HFBC Book #3 Discussion
Holliday Farms Book Club (HFBC) Junior Meeting:
A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck
by Sophie Elmhirst
Hosted by HF Stroll Magazine, HF Social Club and Rafael S. Garcia-Cortes
Thursday, November 6, 2025 @ HF Social Club (Caldemeyer Room)
Proposed route for the Baileys on their 118 days adrift (reference linked).
Author Snapshot
Sophie Elmhirst is a British journalist and author whose debut, A Marriage at Sea, won the Golden Nero Book Award in 2025 and became a New York Times bestseller.
She studied English at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and her work appears in The Guardian Long Read, 1843 Magazine, and Harper’s Bazaar.
Her writing explores endurance, identity, and the fragility of love under pressure.
Read more about Sophie Elmhirst on Wikipedia or her personal page.
Additional Reading
I found this excellent write-up on WaveTrain, which includes a thoughtful summary of the Baileys’ 118-day voyage, how A Marriage at Sea reexamines their story, and several remarkable archival photos of their liferaft and rescue.
Discussion Topics
1. Escape vs. Freedom From Interference
Maurice rejected radios and navigation tech to “preserve freedom from outside interference.”
What does that decision reveal about him—idealism, ego, or fear?
When does independence become isolation?
How has our idea of freedom changed since 1973?
Fun fact: They drifted for >1,500 miles in 172 days!
2. Is Marriage at Sea different than Marriage at Holliday?
The authors turns a survival tale into a portrait of everyday marriage magnified by crisis.
How did isolation reshape their relationship?
Which moments felt painfully familiar to real-life partnerships?
Did their ordeal strengthen or expose the cracks?
3. Who’s the real hero(ine) in this story?
The Baileys’ 1974 memoir put Maurice alone on the cover…
Who actually kept them alive?
How does Elmhirst restore Maralyn’s agency?
Would you eat a raw turtle?
4. “Women’s Work” as Survival
Planning menus, doodling, sewing, and decorating the raft weren’t frivolous, but they were acts of hope.
How does Elmhirst redefine what counts as survival work?
Why are female forms of endurance often dismissed in adventure stories?
5. The Myth of Escape & the Meaning of Survival
Both Elmhirst and NYT reviewer Blair Braverman argue the point isn’t could I survive?
What did “liberation” really mean for them?
Did they flee society… or themselves?
What makes this story resonate with your own ideas of endurance?
6.
| 1973 — The Baileys | Today — Modern Ocean Rescue |
|---|---|
| No radio / no GPS / no signaling mirror | Satellite phones & GPS beacons; AIS on many boats |
| Flares failed; seven ships passed without noticing | EPIRBs auto-send location to rescue satellites |
| Paper charts; no real-time weather | Live forecasts, routing, and global tracking |
| “Freedom” defined as isolation | Connection is the safety net |
| 118 days adrift | Often rescued within 24–48 hours |
7. Bonus Viewing
Watch Maurice Bailey recount the experience in this short interview by Alvaro Cerezo, featuring rare photos of Maralyn and Auralyn:
YouTube | The Incredible True Story of Maurice Bailey
8. Optional (Must Read) Book Pairing
The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor (1989) by Gabriel García Márquez
A concise, journalistic counterpoint to Elmhirst’s lyrical psychological study… but with a sailor that drifts for ten days!
