No Ocean Too Wide

Title: No Ocean Too Wide
Author: Carrie Turansky
Series: McAlister Family, book 1
Major Themes: England, Canada, Orphans, Children, Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, 1900-1950, Europe, Books for Women
Synopsis: When her brother and sisters were sent to Canada with other orphans, without her mother’s permission, Laura followed them and discovered that not everything was as good as it sounded.

When I first read the description of No Ocean Too Wide, I was intrigued. Of course, I have read several stories about the Orphan Trains in the United States, but I didn’t know anything about orphans being sent from England to other countries. Learning about that made the book appeal to me.

The twins, Katie and Garth, and their little sister Grace, lived with their widowed mother in London, while their older sister Laura worked as a maid some distance away. The family was able to survive—until Mum got sick and Garth was caught stealing a loaf of bread. Then, disaster struck and the family was separated. Though the children were in neighboring orphan homes, Garth was allowed no contact with his sisters—but when they found out that he was going to be sent to Canada, they pled to be sent there, as well, hoping that they could be with him.

After Laura was able to track down which homes her siblings were sent to, she was horrified to learn that they had departed already for Canada—without her mother’s permission. She impulsively figured out a way that she could follow them. However, a young lawyer named Andrew, the son of her employer, was on the same ship, and knew she was lying. What would he do to her? Would she ever find her brother and sisters—and if she did, would she be able to bring them back home? Or were they lost to her forever? And, as Andrew investigated the system which resettled orphans, and discovered that it wasn’t what it sounded like, what could be done about the corruption?

No Ocean Too Wide is not a happily-ever-after story. It’s actually fairly true-to-life. I really enjoyed reading it. I do not enjoy romance stories very much, but would rather read a book like this, which describes something that really happened and makes it into a good story. There is some romance, but it is not the main point of this story. I am looking forward to reading the sequel—there were a number of threads that were not tied up neatly and I would like to know what happens next! This book is suitable for anyone from mid-teens on up.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

WARNING: Chapter 7 has someone exclaiming, “Blasted busybodies.”

——————
Related posts:

No Journey Too Far Yesterday’s Tides On Wings of Devotion A Portrait of Loyalty