Overview

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER 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 in this gripping work of narrative nonfiction. 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 in this incredible survival story. Like David Grann and Stacy Schiff, Matthew Pearl unveils one of the most incredible yet little-known historical true stories of 19th-century adventure, 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. A True Story of Survival at Sea: Follows the Walker family--a captain, his wife, their three sons, and their dog--as a violent storm splits their vessel in two, leaving them at the mercy of the unforgiving Pacific. Deserted Island Mystery: After washing ashore, their hopes are raised by a mysterious castaway named Hans. But his secrets and strange behavior soon turn their miraculous rescue into something far more sinister. Shipwreck and Betrayal: Based on an unbelievable but little-known historical event, this chronicle of endurance explores the dark side of human nature when all rules of society disappear. Meticulously Researched History: Perfect for fans of David Grann and Stacy Schiff, this immersive account unveils the only known instance of a real-life family of castaways surviving against all odds.

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9780063433526

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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 ""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"

""Written with the compelling narrative and literary flair of a work of fiction."" -- Minneapolis Star Tribune ""Save Our Souls is a story, not a study. The distinction is vital. You get to know these people and their relationships with each other. You live and die with every near-rescue that isn't. Most important, you keep turning the page."" -- Boston Globe ""I'm a sucker for Big Boat Books like David Grann's The Wager and Erik Larson's Dead Wake, so Matthew Pearl's new work of narrative nonfiction is right up my slipway. In the winter of 1887, an entire family of five, their dog, and two dozen crew members disappeared when their shark fishing boat was blown off course by a storm near Hawaii. What follows is a much darker version of Swiss Family Robinson when the shipwreck survivors encounter a stranded psychopath."" -- Adam Morgan, Esquire ""A staggering account of a family castaway on a deserted island and confronted by a mysterious man who first appears to be their salvation, before a more difficult truth emerges. Pearl works in the vein of David Grann and consistently produces first-rate nonfiction."" -- Literary Hub, ""Most Anticipated Books of the Year"" ""A rousing history. . . . Pearl paces the account like a thriller. . . .This real-life Swiss Family Robinson will keep readers up all night."" -- Publishers Weekly ""This dramatic story of good and evil pits the power of teamwork and family against ruthless ambition and selfishness. An illuminating chronicle of perseverance and survival on a barren island, Save Our Souls brings history to life."" -- Booklist ""Pearl . . . takes readers on a rollicking adventure through the 19th-century Pacific with a page-turning historical true-crime narrative reminiscent of the works of David Grann or Nathaniel Philbrick."" -- WBUR.org ""A genuine Swiss Family Robinson adventure, but darker. . . . A realistic castaway account."" -- Kirkus Reviews ""Save Our Souls is part history, part murder mystery, part sea-going adventure--entirely captivating."" -- New York Journal of Books ""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

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 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. He lived in the Boston area for many years and now lives in Florida.

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