The Sea Captain's Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love, and Adventure at the Bottom of the World

by Tilar J. Mazzeo

The true story of the first female captain of a merchant ship and her treacherous navigation of Antarctica's deadly waters, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Widow Clicquot

Summer, 1856

Nineteen-year-old Mary Ann Patten and her husband, Joshua, were young and ambitious. Both from New England seafaring families, they had already completed their first clipper-ship voyage around the world with Joshua as captain. If they could win the race to San Francisco that year, their dream of building a farm and a family might be within reach. It would mean freedom. And the price of that freedom was one last dangerous transit—into the most treacherous waters in the world.

As their ship, Neptune’s Car, left New York Harbor and sailed down the jagged coast of South America, Joshua fell deathly ill and was confined to his bunk, delirious. The treacherous first mate, confined to the brig for insubordination, was agitating for mutiny. With no obvious option for a new captain and heartbroken about her husband, Mary Ann stepped into the breach and convinced the crew to support her, just as they slammed into a gale that would last 18 days. Determined to save the ship, the crew, and their future, she faces down the deadly waters of Drake’s Passage.

Set against the backdrop of the California Gold Rush and taking us to the brink of Antarctica, The Sea Captain's Wife finally gives Mary Ann Patten—the first woman to command a merchant vessel as captain — her due. Mazzeo draws on new archival research from nineteenth-century women’s maritime journals and on her own expedition to the Southern Ocean and Antarctica in search of Mary Ann’s route. Thrilling, harrowing, and heroic, The Sea Captain's Wife is the story of one woman who, for love, would do what was necessary to survive.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Travel, Historical, Maritime, Adventure

288 pages, Hardcover

First published December 9, 2025

About the author

Tilar J. Mazzeo is a cultural historian, biographer, and passionate student of wine and food culture. She divides her time among the California wine country, New York City, and Maine, where she is a professor of English at Colby College.

(from the author's website)

Reviews

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sea Captain's Wife is one of those books where the content is wonderfully told and engaging, but the title and subtitle might be saying too much. Author Tilar Mazzeo tells the story of Mary Ann Patten, who at 19 years old, took over her ill husband's ship in Drake's Passage which is literally the worst place to ever be on a ship. In the midst of this, there is also a bit of a mutiny. This all sounds quite exciting and it is! At least, when you get to this part anyway.

Mazzeo writes an fun tale and does a fair bit of explaining for those readers who have no idea what a jibboom is, for instance. I don't want to undersell the good bits of the book with the criticism I have for it. This is an enjoyable read and Mazzeo does a wonderful job with what she has.

The singular criticism is that it is clear Mazzeo is throwing a lot into the narrative to fill out the story. Much of it makes perfect sense, from the background of the families and a short tutorial on maritime trading. However, as a reader I could feel her straining to fill up the pages. It is well into the book before we get to the fateful voyage and aspects like the mutiny are minor diversions. I think shipwreck tale addicts (that's me!) will find a lot of the information in the beginning of the book as filler rather than vital points. People who are grabbing this for the adventure portions will have a good amount of pages ahead of them before getting to the excitement. I still think it is all worth it in the end.

(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press.)

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written, meticulously researched biography of Mary Ann Patten, the first woman to command a merchant vessel. It vividly describes seafaring in the 1850's. I was fully immersed in the fascinating life of this young trailblazer, whose courage and bravery are commendable and truly inspiring. The epilogue and acknowledgements contain personal insight, and are enlightening and informative. I found the epitaph to be especially moving. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press, Dr. Mazzeo, and NetGalley, who provided me with an advanced reader copy of this fabulous book. This is my honest opinion.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, The Sea Captain's Wife, by Tilar J. Mazzeo, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have never heard of Mary Ann Patten before, I wish I had though, she is an incredibly brave and strong women. Mary Ann took over being the captain of the ship after her husband Josh became sick. This was an interesting read.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1857 Mary Ann Patten and her husband Captain Joshua Patten set sail from New York harbor on a trip to deliver goods around the world. The first destination port was San Francisco, and in a race with several other clipper ships in hopes of making it within 100 days. This was the second journey that Mary Ann joined her husband, impressing the crew on the first journey in her skills, healing injured or sick men as well as charting and using a sextant.

By the time they reached the most dangerous part of the journey to San Francisco, rounding the Cape Horn, the first mate was held in the brig. Captain Patten fell unconscious from lack of sleep and an illness that finally overtook him. And this was during a violent storm, one of the worst tempests in years. Despite being a woman, Mary Ann took over as captain to get them through this danger ensure they stayed on course. This was an unheard of action. Mary Ann was just 19, pregnant and petite, which endeared her further in newspapers.

This was a non-fiction book that reads like fiction. There were moments when I wondered if the author went too far in attempting to do this readability like a fictional book. Yet I did quite enjoy the book.

It is sewn together by the true accounts of what happened. By genealogy, newspaper reports, diaries, ship logs and other documents. It is very well researched. Bonus was learning about clipper ships and the mid 1800s trade.

[Erin Clemence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication date: Dec. 9, 2025

“The Sea Captain's Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love, and Adventure at the Bottom of the World” by Tilar J. Mazzeo is a non-fiction story about a young woman named Mary Ann who was the wife of a sea captain in 1856. When Mary Ann set out to sea with her husband, Joshua, and his crew, she did not expect that by the end of the voyage she would be seen nationwide as a hero. When Joshua took sick on the months-long voyage, Mary Ann stepped in as captain and, in an unprecedented move in the nineteenth century, was even supported by her husband’s crew. Mary Ann successfully completed the ship’s journey, through Drake’s Passage, a dangerous trek through stormy, unpredictable waters, at “the bottom of the world”.

“Wife” is a true story of a sea captain’s wife, and it’s energizing and powerful to see Mazzeo give Mary Ann Patten her due. Although Joshua is featured at the beginning, before his illness, Mazzeo ensures that readers know who the real star of the journey is, and by the end of “Wife”, I was cheering even harder for the heroine of the high seas.

The story starts off with some background on Joseph and Mary Ann, before they met each other, and the necessary details of their families and upbringing. Ships and sailing play prominent roles in both young people’s lives, in different ways, and “Wife” pays homage to that. If there is anything you ever wanted to know about ships, sailing or the daily struggles of working on a ship, you can be sure that Mazzeo’s story will scratch your itch. That being said, the information Mazzeo provides is useful and informative, and is not at all dry or long-winded.

For Mary Ann to be able to commandeer and direct an entire ship of men in the nineteenth century is nothing short of a miracle, especially considering the ludicrous superstitions that seamen had at that time of women’s presence on a ship “bringing bad luck”. Add to this fact that Mary Ann was just nineteen and expecting her first child, and her story is even more remarkable. It is a devastating truth in our society that middle-class women (and men) like Mary Ann and her husband very rarely leave a mark on future generations, unless they do something exceptional and, even then, their stories often go untold. I am grateful to Mazzeo for telling Mary Ann’s story.

