Far Ocean

Winner of the 2025 Big Moose Prize, Far Ocean tells the story of 18th-century botanist and explorer Jeanne Baret, the first woman to circumnavigate the globe. Born into poverty in rural France, Jeanne struggles to get by, helping her mother in her work as a traditional herbalist and healer. Following a chance meeting with botanist Phillibert de Commerson, Jeanne becomes first Commerson’s teacher, then his mistress. She goes to live with him Paris, where he attempts to make his way in the exciting but insecure new world of Enlightenment science.

When Commerson is offered the position of Chief Naturalist on an upcoming voyage of discovery bound for the Pacific, Jeanne presents herself as a boy and convinces Commerson to let her accompany him as his assistant, setting in motion a journey to the most distant places on earth. It’s a voyage filled with previously unimaginable experiences, but when things begin to go badly for the expedition, Jeanne finds herself in danger. She must determine where her loyalties ultimately lie to protect herself and those she loves—and to preserve the hope of one day finding her way home.