Mrs Cook: The Real and Imagined Life of the Captain's Wife [Paperback]

Marele Day (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 2003

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BESTSELLING LAMBS OF GOD In the great sweep of history, of winds, tides and seasons, there is a story of courage and survival that belongs not to a great sea captain, but to his wife. While James Cook circumnavigated the globe, travelling further than any man had before, Elizabeth Cook travelled with him in her thoughts, imagining the exotic, the sensory and the strange. There were months, sometimes years, with no word. But as James sailed into the blue, earning his place in history, Elizabeth Cook made discoveries of her own. Though she rarely left London, she was propelled on a journey into the far reaches of the human heart, a journey marked by James' departures and those of her six children, whom she lost one by one. This is a rich portrayal of the life of a woman whose passion and intellect matched that of her celebrated husband. It is a lyrical exploration of imagined interior worlds, shaped by historical fact. It is, above all, a celebrration of love and endurance.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A true tribute to a remarkable unsung heroine. Day’s simple, plainspoken voice makes the story all the more powerful." -- Romantic Times Book Club

"Rich in historical detail." -- Library Journal

About the Author

Marele Day is the author of the Claudia Valentine Mysteries series, The Last Tango of Dolores Delgado, and Lambs of God.

Product Details

• Paperback: 357 pages
• Publisher: Allen & Unwin (September 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1865088021
• ISBN-13: 978-1865088020
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,019,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating woman, January 29, 2004

By 

gotta run now (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mrs Cook: The Real and Imagined Life of the Captain's Wife (Paperback)

Captain James Cook played a large role in early Australian history, so we hear plenty about him and his exploits. But what about the family he left behind? Marele Day must have wondered the same and rather than quickly throwing together a story based on her imaginings, she put in some serious research time and created a story that intertwines what we know about Captain Cook and his wife with some rich fiction.
In Day's book, Elizabeth Cook is an intelligent, passionate woman who devoted her life to providing a warm and happy home for her children and husband whenever he was home. It is hard to imagine maintaining this kind of wifely devotion when your husband is gone for months, and sometimes years, at a time. She suffered her tragedies alone, worried alone, and for the most part, lived alone. Even her two elder sons, that survived their early childhood, went off to boarding school at a young age. But Elizabeth possessed an inner strength and was willing to deny herself the desires of her heart to provide her family with what was best. She bore 6 children, and lost them one by one. She endured an unbelievable amount of tragedy in her life, but carried on with dignity. Seeing Captain Cook's travels through the eyes of his wife is an interesting concept. And Day does a fine job of making you forget this is a fictional characterization. An interesting read, highly recommended to any fan of historical fiction.

5.0 out of 5 stars an interesting and excellent read, September 2, 2011

By 

Cloggie Downunder (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mrs Cook: The Real and Imagined Life of the Captain's Wife (Paperback)

Mrs Cook: the Real and Imagined Life of the Captain's Wife is the eighth novel by Australian author, Marele Day. Day takes existing Cook artefacts: letters, medallions, monuments, furniture, crockery, portraits and more, and builds a backstory for them, using her meticulous research into the life of Mrs Cook. A wealth of facts presented in an interesting and easily digestible form. We learn about things like the change of calendar in 1752, life in 18th century London, docks, ale houses, war, country fairs, charting coastlines, estimating longitude, and preparation for long sea voyages. Above all, we learn of the deep love the Cooks had for each other, and the heartache that Elizabeth Cook endured as her husband was gone for sometimes years without word. This novel is quite a departure from Day's usual style, and is reminiscent of Geraldine Brooks' technique of taking a few historical facts and embroidering them with a story. Two passages stood out or me: "Elizabeth had two husbands - the one who spent months at a time with her, with whom she had come to Yorkshire; and the imagined husband, the one who was by her side when the one in the next room was away. The one who was there every breath she took, who inhabited her body as much as she did herself. The husband made of air, and memories and yearning, who nestled into the bed beside her at night." From this passage comes the title. And "What decision would Elizabeth have made if the Almighty had revealed His plan for her? I will send you a great man and you will love each other profoundly. But he will die, and so will all of your children. Your well of grief will be so immense you'll think you can't bear it, but you will survive, living out the missing years of your loved ones' lives." An interesting and excellent read.

4.0 out of 5 stars Elizabeth Cook: a possible life, June 8, 2007

By 

J. Cameron-Smith "Expect the Unexpected" (ACT, Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mrs Cook: The Real and Imagined Life of the Captain's Wife (Paperback)

Elizabeth Cook outlived her husband and each of her six children. She was aged in her 90s when she died in 1835 and had been widowed for 56 years.

Around these bare biographical facts, Marele Day has written an entirely plausible novel which draws Elizabeth Cook out of the shadows of history. I enjoyed this novel, as much for the hint of the private man behind the heroic captain but also for the insights into the life of a courageous woman whose role was to wait, worry and to keep family together.

Highly recommended.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith