Quotes
“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.” New York Times
“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.” Wall Street Journal
“Audacious…Immersive… A marvel of inventive storytelling.” BBC
“Best taken in by the ocean, Landfalls draws inspiration from real-life mariners…A beautiful tale of adventure, anchored in tragedy.” Vanity Fair
“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.” Seattle Times
“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.” Barry Lopez, National Book Award winner and author of Arctic Dreams
“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.” New York Journal of Books
“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.” New York Times Book Review
“As a nautical novel, it’s fantastic; as a novel of cultural exchange and misunderstanding, it’s even better.” Sacramento News Review
“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.” Australian