“Wife” is a tale for anyone who has an obsession with the nautical life, from commercial shipping to pleasure sailing, and everything in between, but will also speak to those looking for a story about seemingly common people during uncommon, and even exceptional, things.

[Dona's Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐.5

Pre-Read Notes:

I really like stories of people at sea; on page, the setting is relentless and thus compelling.

Final Review

(thoughts & recs) Despite the lively style, this book still felt dry to me. This figure is interesting, but I didn't click with the book.

My Favorite Things:

✔️ "Let the globe of our world spin slowly. Set this chariot upon a point, a latitude, a longitude. Turn west to the New World. Follow the line south from New York City and south some more, past Brazil, to the very last reaches, a place called Tierra del Fuego, the land of fire. Put your finger somewhere in that furious passage, between the end of the Earth and the frozen land of ice, Antarctica. Here is our tempest." p5 The writing style is (admittedly a bit purple, but still) lovely.

✔️ "A lady had to get these stiff skirts over the edge of a boat, into a wood-and-wicker swing, and down twenty feet or more, over the side of a vessel, without somehow showing more than an ankle . Indeed , stiff skirts had an unfortunate tendency to tip over entirely or catch the breeze , making for some unfortunate exhibitions. Thanks to laced corsets and tight-fitting bodices, ... a lady had to perform this exercise constrained and constricted and without a great deal of oxygen to assist her. And this was all assuming the crew didn’t dunk or, worse , drop her... Mary Ann almost certainly did not know how to swim, but, if she had known, it would not have mattered if she ended up in the water. The weight of her skirts would have sunk her." p112 I'll take the pants, and the land, please.

Content Notes: death of family, being at sea, illness, death of a spouse,

Thank you to Tilar J. Mazzeo, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of THE SEA CAPTAIN'S WIFE. All views are mine.

[William de_Rham · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Sea Captain’s Wife” is a fascinating non-fiction tale of seafaring in the mid-1800s. Fans of clipper ships, 19th Century American maritime history, exciting sea stories, and most especially, biographies of groundbreaking women will find much to interest them.

It is the story of 19-year-old Mary Ann Patten, wife of Captain Joshua Patten, who assumed command of his “extreme clipper” ship when illness incapacitated him. She would put down a mutiny, earn the loyalty of the crew, and navigate the vessel through Cape Horn’s perilous “Drake’s Passage” during a monstrous storm to bring it and its multi-million dollar cargo safely to port in San Francisco.

First and foremost, “The Sea Captain’s Wife” is a story of adventure fueled by a woman’s competence and heroism—a story that captured the imagination of the entire nation back in the 1850s. It’s also a love story about two young people committed to each other who dreamed of making their fortune circumnavigating the globe in the fastest ships available. I also found it to be a great learning experience. Author Tilar J. Mazzeo leaves no topic related to the Pattens, clipper ships, and maritime trade in the 1800s uncovered. Those topics include the economics of maritime trade, how ship owners and sea captains made their money, the properties of clipper ships and the seas they sailed, the communities that built and serviced clippers (e.g., Rockland, ME and Boston, MA where Joshua and Mary Ann, respectively, were raised), and the technological developments of the times.

In sum, a very worthwhile read, especially for those interested in “the golden age of sail” and/or the position of women in America in the mid-1800s.

My thanks to NetGalley, publisher St. Martin’s Press, and author Tilar J. Mazzeo for providing me with a complimentary electronic ARC. All of the foregoing is my honest, independent opinion.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cool book. I was totally invested in Mary Ann's (and Joshua's) story, especially once we got to the meat of the book. Some of the stuff in the early chapters bogged down the narrative a bit (like the exact ages of everyone's siblings and what their grandparents did for work, etc) and I think if that had been pared back a bit so we hit the exciting parts sooner, this would have been 5 stars. I love ship stories like this, age of sail mutinies and disasters, etc, but this is the first one that features a woman at the helm and I can't believe it's not a more well-known tale. It's absolutely fascinating and I hope this book spreads Mary Ann Patten's legendary account far and wide. I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

With The Sea Captain���s Wife, I am once again reminded of how selective mainstream history is and how much we don’t learn about in school.

This book is about clipper ships in the mid-nineteenth century, and a husband and wife that captained one. Neither is something I can ever remember learning about before.

Captains of clipper ships during this time were almost like modern day NFL quarterbacks, with the same celebrity status and potential to make bank, but with way more responsibility and knowledge needed.

The clipper ships themselves compared to traditional ships on an international scale are the difference in modern day times of shipping something ground versus air. These ships were engineered and steered to MOVE, shaving weeks of transit time of oceanic voyages of passengers and cargo.

Not surprisingly, races were held and bets were placed on these clippers and their captains, just as we do those quarterbacks and their teams today.

At the helm of one of these ships was Captain Joshua Patten. Along for the journey was his wife Mary Ann, the couple being deeply in love and not wanting to be separated for the significant period of time it would take for Joshua to circumnavigate the globe.

His first duty captaining a clipper and finishing behind another captain by mere hours gets him a second chance with the Neptune Car to win a new race. Illness and a combative first mate determined to derail the success of the ship will force his wife Mary Ann to step up in some of the most dangerous and deadly waters of the world to steer the ship on its journey to port in San Francisco.

This, in the 1850s, is no small task for anyone, let alone a nineteen year old woman (who was also pregnant at the time!) on only her second voyage, dealing with a deathly ill husband and a first mate in irons trying to raise a mutiny.

Can we all slow hand clap for Mary Ann Patten please and then ask ourselves why a woman that was a celebrity in her time for her accomplishments has had her story almost completely lost to history? This was way more fascinating than most of the history that was regurgitated year after year in my history classes growing up.

If you are well familiar with the history of ships during this time period, Mazzeo’s background on the ships may be below your level of interest. Mazzeo also steers off the primary topic in several other places to provide background or context. This was helpful to me most of the time for understanding the gravity or importance of something, but does interrupt the flow of the story some.

We need more books like this. Mazzeo acknowledges in her epilogue that historical sources for stories like the Pattens are never going to be as comprehensive as a prominent historical figure, and that filling in a bigger picture requires some liberties. Most narrative nonfiction does, no matter how comprehensive source material is. But she also does a great job of not putting words in their mouths and making it pretty clear she’s speculating on what may have happened based on what we do know followed.

Definitely worth the read.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating adventure tale of a resourceful, pregnant woman handling a ship and its crew around the southern tip of South America while her husband was incapacitated from illness. This is also a story about and from the golden age of ocean-travelling clipper ships.

A clipper could travel at previously unimaginable speeds and cut days or even weeks off the long sea voyages that integrated trade in a global economy. They were, if you will, the “just-in-time” portion of the nineteenth-century supply chain, the expedited couriers of the 1850s. When it had to be there and fast, it had to be clipper.

...

