Overview

From the bestselling author of The Taking of Jemima Boone, the unbelievable true story of a real-life Swiss Family Robinson (and their dog) who faced sharks, shipwreck, and betrayal. On December 10, 1887, a shark fishing boat disappeared. On board the doomed vessel were the Walkers—the ship’s captain Frederick, his wife Elizabeth, their three teenage sons, and their dog—along with the ship’s crew. The family had spotted a promising fishing location when a terrible storm arose, splitting their vessel in two and leaving those onboard adrift on the perilous sea. When the castaways awoke the next morning, they discovered they had been washed ashore—on an island inhabited by a large but ragged and emaciated man who introduced himself as Hans. Hans appeared to have been there for a while and could quickly educate the Walkers and their crew on the island’s resources. But Hans had a secret . . . and as the Walker family gradually came to learn more, what seemed like a stroke of luck to have the mysterious man’s assistance became something ominous, something darker. Like David Grann and Stacy Schiff, Matthew Pearl unveils one of the most incredible yet little-known historical true stories, and the only known instance in history of an actual family of castaways. Save Our Souls asks us to consider who we might become if we found ourselves trapped on a deserted island.

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9780063338067

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Reviews

“You are a castaway on a coral atoll, and you find a Man Friday—only he turns out to be a convicted murderer—oh, what a story! Matthew Pearl tells it, this dark tale of the 1887 wreck of the Wandering Minstrel with flair and aplomb: transfixingly brilliant."" — Simon Winchester, New York Times bestselling author of Knowing What We Know “A genuine Swiss Family Robinson adventure, but darker . . . . A realistic castaway account.” — Kirkus Reviews “A fascinating picture of frontier Kentucky. . . . The story of Jemima’s abduction, an exciting and revealing episode in the history of America’s westward expansion, deserves to be retold. To his credit, Pearl resists oversimplifying a history that has been too often presented as a frontier romance, showing us that it is as much about the women, children and Native Americans who played a part in it as the famous men who ensured it would be remembered.” — New York Times Book Review on The Taking of Jemima Boone “It seemed Jemima Boone’s fate to be taken hostage—if not by Kentucky Indians then by fiction and legend.  Even a cousin had a go at her story, in verse.  Sensitively and eloquently, writing his way around the silences, Matthew Pearl rescues her at last.  Fearlessness seemed to run in the family; Jemima could neither read nor write, yet had an uncanny ability to communicate with her father, conspiring with him from a distance, assisting with his rescue, under gunfire, at close hand.  A rousing tale of frontier daring and ingenuity, better than legend on every front.” — Pulitzer Prize–winning author Stacy Schiff, on The Taking of Jemima Boone “Not only did Matthew Pearl’s clear and vivid writing immediately sweep me up in a father’s fear, it pulled me into a larger and even more profound story, one that would change the course of three nations—one young, two ancient, all fighting for survival.”   — Candice Millard, bestselling author of The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey, on The Taking of Jemima Boone

"""A fascinating picture of frontier Kentucky. . . . The story of Jemima's abduction, an exciting and revealing episode in the history of America's westward expansion, deserves to be retold. To his credit, Pearl resists oversimplifying a history that has been too often presented as a frontier romance, showing us that it is as much about the women, children and Native Americans who played a part in it as the famous men who ensured it would be remembered."" -- New York Times Book Review ""A deliciously intricate and utterly absorbing retelling of the Daniel Boone family saga---and particularly the complex roles played by the Cherokee and Shawnee across Boone's southern Appalachian stamping grounds. The Taking of Jemima Boone adds an intriguing dimension to an issue of keen importance to modern society."" -- New York Times bestselling author Simon Winchester ""It seemed Jemima Boone's fate to be taken hostage--if not by Kentucky Indians then by fiction and legend. Even a cousin had a go at her story, in verse. Sensitively and eloquently, writing his way around the silences, Matthew Pearl rescues her at last. Fearlessness seemed to run in the family; Jemima could neither read nor write, yet had an uncanny ability to communicate with her father, conspiring with him from a distance, assisting with his rescue, under gunfire, at close hand. A rousing tale of frontier daring and ingenuity, better than legend on every front."" -- Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff ""Not only did Matthew Pearl's clear and vivid writing immediately sweep me up in a father's fear, it pulled me into a larger and even more profound story, one that would change the course of three nations--one young, two ancient, all fighting for survival."" -- Candice Millard, bestselling author of The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey"

Author Information

Matthew Pearl's books have been international and New York Times bestsellers and have been translated into more than thirty languages. His nonfiction writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and Slate, and he edits Truly*Adventurous magazine. He has been chosen as Best Author in Boston magazine's Best of Boston issue and received the Massachusetts Book Award for Fiction.

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