Between the years of 1869 to 1939 more than 100,000 poor British children were sent across the ocean to Canada with the promise of a better life. Those who took them in to work as farm laborers or household servants were told they were orphans–but was that the truth?After the tragic loss of their father, the McAlister family is living at the edge of the poorhouse in London in 1908, leaving their … 1908, leaving their mother to scrape by for her three younger children, while oldest daughter, Laura, works on a large estate more than an hour away. When Edna McAlister falls gravely ill and is hospitalized, twins Katie and Garth and eight-year-old Grace are forced into an orphans’ home before Laura is notified about her family’s unfortunate turn of events in London. With hundreds of British children sent on ships to Canada, whether truly orphans or not, Laura knows she must act quickly. But finding her siblings and taking care of her family may cost her everything.
Andrew Fraser, a wealthy young British lawyer and heir to the estate where Laura is in service, discovers that this common practice of finding new homes for penniless children might not be all that it seems. Together Laura and Andrew form an unlikely partnership. Will they arrive in time? Will their friendship blossom into something more?
Inspired by true events, this moving novel follows Laura as she seeks to reunite her family and her siblings who, in their darkest hours, must cling to the words from Isaiah: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God”.
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Truly touches the heart. From the first page, I was swept into the story. Sickness, decisions made by outsiders, family dedication and finding love and faith are all found in this intriguing, special story. Great read. I received a complimentary copy of the book. No review was required.
No Ocean Too Wide is the first book in Carrie Turansky’s new McAlister Family series. The novel begins in London in 1909 and tells the story of the three youngest McAlister children who were taken out of their home when their mother was hospitalized and temporarily unable to care for them, with bills piling up after the death of their father. Without permission from their mother, the children were sent to Canada to work as indentured servants for families as a part of the child emigration program for the British Home Children. With the help of her wealthy employers’ son, lawyer Andrew Frasier, twenty-one year old Laura McAlister was on a mission to find her siblings and bring them back home to Britain to be with their family. There is even a chance for Laura McAlister to find love as she works tirelessly to bring her siblings home.
The history of the British Home Children is one that many people today may be unaware of, much like the orphan trains in the United States back then. This is a very well-researched story. Carrie Turansky tells of the cruel treatment that many children faced in their new homes and the prejudices people felt toward the British Home Children. Readers will learn a lot interesting facts about British and Canadian history in the early 1900s while reading this novel.
The only disappointment was that one of the main parts of the storyline was not resolved in this book. Readers will have to wait until next year in 2020 to find out what happens next. I love reading series, but prefer for each individual storyline to be wrapped up at the conclusion of each novel. Fans of historical fiction will thoroughly enjoy this novel and will be anxiously anticipating the release of book two in the series!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook & Multnomah through NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.
No Ocean Too Wide is a wonderful historical tale of the McAlister family whose young children were taken away while the mother was ill and sent through the British Home Children’s immigration program to Canada. The historical aspects of the story are seamlessly woven into the story.
The characters are wonderfully well-developed and the story is steeped in faith, courage, hope, and lots of perseverance. Another great read from Carrie. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. Highly recommended.
This is a book that I have been meaning to read for quite a while and with the sequel just recently releasing, I decided that I wanted to read them close together.
This was a very interesting story that makes me want to do some reading and learning about the plight of children from this time period who ended up being sent from England to Canada as orphans. It was so frustrating to read about the way the McAlister children ended up in this situation. Everything seemed to be against them. The treatment of many of the children made me sad and hopeful that Laura could get her siblings back.
This story finished with some things resolved and others left open. I am very interested to see how the story will continue in book two.
Wow! I was caught up in this book from the very beginning and loved the journey Turansky took me on from inner city London to the rural lands of Canada and back again. This was a truly powerful book about the blessings and the hardships experienced by the British Home Children and their families from the years 1869-1939. No Ocean Too Wide was both heartbreaking and uplifting as Laura and her companions raced to discover what happened to her siblings.
