The Wind Seller

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In her highly anticipated second novel, Rachael Preston tells a vibrant, compelling story of 20th century piracy. Exploring the complex struggle for freedom against a backdrop of passion and repression, The Wind Seller is the story of two vulnerable, shellshocked people and the “wind seller” who captivates them both.

Life in 1924 Kenomee, Nova Scotia, seems simple enough. Until, that is, a mysterious schooner blows into town under the cover of darkness, in desperate need of repair. Waking up to the giant black ship moored near their wharf, the villagers gather to take a gander at the Esmeralda and her crew. To everyone’s surprise, there’s a woman on board, and she shares the schooner’s name. Claiming to be the captain’s daughter, she wears men’s clothing — young and beautiful, she is as fit and as strong as the men. She is also an enigma and starts a chain of events that will change everyone’s life, except perhaps her own.

The Wind Seller is a moving story about choices and consequences, but it is also about imprisonment by, and release from, the personal demons unleashed by terrible experience.

AUTHOR

Rachael Preston

Rachael Preston is the author of three novels, Tent of Blue, The Wind Seller and The Fishers of Paradise, which won the 2013 Kerry Schooley Award, given to the book that best captures the spirit of the city of Hamilton. She has taught creative writing in Ontario colleges and universities. For two years she chaired gritLIT: Hamilton’s Writers’ Festival. In 2001 she was nominated for the Journey Prize and in 2006 she won the City of Hamilton Arts Award for her contribution to the arts. Rachael now lives in Nanaimo, BC.

Reviews

When a mysterious schooner blows into the little town of Kenomee, tongues start wagging. Like the other villagers gathered at the wharf, Hetty Douglas can’t help but be fascinated by the Esmeralda and her ragtag crew. Suffocating in a marriage of convenience and tormented by memories of the Halifax Explosion, Hetty falls under the spell of an exotic sailor-woman. So does Noble Matheson, who has seen enough to draw his own conclusions.

A compelling story of 20th-century piracy, Rachael Preston’s fast-paced novel explores the complex struggle for freedom against a backdrop of passion and repression.

“The novel is a literary page-turner, churning with thrilling scenes … taut pacing … It’s an exciting, adventurous novel with literary worth … seamlessly executed … I hope it receives the broad readership it merits.”
– Globe and Mail

“Preston has an adroit way with a plot; when she segues from character’s storyline to another, in the narrative’s present day or in flashback, it is seamless. Her characters are believable, resilient and quirky, and her prose is thrilling. A wind seller, according to Preston, refers to a witch who will bestow favourable breezes upon a ship, for a fee or out of largesse. The Wind Seller‘s sails are full, she’s racing with the wind, and a great tale awaits.”
– Hamilton Spectator