The Great Republic, built in 1853 in Boston, the longest clipper ever constructed, was 400 feet from bowsprit to stern. She launched to a crowd of 50,000 cheering spectators. To understand how intense the celebrity surrounding these clippers was, consider that Boston in 1853 had a population of fewer than 150,000. Extreme clippers were sexy, fast, and capable of making the shipowners and the captains very, very wealthy because their speed meant that they could charge a premium on freight rates and could specialize in only the most profitable cargo.

It was also an era of advanced navigation by considering complicated, prevailing current patterns. due to the insights of Matthew Maury. As a sailor, Maury noted numerous lessons that ship masters had learned about the effects of adverse winds and drift currents on the path of a ship. The captains recorded the lessons faithfully in their logbooks, which were then forgotten. Maury uncovered an enormous collection of thousands of old ships' logs and charts in storage in trunks dating back to the start of the U.S. Navy. He pored over the documents, collecting information on winds, calms, and currents for all seas in all seasons. His dream was to put that information in the hands of all captains. Maury's work on ocean currents and investigations of the whaling industry led him to suspect that a warm-water, ice-free northern passage existed between the Atlantic and Pacific. He thought he detected a warm surface current pushing into the Arctic, and logs of old whaling ships indicated that whales killed in the Atlantic bore harpoons from ships in the Pacific (and vice versa). The frequency of these occurrences seemed unlikely if the whales had traveled around Cape Horn. Maury published his Wind and Current Chart of the North Atlantic, which showed sailors how to utilize the ocean's currents and winds to their advantage, thereby drastically reducing the length of voyages. His Sailing Directions and Physical Geography of the Seas and Its Meteorology remain standard.

There is a river in the ocean. In the severest droughts it never fails, and in the mightiest floods it never overflows. Its banks and its bottom are of cold water, while its current is of warm. The Gulf of Mexico is its fountain, and its mouth is in the Arctic.—Matthew Maury, The Physical Geography of the Sea It would be difficult to overstate the importance of Maury’s theories about oceanography in a world dominated by— and linked by— sail.

...

Throughout the 1850s, more than a thousand sea captains every year were sending Maury their logbooks— the logs of tens of thousands of our collective voyages sit in storage. Maury’s work—and the unrecorded and unremembered work of generations of mariners who crowdsourced his data and the dozens of assistants in his office who collated and organized it— remains the basis for modern pilot charts still published by the United States government and used today by mariners.

So, the famous clippers and Maury's famous navigation science. Above all of this, was the fame and adoration of Mary Ann Patten herself.

It is difficult to overstate, in fact, the fame of Mary Ann Patten in the late 1850s and into the 1860s. The speaker was right: She did represent, at that moment in time, something that seemed to many as quintessentially American. The America we wanted to be as a young nation, at the moment when the nation stood on the precipice of that terrible reckoning.

...

Mary Ann Patten was also a living symbol. “What a splendid text for the woman’s rights people,” wrote Philadelphia’s Star of the North on March 11. After all, if a young girl just nineteen could inspire a crew of unruly seamen to let her take a clipper around Cape Horn in a terrible gale as their master, if women could be captains when permitted, then surely women could be trusted to vote in an election?

* * *

Society was not, in 1857, ready yet for that bold proposition, but Mary Ann did pave the way for a generation of other women who, in the years that followed, would take the helm and also tell those stories.

Not only did Mary have to struggle against a patriarch that would not see the ship owners value her work for a captain's pay, but her husband had to struggle against the discrimination then applied to those with epilepsy or anything causing the seizures, as her husband suffered from.

Until 1956, seventeen American states outlawed marriage for anyone with epilepsy; Britain only repealed that law in 1970. Epilepsy tended to go hand in hand with other neurological disorders, and over time the seizures also created cognitive deficits in sufferers, in a kind of terrible self-fulfilling prophecy.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a real nail-biter of a book! Even though we know how it ended (for the most part), I couldn't put it down. I also loved that I lived about 1 minute away from where Mary Ann's faily lived on Unity Court. It's going to make a great film! Now who to play the lead?

[Rem71090 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am normally able to maintain an academic distance when I read nonfiction. Yes, I can acknowledge, thing were tragic, but I can keep reading because at least the events are over. Mazzeo absolutely destroyed that distance for me - I found myself crying so hard over the 19-year-old woman who loved her husband that my kobo started turning pages on its own from the tears landing on this.

This book did start pretty slowly, and I do think that a lot of the first two chapters could have been cut. But I think a stellar job was done of showing us who Mary Ann and Joshua were as people - and showcasing their incredible youth and optimism. I found myself wishing I could go back in time and manufacture a better ending for them.

4.5 rounded up - thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

[MM Suarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

"She was a slip of a girl, who, anyone could see, was deeply in love with her husband, and who, out of devotion and loyalty to him, had shown immense courage and strength of purpose. Every seaman aboard wished for a wife like Captain Mrs. Patten."

I have loved stories about ships and sea adventures ever since I borrowed my uncle's Jules Verne collection when I was little more than a first grader, and I also love history lessons so I loved this book. I loved learning about the workings of the merchant sailing business in those days, how the Clippers were built and the background stories of the community Joshua, Mary Ann and their extended families lived and worked in.

This is a story of a young woman's great courage under fire, and an extraordinary feat that had she been a man would have garnered her lots more accolades, money and several bronze statues in and around Maine, Boston, etc., instead her husband's employer tried like heck not to pay her until it turned into a public relations disaster.

This book is also a sad, tragic love story, Joshua and Mary Ann had dreams that were not to be, the epitaph on their graves in Mary Ann's own words almost made me cry.

“Are there seas in heaven, Joshua? And is there such a vessel as our Neptune’s Car? If there is, wait for me, and we shall explore the vast and boundless reaches of Eternity.”

[Toni Osborne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A true story of mutiny, love and adventure

“The Sea Captain’s Wife”, is the story of Mary Ann Patten and what she accomplished in the short time she lived in the 1800. She was only 19 on Sept. 5 1856 when her husband was truck down by disease and ultimately kill him. They were near Cape Horn when she took charge…this is her story.

This is a storytelling said with skills and definitely well researched. Guiding us through the challenges of the sea takes one with ability and knowledge and the author shows every sign she did this and very well. Some say the narrative is crip and engaging and very detailed but leave it to me to have a rough time with all of this. There are far too many details about ships, sailing, ports, rivers, towns…etc. to have kept me fulling tune till the end.

This blend of adventure, romance and historical insight may be well said and exceptional, I never managed to stay with it, my mind wanted to move on and read something else…definitely not my cup of tea.

My thanks to St-Martin Press and Netgalley for this ARC

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the real-life adventure of Mary Patten, a 19-year-old pregnant woman who unexpectedly becomes the captain of a merchant clipper after her husband gets sick and the first mate attempts mutiny. This situation took place in 1856, not exactly a period in time when women were appreciated. We didn’t even have the right to vote!!
I’m grateful to learn about this nearly forgotten piece of women’s history and the high seas adventure kept me engaged throughout the story. It was gripping to read about Mary handling the clipper during storms and navigating icebergs. Also, Mazzeo’s rigorous research was evident in the story and added to its authenticity. The only quibble I have is that the parts following the voyage were a little slow and sad.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC in return for an honest review.

