The Sea Captain's Wife

by Tilar J. Mazzeo

A True Story of Mutiny, Love, and Adventure at the Bottom of the World

The true story of the first female captain of a merchant ship and her treacherous navigation of Antarctica's deadly waters.

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

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 a 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 number 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.

[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.

[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.

[JwW White · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise for this book is fascinating: a woman taking charge of a seagoing clipper in an era when women held no power whatsoever. The writing in the book is exceptional and the author is meticulous in her research. That said, I found the book exasperating and often boring.

Because there are no first-hand accounts of what happened—and only sketchy records of what can objectively be gleaned—much of what the author writes is conjecture. Frequently one reads about what the author imagines might have happened and what the protagonist might have felt. This includes myriad examples of rhetorical flourish and speculative poetic license in the author’s attempt both to humanize the story and to expand the event’s historical significance. In the epilogue Mazzeo seeks to excuse such speculative history; however, to me her postscript reads more like an excuse to make up what she wants the details and results of history to be rather than what they actually were.

As a result, a very significant portion of the book is tangentially-related filler. This is a book that is full of somewhat tertiary contexts and details about the era, about clipper ships, about weather patterns and prior navigational discoveries, about the various ports of call, about global trade, about geneologies, about newspaper articles, about the generations of future women inspired by Mary Patten, about Mary’s post-voyage financial state, and far more (my list here could go on for quite some time). The ostensible focus of the book—Mary having assumed the leadership of a clipper ship for a few weeks upon her husband’s invalidism—makes up only a tiny part of the book. There is also the added problem that, as the sole person on board who could read, write, do math, and navigate, it was inevitable that she’d ostensibly be in charge for that portion of voyage.

Make no mistake: the book is chock full of often interesting contexts and details and one can learn a lot from them. Mary Patten did indeed do something groundbreaking. But in trying to create a book-length project from an historical event around which there are very few known details, Mazzeo tends to have a “kitchen sink” approach.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I consider myself a naval historian buff, but to my surprise, I have never heard of Mary Ann Patten.

The first few chapters were a bit of slog with all of the tight family connections and who is who, but once we got into the meat of the book with clipper sailing and circumnavigation, it was utterly fascinating.

I knew about ship designs, the Maury currents and challenges of sailing through the Drake Passage. I found it fascinating how merchant captains earn money. Captains who can bring in highly sought cargo in perfect condition and in record time are celebrities in that age. Going from New York to San Francisco in the 1840 and 1850s meant going through the bottom of South America and rounding Cape Horn. There was no USA transcontinental railroad or Panama Canal then.

Mary Ann Patten navigating a ship through the Drake Passage and arriving in San Francisco successfully while pregnant after her husband (the official Captain) collapsed due to severe sickness was a fascinating read. This meant that she had skill, toughness and the ability to lead a crew under hard conditions successfully. It was meticulously researched, but the storytelling made it a captivating read.

[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?

[Cheryl]

If it comes out on paper, recommend it to Eloise. It looks wonderful.

[Jess Millikan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring!

A small piece of astonishing feminist history. Maybe a little too much genealogy, but overall I was engrossed in this story from start to finish.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an odd book for me as the author introduced quite bit of extraneous information including a fairly detailed lineage of the captain and his wife. The actual story of the couple, the voyage and what happened after was interesting but only about 40% of the book. The author also conjectured various aspects of the story although she did mention this fact in the book. Really this might have been better served as a historical fiction novel vs the current nonfiction telling. As is , the book could have been considerably shorter and still done the story justice.

[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

[Sembray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Elliott and Thompson for sending me a proof copy (and a lovely badge) in exchange for an honest review.

