While I liked the premise of this book, the execution fell flat for me. As soon as we got to know one character, we left them, which made for a jarring reading experience. I also felt like the limited time spent with each character made them feel flat and dimensionless. I also thought the story was not cohesive and some of the decisions made by the characters made no sense. Overall, this was not for me, but I thank the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC!

Wild and Distant Seas was a lovely read and I loved the various perspectives. I appreciated the nod to Moby Dick as well as the lush imagery of the ocean.

"Wild and Distant Seas" by Tara Karr Roberts is a captivating maritime adventure that immerses readers in the rugged beauty of the sea. Set in the 19th century, the novel follows the journey of Captain James Rennick, a seasoned sailor, and his crew as they embark on a perilous voyage across the vast and unforgiving oceans.

Roberts' writing is rich in detail, bringing to life the harsh realities of life at sea, from the backbreaking work on deck to the camaraderie among the crew. The characters are well-developed and complex, each with their own motivations and struggles, adding depth to the story.

One of the novel's strengths is its vivid descriptions of the sea and the natural world. Roberts has a knack for evoking the beauty and power of the ocean, making it almost a character in its own right. The pacing is steady, with enough twists and turns to keep readers engaged from start to finish.

Overall, "Wild and Distant Seas" is a gripping tale of adventure, survival, and the indomitable human spirit. It's a must-read for fans of historical fiction and maritime adventures.

I'm a sucker for any story set on Nantucket but throw in an intergenerational drama and clairvoyant powers? You've got me hook, line and sinker (and that's not just a Moby Dick pun because Roberts' book references the classic). This is a gorgeous debut that gave me all the feels and had me calling my mother the next morning. Don't miss it.

Thanks to WW Norton for the copy to review.

Well written and so good. Told from three generations of women who take you on a journey for the life. Also a bit of the story of Moby Dick with a twist of a sort.

This is a very good story that will keep you turning the pages.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

A spin-off of Moby Dick, the story follows a person and family after a butterfly flaps its wings and everything starts to change.

In a Wild and Distant Seas, the author created a story that takes the reader across countries and oceans. It also happens to take place during my favorite time period, spanning the years 1849 through 1905. The theme of whales/whaling industry runs throughout the book, inspiring me to learn more about the history of whaling and how it affected the whale populations.

The generational thread that followed each of the women across the globe and years was impactful. Each of the women in this story had complex personalities and relationships as mothers, daughters, and grandmothers. It made me reflect on my relationship with my mother and daughter and how our decisions affect those relationships. The love, loss, and hardship that each woman faced made it an emotional reading journey. The ending was very satisfying with the final generation experiencing closure and having hope for the future.

"Wild and Distant Seas" by Tara Karr Roberts is an extraordinary debut! This sweeping, multigenerational story follows Evangeline and her descendants as they search for their family's "white whale," who just happens to be Ishmael from "Moby Dick." The elements of magical realism add to the mystery and enchantment of the story. Ms. Roberts' writing is lyrical and atmospheric; I could actually smell the chowder in the Try Pots Inn while reading. The characters were fully developed and came alive from the pages. I found the plot to be so engaging that I had a difficult time putting the book down to deal with real world responsibilities.

"Wild and Distant Seas" will definitely be considered one of the best debut novels of 2024 and fans of literary fiction and magical realism will love this book as much as I did. Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this hypnotic book.

This book takes you to Nantucket, Brazil, Florence, and small-town Idaho, and tells the stories of four mothers and daughters, and of the pull of family, history, memory, and of course, the sea. The writing is richly detailed, and the elements of magical realism were an interesting way to explore memory and links between generations.

I definitely enjoyed, and think other historical fiction lovers will too!

So I really liked this book, but it did take me a while to get through. The writing style is great and each character's story was well developed and engaging... there were just so many generations/stories to get through and by the last one, I kind of felt a bit over it. I loved the atmosphere that she created though and would recommend to readers who like books that are not plot-heavy but have strong female characters.

Having not read Moby Dick, I went into this book with no knowledge of either Ishmael or Evangeline Hussey both characters in the book, I'm torn or whether or not that was a good thing, I did really enjoy this book and would highly recommend it, whether you've read Moby Dick or not. Evangeline has recently moved to Nantucket and becomes the owner of the Try Pots inn/boarding house after her husband is lost at sea. She has the ability to reform recent memories of those around her, something she does to make the community think her husband will be back soon. A new arrival, Ishmael and a companion, are hanging around waiting to be taken aboard a whaling ship to make their fortune, they board with Evangeline while they wait and Ishmael and her form a relationship. Ishmael and his companion are both taken on with a ship and disappear. Evangeline finds herself pregnant and gives birth to Rachel, who leaves Nantucket to find her father, she ends up in Boston where she works for a publisher of a newspaper, they marry and have a child, Margaret. Rachel then discovers information that she thinks will lead to her father and takes her daughter on a voyage to find him. She is lost at sea and Margaret ends up at an orphanage in South America. She meets a young man and gets pregnant and they along with a friend move around the world, a lot, eventually settling in America (Idaho). All of these woman have some ability to 'see' things that others cannot, the ability was never abused, and helped them along their journeys. I would highly recommend this book, beautifully written. Thanks to #Netgalley and #W W Norton and Co for the ARC.