[Kathleen Rottier · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's very difficult to imagine being a 19-year-old woman in the family way at the helm of an extreme clipper ship rounding Cape Horn. The crew was uncertain of her ability to set a course, know the ropes, and navigate not just in smooth waters, but in the most treacherous.
The author researched the technical aspects of merchant clippers as well as the contextual history behind this story.
In the final paragraph she notes that this is the story about how nearly forgotten lives are as deep and as wide as the American story. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and learned quite a bit, too.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exciting Tale of Mary Ann Patten who has to take over the command of her husband ship in the Drake Paage in 1856. She faced mutiny and adventure on the high seas. It is tge tale of an unknown woman who faced a great deal and should be famous for it. Although Beautifully written, I found it slow at times.

[Lachlan Finlayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading about almost lost and forgotten historical events and the people involved. Remarkable events and people by any standards, exhibiting skill, tenacity, bravery, courage and all those characteristics that add to a compelling, exciting story. This book is a fine example of one such story.

Two hundred years ago the United States had no cross-country railroad. A Central American canal joining the Atlantic and Pacific was still a dream. Sailing ships has evolved into sleek, fast Clipper ships. Marine navigation, for those educated sufficiently to understand and embrace, provided an advantage where time was a crucial element for rapid transport of people and cargo. And perhaps most importantly, gold had been discovered in California, a state largely isolated, requiring East Coast ships to travel via Cape Horn. This is the background to a time when the United States North-East dominated the shipping industry in both construction and sailing expertise. New York City dominated the American business world; a world increasingly integrated into international trade, in part due to fast Clipper ships.

The book begins with Captain Joshua Pattern battling illness, a mutinous First-Mate and stormy weather, as his Clipper, ‘Neptunes Car’, is about to navigate the treacherous waters of Cape Horn, at the tip of South America. The ship’s destination is California. Several other Clipper ships are competing in a race from the United States East Coast. Additionally these ships are transporting a lucrative cargo; much-needed gold mining supplies. His wife, a nineteen year old, from a long-time shipping family, steps up to take over from her incapacitated husband. She is pregnant with their first child. The scene is set for a fascinating and inspirational story.

After this introduction, the author provides abundant background details, which set the scene and context of the time. The business world, the shipping world as well as details regarding the seafaring families and the individuals involved in what was to come in the Summer of 1856. As newly designed Clipper ships became faster, they provided business opportunities both moving freight and people around the globe. With improved navigation methods, Captains could reduce significantly the time taken to complete a voyage. thus making considerable profits for ship owners, cargo owners and for themselves. Interestingly many Captains sought out challenging, international routes in order to earn enough money to leave the sea-faring life and start a family on a farm. A far safer existence. Long-distance sailing was a dangerous enterprise for many reasons and the more astute Captains, such as Joshua and his wife Mary-Ann, appreciated this and did their best to plan their careers and lives accordingly.

Adding to these dangers was the significant public interest in the fast Clipper ships, which provided gambling opportunities for the general public and bragging rights for owners. Captains had to balance their own fortunes with that of the owners, investors and of course the lives of their crews.

I enjoyed the background details the author provided. It allowed a better understanding of what the Captains were endeavouring to achieve. Their lives, motives, hopes and dreams. Also the reader will understand better the personalities involved: ship owners, seafarers, their wives, families and the communities in which they lived.

The author does a remarkable job conveying the family histories, including upbringing, education and how lives were often interconnected. Considerable research and detective work has gone into tracking down details from newspapers, public documents, private letters and whatever sources the author could find. Beyond that, she extrapolates using knowledge and judgement to fill-out this compelling story.

Generations of families typically remained in the shipping business, something that was possible at a time when Maine was a centre of ship building and closely connected with domestic and international trade. The family lives are explained as are the various trades, hierarchies, cultures and relationships involved. It was a time of rapid growth in the US; population, migration, agriculture and industry. Also growing were cultural tensions that would lead to the Civil War.

The world of Clipper ships is described in enough detail to allow the reader to appreciate the complexity of these vessels. Sleek, fast moving and wind propelled. Inherently dangerous for crews and passengers alike. Another fascinating aspect explained is the science of marine navigation. Accurate positioning via instrumentation and a knowledge of the stars was crucial to the efficiency and safety of any long-distance voyage. At the time, publications and understandings of winds and marine currents were becoming accepted and in widespread use. Wiser Captains were taking full advantage of these new methods.

I enjoy reading about almost lost and forgotten historical events and the people involved. Remarkable events and people by any standards, exhibiting skill, tenacity, bravery, courage and all those characteristics that add to a compelling, exciting story. This book is a fine example of one such story.

Two hundred years ago the United States had no cross-country railroad. A Central American canal joining the Atlantic and Pacific was still a dream. Sailing ships has evolved into sleek, fast Clipper ships. Marine navigation, for those educated sufficiently to understand and embrace, provided an advantage where time was a crucial element for rapid transport of people and cargo. And perhaps most importantly, gold had been discovered in California, a state largely isolated, requiring East Coast ships to travel via Cape Horn. This is the background to a time when the United States North-East dominated the shipping industry in both construction and sailing expertise. New York City dominated the American business world; a world increasingly integrated into international trade, in part due to fast Clipper ships.

The book begins with Captain Joshua Pattern battling illness, a mutinous First-Mate and stormy weather, as his Clipper, ‘Neptunes Car’, is about to navigate the treacherous waters of Cape Horn, at the tip of South America. The ship’s destination is California. Several other Clipper ships are competing in a race from the United States East Coast. Additionally these ships are transporting a lucrative cargo; much-needed gold mining supplies. His wife, a nineteen year old, from a long-time shipping family, steps up to take over from her incapacitated husband. She is pregnant with their first child. The scene is set for a fascinating and inspirational story.

After this introduction, the author provides abundant background details, which set the scene and context of the time. The business world, the shipping world as well as details regarding the seafaring families and the individuals involved in what was to come in the Summer of 1856. As newly designed Clipper ships became faster, they provided business opportunities both moving freight and people around the globe. With improved navigation methods, Captains could reduce significantly the time taken to complete a voyage. thus making considerable profits for ship owners, cargo owners and for themselves. Interestingly many Captains sought out challenging, international routes in order to earn enough money to leave the sea-faring life and start a family on a farm. A far safer existence. Long-distance sailing was a dangerous enterprise for many reasons and the more astute Captains, such as Joshua and his wife Mary-Ann, appreciated this and did their best to plan their careers and lives accordingly.

Adding to these dangers was the significant public interest in the fast Clipper ships, which provided gambling opportunities for the general public and bragging rights for owners. Captains had to balance their own fortunes with that of the owners, investors and of course the lives of their crews.

I enjoyed the background details the author provided. It allowed a better understanding of what the Captains were endeavouring to achieve. Their lives, motives, hopes and dreams. Also the reader will understand better the personalities involved: ship owners, seafarers, their wives, families and the communities in which they lived.

