Alone on a Wide Wide Sea
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Review
‘his best book in years… Micheal Morpurgo seems to have gone into orbit’. Kate Kellaway, The Observer
‘I read the yarn aloud to my children… they were completely hooked, as was I, for the length of the voyage.’ Kate Kellaway, The Observer
‘a very satisfying read… The masterful writing makes characters come to life on the page… I’m recommending this to adult friends as well as teenagers’. Books for Keeps
‘Incredibly moving, harrowing and completely unputdownable. A first class story that brings history alive’. My Child magazine
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.The Observer Review
"His best book in years... I was completely hooked." Kate Kellaway,
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I'll cut to how this ended for us as a family with 3 children (aged 10,8,7) when we listened to this on the way to and from a holiday in Cornwall. We sat on the drive at home, with all three children transfixed and with no one wanting to get out of the car until it ended (which was about 20 minutes after we arrived home). My wife was in tears and there was general agreement that it was the best audio book we had come across (and we have listened to quite a few over the years). The first part is possibly more compelling (with haunting digderidoo music between chapters) but it really is stunningly well read and atmospheric.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Well written in two parts, the first two-thirds of this book is the story of Arthur, a young orphan shipped to Australia in 1947 without family or understanding. He has to leave behind everything he has ever known behind except for a "lucky key" he was given by his sister Kitty until the time they would be reunited, and the song London Bridge is Falling Down in his heart. Although his first sea voyage is miserable and his first years in the outback desperately hard, he grows to love the sea, the Ancient Mariner is his bible, and he becomes a master boat-builder. Life then takes a dive into deep dark water where he flounders for some years before finding `dry land' once again.
The second section of the book has a far more contemporary style: it is largely a diary of one-way conversational e-mails sent back home from the boat on which Allie, Arthur's daughter, returns to England. This is a single handed sailing from Australia to England in her late teens, a sort-of Ellen MacAthur-esque narrative for junior readers -that doesn't pull its punches. It's a long and arduous journey: a grim, cold and wet trip retracing her father's steps, and the highs and lows of Allie's mood on that long solitary journey mirror the towering dangerous waves. It's a triumphant ending though as the story comes full circle and the meaning of the `lucky key' ties into the underlying spirit of the book.
This vivid and realistic story, told in such different voices, interweaves the raw feeling of aloneness with the strength of family ties and raises the question of the importance of tracing who you are and where you came from, while glancing upon on a range of issues such as depression, gambling and cancer that drag you down as well as the things that lift you and give the strength and courage to go on. This raw and inescapable book will make you think and stretch your emotions - the lifes of Arthur and then Allie are as changeable in mood as the sea itself - rich fulfilling blues, dark jagged grey undercurrents & persistent stormy seas.
And if you enjoy this book (the first part in particular) the raw highs and lows of this, then you must try next the incredible Holes by Louis Sachar.
The second section of the book has a far more contemporary style: it is largely a diary of one-way conversational e-mails sent back home from the boat on which Allie, Arthur's daughter, returns to England. This is a single handed sailing from Australia to England in her late teens, a sort-of Ellen MacAthur-esque narrative for junior readers -that doesn't pull its punches. It's a long and arduous journey: a grim, cold and wet trip retracing her father's steps, and the highs and lows of Allie's mood on that long solitary journey mirror the towering dangerous waves. It's a triumphant ending though as the story comes full circle and the meaning of the `lucky key' ties into the underlying spirit of the book.
This vivid and realistic story, told in such different voices, interweaves the raw feeling of aloneness with the strength of family ties and raises the question of the importance of tracing who you are and where you came from, while glancing upon on a range of issues such as depression, gambling and cancer that drag you down as well as the things that lift you and give the strength and courage to go on. This raw and inescapable book will make you think and stretch your emotions - the lifes of Arthur and then Allie are as changeable in mood as the sea itself - rich fulfilling blues, dark jagged grey undercurrents & persistent stormy seas.
And if you enjoy this book (the first part in particular) the raw highs and lows of this, then you must try next the incredible Holes by Louis Sachar.
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is stunning. Having just finished reading it I'm feeling completely wrung-out and I am now on a mission to encourage every child and adult to read it too. The story is wholly compelling and works on so many levels. It's a book that could so easily give in to sentimentality but in Michael Murpurgo's capable hands it never approaches cloying. Instead you've got brilliant storylines with characters you really care about.
This deserves to win every book award it's eligible for. I'm an experienced childrens librarian and I'd say it's comfortably up there in my top five books ever!
This deserves to win every book award it's eligible for. I'm an experienced childrens librarian and I'd say it's comfortably up there in my top five books ever!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
alone on a wide wide sea
Alone on a wide wide sea is a wonderful book and Michael Morpurgo does some really good descriptions and he really makes the scene go to your head. Read more
Published 1 month ago by jessica gunn/Jessie J 95
Loved it!!!
This book had been a gift to my grand-daughter but having fallen in love with Michael Morpurgo's books via War Horse etc. Read more
Published 1 month ago by jojo
Marvellous Michael Morpurgo
This was my chosen read over Christmas. Yes, I know it isn't really meant for adults, but as so many other Morpurgo books, this ticks all the boxes for characters that are... Read more
Published 4 months ago by DJK
A really wonderful book!! Highly recommended
This is one of the most enjoyable and emotional books I have read in a long time. A wondeful journey. Characterizations were spot on. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Nyuszika
Alone on a wide wide sea
very well written book enjoyed it very much. I found it in a charity shop best book I have ever read 10 out of 10 found it very moving. Read more
Published 10 months ago by gattytale
amazing story...
This story is a story of Arthur Hobhouse an
orphan who is sent to Australia by British authorities, which
actually happened after WWII, they were sent to Canada. Read more
orphan who is sent to Australia by British authorities, which
actually happened after WWII, they were sent to Canada. Read more
Published 10 months ago by blueWkd
A must read at any age!
I'm not sure of the target age range for this book, but at 33 I'm fairly sure I'm not in it! However, it's one of the best novels I've read in a long time. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Nicola Wilson
michael morpurgo book
second time my 10 yr old daughter has wanted to read it, sad but a good read I believe!
Published 14 months ago by Contessa
One of the best books I have ever read
Not just for children, this gem from the ever brilliant Michael Morpurgo. I don't know how he does it, but his stories are always so lifelike and credible, that it seems as though... Read more
Published 15 months ago by R. Lyons
Emotional roller coaster...
Utterly breath taking. This book epitomises true, raw emotion. I urge every single individual capable, to read this book. Enjoyed it so much I had to read it again! Read more
Published 22 months ago by ElleDW
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