Nautical adventure is one of my absolute favourite genres, but this book represents a fresh and compelling new addition. Many of these books tend to be male-dominated, but Mazzeo has unearthed the incredible tale of Mary-Ann Patten, a 19-year old woman who assumed command of a clipper ship (my absolute favourite sailing vessel) after her husband was stricken with tuberculosis. Patten battled horrifying storms, recalcitrant crewmates and the world's deadliest ocean passage as well as 19th century society's wider perceptions of a woman's role. This book does a fantastic job of capturing its heroine's determination, courage and skill- her story is entirely compelling and deserves to be known far more widely (I can only hope a film or TV adaptation is in the works).

As well as being a historian, Mazzeo is a sailor herself, and her wonderfully immersive descriptions of the majesty and peril of the sea place the reader right on the forecastle. Interweaved with tales of nautical heroism are plenty of contextual details revealing how difficult life was in the 19th century for the ordinary people whose lives often fall through the cracks of history. This was doubly so for women, and the obstacles Patten faced make her achievements even more noteworthy. Without wishing to give too much away, her adventure is at once moving, awe-inspiring, romantic and fascinating. I enjoyed every moment of To The Edge of the World and cannot recommend it highly enough; it's a brilliant nautical adventure with a unique and refreshing feminist angle and a delight to read.

[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

[Michele Dubois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author Tulare J Mazzeo for writing and researching this incredible story of courage, love, and - most importantly - for showcasing women’s capacity for leadership in the toughest of circumstances.

At just 19-years old and pregnant, Mary Ann Patten (née Brown) showed the world what a woman can do!

Almost a 5-star read, but the first 1/4 of the book felt tedious while unfolding family histories. Had it not been for my personal connections to the coast of Maine, I may have become bored. KEEP READING! This is a great story and bit of history. And, yes, author Mazzeo has good reason for mapping out the families’ historical records, as you will see at the conclusion of the book.

[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.

[Kurt Strawhecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling and interesting read, particularly digging into the economics of the time and the shipping industry that drove the critical life decisions and actions of the time. I enjoyed learning the details of the 1850's Clipper trade.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just not for me [which is unfortunate, as I love books of this topic and have read so many good ones]. While the ending was good [though sad], and what Mary Ann Patten did/accomplished was nothing short of miraculous and extremely brave, so much of this book is pure speculation, the writing is very dull and dry [it takes forever to even get started on the voyage, and that lead up is just...unnecessary], and I had to make myself read it every day [all while hoping it would get better. For me, it did not]. As someone who loves seafaring stories, this unfortunately, was a real disappointment for me.

Unfortunately, the narrator didn't really work for me either [she tells the story well, considering what she is given, but the MANY mispronunciations just about drove me insane], and if I was to recommend this book, I could not recommend the audiobook; the mistakes made should have been caught in the editing and for a book I was already struggling with, this made it even more so.

I was invited to read/review this book by the publisher [St. Martin's Press] and I thank them, Brilliance Publishing/Brilliance Audio, and NetGalley for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

[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.”

[Deborah · 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.” - Written by Mary Ann Patten on her husband’s tombstone

I’m not even sure where to start with this review. This book was easily five stars for me even though I don’t necessarily believe in the star rating. Non-fiction books can sometimes be dry and limited in information as correspondence can be lost with time. This book was the opposite of all of that. The story unwove in such a beautiful way, was so well researched, it almost felt like you were reading a beautifully written novel. I will definitely be looking into more by this author, as I was completely wowed.

You can read for yourself what this book is about, but just know that it will invoke so much more than a small description can express.

Below are some highlights from the book that I wanted to keep a record of.

_____________________________

Notebook Export
The Sea Captain's Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love, and Adventure at the Bottom of the World
Mazzeo, Tilar J.

1: Penobscot Bay
Highlight(yellow) - Page 6 · Location 99
In the period from 1800 to 1857, a full half of all the large sailing vessels produced in the United States were built at shipyards in Maine, many of them at the entrance to Penobscot Bay in Rockland.

