Mrs Cook: The Real and Imagined Life of the Captain's Wife

Elizabeth Cook outlived her husband and each of her six children. She was aged in her 90s when she died in 1835 and had been widowed for 56 years. Around these bare biographical facts, Marele Day has written an entirely plausible novel which draws Elizabeth Cook out of the shadows of history. I enjoyed this novel, as much for the hint of the private man behind the heroic captain but also for the insights into the life of a courageous woman whose role was to wait, worry and to keep family together. Highly recommended. Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Captain James Cook played a large role in early Australian history, so we hear plenty about him and his exploits. But what about the family he left behind? Marele Day must have wondered the same and rather than quickly throwing together a story based on her imaginings, she put in some serious research time and created a story that intertwines what we know about Captain Cook and his wife with some rich fiction. In Day's book, Elizabeth Cook is an intelligent, passionate woman who devoted her life to providing a warm and happy home for her children and husband whenever he was home. It is hard to imagine maintaining this kind of wifely devotion when your husband is gone for months, and sometimes years, at a time. She suffered her tragedies alone, worried alone, and for the most part, lived alone. Even her two elder sons, that survived their early childhood, went off to boarding school at a young age. But Elizabeth possessed an inner strength and was willing to deny herself the desires of her heart to provide her family with what was best. She bore 6 children, and lost them one by one. She endured an unbelievable amount of tragedy in her life, but carried on with dignity. Seeing Captain Cook's travels through the eyes of his wife is an interesting concept. And Day does a fine job of making you forget this is a fictional characterization. An interesting read, highly recommended to any fan of historical fiction.