The author does a remarkable job conveying the family histories, including upbringing, education and how lives were often interconnected. Considerable research and detective work has gone into tracking down details from newspapers, public documents, private letters and whatever sources the author could find. Beyond that, she extrapolates using knowledge and judgement to fill-out this compelling story.

Generations of families typically remained in the shipping business, something that was possible at a time when Maine was a centre of ship building and closely connected with domestic and international trade. The family lives are explained as are the various trades, hierarchies, cultures and relationships involved. It was a time of rapid growth in the US; population, migration, agriculture and industry. Also growing were cultural tensions that would lead to the Civil War.

The world of Clipper ships is described in enough detail to allow the reader to appreciate the complexity of these vessels. Sleek, fast moving and wind propelled. Inherently dangerous for crews and passengers alike. Another fascinating aspect explained is the science of marine navigation. Accurate positioning via instrumentation and a knowledge of the stars was crucial to the efficiency and safety of any long-distance voyage. At the time, publications and understandings of winds and marine currents were becoming accepted and in widespread use. Wiser Captains were taking full advantage of these new methods.

Mary Ann was an educated, capable young woman and she had the foresight to study, understand and practice navigation skills, as a child and also when she accompanied her husband on long journeys. When her husband was incapacitated in the Summer of 1856, she alone amongst a largely illiterate crew, had the skill to navigate ‘Neptune’s Car’ as they prepared to round Cape Horn. She not only had these skills, but, for a nineteen year old woman, on her own amongst male seafarers, she also had the judgement, courage and leadership to Captain the ship. An almost unheard of circumstance at the time.

The author is excellent when describing the world in which Clipper ships travelled. A reader will learn much about sailing, global events and trade from this book. In addition to supporting the California gold rush, there are numerous side issues explained. Chinese tea, Indian opium. South American fertiliser, American cotton and British cotton products to name a few. The world, even two hundred years ago, was certainly an interconnected place ! A ship circumnavigating the world would carry various cargos from one port to another. Including indentured human cargos, even after the British formal abolition of trading enslaved peoples in the 1830s.

The author provides a sensitive assessment of these tough, inhuman, disease-filled times:

“It would be another decade before all this would spill over into the secession of the southern states into a Confederacy and the Civil War in America, but the long fuse had already been lit, and clipper ship Captains, whether they engaged in this trafficking or not, were part of a lucrative global trading system confronting an international labor shortage.”

The author also portrays the tender relationship between Joshua and Mary Ann, and their crews, established during earlier long-distance journeys.

“Mary Ann now pored over the medical books in the Captain’s library, trying to learn how to nurse the injured men … for which she earned a degree of affection and loyalty that would serve her well in what came later”.

At the heart of this story, a tale of danger, skill, courage and bravery, is another deeper, private narrative. The love between two young people, planning their future, a family and their lives.

“…she was good-natured, cheerful, quietly religious, and deeply and simply loved her husband. No Captain’s wife gave up the comforts of home except for a love story. Joshua reciprocated with tenderness, passion, and admiration for a wife in whose intelligence and good nature he delighted.”

Once Mary Ann takes on the role of Captain, the story becomes more gripping even if there may be unavoidable elements of embellishment, perhaps even some fiction amongst this undoubtedly factual story. Rich and famous individuals leave a more complete record of their achievements. More modest individuals often leave few written records of their equally remarkable achievements. I don’t think it is a plot spoiler to say this is not the story of a shipwreck. There is nevertheless plenty of uncertainty and excitement during the voyage around Cape Horn and towards California.

The author skilfully weaves a likely and compelling story. Fine writing which reminds me of ‘The Wager’. Another seafaring saga of human frailty, alongside achievement, resilience, courage and bravery.

As well as enjoying the retelling of this remarkable tale, I also found the aftermath quite moving. Sad and sobering. They were different times. Ill health was common, women has few legal rights, life could be and was difficult for many. I’m pleased the author did the research and presented this part of Joshua and Mary Ann’s story with sensitivity and compassion.

Mary Ann’s fame was fleeting. Her story almost completely lost in time. Almost. As the author notes:

“…even today, some 170-odd years later, the United States Merchant Marine Academy still teaches its young cadets the story of nineteen-year-old Mary Ann Patten taking ‘Neptunes Car’ around Cape Horn and has named its campus medical building the Patten Health Care Clinic in her honor…”

A remarkable story of a young couple in love and of a young woman, brave, resilient, capable and courageous, who did what was needed. For her ship, her crew, her husband and her unborn child. Utterly memorable. I am delighted the author has written this story, bringing the times and these people to a wider audience. I wish the author and publishers the very best with publication. They deserve it. Joshua and Mary Ann Patten deserve to be remembered.

The Epilogue is particularly well-written and I expect will stay in the readers thoughts after the book is finished. The author visits Woodlawn Cemetery outside Boston and the graves of Joshua and Mary Ann. She notes the epitaph, written in Mary Ann’s voice, on their gravestone:

“Are there seas in heaven, Joshua? And is there such a vessel as our Neptune’s Car?

If there is, wait for me, and we shall explore the vast and boundless reaches of Eternity.”

[Marcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - This is a true story full of historical minutiae about seagoing during the mid 1800’s. Traveling with her husband, the captain of the ship, she assumes his role when he dies mid journey. Somewhat repetitive, but a fascinating adventure.

[Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first word, we can tell we are in the hands of a master storyteller. The sea is fully alive, the wind too. The inescapable strain of keeping a wind-driven clipper afloat amid seas as tall as its masthead is thundering through every line. And that’s before we get to the dangers faced by the captain‘s pregnant young wife, nursing her deathly ill husband and, hour by desperate hour, coping alone with a ship-killing storm, a dangerously incompetent first mate, and a ship full of men who have never in their lives at sea taken an order from a woman.

This is, however, based on a true story, a real woman, and thus the next few chapters turn to her antecedents on land, and her husband’s, in a coastal region famed for its sailing families and its crucial place in the world trading routes. The family history up to the 1830s is detailed but the writing never lets it lag. Long dead townsfolk, captains of industry, farmers, shipwrights flicker to life, and then recede as quickly. Even the geography gets its due in elegant prose that is a delight to read. All this before the main action gets underway, and including an ominous historical note that sea captain’s wives were alarmingly over-represented among the women confined to the Maine Insane Asylum and other institutions. For saying no, for not bearing children, for not keeping the house up to the husband or in-laws standards, for getting ill. For any reason, and for none.

Married before her 16th birthday to a man a decade older, Marianne Patten is on her second tea-trading voyage, and her second transit of Cape Horn, one of the world's deadliest stretches for sailing vessels, when her husband collapses on deck, semi-conscious and feverish. With the first mate mutinous and the second mate illiterate and unable to navigate, it is up to Marianne to keep the ship together.

