I'm not sure that Andrew Miller is able to give any useful insights into women. He should probably stick to men's stories. ( )

Andrew Miller is a versatile writer whose books are always worth reading. This one is a curious hybrid of several different genres, held together by the heroine Maud, who is feisty but reserved and aloof.

In the first part of the book we follow Maud's relationship with Tim. They meet as members of a university sailing club and are brought together after Maud has a fall while working on the boat. They become a couple, Maud starts a steady job as a scientist, and the rather vain and narcissistic Tim dreams of being a musician while being subsidised by his rich family. Maud persuades him to buy and repair a neglected but seaworthy yacht, but their plans for it are derailed when Maud becomes pregnant.

The second part is several years later. Tim has been the main carer for their daughter Zoe, but he and Maud are drifting apart when Tim is involved in a tragic road accident in which he is badly injured and Zoe is killed. He then leaves her and after a confrontation with his family she is forced to take extended leave from her job and, at a loose end, decides to sail the boat, with little more than a vague plan to head west.

The voyage is described in detail, as something of an Arthur Ransome style adventure story.

The book is always readable, if somewhat heavy on nautical terminology, it has some fine descriptive passages, and Maud is a fascinating character, but overall I felt the book did not quite work, and tries to cover too many incompatible bases. ( )

Almost like three different books: the first about Maud and Tim and their difficult marriage due to Maud's coldness; the middle (the best) about Maud's solo trans-Atlantic crossing; and the third (the worst) about her landing midst a group of children in a cult.

Though I'm not a sailor I very much liked Miller's detailed knowledge and description of the technical aspects of a sailboat and solo sailing. But the ending was just to weird and unrealistic. ( )

Tim and Maud meet through their university sailing club. Tim is a creative from a large and wealthy family, Maud is a scientist from a more modest background. They start a relationship and have a child but it is clear that Tim is more invested than Maud. When tragedy strikes, their relationship collapses and Maud decides to sail across the Atlantic in the boat that they have restored together.

Whilst the first half of the book recounts the relationship between Tim and Maud, the second part is solely about Maud. This is a clever device as for the first part the reader is rooting for Tim, Maud is not an empathetic character, her emotions are too closed off. The tattoo that Maud has on her arm sums it up - roughly translated as 'every man for himself' - Maud gives little away.

The second part of the book focuses on Maud's reaction to the loss of their child and how, after shutting herself off, she decides to sail away. The description of the voyage is exciting and beautiful and Maud's landing in a remote part of Brazil brings into fore the lack of maternal instinct.

In many ways I found this book like an alternative version of Waugh's 'A Handful Of Dust' - a mismatched couple, a death and an adventure - and whilst the ending is ambiguous there is still that sense of disappearing from the normal life. This is a haunting book, beautifully written and ultimately very satisfying. ( )

gave up. endless descriptions of pretty girl sailing. no story to latch on to.