A Far-flung Life

A Novel

From the author of the acclaimed bestseller The Light Between Oceans comes a breathtaking and epic novel set in the vast outback of Australia—about tragedy, family secrets, and the enduring power of love.

When we do something that can’t be undone or mended, how do we go on living? How do we find our North Star when there is no right answer? These are the questions at the center of M. L. Stedman’s unforgettable and magisterial new novel, A Far-flung Life. From the author of the beloved and bestselling The Light Between Oceans, this is a sweeping and epic story of a family, a tragedy, and the aftermath that reverberates for decades.

Remote Western Australia, 1958: here, for generations, the MacBrides have lived on a vast sheep station, Meredith Downs. It is a million acres, an ocean of arid land. On an ordinary day, on a lonely road, under the unending blue sky, patriarch Phil MacBride swerves to avoid a kangaroo. In seconds the lives of the entire MacBride family are shattered. And then, tragedy revisits when a twist of consequences claims the life of one sibling, and leads another to give up everything for the sake of an innocent child. Matt, the youngest MacBride, is plunged into a moral and emotional journey for which there is no map, no guide. The secrets at the heart of this gutting and beautiful story force him to choose between love and duty, sacrifice and happiness.

A Far-flung Life is a tale about family and belonging, fate and time. It is about people trying to do their best, and each, for private reasons, seeking shelter from the storm of life.

Can a fleeting moment unravel a whole life, mar it indelibly and irrevocably? Can compassion, resilience and forgiveness allow us to come to terms with our human imperfections? These are the questions Stedman asks in A Far-flung Life, her profoundly moving, uplifting, and luminous new novel about what the heart can endure for the sake of love.

Absolutely marvelous book. Narration drove me nuts.

M.L. Stedman is a wonderful author. As in The Light Between Oceans, she’s not afraid to tackle difficult subjects. Beautifully written, fascinating characters and plot. Loved it!
If you listen, be prepared to rewind a lot. The narrator starts a sentence at one volume and ends most of them at an entirely lower volume level. It was really distracting, especially given the grandeur of this story.

Hard to follow

I just could not get into the story. Very hard to follow did not like it

Very moving book!

This book gets in your very marrow! So much feeling. If you like emotuon, it is worth a read!

Well Written Sad Story

16 hours of sadness is a bit much. This author has awesome skill. I hope he finds some joy in a future book.

Generational story

Great narrative and story of a complicated family. Enjoyed both story and narration immensely. From tragedy to happy ending.