An insightful, beautiful, tragic novel that will sweep you across the world!
During WWII, Arthur Hobhouse was separated from his sister and put on a ship bound for Australia when he was just eight years old. Afraid and alone, Arthur had to learn how to survive in harsh conditions, experiencing more of life than most people do in a lifetime. From working on a farm with an abusive owner, being adopted by a woman who lived among animals, to finding a passion for the wide wide sea, Arthur’s story stretches through the decades as we ride the waves with him and watch him become a father.
Sixty years later, after handing the baton to his daughter, Allie is determined to solve the mystery of her father’s beginning. Where did he come from? Who was Kitty? And, what did the key, his only possession attached to his childhood, unlock? Sailing around the world in search of answers, Allie will stop at nothing to fulfill her father’s dream of circumnavigating the globe and finding his sister!
Alone on a Wide Wide Sea is one of the most artistically written books I’ve ever read! Pulling me into the story from the first three sentences — “I should start at the beginning, I know that. But the trouble is that I don’t know the beginning. I wish I did.” — I knew that I wouldn’t be able to put this book down. We all want to know who we are and where we come from, but the journey to the truth is arduous. Not shying away from reality, Michael Morpurgo exposes the heartbreaking truth many children endured during WWII after being shipped to the unforgivable outback; however, instead of dwelling on the nitty-gritty, he sparked a glimmer of hope through friendship and courage.
Combining two stories into one, I cannot rave about the author’s writing enough! The descriptions, narration, and set-up were flawless!! I couldn’t believe how much was fitted into this book, yet it was only 309 pages. Don’t you love it when books tell you everything you need to know without going into so much detail that it becomes tedious? Michael Morpurgo has not only mastered his craft but changed the name of the game! A person’s life consists of many adventures, lessons, experiences, and memories; yet, it’s in the core moments that an identity, story, and character are formed! Alone on a Wide Wide Sea will take you by surprise and lead you on many adventures that will feel as though you too have sailed around the world!
Buy a copy of Alone on a Wide Wide Sea HERE!
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[yasr_multiset setid=0] Ages: 14+-
- “Arthur Hobhouse is a happening. I’ve been a happening for sixty five years, or thereabouts, and the time has come now for me to put my life down on paper.” ~ Michael Morpurgo
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- “For me this will be the birth certificate I never had. It’s to prove to me and to anyone else who reads it that at least I was here, that I happened.” ~ Michael Morpurgo
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- “Time gathers speed as we get older. Life flashes by all too fast, and is over all too soon.” ~ Michael Morpurgo
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- “We listened agog, because she was a wonderful storyteller. She could paint pictures in your head with words, and she could touch the heart of you too.” ~ Michael Morpurgo
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- “I should start at the beginning, I know that. But the trouble is that I don’t know the beginning. I wish I did.” ~ Michael Morpurgo
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- “I think I was born to sail, and I mean that. So when I set off on my great sailing adventure, it was because I wanted to do it.” ~ Michael Morpurgo
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- “That’s what sailing is, a dance, and your partner is the sea. And with the sea you never take liberties. You ask her, you don’t tell her. You have to remember always that she’s the leader, not you. You and your boat are dancing to her tune.” ~ Michael Morpurgo
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- “He believed that we live on only as long as our story is told. I believe that too.” ~ Michael Morpurgo