🐳🐳🐳

“What do you think a person needs to know to get by in the world?”
“Fighting men and wrestling bears”

The books starts off with Evangeline, it’s 1894 on Nantucket. With her husband lost at sea, she steps up and runs his Inn. She makes piping hot bowls of chowder and serves the community… who seem to be under a spell of some sorts that Evangeline used her unique gifts to reform their memories. One day a man arrives at the Inn and changes not only Evangeline’s life but also generations to come.

Spanning from 1894-1905 this is a story about four generations of headstrong women… the mothers and daughters are connected with a unique ability that in moments left me speechless. Traveling from Nantucket to Boston, Brazil, Florence and Idaho I felt like I was in a race right alongside each one of these unforgettable characters.

I went into this one knowing very little. When a book friend messages you… You Must Read This… you do! I’m so glad to have picked up this epic read. I’m excited for it to release and get into readers hands!

Thank you W.W. Norton & Company for this gifted ecopy!

Four generations of women, all with some level of clairvoyant powers are the main focus of this novel. The great grandmother, a Nantucket inn keeper, has an affair with Ishmael (of Moby Dick fame) before he sets sail on the Pequod which then sets in motion her daughter's futile search for her father. This search leads her to a ship en route to Peru and during a storm, leaves her young daughter, Mara motherless. Mara then finds her way back to her father, pregnant and alone (except for her best friend) where they spend their lives traveling throughout the world while her father searches for Ishamel. When Mara's daughter becomes old enough, she too searches for Ishmael just as the generations before her had done.

This is the second Moby Dick-related book I have read which is funny being that I have never read Moby Dick (and never really plan to as I have not enjoyed the Melville short stories I was assigned in school). I enjoyed the bits of magical realism throughout the book, the characters as well as the story and actually the novel read very quickly after the innkeeper section (there was just a lot of chowder making in that part for my taste). That being said, I just never connected with the story or any of the characters enough to fully invest in the novel so I always was reading at a distance.

3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and W.W. Norton for the ARC to review

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Literary Fiction, General Fiction, Women's Fiction, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism
Spice Level: Medium—fade to black
Language: Fairly low—a spattering of curses

This book is broken into multiple sections for each generation.

My favorite is Evangeline, the first woman who meets a man that tells her to call her Ishmael. She is barely holding onto her life in a time when a single woman can't be alone without suspicion. Evangeline has her secrets and wants to hide them from the world. But there are a couple of people who know that she has some unique abilities.

We move through each section in a different place, and my jaw dropped when we landed in Moscow, Idaho. Yep—a place further and more desolate than anywhere Ishmael ever went. Even though Ishmael is in the book for a short time, his influence is felt for generations. I found this a thought=provoking read. (How do our ancestors affect us?)

The ending made me sigh with satisfaction. Is everything happy and perfect? Certainly not, but I liked how the book worked and the things Antonia learned.

I recommend it!

Happy reading!

What I knew about Moby Dick before I read this book: Herman Melville wrote it. It is a chunky book. There is a character called Ishmael. The first line of the book is “Call me Ishmael.” It is about a whale named Moby Dick.

I am generally not a fan of retelling, so that coupled with my not reading Moby Dick made me nervous about this book. Turns out, I adored this novel — the storyline and the writing.

This is a generational story of four women that spans from Nantucket, Argentina, Italy and other places in Europe and Idaho. It starts with Evangeline. She runs an inn serving clam chowder and flounder and her new husband dies at sea. Evangeline has no where to go, so she hangs on to the inn and is wary of her new husband’s family. One of her guests — at the inn for a short stay — is Ishmael. Yes, the Ishmael in Moby Dick’s “Call me Ishmael.” He leaves the inn and Evangeline is pregnant with his daughter. Evangeline has a mystical talent where she can reshape other’s memories.

I felt the magical realism in this novel was just slight and not over the top. It went with the story, which was beautifully written.

An impressive debut. If you like generational family stories and can handle a little magical realism, I highly recommend this even if you have not read Moby Dick and have no desire to do so.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I chose this book because I had been enthralled by the popularity of the book Moby Dick and the idea of the white whale. I like the premise of this book and the idea of writing from the women’s point of view, and the author does a nice job of melding with the original characters, that said, I do think it adds to this story if you’ve read Moby Dick (or are at least familiar with it).
The writing was fine, the connection between the characters was interesting, but some parts were a bit dull for me. Overall it was an ok read for me.

I loved WILD and DISTANT SEAS, which is an elegant read ideal for fans of literary fiction. It's so smart how the author takes a traditional male-centric tale and imagines a woman at the heart of it. The multiple generations covered in this book are also creative; at times, this is more like a story collection than a novel. The writing is excellent, and the author pulls the reader into the story world. The research about whales lends a realistic feel, and I especially admired how the stories portray the meaning of motherhood.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy; all opinions in this review are 100% my own.

A decades spanning novel about four generations of women, each of whom has a special talent, and each of whom must find her own path.

This is a somewhat loosely-based re-telling of Moby Dick, through the perspectives of four remarkable women, each of whom have a special power of perception. It's a story of hardship, loss, family and community interweaved with magical realism.. The prose is beautiful and the story is haunting. Highly recommended.

Wild and Distant Seas tells the tales of the women in a way which keeps you reading and engrossed. I like that the story includes characters from Moby Dick in a subtle and well written book.
The cover is lovely and will be sure to catch patron’s attention in the library.