2: Boston
Highlight(yellow) - Page 21 · Location 309
One struggles to see Uriah Patten’s decision to incarcerate his young wife through the prism of another place and time.
Highlight(yellow) - Page 26 · Location 377
Because, while George Brown may have been beleaguered and poor and even, perhaps, “unsteady,” he wanted something else for his children.
Highlight(yellow) - Page 28 · Location 415
By the beginning of that century, tuberculosis had already killed nearly 15 percent of all the people who had ever lived in the United States and Europe. By the end of that century, 80 percent of the population would be infected with a bacillus that had an 80 percent rate of mortality.

3: Business in Great Waters
Highlight(yellow) - Page 36 · Location 518
Joshua already knew which one of those careers he wanted. The trouble was he hadn’t counted on falling in love.
Highlight(yellow) - Page 39 · Location 558
George Brown had almost certainly already contracted tuberculosis. George knew it, too, the day he gave away his fifteen-year-old daughter in marriage.
Highlight(pink) - Page 41 · Location 592
conflagration.

4: The Road to Liverpool
Highlight(yellow) - Page 67 · Location 966
What if one did not sail by wind alone? What if there were unseen rivers in the sea that one could follow? If one could chart the ocean currents, based on this trove of data, would it be possible to sail from point to point around the globe more quickly, to come home to those one loved more swiftly and surely, by mapping new courses along these invisible marine highways? What if the fastest route was not the one that traversed the fewest miles but the one that was swept along by those unseen rivers?

5: Pathfinder of the Seas
Highlight(yellow) - Page 81 · Location 1149
They had already decided that, whatever the risks—and those risks, whether they understood them or not yet, were staggering—they would not be separated again.

6: The First Circumnavigation
Highlight(yellow) - Page 94 · Location 1338
Sailors have told stories for millennia of the “three sisters,” a sudden set of waves, coming out of nowhere, each bigger than the last, more than twice as tall as the other waves around them.
Highlight(yellow) - Page 100 · Location 1419
Sun blindness and cataracts were occupational hazards, and some historians have proposed that this may be the reason pirates wore eyepatches.
Highlight(yellow) - Page 100 · Location 1422
Had she been born a different sex, she might have had the makings of a captain.

10: The Tempest
Highlight(yellow) - Page 156 · Location 2198
Before she had taken more than a few steps, a crack split the air and then a cry. Mary Ann stopped, her heart racing. It took a long moment for her to understand that the crack was the crack of palms clapping. The crew was applauding. No one had meant or planned it; it just happened. Then, they were all calling out, as one, “Captain Patten.”

11: The Land of Mist and Snow
Highlight(yellow) - Page 171 · Location 2413
Ask an old merchant marine today, and none of them can believe that William Keeler wasn’t keelhauled somewhere back in the North Atlantic. While historians believe keelhauling—the extreme form of punishment that sees an insubordinate mariner dragged along the bottom of a barnacle-encrusted ship in a public spectacle

14: A Mighty Pretty Woman and a Heroine
Highlight(yellow) - Page 208 · Location 2920
But I am, at the same time, seriously embarrassed by the fear that you may have overestimated the value of those services, because I feel that without the good services of Mr. Hare, the second officer, a good seaman, and of the hearty cooperation of the crew to all our endeavors, the ship would not have arrived safely at her destined port. Be assured, gentleman, that through all the trials which may be before me, and while I live, your considerate kindness will ever be held in thankful remembrance.
Highlight(yellow) - Page 215 · Location 3031
And the shipping company had still not paid out Captain Patten’s salary or settled on their capital, leaving them short on finances.
Highlight(yellow) - Page 216 · Location 3048
Children sent in letters with their Christmas savings.
Highlight(yellow) - Page 221 · Location 3125
The sailors across Boston and his fellow captains were ringing Joshua out in the ancient ceremony known as Eight Bells, which tolls the end of watch at sea, when a mariner can finally stand down from duty.

Epilogue: Are There Seas in Heaven, Joshua?
Highlight(yellow) - Page 239 · Location 3376
Write me of hope and love, and hearts that endured.—Emily Dickinson, letter, February 1852
Highlight(yellow) - Page 244 · Location 3450
“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.”