Praise for In Search of the Woman Who Sailed the World

‘With grit and imagination, Danielle Clode goes on the trail of Jeanne Barret, the first woman to circumnavigate the globe. By chasing down archival leads around the world, and delving into her own maritime past, Clode conjures a spellbinding tale of gender, empire, natural history – and the lure of the ocean. There is poetry and insight on every page.’

yves rees

‘Seamlessly weaving together memoir, history and science, In Search of the Woman Who Sailed the World takes the life of its remarkable subject as the starting point for a fascinating and deeply affecting exploration of voyaging, women’s lives, and the stories we tell and the stories we don’t.’

james bradley

‘Biologist, historian, writer, Clode once again demonstrates the connectedness of everything – animals, land, people, plants, sea, sky – at a time when, more than ever, we should be acutely aware of it. Exquisite nature writing brings us close to everyday natural beauty and dramas that we ignore at our peril.’

gay lynch

‘A joy to read, simple yet elegant, it whispers in your ear like the sea murmuring from within a shell. With impeccable research, and an ambitious melding of memoir, biography and environmental advocacy, Danielle Clode skilfully reconstructs the life of Jeanne Barret, who emerges from the shadows to her rightful position as “more than a footnote to other men’s lives”.’

kristin weidenbach

‘Danielle Clode unties the knots of myth and weaves a fascinating story of discovery; Jeanne Barret is one of history’s most enigmatic explorers.’

nick brodie

‘A refreshingly open account that invites the reader on a journey of understanding through the author’s own explorations as Clode cleverly reveals the life story of a curious, hard-working, adventuring and independent woman. Clode brings a scientific rigour and a celebration of natural history to the biography of this important woman.’

stephanie parkyn