If you have seen the snowy, gale-tossed passage of those waters in the movie of Master and Commander, when everyone was freezing and the ship was groaning over every wave as if it would disintegrate beneath their feet, you will have an idea what Marianne endured. Not yet twenty, and pregnant for the first time, she alone was responsible for the ship, crew, and the cargo that is supposed to set her little family up in financial comfort for life. She'd spend the next 18 days standing watch, navigating, and nursing her husband while the wind dragged the ship one way and the heavy currents around the Cape pulled it in the other direction.

The suspense at this point in the book is intense. The wind and waves are merciless. The clipper passes another ship already lying 'hull-to' and hoping merely to survive, and are unable to close the distance to render aid. They're swept onward, possibly to their own doom.

I'd love to tell you how the voyage ends, whether there is an 'after' of prosperity for Marianne and her unborn babe, but you'll have to read the book for that.

I'll tell you this much, though: the brutal reality of women's lives in the mid-nineteenth century, when marriage meant putting yourself and your financial security completely into the power of a man who might gamble it away, squander it on mistresses, and throw you into an asylum if you protested, will make you first terrified and then furious. There is nothing in the aftermath of Marianne's famous voyage, nor in her enduring reputation for courage and seamanship, that can disguise how destructive her marriage to that particular captain was for her and her whole family.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys nautical history, economic history, American history, women's history, and true stories of danger and inspiration.

#ThanksNetgalley #Netgalley #history #USA #Boston #tuberculosis #seacaptain #SeaCaptainsWife #clippership #steamship #CapeHorn #DrakesPassage #Antarctica #TeaTrade #sailing #TilarJMazzeo #StMartinsPress #bookreview #amreading #booksta #bookstagram #nonfiction #historical #WomenAtSea

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to both NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this book about the first woman commander of an American merchant vessel, a voyage filled with illness, tragedy, mutinies and the dangers of the savage sea.

My mom was in charge of the family, something we all accepted without really thinking about it. Mom handled the finances, getting us all out of bed, feeding us, and sending us to school, and or work. My dad knew nothing about money, though after he retired he took to shopping as a General would plan for war, using coupons shopping for deals. All things he learned from my Mom. My brother and I lived in fear of being disciplined by my Mom. . My father we knew might be bad, Mom's fury was something apocalyptic, and thankfully rare. Probably because of the fear. I have never had a problem with woman in power, frankly my managers who were women are the ones I remember most. They had to be better, else they never would have gotten the job. Most of the men well I might remember there names, but I remember nothing about them. Still, though I am very male when it comes to being surprised by reading about women in history, doing things. Maybe because I am not used to reading stories like these. Stories that are just as rich and interesting and most importantly real. Stories that should be told more. The Sea Captain's Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love, and Adventure at the Bottom of the World by Tilar J. Mazzeo is a nautical tale about illness, mutiny the savage sea, and the only person who could have brought the ship, cargo and crew to port.

In the 1850's gold fever was still running rampant over the young country of America, with people heading west to make their fortunes. To be met by people who were willing to outfit these prospectors, and make their fortunes. Trade was big business, and as with any business money could be made in many different ways. Some made money by making bets on what ships could make the voyages faster. A voyage that some boats would have to travel through some pretty bad and dangerous seas. Two young people Joshua and Mary Ann Brown Patten hoped to make enough money to buy a farm. To do so they were to sail a clipper ship to San Francisco, with cargo, and maybe win a prize for being fast. The couple had already sailed around the world, where Mary Ann had learned about navigation, how to handle a ship at sea, and how to deal with unruly crews. Something that came in handy when her husband, the captain was stricken by illness, leaving her to bring home her husband, the ship and crew through dangerous waters, and dangers among the crew.

A biography about a woman who should be talked about more, and a well-written history about the boats that sailed the oceans, and the people who made and lost fortunes on them. I really enjoyed this book, learning quite a bit about the sea business, and more importantly about the market in making bets on boats. The book is chock full of information, each page teaching something new. Mazzeo is a very good writer. Showing the little things that Mary learned in life, being educated by her parents, her curiosity, the long travels at sea where she paid attention. And the iron that made her take command, and do it extraordinarily well. A really wonderful story, though filled with a bit, no a lot of tragedy, but one that should be more known.

A book for nautical types, and for those that like to read books about people rising to meet the challenges that are presented to us. Also for those who like well-written history. I hate saying it but these books are so necessary to remind us that people, no matter what they identify as or are are capable of great things. One only has to be given, or be strong enough to seize that change. I look forward to more by Tilar J. Mazzeo.

[WhiskeyintheJar · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review

She is the captain’s wife and just nineteen: Mary Ann.

The Sea Captain's Wife was an account of how Mary Ann Patten became the first recorded woman captain of a merchant ship. Footnotes abounding, the author clearly did through research, which some readers will appreciate and others might find their eyes glazing over at times as I felt some tangents tied-in and others a little spun-off. While we start off at the moment Mary Ann's husband, Joshua, collapses from illness on their sea voyage and she's about to have to take over, the story quickly goes back to give historical context to how these two have ended up where they are.

We are on a dangerous journey. A journey in which wealthy shipowners pit young men against each other with the promise of riches, urging them on to reckless dangers, in the name of another man’s lucre. The year is 1856.

The beginning delves into Mary Ann and Joshua's family trees, you'll get a lot of geographical, economical, and genealogy background to help give a good idea who these two might be and why they made the decisions they did. As Mary Ann and Joshua had ties in Maine and lived in Boston, the Old North Church and other landmarks make numerous appearances, helping to set the reader in the time and place. There's also delving into the US's economical context at the time, highlighting how important shipping was, discussion on how Matthew Maury changed the game, and the way the business was set-up, with backers, companies, and so forth, and how important having good captains were. The describing captains as the “rock stars and professional athletes” of the time, along with salaries put into today's context, along with going through a ship crew's hierarchy and politics helped to lay-out the atmosphere for when the story gets to the moment readers are probably looking for, when Mary Ann becomes captain.

Never before had any woman been acclaimed captain of a merchant clipper.

Around the halfway mark is when all the lead up pays off and we get Joshua becoming too ill and Mary Ann having to navigate Drake's Passage and fend off a mutiny from a disgruntled crew member. I was a little disappointed with what I was, mostly, reading the book for was such a little part of the overall story. Her time in charge was, factually a short time in her overall life story, but I felt somewhat bereft as that was what I went into this for. The journey she faced after, getting back to Boston, caring for Joshua, having a baby, and trying to secure enough funds to live on, all while having her legend grow through newspapers, was engrossing in a sedate way and sad in how the lack of medical advances at the time had her story ending far too soon.

For nonfiction, this had a fair amount of conjecture in it, which is explained/discussed in the author's notes in the end; how documents/records weren't kept for middle-class, everyday people. I agree that these people's stories should still be told but when emotions and thoughts are more readily inferred, I get a little uneasy. This was a good read for looking at a moment in time where sea faring could make or break individuals and the US, you'll get a good look at two American families who Mary Ann and Joshua tied together and how Mary Ann gained the knowledge to be able to captain the clipper Neptune's Car and become the first recorded woman merchant captain.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

“...imagine a tempest at sea on a clipper ship at the bottom of the world…”

“It was the age of sail…it belonged to the clippers and the men who raced them-because every voyage was a race against the clock, the stakes of which were fame and fortune.” The driving force: ship ownership and transporting one’s own cargo with the express purpose of purchasing land to build a house, farm included, and raise a family. Ownership of land would pass from generation to generation. And so it was for the forebears of Joshua Patten.

