To the Edge of the World recounts the astonishing true story of Mary Ann Patten, a 19-year-old wife of a merchant ship captain in 1856 who is thrust into leadership when her husband falls gravely ill mid-voyage.
A book like this can only really be written by a woman and Dr Mazzeo brings a wealth of brilliant writing technique to this story, but also, experience. A fifth – generation sailor and tenth – generation Mainer (where the Patten story begins), she lives today on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, where, with her husband, she captains a Vancouver 42 offshore sailboat. Her raw experience of maritime culture coupled with rich research involving a combination of archival sources, newspapers and letters, create a gripping and incredibly detailed narrative.
The book is a blend of maritime adventure and historical context, delivering a true account of a tale of courage and grit in an entertaining and compelling way. Factual context is delivered through a brilliant narrative, making you as the reader feel immersed in a storyline rather than preached to from a factual text.
This is a book about the strength of a woman, and a story of resilience, love and unwavering resolve. If you are a fan of Maurice and Maralyn, in particular biographies of trailblazing women and well-crafted nonfiction that reads like a novel, this is the book for you.
About the Book
Summer 1856. Nineteen-year-old Mary Ann Patten and her husband, Joshua, are young and ambitious. Both from New England seafaring families, they have already completed their first global voyage with Joshua as captain. Their dream of building a home and a family is almost within reach, but the price of that freedom is one last dangerous transit – a high-stakes race to deliver supplies to the other side of the country. And there is no alternative but to sail all the way around.
Yet as their ship leaves New York, navigating towards the jagged coastline of South America, Joshua falls sick, confined to his bunk and delirious. The treacherous first mate is imprisoned in the brig for insubordination. With no obvious option for a new captain, Mary Ann steps up to take the helm. Within days, she has put down a mutiny. Now she must attempt to steer this 216-foot ship, laden with the modern equivalent of $11 million of cargo, through Drake’s Passage and around Cape Horn – the most treacherous waters in the world.
About The Author
Dr. Tilar J. Mazzeo is The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and San Francisco Chronicle bestselling author of numerous award-winning works of narrative nonfiction, including Widow Clicquot – now a major Hollywood film. Formerly the Clara C. Piper Associate Professor of English at Colby College and Professeure Associée in the Department of World Literatures at the University of Montreal, Dr. Mazzeo left the academy in 2019 to focus full-time on writing. A fifth- generation sailor and tenth- generation Mainer (where the Patten story begins), she lives today on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, where, with her husband, she captains a Vancouver 42 offshore sailboat.
Photo Credit: Tilar J. Mazzeo
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