A thoughtful and wonderful novel. The main character was really well done and the whole storyline was perfect.

Thoroughly enjoyable historical novel about Elizabeth, wife of explorer Captain Cook. Narrated by her and wholly from her point of view, the book explores what it meant to be married to a man who was rarely home, and whose infrequent homecomings, though eagerly awaited, meant in essence she had to learn to be an independent women and forge her own path in life – including bearing and losing her children, inevitably conceived on his visits. I found the book an intelligent and acutely observed re-imagining of what Elizabeth’s life must have been like. A great read.

⭐⭐ -- DNF @50%

I wanted to love this one so much. You can tell the author did her research. However, I just found the character of Elizabeth to be so damn depressing, and the story itself long, slow and a slog to get through. Can't love them, right?

**ARC Via NetGalley**

I really wanted to like this novel because it was about James Coke’s wife. However, there were many dark and disturbing scenes that made me uncomfortable. Still, I recommend this for anyone interested in women behind famous men.

I was pulled in immediately but over time it got to be quite long and I had a harder time focusing. The flashbacks and time jumps could be really confusing at times, and even frustrating.

This was an emotional and interesting story about Elizabeth, the wife of James Cook. We see her struggles as her husband is away and she takes care of their children and home while dealing with grief on her own. Although the story is mostly about Elizabeth, I did also enjoy getting glimpses at her children’s and James’ lives too!

I liked Elizabeth, and the story in general, in the first half but by second half I was rushing to finish and be done with it. The chapters were quite long so that’s maybe why I had a harder time when the story slowed down in the latter half. The last 20 pages did get more interesting, mostly the middle of the book just became slower and put me in more of a reading slump.

Overall an interesting look at the lives of Elizabeth and James Cook. I didn’t love it or hate it, I enjoyed the story and learned about Cook (whom I knew almost nothing about), but it’s a story I’ll probably forget by the end of the year.


TW/CW: infant death, grief, death, child death, infertility (brief mentions), medical content, childbirth, gore, animal death, cannibalism, colonialism, violence

Using extensive biographical and historical resources, Dutch writer Anna Enquist has gifted us with a captivating psychological portrait of Elizabeth Cook, the wife of explorer Captain James Cook. The Homecoming was originally published in Dutch in 2005. Now this new English translation is a must-read for English speakers who enjoy beautifully written, thought-provoking fiction.

From the outset, James and Elizabeth appear to be made for each other, and, in ways, they remain the perfect spouses for one another. For example, Elizabeth volunteers to help edit James’ journals. However, Elizabeth could not anticipate that James’ voyages would eventually take him away, not for a few months at a time, but a few years as he eventually led expeditions exploring and mapping the Pacific.

Although the story is primarily Elizabeth’s, a substantial portion is also devoted to some of the Cook children and to Captain Cook, who increasingly becomes a legendary hero in the British public eye but privately remains just a man torn between his love for his wife and his love for his career. With one spouse always tending to home and family and the other ever with his mind on ship, crew, weather, and achieving goals set for him by those funding his voyages, Elizabeth and James have totally different mindsets that prevent them from understanding one another’s separate lives and bridging the widening gap between them.

Throughout much of the story, Elizabeth strives to understand James, becoming obsessed with learning the truth about what happened to him even decades after his death.

James’ side of the story comes out during his occasional months at home and through his journals. The journal editing process introduces an unexpected, but interesting, censorship issue into the novel as decisions must be made whether to tell the truth about sailors’ behavior on the islands and certain native customs or to stick to facts that will not make readers uncomfortable.

This is not a particularly fast-paced book, but it is emotionally charged kept me up late at night turning pages, wanting to know what would happen next and how the story would end. The slow pace effectively mirrors Elizabeth’s long waits for James to return. Portions of the narrative are devoted to Elizabeth’s thoughts, whether she’s alone or carrying on a conversation with someone but thinking more than she says.
At the back of the book, Enquist explains the few liberties she took with history and the handful of minor fictional characters who cross Elizabeth’s path. She also provides a source list.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for an advance reader copy of this highly recommended new novel.

Life in the 18th century wasn't easy, even for those with financial means. Elizabeth Cook, wife of Captain James Cook, tells her story in this often sad novel of life as a woman who is always waiting for her husband to come home. Cooks spends much of his time at sea while she's back in the UK giving birth and later burying those children. There's not much uplifting here but it's well written and an interesting look at her life. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of historical fiction.