Joshua trained for the sea, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He worked his way up from the forecastle as a common laborer choosing not to base his rise to sea captain on privilege, a path requiring a minimum of six years at sea. His goal was to captain one of the new “extreme” clippers which traveled at amazing speeds to rapidly deliver cargo. Time was money. The faster the delivery, the greater the monetary gain. This would translate into Joshua’s ability to stockpile the funds needed to build a dream house worthy of a sea captain on land in Penobscot Bay, Maine near the banks of the Weskeag River.

While Joshua’s life was one of privilege, Mary Ann Brown came from an immigrant household, her father scrimped and saved money in order to enroll her in Sunday school where she learned to read and write. It seemed likely that Joshua and Mary Ann met at church. In 1853, they married. She was 16 years old, he was ten years her senior.

“Merchant sailing ships were not floating democracies…to question the captain’s decision was tantamount to insurrection…To undermine that authority was to risk mutiny, and mutiny put everyone and the cargo and profits of the owners and captains in danger.” Joshua and Mary Ann were so in love that she accompanied him on his second voyage. Strict rules, however, would limit her movement on the extreme clipper named “Neptune’s Car”.

The Race: A competition with four other extreme clippers to circumnavigate the bottom of the world and be first to deliver their ship’s cargo. A bored Mary Ann passed her time reading the stars, mastering the art of celestial navigation and learning how to use the sextant. Matthew Maury, a brilliant naval officer who now headed the Department of Charts and Instruments, collected data from mariner logbooks to measure winds, currents and temperature. Maury’s pilot charts were an imperative tool for circumnavigation.

Mary Ann was faced with a dilemma of immense proportion. “She was sailing with an unreliable first mate and a sick husband, right toward the world’s most dangerous waters while pregnant.” She took “the helm of a clipper as her master” in her husband’s stead. How would the Neptune's Car fare with rogue winds and swift sea currents while trying to transverse Cape Horn and Drake’s Passage? Would Mary Ann have the stamina and endurance required to lead while the first mate called for mutiny?

“The Sea Captain’s Wife” by Tilar J. Mazzeo is an all encompassing true story of the first woman to captain a merchant ship. As a fifth generation sailor, Mazzeo supplied this reader with a wealth of knowledge about seafaring and the perseverance of an heroic young woman. A highly recommended read.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an outstanding non-fiction read. And what a way to end the 2025 year but with an excellent, excellent 5 star in that category.

It isn't just about the wife in the title. AT ALL. It is an immense and intriguing study of clipper ships (huge sail variety of the mid-1800's) and the sea captain job they refined. Most especially out of the specific multiple New England USA ports of that era. What supply routes and delivery chains they serviced and how/what/where/when the profits or the losses were given/shared/business operated etc. Lots of world (Earth) types of sailing criteria too which I knew much, much less about than I thought I did. Tons of educational lessons and done in the way that is the BEST. By showing and not telling.

It's also a history book with some back biographies of those who charted and recorded water movements of the Earth previously. Also including much product information on production and types of cargo taken or optional during different legs of circumnavigations of the planet during that particular decade just prior to the American Civil War. Outstanding in all its nuance too! Who wanted what and where they wanted it!

BUT THE RISKS! OMG- very little in fiction writing begins to approach what these people did and how they COULD just then. Sailors and their fortunes! And the hierarchies and manners which solidly existed. So seldom researched now either. The seas are often and usually lawless in general. Today they also are. But then? No Panama or Suez Canal and the literal months and months of on board for mere days on land! No woman of any description or age or origin could deny the physical aspects of such a life. And with no other females? Just read this. Intrepid is not a large enough word.

Do not forget, even before you begin this one; it is a time of very short life spans. Apart from one spent on water- it was a time of TB taking more than majority populations on most continents. And that was the long term disease. Others you met, could kill you by dinner time. You could go to sleep semi-ok and never wake up for some of the worst germs encountered. ON LAND.

Read this. I strongly recommend putting it into your TBR pile without delay, even if you are averse to technical description. The quotes from art, literature, and science observers of the past were a full 5 stars too. Even more. Maps- good ones but I could have used more. Especially the bottom of Africa, perhaps.

Love story? Life as it was story? Oh 6 stars. Boys in all social classes, even the most exalted- left home at 14 to do this. Captains of experience were 21 or 23 or 25 with 2 or 3 world circle trips under their belts if they had the right set of math and social skills. Some started as young as 11. And not all experienced ship boys or seadogs were old enough for a learning permit in some places now? TO DRIVE A CAR.

Love and marriage, feelings and ownerships? Clippers with 16 or 17 sails racing each other from NYC to San Francisco! Read this one.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are there seas in heaven, Joshua? And is there such a vessel as our Neptune's Car? If there is, wait for me, and we shall explore the vast and boundless reaches of eternity. ~Epitaph on Captain Joshua Patten's grave by wife Mary Ann, 1957.

That epitaph has much to say about the Pattens and their adventures on clipper ships in the 1850's. Mary Ann was just nineteen when they made their first voyage circumventing the globe. On their second journey, disaster strikes and she must function as captain of the vessel. This is her story!

My reasons for giving all the stars:

📚This is a true story that surpasses many a fiction plot. That is what I love about narrative nonfiction. The research is there to support all the facts reported. Hundreds of footnotes show the due diligence of the author.
👩Mary Ann Patten was still a teenager when she married and then set sail with her beloved husband. Her dedication to him and their dreams shines through in her actions to save the voyage and deliver the cargo as promised. It was reported that the ship reached San Francisco in tip-top shape also.
🧐I always feel smarter after reading narrative nonfiction and this is no exception. In addition to Mary Ann's story, I learned about topics like Matthew Maury's charts, tuberculosis, poor farms, clipper ships, the tea trade, and much more.
🎥This story is made for the silver screen. I do hope that it will be made into a movie so more people can learn about Mary Ann and her amazing life.
❎It is hard to keep in mind what few rights women had in that era. When you do, Mary Ann's accomplishment is even more astonishing. When she and Joshua first set sail on Neptune's Car, some of the crew was averse to her presence, never mind being willing to allow her to give them orders. Her diligence in learning the navigation skills and diplomacy in taking command when her husband collapsed was a noteworthy accomplishment in any age -- and especially then.

This is a story about how the small and nearly forgotten lives of two young people is as big and as wide as the American story.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Steve's Book Stuff · Rating 3 out of 5]

There don’t seem to be many modern accounts of the life of Mary Patten, but there probably should be. After reading this book by Tilar Mazzeo, I’m asking myself why I’ve never heard her story before.

