4 out of 5 stars
On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads
How I discovered this book: Twitter
In a Nutshell: Historical drama set in late 19th Century NW England and Canada.
This is such a 'readable' book, it flows so well and I galloped through it. Starting in Whitehaven in Cumbria, NW England, at the end of the 19th century, its main character is a coal miner called Stag who becomes embroiled in a nasty case of blackmail and considers that an offer to emigrate to Vancouver Island in Canada, to start a new life in the land of opportunity, might make for a sound move.
As the families from Whitehaven wait to board ship in Liverpool, we meet the other main character - Kate McAvoy, the daughter of a schoolmaster who doesn't want to leave England. Once aboard, both the families in steerage and the middle class, like Kate, experience something of a rude awakening about life on board a ship for six whole months. Part two takes us to Vancouver Island, and the emigrants' first year.
There's a romantic element to this novel, though it's woven into the story in such a way that it won't bother non-romance readers (like me!) - it's just part of what happens to the characters. In Part Two, affairs of the heart come up against some intriguing obstacles, which kept me interested - I'd say the primary genre of the story, though, is historical family drama. Despite a few tragedies, the mood of the book is quite light, and I think it would appeal to anyone who likes this genre as the writing itself is most accessible and it's clearly very well researched. I certainly enjoyed it and will be reading the sequel before I am much older!