Turansky did an excellent job pulling the reader into the characters’ lives and struggles. The tension she created within the story kept me reading for hours. I can’t wait to get started on the second book, No Journey Too Far, to read the conclusion of the story.
I won this book in a giveaway from the author. Thank you, Carrie, great job!
Carrie Turansky always develops characters that seem so real to me. Also, this had my favorite thing in a historical novel: real events that make me want to learn more. In this case, this involved children in England who were living on the street taken in by children homes but then emigrated to Canada and adopted. Most were adopted to work as domestics. Now, while this sounds good in theory, some children were supposed to be in the homes temporarily as in cases of a parent’s illness, and then mistakenly sent away without the parent’s knowledge of permission.
This is the case in this story. The McAlister family lost their father and now their mom is the only source of income. Their sister, Laura, lives quite a distance away working as a lady’s maid and she helps when she can, but Katie, Laura and Grace live with their mom, being younger. Things are tight and when Mrs. McAlister falls ill, she is hospitalized. The authorities find that the children are alone and they are sent to the children’s home.
Due to all kinds of incidents, the children are sent away from England with no knowledge or consent from Mrs. McAlister. What follows is a journey of epic proportions. Laura is the one who is going to be responsible for saving her family. But, can she do it? No spoilers here. I really enjoyed this story and felt invested in the characters and their outcomes
This is the most incredible story – one that I am quite sure everyone should read. I would imagine that anyone that enjoys history and all we can learn from it, has heard of the British Home Children (BHC) as well as the Kindertransport during the war. In many ways the same, but also so very different. While the children from war-torn countries were sent away for their safety, the BHC were sent to America to reduce the number of destitute children roaming the streets of London and other places. Unfortunately some of those sent away were from loving families that were temporarily unable to provide for their needs. This is the story of one such family.
Garth and Katie, 14 year old twins, were sent to different homes, since boys and girls were not in the same home. Young Grace, 7, was allowed to stay with her sister, Katie. Child emigration was regular at that time – the children were sent to Canada, where they were then put into homes that were prepared to accept a child into their family as well as care for them. The people overseeing those homes didn’t value family connections, so were these siblings likely to ever see each other again?
Andrew Frasier and Henry Dowd were given the task of following this emigrant cycle to see if it was all done legally. Were these children all orphans or were some taken from their families without permission? What were the conditions the children were living with in Canada? Answers for these and other questions were what they hoped for.
This incredible story has been on my desk, just waiting for me to sit down and read. Published by Multnomah the comments and impressions given are my own and were in no way solicited.
The story in No Ocean too Wide covers a lot of ground. It starts in England with the family together. The three children, Katie, Garth, and Grace, are finding ways to survive during their mother’s illness. The oldest sister, Laura, has taken a job to help with expenses and lives with a family as their maid. Throughout the course of the book, we watch the family get torn apart through misunderstandings and the influence of the people running the orphan homes.
Tension stays high as Laura tries to follow her siblings and reunite them. The story overall is heart-wrenching. As the reader, I found myself cheering Laura on. I wanted to see her succeed, but at the same time I knew that she had powerful forces against her. The one shaft of light shining over this story was the relationship that develops between Laura and Andrew Fraser, the lawyer who is working with her on her mission.
The story exposes the good intentions of the institutions assisting orphans and disadvantaged children while also showing the shadow side. These good intentions frequently didn’t play out in a way that benefited the children. They were mistreated an burdened with work no one else wanted to do.
I appreciate Carrie Turansky’s writing because it is elegant and flows nicely, creating images in my mind of her characters, the settings, and their meaning. Her plot lines include a solid spiritual message that runs deep and offers a reader more than surface level inspiration. Her characters are realistic and concerned about following God’s ways through their difficulties.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about historic events that have actually taken place are are told through the eyes of a fictional character.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
No Ocean Too Wide
This book addresses a social issue from the early 20th Century, but it still resonates today, especially when you consider the problems with the foster system and human trafficking issues. Though this was not a “quick read” for me, by the time it ended I wanted more. The characters were so believable and appropriate to the time period, they quickly gained a place in my heart. I certainly will be looking for the sequel and adding Carrie Turansky to my list of authors to follow.
