The story is so very moving Ocean Too Wide " by Carrie Turansky is an historical fiction book . It focuses on plight of the history of 100,000 orphans in England during 1869-1939. These orphans were put in government controlled orphanages . The orphans were taken to Canada to live with families who bought them. They worked for the families either in the house or their farm. The conditions for these orphans were not always very good. The McAlister family had a loss already a year ago with their Dad and husband. There are 4 children in this family Garth, Katie, Emma and Laura. Laura works an hour away at a large estate. Katie and Garth are twins. Edna McAlister suddenly becomes gravely ill and the neighbor has to take her to the hospital. Laura finds out about her mother's illness by a letter. The children are placed in an orphanage since there is no one to care for them. Unfortunately Katie and Emma are not in the same orphanage as Garth who is placed in a boys orphanage. The orphanage has strict rules and once Laura finds out her siblings are in the orphanage she is not allowed to see them when she visits. The lady in charge of the orphanage is really cold and rather a uncaring person. Laura decides she must find her siblings and keep them from going to Canada. She runs into r an hour away. Andrew has been hired to inspect the orphanages and make sure they are operating at according to the government standards. He runs into Laura and agrees to help her find her siblings. Laura is pulled between finding her siblings and watching out for her mother. Her mother eventually goes home and recovers from pneumonia. Laura's siblings were sent to Canada without her Mother's consent or knowledge. The story weaves in scripture and how God cares for us.. This story makes this difficult plight of the orphans come alive and more real for the reader.. Will Laura and Andrew find Laura's siblings? Will her siblings be able to be returned to her Mother? I finished the book remembering the story and its characters and wanting to know what is next. The story is very moving.The story is to be continued in book 2 . I commend the author for this amazing novel and her outstanding research and hard work. It is an outstanding novel and so well written! Thank you to the publisher , netgalley and the author for allowing me to read and review this outstanding book. I hope it is a smashing success!

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 by Carrie Turansky Is a wonderfully written historical fiction novel which is based on true events. Although this was a story that tugged on the heart, it was also a story full of hope, faith and a little romance. I highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy historical fiction and historical Christian fiction. Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for an ARC.

A truly heartugging tale based in real history. Both touching and disturbing, yet full of hope and faith, plus a bit of tender romance. The first in a series, this story taught me about the British Home Children in a way that left an indelible mark on my memory, as the human aspect was skillfully drawn out in the McAllister family's lives.
Love, courage, and determination drives Laura, the eldest sister, to right the wrongs done to her family, leading her to make some unethical decisions along her journey across the ocean to Canada. Her personal growth followed, along with her faith in God and his care for her, I felt for her in her desperation. The author does a good job of pulling the reader into the story with just enough detail to keep it moving at a steady pace, and create a connection to the characters. Katie was my favorite, as she held onto a thread of hope and faith, doing her best in very difficult situations. She felt so real, it made me want to pray for her!

Historical fiction fans who enjoy a story steeped in real history, will want to snatch this one up. It reminded me of orphan train tales set in the U.S., or stories about wrongful adoptions. Looking forward to the continuation in the next book.

This is a really good story that brings to light human history of Canada and England - children immigration. Some of those children were orphans, some were sent by mistake, and some - on purpose, so that certain people would make an extra pound. Children have always been the most vulnerable people of our society, and we need to remember that and look out for them.

The plot was very optimistic, light, easy, anticlimactic, and with a happy end. The rich guy fell in love with a poor girl, while they are praying through the whole adventure. It was not believable, real life does not happen like that. Again, I wish character development were deeper, that the story had less filler dialog. There is something about modern writing that lacks in a big way.

No Ocean Too Wide was a really good, thought provoking story! I honestly didn't want to put it down! It's about a family that has fallen on hard times, and the children become separated and shipped across the ocean to Canada from London. They work to find each other and be reunited, but in the end it leads into the second book, which is being written. Loved the story! While there is some romance in it, it isn't the main focus. Excellent and well written! Can't wait for book #2!

Katie McAlister is a 14 year old girl in 1909 who has to grow up much too fast! Her father died a few years ago and her mother is very ill, so Katie asks a neighbor for help - which means that she and her twin brother Garth and 7 year old sister Grace are on their own as their mother is taken to a hospital!
Garth has a part time job, but he loses that income when he is caught stealing bread to feed the family! The police put the three children is separate orphanages, and Mrs. Graham, the neighbor who is a friend of the family, writes Katie’s her 21 year old sister Laura know what is happening to her mother and asks for her help.
Laura is a lady’s maid in a wealthy house, and she tells her employers son Andrew what is happening to her family, so he gives her some money to go help her family.
Laura goes to the neighbor’s home and finds out that the children are in an orphanage, she tries to visit them, but she is asked for guardianship papers and a lot of money to get them out.
At this time in history, children who are orphans can be sent to Australia or Canada to work in people’s homes or be adopted as children, and the three McAlisters are sent to Canada.
You will have to read the book for yourself to see what happens to the children and their mother!

No Ocean Too Wide by Carrie Turansky is the story of the emigration of thousands of homeless children from England to Canada. It is told through the eyes of one family. When Katie's mother becomes ill and has to be taken to the hospital, and Gabe, her twin, steals bread to feed the children at home, a cascade of events begins that results in the children to be sent to Canada and separated. The older sister begins a quest to find her siblings and return them to England. She is aided by two lawyers who are looking into the emigration of children for the British government. it is story of tragedy and triumph, of familial love, and new love.

This book is based on actual events. What happened to these children is similar to what happened in our country with "orphan trains." It is great read. There will be a sequel so we can learn what happens to all three children.

What an intriguing book! This book is unique in its topic, focusing on a London family in the early 1900s whose children are sent to an orphanage when the father dies and the mother is hospitalized with pneumonia, leaving her 14 year old twins and their younger sibling home alone. The story line follows the 3 siblings as well as their older sister who is working away from home to help support her family. The younger three are sent to home in Canada. This is the first book in a series and I'm anxious to read book 2 so I can continue following the family! Great book!

This was my first novel by Carrie Turansky. I found some parts of the book very good, I liked that the story was told from different view points and highlighted the difficult issue of children being sent abroad without little choice. However, I found the story very unbelievable at times which made me lose interest and I struggled to finish it. I don't think there was a need to turn the story into a series and that one book could have given a more satisfying conclusion.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC

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.