No Ocean Too Wide by Carrie Turansky Review

 Hello Friends :)

I hope you're all doing well, and I want to thank you all for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

Can you believe it's already June? Our weather was pretty wonky at the end of May, with lots of chilly days. Now that it's June, we've gone into a record breaking heat wave, and it's definitely made for interesting days.

However, all of this up and down weather has definitely given me more time to dive into my TBR stack, and I've been able to finish quite a few books. 

If you can believe it, before today's read, I'd never actually read a book by the lovely Carrie Turansky. I knew I needed to change that fact after the many great things I've heard about her books, and today I'm excited to share with you all what I ended up thinking about my first experience with one of her books.

No Ocean Too Wide by Carrie Turansky:

Source: Libby App

Publisher: Multnomah

Publication Date: June 25th, 2019

Genre: Christian Fiction/Historical Fiction

Series: McAlister Family

Synopsis:

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 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”.

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

I've read a few fictional books over the years that focus on the forced immigration of children from Britain to Canada, but I can wholeheartedly say that No Ocean Too Wide is my new favorite. I loved how historically accurate this entire story is, and how quickly I was pulled into the heart wrenching story of a sister who will stop at nothing to retrieve her siblings who have been wrongfully sent to Canada due to circumstances outside her control.

Perhaps my favorite part of the entire story was the selflessness that's showcased in so many of the characters. Andrew Fraser has been born a man of significant means, but that doesn't stop him from wanting to pursue a career that he can use to help others less fortunate than himself. As soon as he hears Laura's troubles, he goes out of his way to help her with her journey. Laura herself goes through so much on her journey to try and locate her siblings, and even though doing so requires to take on a position that causes her to lie about who she truly is, she never shirks her responsibilities at the new position and truly does her best for each and every girl entrusted in her care.

This story is quite a lengthy read, but I never grew bored or disinterested, and I truly found myself trying to savor each and every page. I ended up being surprised at the way everything ends up going once Laura and Andrew reach Canada, but I thought the author brought everything together in a way that was historically realistic, and not in a typical end to a fairy tale type story. 

This was my first experience with a Carrie Turansky novel, and I loved it. I think she's an insanely talented storyteller and it's easy to see how much time and effort goes into researching the time periods she chooses to write about. I'm actually glad I didn't read this one any earlier, as I wouldn't have been able to stand waiting for almost two years between book releases. I truly can't wait to read the second book to find out how she's going to wrap up the McAlister family's story, and I hope to get to reading it soon.

Final Rating: 5/5.

I'd highly recommend this one if you enjoy Christian historical fiction, and I'm looking forward to reading more of Carrie Turansky's beautiful stories in the very near future.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day.

This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.