall, this is a very special book and a quick read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys stories of people surviving against the odds.
My partner and I were laughing because Maurice's immediate consideration of ending it all and it being purely Marlyn's unhinged blind optimism getting them through is absolutely how it would go down if we ever found ourselves shipwrecked.
I have such a fondness for stories of married couples getting through tough times together and this is where this book shines, it's a book full of touching and tender moments both at sea and in the aftermath where they end up rescued by a South Korean crew, and later tour Korea, Hawaii, California, and beyond as their reluctant fame precedes them.
Being someone who has had a lot of skipper friends, friends with houseboats, and those who prefer life at sea, I couldn't help but think of them fondly whenever the couple talks about how suffocating they find life on land in the UK and was not surprised that they wanted to be immediately back at sea after their ordeal.
The pacing of this book is the only thing that stops me from giving it five stars, it takes a little too long to get to them setting sail and stays a little too long as we follow the couple into old age and beyond. The middle feels like being on the waves yourself, excitement followed by calm, only for things to amp up again unexpectedly.
It can also occasionally feel disjointed, especially towards the end where it feels like a journalist piecing together what information there is and it loses its narrative flow and voice.
Overall, this is a very special book and a quick read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys stories of people surviving against the odds.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts