Description
Book SynopsisWhen Countrywise presenter Paul Heiney's son Nicholas committed suicide aged 23, Paul and his wife, Times columnist Libby Purves, were rocked to the core. Nicholas had been a highly gifted promising young man, albeit he had struggled to keep his head above water at times as severe depression slowly dragged him down over many years.
Nicholas was a keen sailor, with several of his posthumously-published writings having a nautical theme. To try to reconnect with this happier memory of his son, Paul decides to set out alone on a voyage he would have liked them to have embarked upon together. Cape Horn is the sailor's Everest. One of the most remote and bleak parts of the world, it takes courage, physical strength and mental fortitude to face its tempestuous seas, violent winds and barren landscape.
Poignant, moving, funny, thought provoking and beautifully written, Paul's account of setting his own course through seemingly insurmountable grief makes fo
Trade Review
A terrific adventure into wild and distant waters, and a strong tribute to a son’s memory. Paul Heiney’s story is a new classic of small-boat seafaring and a fine description of the deep south. * Sir Ranulph Fiennes *
One Wild Song is a little masterpiece, sometimes thrilling, sometimes, hilarious, sometimes almost unbearably moving… I have never read anything like it before and it haunts me still. * John Julius Norwich *
Lyrical and stirring * Daily Mail *
A shipshape contribution to the shelves of sailing literature * The Times *
A wonderful book, finely considered and beautifully written... It is an absorbing, moving journey which explores the wonders and frustrations of the sea as powerfully as it explores the mysteries of the human spirit. * Clare Francis, international bestselling novelist *
Extraordinarily well written with honesty, power and surprising humour, the book is testament to the healing power of the sea amidst seemingly insurmountable grief. * Practical Sailor (US) *