Heavy but poignant. A view into the deep strength that brews into woman's life in the late 18th century. I felt truly connected to Elizabeth Cook, and felt the ties that bind women together through time. Our struggle to understand. Our hopes, dreams and fears that we have for ourselves and those we love. Our resilience and tenacity in the face of the sorrow and despair. Definitely not a thrilling tale but I did truly enjoy it. #the homecoming #annaenquist #netgalley #goodreads

Elizabeth Cook was married to famous English explorer, navigator and cartographer Captain James Cook and he was away at sea for most of their marriage. A pregnant Elizabeth was left alone to manage their home by the Thames and unfortunately her husband wasn’t present when a couple of their children passed away from illnesses and one due to a tragic accident. James Cook was ruled by the sea, he loved adventure, discovering new places and returning to England with information about exotic people and places, and the attention he received.

James would be gone for three years, Cape Horn was his last link to civilization and he would then sail off into the unknown. In 1775, James Cook returned from his last voyage, he was given honorary retirement from the Royal Navy, became the officer in charge of the Greenwich Hospital, a fellow of the Royal Society and he was writing his biography. In 1776, James Cook volunteered to captain the Resolution on its voyage to the Pacific Islands; sadly this lead to his violent death in Hawaii and Elizabeth became a widow.

The Homecoming is a story about the life of Elizabeth Cook, she was married to a man who excelled in overcoming hardship and adversity, and he loved adventure and the sea. Elizabeth adored James, she read and edited his journals and supported his career. She ran his household, was a wonderful mother to his children, sent their two eldest sons to the Royal Naval Academy despite her own misgivings and she was loyal to him and his memory. I felt sorry for Elizabeth Cook, she struggled with being on her own for years, the responsibility, the constant worry, mourning the loss of children she loved dearly and I do wonder if James Cook regretted not spending more of his time with his family?

I received a copy of The Homecoming from NetGalley and Amazon Crossing in exchange for an honest review, the book gets off to a slow start, I wasn't sure if it would hold my interest until the end and it did. Based on true facts and some speculation Anna Enquist has written a book about Elizabeth Cook, a woman I knew very little about and now I greatly admire for her steadfastness and four stars from me.

I really enjoyed this book. It was hard to put down as it drew me in immediately and before I knew it I was in the middle of the book!

We have all heard stories about James Cook but this books takes on the journey of being the wife of the explorer. Eighteenth century living and having to bring up children and by a society wife without the support of your husband is no easy feat in any era.

It is an interesting read, at times it is even hard to read and a bit long but it gives you insight into the other side of the story that you would never hear about. And although it is a fiction novel it still has the emotion and hardship of real life and coping without the support you need from a husband.

A good book, an interesting read and strong characters.

This is about a woman who is married to a Sea Captain and her struggle of being operated for long periods of time from him and how her life as a stay at home mother in the 1800's means very little compared to his dangerous voyages all over the planet. She struggles with her self and her self worth to him and to their children. its exhausting but also is a perspective that one does not see or get to read or hear about often. This is why it makes it compelling form that angle, but its also very slow going and makes one think about how they would handle being alone from there spouses for that long of a period of time. '

There is no sequence in which I could arrange words to adequately convey how heart-wrenching this story was. This was a literal read it and weep. It's raw and heavy but in the best way. The story is based on the life and discoveries of renowned British Seafarer and Explorer James Cook but the twist is it's written from his wife Elizabeth's perspective. The narrative is in a deep point of view where Elizabeth's inner thoughts are seamlessly woven into the story and it attaches you to her character. Due to his duties as a crown endorsed explorer, James was unable to fulfil his duties as a husband and a father. His expeditions lasted for years at a time and towards the end of each Elizabeth would go through the process of reverting the house and herself to a state that would best suit James' needs. This process she called The Homecoming. n addition to being alone in her marriage, Elizabeth had to go through the death of all six of her children without her husband present - two died at sea, three as infants, one of scarlet fever and the only girl ran over by coach. The death of her children, especially Ellie, haunted Elizabeth in life as she thought it was her carelessness that caused their death. Her pain even led to complete dissociation from her last child Benny. She also lost her husband, mother, her cousin Issac and her lifelong friend Hugh Palliser. Life was just constantly throwing stones at her. One thing I always love in a story is a strong female character and Elizabeth's emotional and mental strength is honestly unmatched. That intimate view of watching her navigate through her pain to be able to nurture other children, support other widowers and always find her way back to a sense of normalcy in her life highlights the strength of a woman.