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| Real-life shipwreck story by Sophie Elmhirst wins top prize at Nero Book Awards | Real-life shipwreck story by Sophie Elmhirst wins top prize at Nero Book Awards |
| (about 13 hours later) | |
| Maralyn and Maurice Bailey, pictured back on the water the year after their ordeal | Maralyn and Maurice Bailey, pictured back on the water the year after their ordeal |
| The true story of a British couple who spent four months adrift on a life raft in the Pacific Ocean, after their boat was sunk by a whale, has been named the best book of last year at a prestigious ceremony. | The true story of a British couple who spent four months adrift on a life raft in the Pacific Ocean, after their boat was sunk by a whale, has been named the best book of last year at a prestigious ceremony. |
| Maurice and Maralyn: An Extraordinary True Story of Shipwreck, Survival and Love, by Sophie Elmhirst, won the £30,000 Gold Prize at the Nero Book Awards, on Wednesday. | Maurice and Maralyn: An Extraordinary True Story of Shipwreck, Survival and Love, by Sophie Elmhirst, won the £30,000 Gold Prize at the Nero Book Awards, on Wednesday. |
| It tells the story of Maurice and Maralyn Bailey, who sold their Derbyshire bungalow to build a boat and set sail for New Zealand, in 1972, but had to survive at sea for 118 days after it sank. | It tells the story of Maurice and Maralyn Bailey, who sold their Derbyshire bungalow to build a boat and set sail for New Zealand, in 1972, but had to survive at sea for 118 days after it sank. |
| Author Bill Bryson, who chaired the judges, called it "an enthralling, engrossing story of survival and the resilience of the human spirit". | Author Bill Bryson, who chaired the judges, called it "an enthralling, engrossing story of survival and the resilience of the human spirit". |
| Maurice and Maralyn - listen on Radio 4's Book of the Week on BBC Sounds | |
| The Baileys set off in search of adventure in 1972 but struck disaster the following year, en route to the Galapagos Islands. | The Baileys set off in search of adventure in 1972 but struck disaster the following year, en route to the Galapagos Islands. |
| After the whale cracked a hole in their boat's hull, they had time to deploy their 4ft (1.2m) life raft and rescue a small amount of rations. | After the whale cracked a hole in their boat's hull, they had time to deploy their 4ft (1.2m) life raft and rescue a small amount of rations. |
| Maralyn crafted a fishing line, using a safety pin from a first-aid kit and a piece of string, and survived on raw fish, turtles and small sharks. | Maralyn crafted a fishing line, using a safety pin from a first-aid kit and a piece of string, and survived on raw fish, turtles and small sharks. |
| She also invented card and word games and made dominoes out of scraps of paper, to keep their minds occupied. | She also invented card and word games and made dominoes out of scraps of paper, to keep their minds occupied. |
| Author Sophie Elmhirst came across the Baileys on a website dedicated to castaway stories | Author Sophie Elmhirst came across the Baileys on a website dedicated to castaway stories |
| Elmhirst, a journalist, came across the Baileys on a website dedicated to castaway stories, and set about researching their journey using Maralyn's diary and books Maurice published after their rescue. | Elmhirst, a journalist, came across the Baileys on a website dedicated to castaway stories, and set about researching their journey using Maralyn's diary and books Maurice published after their rescue. |
| Her book won the Nero Book Awards Non-Fiction category in January and has now won the overall Gold Prize for Book of the Year 2024. | Her book won the Nero Book Awards Non-Fiction category in January and has now won the overall Gold Prize for Book of the Year 2024. |
| 'Unfolding drama' | 'Unfolding drama' |
| Bryson said: "Impressively novelistic in its narrative approach, it is a gripping retelling of a true but forgotten story. | Bryson said: "Impressively novelistic in its narrative approach, it is a gripping retelling of a true but forgotten story. |
| "It is a story of a marriage as much as of an adventure at sea, one that subtly explores the dynamics of a relationship under the greatest imaginable stress." | "It is a story of a marriage as much as of an adventure at sea, one that subtly explores the dynamics of a relationship under the greatest imaginable stress." |
| Elmhirst's writing was "understated but powerful, immersing the reader intimately in the unfolding drama and the horror of struggling to survive against the odds with very few resources", he added. | Elmhirst's writing was "understated but powerful, immersing the reader intimately in the unfolding drama and the horror of struggling to survive against the odds with very few resources", he added. |
| The other judges were novelist Bernardine Evaristo and journalist Emily Maitlis. | The other judges were novelist Bernardine Evaristo and journalist Emily Maitlis. |
| "We unanimously agreed that Maurice and Maralyn is a non-fiction work that reaches the highest literary eminence," Bryson added. | "We unanimously agreed that Maurice and Maralyn is a non-fiction work that reaches the highest literary eminence," Bryson added. |
| The Nero Book Awards are the successors to the Costa Book Awards and were founded in 2023. | The Nero Book Awards are the successors to the Costa Book Awards and were founded in 2023. |
| The Nero Book Awards winners: | The Nero Book Awards winners: |
| Gold Prize and Non-Fiction: Maurice and Maralyn: An Extraordinary True Story of Shipwreck, Survival and Love, by Sophie Elmhirst | Gold Prize and Non-Fiction: Maurice and Maralyn: An Extraordinary True Story of Shipwreck, Survival and Love, by Sophie Elmhirst |
| Fiction: Lost in the Garden, by Adam S Leslie | Fiction: Lost in the Garden, by Adam S Leslie |
| Debut Fiction: Wild Houses, by Colin Barrett | Debut Fiction: Wild Houses, by Colin Barrett |
| Children's Fiction: The Twelve, by Liz Hyder | Children's Fiction: The Twelve, by Liz Hyder |