Family matters the most
I read in the author’s closing remarks that between the 1860’s and the 1930’s more than one hundred eighteen thousand poor and orphaned children were sent to Canada as British home children to work on farms and as domestic servants. Some were treated with kindness and others with cruelty. Until reading this book I had never heard of the British home children. It was also very sobering to hear about the orphanages and how hard it was to get children back once they were placed there because of a parent’s illness. I know this is a story of fiction but it is based on true events and facts.
I enjoyed reading the story of Laura and her quest to find her brother Garth and her sisters Katie and Grace after they were sent to Canada by the orphanage without her mother’s consent. Laura was working as a maid in another town and when she found out her mother was in the hospital she came back to London to find her siblings had been sent to an orphanage. She tried to see them and get them out in her care but the orphanage would not allow her to see them nor return them to her care. She than applied as an escort for children going to Canada with the orphanage in Liverpool where the children were sent, but she was too late and her siblings had already been sent to Canada. She than escorts a group to Canada to search for her siblings. This story is about that journey and how it came to be. The characters were charming and believable. Also Andrew, Mr. Dowd, and Rose. It was sad about Garth, as I imagine it was for many families. I wanted Grace to be found and perhaps in a sequel book she will be. I wonder how many children were sent from England to Canada without the consent of their family. This should not have happened, nor should the cruelty shown in some of the homes. A better system needed to be in place for immigrating and for vetting families receiving one of the children.
I did learn some part of history from the story. It was a very good story and written very well. I will certainly recommend to others.
Thanks to Carrie Turansky, Waterbrook and Multnomah Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.
Before reading No Ocean Too Wide I knew nothing about the British Home Children. The overwhelming feeling of hope greeted me on the first page and lasted until the final page. Carrie Turansky created a story with sadness & heartbreak that ended with hope because the characters were willing to trust. There were just enough characters to maintain the story but not overwhelm the reader. Lies that were told to support the cause of relocating children were exposed as opportunities for others to pretend that they knew what was best for children of families that seemed out of options. I expect Historical Fiction to provide a story that gets me interested in events that I must research to learn more. No Ocean Too Wide told a hopeful story that encouraged me to discover more about these children.
No Ocean Too Wide touches on a fascinating yet tragic event in history, that of about 70 years in which more than 100,000 impoverished British children were sent to Canada for a better life. Those taking them in were told they were orphans, but history has shown that this wasn’t always true.
It’s wonderful that Turansky chose to tell a story about something that impacted so many people. I can’t imagine being told that my children or my younger siblings had been sent to across the ocean without my consent, or even my knowledge. Turansky shows this plight through the perspective of both one of those sent as well as one desperate to bring them home.
For me, there was a significant amount of telling rather than showing. This is definitely a personal preference of mine as a reader, and I’m sure not something that bothered other readers. It’s just not my preferred style of writing. Even so, I found this to be an easy story to follow and one in which the characters are easy to root for. Laura McAlister has taken a position as a lady’s maid in order to send the funds back home to help care for her family. The system is unforgiving of families in need, and through a series of terrible acts by those uncaring and unwilling to get children back to their families, the youngest three McAlisters are sent to Canada, and Laura tries her best to get them back. Katie McAlister gets the roughest end of the deal, with her story line bringing out the harshness of the “caregivers” that took in the children.
Though there is a degree of resolution to the story, there is more yet to be told about the McAlister family, and we won’t know the full extent of their journey until the next book in the series.
I received an advanced copy of this novel; this review is my honest opinion.
Have you ever heard of the British re-homing children across the ocean to Canada? I had never heard of this until reading this book by Carrie Turansky. No Ocean Too Wide is a story based on historical events during the late 1800’s and into the early 1900’s.
