Landfalls

Reviews

“It’s a tragic narrative, filled with calamities, yet never somber or dreary… Readers may be surprised to find dashes of comedy throughout, but Ms. Williams is adept at mining the humor in awkward encounters, revealing the divide between how certain characters perceive themselves and how others view them, and exposing the often duplicitous motives behind noble gestures.”

“In her thrilling debut novel…Ms. Williams brilliantly moves across continents and gives each landfall a distinct and evocative voice…[she] has a knack for using small details to flesh out her characters…Landfalls is intelligent and utterly human. Ms. Williams has written a seductive page-turner that, although we know the story ends tragically, draws the reader in and doesn’t let go.”

“Audacious…Immersive… A marvel of inventive storytelling.”

“Best taken in by the ocean, Landfalls draws inspiration from real-life mariners…A beautiful tale of adventure, anchored in tragedy.”

“Williams’ debut novel Landfalls is a dazzling recreation of a real-life eighteenth century French expedition that touched down in Tenerife, Chile, Alaska, and other far-flung places before vanishing…With keen sensual flair and understated poignancy, especially as she limns the friendships of men at sea, Williams has delivered a bona fide masterpiece.”

“By focusing on the penumbra of this legendary voyage, a disastrous, eighteenth-century quest for geographic knowledge, Naomi Williams brilliantly illuminates the enduring story of L’Expedition de Laperousé. The novel is a deft and stunning evocation of human aspiration at the dawn of the Industrial Age.”

“The craftsmanship is so good, it’s hard to believe this is a first novel. That alone makes the book award worthy. On top of the outstanding technical execution, it tells its tale so well that it becomes interesting and emotionally gripping to readers with zero interest in eighteenth-century maritime history.”

“Both [history and fiction] demand an engagement with humanity that must skate across time and space to achieve any sort of context, any degree of relevance or reach. The best kind of historical fiction, then, should involve intelligence, experimentation, boldness, and curiosity. These traits are all in evidence in Naomi J. Williams’s ambitious and meticulous debut…At its heart, Williams’ book is a brave pastiche of mostly true stories that overlap and jar, conveying the confusion of history more accurately than most fiction…Williams recalibrates the predicted narrative, turning the telescope or microscope (these intrepid savants use both) toward the unexpected corners of a scene.”

“As a nautical novel, it’s fantastic; as a novel of cultural exchange and misunderstanding, it’s even better.”

“In fiction, Williams is able to reinvent this lost diversity of perspectives, albeit with far more gritty realism that might be found in eighteenth-century versions. Her eclectic and literary approach is personal and psychological rather than philosophical and political…The unreliable and often contradictory voices of the narrative give even implausible scenarios the strangely authentic flavor of rumor and hearsay.”

“An ingenious encounter with the past and another demonstration of how far the historical novel has advanced from the tableaus, puppet shows, and costume dramas of yore…This is just one instance of Williams’s subtle genius for taking advantage of history’s generosity with motif…Williams shows admirable faith in her readers’ intelligence by not spelling things out and allowing us the exhilarating pleasure of extracting for ourselves the actual story being told. Her restraint and cunning in this regard, as well as her lively characters, sharp wit, and evocation of eighteenth-century optimism—that ‘basic faith in the goodness and rightness of life and the world’—make this debut a real surprise and a triumph.”

“Williams’ exceptional debut isn’t your traditional seafaring yarn and is all the stronger and more penetrating for it…Full of period sensibilities, particularly the Enlightenment-era urge to go forth and explore new domains, the novel is alternately charming, invigorating, and heartbreaking, and always thoughtful and humane. Even readers who don’t seek out nautical adventures will find themselves drawn in, especially if they love high-quality literary fiction.”

“An entertainingly erudite debut …Especially poignant is her illustration of how native cultures are poorly interpreted by European explorers celebrating the virtues of Enlightenment…William crafts an elegant and entrancing narrative…Literary art of the first order, intelligent and evocative in the way of the best of historical fiction.”

“Williams’s research is thorough and meticulous, using primary sources such as letters, journals, and reports sent from the expedition…Williams does a masterly job with her descriptions of the officers, sailors, scientists, and people they meet, explaining a colorful, vibrant bit of maritime history in the age of discovery.”

“So thrilling in the reading, so richly colored and true to life that, reaching the end, I found myself going back to begin it again. I don’t ask for more from a book.”

“Landfalls strikes that rare and perfect balance between being a meticulously researched and utterly trustworthy historical account on the one hand, and a damn good story peopled with highly complex emotionally recognizable characters on the other…formally inventive, structurally satisfying, and deeply moving…Naomi Williams is the real thing.”

“A daring novel deftly written…Williams conjures entire worlds, both external and internal, with remarkable dexterity, leaping nimbly from setting to setting and heart to heart, assembling a book every bit as moving and wondrous as the journey it recreates.”

“To say that this debut novel is thoroughly delightful may sound too dismissive of what is a deeply researched and ingeniously told story, but there it is: it’s a joy to read…This novel must have been a vast undertaking, but the reader sees none of that heavy lifting…Williams simply weaves in the details that allow her to take her readers around the world on a wondrous journey of discovery.”

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