The Homecoming
Book Feature - The Homecoming by Anna Enquist
HBL Note: It has been 17 years since THE HOMECOMING by Anna Enquist was first published in Dutch, but the first translation into English couldn’t have come at a better time. An article in the New York Times from earlier this year, outlined how archaeologists were “convinced” they found Captain Cook's ship off the coast of Rhode Island, causing a “maritime rift,” which is just a drama-filled as it sounds. THE HOMECOMING centers on Captain James Cook’s wife, Elizabeth. Scroll down to read more.
Book Feature - The Homecoming by Anna Enquist
From the publisher:
After twelve years of marriage to English explorer James Cook, Elizabeth has yet to spend an entire year with her husband. In their house by the Thames, she moves to the rhythms of her life as a society wife, but there is so much more to her than meets the eye. She has the fortitude to manage the house and garden, raise their children, and face unbearable sorrow by herself—in fact, she is sometimes in thrall to her own independence.
As she prepares for another homecoming, Elizabeth looks forward to James’s triumphant return and the work she will undertake reading and editing his voluminous journals. But will the private life she’s been leading in his absence distract her from her role in aid of her husband’s grand ambitions? Can James find the compassion to support her as their family faces unimaginable loss, or must she endure life alone as he sails off toward another adventure?
An intimate and sharply observed novel, The Homecoming is as revelatory as James Cook’s exploration of distant frontiers and as richly rewarding as Elizabeth’s love for her family. With courage and strength, through recollection and imagination, author Anna Enquist brilliantly narrates Elizabeth’s compelling record of her life, painting a psychological portrait of an independent woman ahead of her time and closely acquainted with history.