I love history and books like this one bring history to life! I had never heard of the orphan ships that traveled from Britain to Canada, so this story was eye opening for me. My heart-strings were tugged as I fell in love with the characters and followed their story across the ocean and into a broken system that had let them down. Laura is willing to care for her siblings, but she is blocked every way she turns. This story is heartbreaking, and there is child abuse mentioned so be forewarned about that if you are triggered by such events. I also wasn’t expecting this book to be the beginning of the series, so i was a little surprised it ended without wrapping up the McAlister’s story. Overall, I think it’s a good story and one that should be told for all of those families that were affected by these historical events. This story is going to be continued in the next book coming out in 2020. I really wished the author would of put a section in the back of the book to let the reader know what is fact and was is fiction.
***I received this complimentary book from Waterbrook & Multnomah. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
I enjoyed every page of this story! I’ve never read a book about British Home Children before and found this story to be incredibly well researched. It is a heartbreaking event in history, but one that needs to be told. The story is easy to follow, very interesting, and has a sweet romance element to it! I’m very much looking forward to the second book in the McAlister Family Series!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. A positive review was not required. All opinions expressed are my own.
What a series of unfortunate events for the McAlister family! I had heard of the orphan trains in the USA, and the convict colonies in Australia, but I never knew that England sent orphaned children across the ocean to Canada. And, like the orphan trains, some children were sent to good families and some became ill-treated slave labor. This story begins in London in 1908 and the author Carrie Turansky tells the difficult story of a family of children who are separated from each other. Twins Katie and Garth and younger sister Grace are sent to Canada, leaving older sister Laura desperately trying to locate and reunite them.
I found this story spellbinding – I read it in no time because I just couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend! I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I am freely writing a review – all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was a piece of history I never knew about. With an increase in orphans and homeless children in 1909 London, some organizations chose to take them off the streets and place them in children’s homes to prepare them to be shipped to Canada. They weren’t always treated well. Made to be household servants and farmhands, they were looked down upon by many. Abused, mistreated, and starved, those children found themselves isolated and lost in the system.
When the McAlister children were found to be alone with no food in the house and their mother admitted to the hospital gravely ill, police took them and placed them in a children’s home. By the time their older sister Laura found out, they had already been sent by ship to Canada. She attempts to find them by posing under a false name and becoming one of the escorts for the children that travel to Canada. With the aid of a wealthy young British lawyer, Andrew Fraser, they search together.
With so many laws and red tape against them, they hit one dead end after another. There was so much emotion I felt as I read along. The characters were real to me and I really wanted them to succeed in their search. The children broke my heart as they were so mistreated. I wanted to shout at and slap the abusers. You’ll want to read along as I did to see the fates of the McAlister children, Katie, Garth and Grace.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher but was not required to write a review positive or otherwise.
Wow! Carrie Turansky is an extremely talented author!
This is a beautiful, heartwrenching and deeply touching story based on true events!
The blurb of this story was so compelling from the start that it totally engaged me. I love Historical Fiction based in real life stories. Even if the story and the characters were made up, the situation was real and it may have happened in a similar way in the lives of many people, especially those unfortunate children, even if nota ll of them were mistreated. It’s outrageous that people may take advantage of young children and their vulnerability. My heartache to think about what many orphans in that era (and ours too) may have been submitted to.
Laura works as a lady’s maid in Bolton Estate, outside of London. Since her father passed away she needs to help her family’s survive. She has her 14 year old twin brothers, Katie and Garth, and her 6 year old sister Grace. Her mother works as a seamstress, but it barely covers the expenses. While she’s working at Bolton Estate, things get very complicated in London for her family. Mum, as they call her, contracts pneumonia and is gravelly ill in the hospital. A police officer catches Garth stealing food to provide for her sisters while their mom is at the hospital and they all end up taken to a children’s home, Garth being separated from his sisters.
When Laura receives a letter telling her about her mother’s illness, she quickly leaves for London, only to find her mother in a very fragile situation, and to discover her siblings have being sent to Canada to start a new life, as if they were orphans.
