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

A NEW YORK TIMES TOP 10 BOOK OF 2025

ALSO NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2025 BY NPR, VOGUE, TIME MAGAZINE, THE NEW YORKER, AND MORE

“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

“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.

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.

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.

Amazing story, vividly told

Great story to hear on audible. Very compelling and touching. 2 people who wanted to escape society, end up totally alone, adrift at sea. At times harrowing, at times mundane. I recommend it

Love, partnership and survival .

Fabulous story. Unique people. Admirable experience of how individuals can work together to persevere and survive.

The relationship

It moved quickly and was well written. Great insights into marriage and wonderful knowledge of the sea and sailing.