Mary Patten was the wife of a sea captain. Her husband Joshua wasn’t just any sea captain. He was the captain of a clipper ship in mid-1800s New England. Clipper ships were built for speed, and Joshua had high hopes that captaining clipper ships would be his path to a sizable income and an early retirement from the sea to a quiet farm in Maine with his young bride Mary.

Mazzeo’s book takes us back to the time before the civil war when the United States was still a young country, and gold had just been discovered in far off California. Joshua had earned a temporary captaincy on a clipper ship, the Neptune’s Car, sailing with cargo from the east coast to California. From there the ship and her crew would venture on to Hong Kong where they would trade for tea. With the tea aboard they’d head around Africa and up to Liverpool to sell that tea and then return to America with a cargo of goods for the households of New England.

In those days heading west by ship from New England to California meant going south around the bottom of South America — around Cape Horn, through some of the roughest, deadliest waters in the world. This trip around the Horn, while challenging, was ably handled by captain and crew.

The young captain had set sail with his wife Mary. A captain’s wife aboard ship in those days was, as Mazzeo puts it, “unusual, but… not exceptional”. But, in the Age of Sail, sailors had superstitions about women on board ship. Basically, they thought women were bad luck.

Mary, however, proved her worth on that trip by nursing some sailors who fell ill. She earned the trust of the crew, which would come in handy later.

It was on that voyage that Mary learned to navigate. Navigation was the responsibility of the captain and his officers, but Mary became quite skilled — self-taught as a way to fill the long hours aboard ship.

With a successful circumnavigation accomplished, Captain Joshua Patten was awarded another chance to pilot Neptune’s Car by the ship’s owners. But unfortunately, as he and Mary began that second voyage, they did not know that Joshua carried a deadly disease within him that would threaten not only himself, but the lives of all on board the Neptune’s Car as it battled sea and storms around Cape Horn.

That passage, with a mutiny brewing as the captain fell ill, and violent storms pursuing the ship around the Horn, tested not only Joshua but Mary as well. How she rose to the occasion as her husband fell ill is the centerpiece of this book and makes for some thrilling reading. She became the first woman to captain a ship around Cape Horn.

Mazzeo’s book covers not only the thrilling voyage, but Joshua and Mary’s lives before and after. It is a complete account of all we know of the life of this courageous and able woman. And, while the lead up to the fateful voyage does drag a bit, overall I enjoyed this book.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about how the small and nearly forgotten lives of two young people is as big and wide as the American Story. from The Sea Captain’s Wife by Tilar J. Mazzeo

This is a heart-breaking history about true love and the American Dream and the courageous enterprize of sea captains in the middle of the 19th c. The world economy relied on fast ships navigating around the world. And the faster the more lucrative, for investors and the ship’s captain. A successful voyage meant enough money to retire from the treacherous dangers of the sea.

Mazzeo’s family were shipbuilders and sea captains. The story she discovered about Joshua Patten and his wife Mary Ann is stunning, a story of hope and tragedy now forgotten but explosive in its time. Joshua was a young captain bent on winning fortune. He was to circumnavigate the world with trade goods. Mary Ann was his young wife elected to travel with him. She was bored and bright and learned navigation while helping her husband.

When the first mate was derelict in his duties and locked up in the brig, Joshua had to work nonstop, impacting his health. When he became bedridden, Mary Ann stood up and asked the crew to accept her leadership in her husband’s stead. They were facing the most treacherous part of the journey, rounding the tip of South America. Pregnant, Mary Ann worked nonstop and brought them through.

The story does not end happy. Joshua died while they traveled back home and Mary Ann fell ill with malaria. Mary Ann fought to get his pay and investment. She died of tuberculosis. Their child was born with seizures and died in a tragic accident.

Their story was forgotten until now.

Mazzeo fills the book with details about ships, navigation, life at sea, the dangers of rounding Drake’s Passage, drawing on contemporary histories and archival research.

Rich in background material, Mazzeo brings alive the age of the clipper ships and will break your heart with the story of Joshua and Mary Ann.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.

[Catharine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This story captivates you from the very beginning. A true story about a woman put in a horrid situation and absolutely excelling in it! I had never heard of Mary Ann Patten before or the journey she took over when her husband (the sea captain) got horridly ill on a voyage around the world. To read about the perils she had to overcome, using her smarts and senses, is such an inspiring story as a woman myself. I am sad it has taken me well into my 30's to hear about this courageous woman and the story of her life before, during, and after the trip that changed her whole world!

Tilar J. Mazzeo is a wonderful writer. Not only does she make sure her writing is supported by the facts, she does an INTENSE deep dive into the material at hand in her books. You definitely feel like you're watching the story unfold in real time right in front of you. It is an incredible gift for a writer to be able to transport a reader to a time and place unlike their current one, and Mazzeo does a magnificent job of this! I have already Googled her other works and plan on reading a few of those immediately!

This book really does grab you from the start and push you to the end. Once I picked this book up I was HOOKED! I could not put it down! Thankfully, I had an electronic copy of the book so I could pull it up every time I had a break right there on my phone! I am so interested in this story and I would love someday to visit the graves of Mary Ann Patten and her husband Joshua Adams Patten.

What an amazing story of grit and excellence within an age not attune to women. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves American history and stories, anyone who loves ship voyages and history, or anyone who just loves a good story about perseverance and strength. Truly an amazing example for all women of those strong ladies who have come before us! 10/10 !!

[Jennifer Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sea Captain’s Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love and Adventure at the Bottom of the World by Tilar J. Mazzeo. It is the true story of the first female captain of a merchant ship and her treacherous navigation through the deadly waters of Antarctica. In the summer of 1856, nineteen year old Mary Ann Patten sailed with her husband, Joshua. Both from seafaring New England families, they plan to win the race to San Francisco in order to fulfill their dream of building a farm and starting a family. However, the voyage is dangerous through the most treacherous waters. Their ship, Neptune’s Car, leaves New York Harbor and heads south down the coast of South America, and soon disaster strikes. Joshua becomes ill, the first mate is confined to the brig and begins to agitate for mutiny. Mary Ann sees no other options but to step up and captain the ship. Can she convince the crew to support her?
With the California Gold Rush in full swing, there was big money for ships who made the journey quickly and it was an opportunity many attempted and few surviving. The Sea Captain’s Wife is Mary Ann Patten’s story. The first woman to command a merchant vessel and the fight she endured during and even after when the journey was complete. Through archival research as well as her own experience, sailing Mary Ann’s route, Ms. Mazzeo writes a tale that is thrilling, harrowing and heroic. Mary Ann is a woman who does what is necessary to survive for love. As I read, I kept reminding myself that Mary Ann was 19 years old during these events. Nineteen! I know it is a different time but I am not sure I would be able to do the same at 19. While the journey was nailbiting, Mary Ann’s life after the journey was equally thrilling. If you enjoy detailed, historical nonfiction, I highly recommend The Sea Captain’s Wife.

The Sea Captain’s Wife:
A True Story of Mutiny, Love and Adventure at the Bottom of the World
is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook