Turansky has this uncanny ability to transport you back in time, challenge your faith, and weave in some history that teaches you in ways you never expected. No Ocean Too Wide is a beautifully penned novel that every historical fiction fan needs to read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story will tear your heart out, yet leave you with hope.

Set in the year 1908, London, poor children are being sent to Canada to help alleviate the large numbers of war orphans. The children are promised better lives - plenty of food, a place to sleep, new family. While that's true for some, many of the older children are treated no better than slaves.

When their father dies, the McAlister family scrambles to keep bread on the table and a roof over their heads. Everything works until their mother gets sick and is hospitalized. Without her income, food goes from small to scarce to none and oldest brother, Garth, finally resorts to stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sisters. Caught in the act, he is sent to a boys' home and his two sisters, his twin, Katie and younger sister, Grace, are sent to a children's home. When their older sister, Laura - who has been working as a maid and sending her earnings to help support her family - learns the children have been taken away, she rushes to London, only to be turned away at the door to the home because she can't pay to have her siblings released. By the time she gets help, she's too late, and all three of her siblings have been shipped off to Canada, mistakenly believing that their mother has died. Is there any way she can get them back?

Andrew Fraser grew up in the lap of luxury, and is expected to take over the family holdings where Laura is in service. Instead, he went to law school and advocates for the less fortunate. Tasked with examining the practice of sending penniless children abroad, he learns that, while some of the homes are above reproach, others are not as scrupulous in finding homes for their charges as they should be. When he and his mentor are sent to Canada too "inspect" the receiving homes, he is shocked to discover his mother's ladies maid, Laura, on the same ship as an escort for a group of orphan girls. Hearing her story, he offers any help he can provide. Will they be able to find her family and reunite them?

So, I read this one back-to-back with "Before We Were Yours" by Lisa Wingate, and let me tell you, my emotions felt completely wrung out after these two stories. Knowing that they were both based on true events, really tore me up. I couldn't believe how callously the "orphan homes" treated family members who actually wanted the children. While this book ends well, there are still some loose threads left hanging. I have book two , "No Journey Too Far" on my library's Holds shelf and look forward to finishing the McAlister family's story.

Readers who love historical fiction will enjoy this story. There is a strong faith thread throughout the book, and the characters rely on God and the truths in the Bible to get them through the hardships. I listened to this one in the Libby app, and can highly recommend that version.

I really loved this intense story of family lost and family found. Laura is up against an impossible thing when her younger siblings are placed in an orphanage during her mother's stay in a hospital. When they are sent off to Canada and split up, Laura is beside herself trying to figure out how to get them back. Can she possibly piece her family back together?

There is a gentle romance in the story as well.

There are a lot of bittersweet moments in this story and the family's saga is not complete. I am looking forward to finding out if they can reunite in the second half of this story, [book:No Journey Too Far|55177861]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.

This was a lovely story, and as sobering as it was, I loved learning about the British Home Children and how that whole movement came about in Canada (Anne of Green Gables was a “home child” too). My critique comes with the reliance on telling the reader everything instead of showing them, the somewhat predictable way that EVERYONE Katie seemed to encounter had the exact same horrible personality, and the lack of growth in the characters. Everyone pretty much stayed exactly as they were, there were no substantial ah-ha moments, no light dawning on Marblehead. I really wanted that, and I think some of those things would have helped me connect with the characters even more. I wanted the romance, or at least a deeper, less superficial relationship with literally anyone, some resolvable conflict, or some words of wisdom or encouragement from anyone that would be worthy of remembering. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and was under no obligation to write a review.

This book is based on the fact that in the early 1900’s, over 100,000 children were sent to Canada to have a better life. Unfortunately, that did not always happen. The characters are well developed and you will find yourself emotionally challenged. The story will have you invested in the story and the lives involved. The author has woven an interesting tale that focuses on a situation of which I was unaware.

Thank you to NetGalley and Multnomah Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

I received a free copy of this book through Net Galley from the publisher.
No Ocean Too Wide was a touching, genuine story about a family battling through the child emigration era in the early 1900's.
I really enjoyed this story! I connected with the McAllister family right away. The writing was quick to read through, and I was engaged the whole time! The plot was realistic but exciting, and I really enjoyed the bits of romance included as well.

I don't usually read Historical Fiction and love it, but this was a breath of fresh air that I needed in my reading slump. My review might not be accurate for people who are avid historical fiction readers, as I am semi-new to the genre. However, this is one I would recommend, since I liked it way more than I expected.

My favourite part was the Christian faith of the characters. It felt real because they prayed frequently, spoke openly about their faith with each other, and attended church. These are the details I wish more Christian fiction included!

This is my first ever ARC, and I was a bit apprehensive going into it to be honest. I accepted the book because the premise sounded like something I would like, but I made sure not to trick myself into liking it more just because it was a free book from a publisher. My review it 100% honest. I actually really liked this book and I would recommend it. I am very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I was prepared to find it boring, since that is my experience with some Christian historical fiction. I just wanted to be clear on that!

A touching story of faith and family. How far would you go to find your children? I found myself on the edge of my seat as I wandered through the words of this beautifully written novel. The draw of family is strong, and No Ocean Too Wide is proof of the resilience of humans.
Though the book ends on a cliffhanger, I found it to be enjoyable and emotional. I'm anticipating the next book and excited to see what happens next.
I received a copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book. I loved this story! Carrie Turansky is an incredible author! This story grabbed me right from the beginning! The characters drew me right in and I could feel their pain. I plan to read more books by this author! Highly recommend!

This is a good historical novel. I was so full of emotion putting myself into the shoes of those children. The heartache and hope felt so real while reading it.

While this book has been well-researched and shares details on difficult circumstances during WW2 England/Canada era, the plot/storyline didn't reach the same depth for me personally, although it did have me researching the "orphan" issue. I truly enjoyed her Highland Hall series but this one didn't leave me wanting to read any others in the series.

This is a beautiful book, and one I enjoyed reading. However, with getting ARCs on netgalley for the idea of books to be used within my curriculm- this book would not fall into that category. For personal reading it was an exceptional read and one I recommend!

This was a beautifully written and well researched book on a subject I was previously unaware of. It centers on the emigration of children in the late 1800s to early 1900s, from Britain being shipped across the sea to Canada; often under the guise of being orphans when they were not. They were then used as laborers more oft than not.

This historical fiction account centers on Laura, who is the oldest of four children. She’s working an hour from home when her widowed mother falls ill, and her three younger siblings end up on one of these ships and in Canada. It chronicles her journey across the sea to find them and return them home.

It’s filled with faith, heartache, intrigue, near misses, laughter and lots of tears. I highly recommend this novel.

Always enjoy reading Carrie‘s books. She never disappoints her fans. I love the timeframe that her ducks are written in and they have such a deep Christianity in them. Thank you for allowing me to read this. Cannot wait for her next book.

This was such a sweet book!! I really liked the message that No Ocean Too Wide had: discussion of orphan/foster care, and the inadequacies of the current system. I also really liked the heavy emphasis on family, rather than romance in this book (as compared to many other Christian fiction books, which are almost always romance heavy).

There wasn't a character I was a huge fan of in this book: the POV switched between a 14/15 year old (Katie) and a 21 year old (Laura), but it wasn't really written in a way where I felt like I really related to the characters. I didn't really mind it particularly, but I did find it harder to get into the story at the beginning (and it made it feel more middle-grade-ish at points). With that being said, I was really interested in Andrew's storyline: he was super interesting! He kind of felt more like a side character but I was intrigued by him, and I wish we could've seen more from his POV.

I really love historical fiction that covers topics from history that are not commonly known. Before I read this book, I did not know about the orphan transfers from England to Canada (at least, other than Anne of Green Gables) and I learned a lot from this book!

There is some pretty heavy content in this book, including sexual assault and rape so it might not be appropriate for younger readers, but I personally appreciated the reminder that issues such as these have pervaded throughout history, and it is not something new.

I really liked the faith aspects of the book: a lot of the characters mentioned are trying to grow their faith, and there are a ton of prayers and mentions of praying, while not being overbearing which I really liked.

The book did end on a cliff-hanger, so I will be excited to see where it goes!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It taught me things from history that I didn't know before, and also had a lot of good faith content. It was memorable and I will definitely be looking forwards to reading the sequel when it comes out!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion; I was not required to write a positive review.

I loved this book! It is a historical fiction centered on a part of history that I knew nothing about - child emigration from England to Canada in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. More than 118,000 poor and orphaned children were sent to Canada, most of them becoming indentured servants or domestic workers. Unfortunately, they were not all treated well by the families that took them in. “No Ocean Too Wide” tells the story of the McAlister family who became part of the child emigration program. It was a very engaging story that I didn’t want to end!

Earlier this summer I received a free advance review digital copy of the historical fiction book No Ocean Too Wide by Carrie Turansky. I didn't make it on the official Waterbrook & Multnomah launch team for the book, but the publisher was kind enough to send me a digital version as opposed to a hard copy.

While the story in the novel is fiction, it is based on real events that happened in England. Three children are taken from their home and placed in a children's home after their mother becomes too ill to care for them and sent to the hospital. (The father died many years prior.) The children think their mother will come get them when she gets better, but instead, due to miscommunication (or rather, lack of trying to communicate and just not caring on the part of the children's home workers), the children are sent to Canada to become workers and servants for families there.

However, their mother has not died. She's actually gotten better and very distraught when she sends her oldest daughter, who has been working as a maid outside of London in a very Downton Abbey-esque home, to check on the children only to find that they are no longer there. The oldest sister, Laura, finagles her way onto a boat bound for Canada so she can search for her siblings and bring them home.

Lucky for Laura, she's got the help of Andrew Frasier, who is the son of her former boss and a lawyer on his way to Canada to write a report about the children's emigration program.

I won't tell you what happens in this book because there will be more books in the series, so just know that this book does not close with a tidy ending. But I'm sure everything will somehow work out in the next few books.

The author is Christian, and as such, writes the characters in a very Pollyanna sort of way. Laura is ashamed of herself for securing passage to Canada under false pretenses. Gasp, she lied! What will God think of her for trying to save her siblings? I guess there was supposed to be a message of "let go and let God", but it didn't seem like God was doing much to help Laura and her mother out.

And really, none of this would have happened if Mrs. Graham, the family friend, had been more helpful in the beginning. The children needed a place to stay, and Mrs. Graham, being such a good Christian woman, tells them that she can't house them. So off they go to the home!

Anyway, I did like that this was based on real events, and I would like to know what happens to the children in the rest of the books. Will all the siblings be reunited? Read on!

Such a moving book! Parts were quite heartbreaking and brought on the tears. Very emotional book and heart wrenching.

Orphanage stories always touch the heartstrings and this one did that.
Very good.

I received an ebook copy from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

This is the second book I've read this month about the over 100,000 orphaned British children who were sent to Canada between 1869 and 1939. It's still hard for me to stomach that there were few protective measures put in place to protect these children from being neglected or abused when they got to their new homes. In this fictional tale, the McAlister family represents some of the hardships that occured during this time period. The family has fallen on hard times after their father has died and their mother becomes gravely ill. Unfortunately fourteen year old Garth makes a mistake that brings the family's situation in view to the city police. With their mother in the hospital and no adult relatives nearby to help them, the three children (Garth, his twin sister Katie, and seven year old sister Grace) are taken against their will to nearby orphan homes. When their older sister Laura (who has been serving as a lady's maid in another city) finds out that her mother is sick and her siblings have been taken from their home, she immediately comes home and hopes to take guardianship. Unfortunately, she's too late and discovers that the children have already been sent to Canada and to new lives and new families. What follows next is a suspenseful tale of adventure on the high seas and the Canadian frontier. Plot lines go back and forth between Laura's quest and the circumstances of her siblings. The whole time you are left hoping that the plot lines will merge and the family will be reunited.

It didn't take me very long at all to read this book as I quickly became sympathetic to the characters' needs and desires. It was shocking to read about people that thought they had the children's best interests at heart, but in reality did not consider the emotional needs of children or their families. It is sad to read about the lack of check and balances that occured during this time period in regards to the welfare of British orphans who were sent to Canada. I wish that we could go back in time and rewrite part of this history. This book left me with some unanswered questions that I hope will be answered in subsequent books in the series which I definitely plan on reading. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. All thoughts expressed are my honest opinions of the book.

No Ocean Too Wide by Carrie Turansky is a brilliant work of historical fiction. Ms Turansky writes novels that are well-researched and full of historically accurate details. This novel in particular is so well written and is important also for highlighting an often forgotten time period in history. I think readers of historical fiction will definitely love this book. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

No Ocean Too Wide is a decent novel. I enjoy the topic, as this isn't something I ever knew about. It is absolutely deplorable and tragic.
That said, I didn't personally enjoy some of it. The religious aspect just turned me off a little.

But the writing is fantastic. The author certainly knows how to craft a well spun story.