Wild and Distant Seas

"Reading this book is like exploring history with a whole new perspective.... With a terse yet poetic style that calls to mind the prose of Hawthorne and Melville, Roberts brings this story to life with a quiet energy and yearning that is palpable.... A beautiful book.--Jane Siciliano ""Bookreporter"" In her inventive debut, Roberts gives voice (and a little bit of magic) to those who are left behind: the women caught in the riptide of male ambition.... With language richer than the matriarch's famed chowder and nautical descriptions so vivid you can taste the salt spray, Roberts offers a new and refreshingly feminine perspective on one of American literature's most masculine classics.--Charley Burlock ""Oprah Daily"" Beautifully conceived.... An inventive, atmospheric, female-centric story.... Ingeniously constructed.... Like whales, Roberts' novel traverses great distances, following its four generations of resolute women as they strive to take the helm of their lives.... [A] stirring epic.--Heller McAlpin ""Christian Science Monitor"" Stunning.... Roberts writes with confidence and dynamic range, mixing earthy details of dead fish and whale oil with sublime descriptions of the women's psychic abilities.... This is beautiful.--Publishers Weekly, starred review Sweeping.... The magic is subtle, woven seamlessly into the narrative, so it does not feel out of place in this otherwise traditional work of historical fiction. Each woman's story builds to a beautiful conclusion, and the themes of love, motherhood, and the quest to find one's purpose in life resonate throughout.--Patricia Smith, Booklist, starred review A lyrical and beautiful work of historical fiction.... Charming and atmospheric, Wild and Distant Seas celebrates the complexities of womanhood through the ages and poses questions about memory, family identity, one's legacy, and the nature and power of free will. What stories do we inherit and how much can we alter the narrative of our lives and of those of our loved ones? And when is it time to let go? At its heart, this is a story of loss, redemption, tenacity, and hope.--Julie Gerstenblatt, author of Daughters of Nantucket Tara Karr Roberts breathes new life into a classic tale with a radiant cast of women at the helm. Wholly absorbing and beautifully written, Wild and Distant Seas is sure to someday be a classic in its own right.--Ruth Emmie Lang, author of Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance and The Wilderwomen"