A Marriage at Sea

A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck

De: Sophie Elmhirst

Narrado por: Marisa Calin

THE RUNAWAY NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER & ONE OF BARACK OBAMA’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2025

“This is nonfiction that reads like fiction – the best kind. Elmhirst’s retelling is a triumph, second only to the seemingly impossible feat of Maurice and Maralyn themselves. You won’t be able to put it down.” – USA Today

“Remarkable… I found myself, alternately, holding my breath as I read at top speed, wandering rooms in search of someone to read aloud to, and placing the book facedown, arrested by quiet statements that left me reeling with their depth.” – The New York Times

“Such an emotionally vivid portrait of a couple in isolation that I was shocked it wasn’t fiction. How could a writer get so deeply into the minds of two real people in such extraordinary circumstances? … So brilliantly depicted.” – Elle, Best Books of Summer

“A beautiful meditation on endurance, codependence, and the power of love. A dazzling book.” – Patrick Radden Keefe

“An enthralling, engrossing story of survival and the resilience of the human spirit.” —Bill Bryson

An instant New York Times bestseller, this is the electrifying true story of a young couple shipwrecked at sea: a mind-blowing tale of obsession, survival, and partnership stretched to its limits.

Maurice and Maralyn make an odd couple. He’s a loner, awkward and obsessive; she’s charismatic and ambitious. But they share a horror of wasting their lives. And they dream – as we all dream – of running away from it all. What if they quit their jobs, sold their house, bought a boat, and sailed away?

Most of us begin and end with the daydream. But in June 1972, Maurice and Maralyn set sail. For nearly a year all went well, until deep in the Pacific, a breaching whale knocked a hole in their boat and it sank beneath the waves.

What ensues is a jaw-dropping fight to survive in the wild ocean, with little hope of rescue. Alone together for months in a tiny rubber raft, starving and exhausted, Maurice and Maralyn have to find not only ways to stay alive but ways to get along, as their inner demons emerge and their marriage is put to the greatest of tests. Although they could run away from the world, they can’t run away from themselves.

Taut, propulsive, and dazzling, A Marriage at Sea pairs an adrenaline-fueled high seas adventure with a gutting love story that asks why we love difficult people, and who we become under the most extreme conditions imaginable.

©2025 Sophie Elmhirst (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Compelling, beautiful writing with lovely narration.

This is a true survival story of the Baileys, a married couple who were stranded together at sea for 118 days in the early 1970’s. The beautiful writing and narrative of this fairly reclusive couple was fascinating, and their survival was amazing. Their life and marriage were unconventional, and they were happy together, despite many struggles and challenges. Narrator for the book also did a beautiful job. Highly recommended!

Wonderful teamwork!

Good story. I was so happy that they found each other and had many years together.
Confusing title.

Riveting and Poignant

This book, about the incredible experience of Maurice and Maralyn Bailey’s 118 days adrift on the Pacific Ocean and the unusual years that followed, is a fascinating portrait of how an extreme experience can change people. This book is incredibly well-written and read exceptionally well. This book reminds me of Steven Callahan’s amazing book, ADRIFT. If you liked that book you will love this one.

A beautiful and fascinating story

So lovely that these two very particular people found each other. Their relationship and survival tactics make this a gripping read.

Very descriptive and well-written

My husband and I listened to this wonderful tale of a shipwrecked married couple. It gave us so much to talk about in putting ourselves in the Bailey’s shoes (or raft, as it were). I’d never heard this story and found it very interesting.

Mixed bag

The story has been told before, although there are some interesting additions in this. The narration has moments that are very choppy and disconcerting

Relationship and survival

Reasonable well written story of a couple adrift for 117 days. Narration fine but not riveting

True story of complex personalities.

True story of complex personalities. Harrowing, a little sad heartfelt, human condition. Well presented and soothing voice.

Fascinating true story of survival

Loved the narration and the accuracy of the details, based on the carefully kept records both of them kept during their ordeal

Loved learning about 117 Days Adrift from another angle

I enjoyed this book tremendously. I love the ocean and understand more fully why Maurice and Marilyn Bailey loved it too.