The Mariner's Star

Early one morning, a lone woman sets out to sea from a remote fishing village on the North East coast of Yorkshire, overwhelmed by grief and the conviction that she has lost everything - seeing little point in returning home.

Heading into the eye of the storm, she confronts her darkest fears and deepest-held beliefs in an emotional odyssey that leads to the brink of despair, fighting for her life.

Will she be lost to darkness, or find her way back to true North and the light - her Mariner's Star?

Lyrical, seductive and ultimately uplifting, this is an epic story of true love, human triumph against all odds - and a strong woman's journey back towards herself.

Paul Theroux in The Guardian, "Of her first four novels, The Mariner's Star is my favourite, for its originality, confidence and tremendous power to cast a spell on the reader. … mythic … an entire life relived … a modest-sized but nearly perfect piece."

DJ Taylor, The Literary Review - 'Unlike anything else currently being written in England.'

Geraldine Bedell in the Observer - 'The Mariner's Star is a love story and, like all great love stories, a death story… a treat to be lingered over… the writing is so evocative that it feels like being inside a painting…' '… seizes and holds you … By the end, I was making a list of people I intended to give it to.'

The Independent on Sunday - 'An unforgettably moving miniature.'

Harpers & Queen - 'Astonishingly beautiful… taut, lyrical, passionate and poetic… increasingly irresistible.'

Amazon gives it a 5-star rating and describes it as 'a short, sharp, knock-out of a book … a gripping, dramatic adventure and a mesmeric love story … one of the most exciting, shocking, powerful novels you will ever read.'

First published under the author's previous name, Candida Clark, by Headline Review in 2003.

Narrated by the author, whose acclaimed memoir, 'Be More Bird: life-lessons from a hawk' was published by William Collins in 2026.