Andrew is the heir to the Bolton Estate, but he’s not interested right know in the Estate’s affairs, despite his father’s manipulations. He has studied to be a lawyer and wants to do his share in making the world a better place. After meeting Laura, and helping her go to London, he and his associate Henry are hired by the goverment to investigate the conditions under which so many orphans are being emmigrated to Canada by The British Children’s Home. Something doesn’t ring good and they send them on a mission to travel in one of the ships and oversee the treatment of the children and their establishment in Canada. What is his surprise when he finds Laura on the same ship pretending to be Mary Hopkins.
Will he uncover her charade? Will she trust him with her secret and her mission? Will he trust her and help her find her siblings?
This is a beautiful and heartwrenching story, told by the point of view of Laura, Andrew and Katie. The change in point of view is well done and you barely notice. The writing style is really good and flows well. I never felt it dragged and I was immediately captivated by the McAllister Family’s tragedy and their struggle to reunite once again. There is hardship and mistreat of the children but it’s respectfully described. Laura was and admirable character. She was a bit afraid of men after a sad experience, but she slowly warms up to Andrew and to his loyalty and selflesness. Andrew was truly a hero and I loved his character: strongminded, and honest and ready to overcome all odds to do what he knows it’s right. They both have a relationship with the Lord, but Laura’s is a bit frail and Andrew helps her grow in this aspect. It was truly inspiring!
The story seems very well researched and it feels so real that I really felt I was inside the story with them.
I definitely recommend this book! Beautiful and very inspiring! Can’t wait to read whatever Carrie is planning on releasing next.
I received a copy of this book from the author and Publisher buta ll opinions here are totally unbiased, honest and completely my own.
I loved this book! I hadn’t read any other books of Carrie’s, but now I want to read them all! I found No Ocean Too Wide to be a beautiful story that showed me some of the truths of emigration. Each of the characters were easily likeable and relatable, and drew me into their story. I can’t wait to read the other books in this McAlister Family series.
I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from the publisher, but this review is all my own!
I was excited to read the first book from Carrie Turansky’s McAllister Family series, No Ocean Too Wide. What a great story! This is probably my favorite I have read by her to date. It gets a well deserved five plus stars from me. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy clean historical fiction with elements of faith and inspiration. I look forward to see what happens in the next installment from the McAllister Family series.
I received this book from the publisher, but was not required to write a review. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
“No Ocean Too Wide” by Carrie Turansky is a Christian romantic historical fiction based on true events. It is Book One in the McAlister Family Series. This was a compelling novel that I could not put down! There is no way I can do it justice with just a few words.
My emotions took a roller coaster ride with this book. I became enraged, shocked, joyful, elated, saddened, scared, hopeless and then hopeful as the feelings from the characters jumped from the characters into me.
This is a story set in England in the early 1900’s. It centers around the McAlister Family which has a mother, seven year old Grace, fourteen year old twins Katie and Garth, and twenty year old Laura. As tragedy befalls the family with the mother in the hospital, the children are separated from each other and their mother.
The characters are well described and believable. Each one has a depth that makes him or her come to life on the page. There is even a rich, handsome hero! The conversations sound authentic for the era and location. The descriptions took me to a time and place that I had never been.
Author Turansky did impeccable research. I had never heard of this before in all my reading and studies. I was stunned and livid to learn that children were sent from England to Canada, orphaned or not. In fact, at times I wished this was not based on a true story. However, I could not stop reading this captivating tale.
The writing is exquisite. The book flows at an even pace. It isn’t sluggish or hurried. The author has a style that made this book easy to read and not want to put down. It is quite the page turner. I eagerly await Book Two.
I highly recommend this poignant novel. It has stayed with me long after reading it. I keep thinking of all of the poor children in similar situations. The Christian element is definitely present. Themes of faith, family, God, helping others, and hope are woven throughout this emotional, beautiful story. I rated it 5 out of 5 stars. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley but was under no obligation to write a review. These are my own thoughts.