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1762. Mary is desperate to escape her embittered mother. So when her marriage to a prosperous sea captain is arranged, she embraces the damp salt air, cramped conditions and bad food. She sets sail on the Isabella, away from the land of her childhood towards unseen places and an unknown future.
But being the captain’s wife is going to be harder than she thought. Her husband is still grieving for his first wife, and Mary can’t ignore her feelings towards another man onboard. Through him, she has a taste of the kind of love she might have known, and even begins to think that escape is possible.
With ruthless pirates patrolling British waters and ports full of outcasts with unspoken pasts, Mary learns quickly that loyalties are always shifting and people are rarely as they first seem. The Captain’s Wife is a richly realised story of adventure about a strong young woman determined to survive her fate by a wonderful storyteller.
But being the captain’s wife is going to be harder than she thought. Her husband is still grieving for his first wife, and Mary can’t ignore her feelings towards another man onboard. Through him, she has a taste of the kind of love she might have known, and even begins to think that escape is possible.
With ruthless pirates patrolling British waters and ports full of outcasts with unspoken pasts, Mary learns quickly that loyalties are always shifting and people are rarely as they first seem. The Captain’s Wife is a richly realised story of adventure about a strong young woman determined to survive her fate by a wonderful storyteller.
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Reviews
Delightful . . . the two stories are brought together with marvellous skill
A potent and sophisticated tale of hardship and betrayal
What McKenzie excels at is using period detail in the right way: just enough to give a feeling of authenticity but never so much that the history outweighs the story. McKenzie has a natural, fluid writing style
A rollicking ride on the high seas
Praise for The Chapel at the Edge of the World:
'If you only read one book this summer, though, make it The Chapel at the Edge of The World, the debut novel by Kirsten McKenzie'
'Unusual, fluently written... [an] unshowy absorbing read'
'McKenzie's book grows impressively and movingly into its author's distinct vision'
'So much fascinating detail that the reader's attention never wanders for a moment.'
'A warm, humane and finely written debut'
A fine debut inspired by a wartime act of optimism . . . I can't imagine a finer tribute than this lovely book
Praise for The Chapel at the Edge of the World:
'If you only read one book this summer, though, make it The Chapel at the Edge of The World, the debut novel by Kirsten McKenzie'
'Unusual, fluently written... [an] unshowy absorbing read'
'McKenzie's book grows impressively and movingly into its author's distinct vision'
'So much fascinating detail that the reader's attention never wanders for a moment.'
'A warm, humane and finely written debut'
A fine debut inspired by a wartime act of optimism . . . I can't imagine a finer tribute than this lovely book