No Journey Too Far

 

When I see that a book by Carrie Turansky is on the list of available books for review, I always jump on the chance to read it.  Her writing grabs her readers, hooks them on the first page, and drags them through to the last page without letting go.  When I finish a Carrie Turansky book, I have felt all of the feels, I have laughed and wept, I have been angry, and I have connected with the characters. This is no less the case with No Journey Too Far.  

In this book, the reader will find social injustice, wealth and social status, a bit of a Perry Mason drama, and a reunion of such magnitude it will tear one's heart out.  

First:  Grace is sent to a Barnardos Children's Home in Canada with her sister, Katie, and her brother, Garth, when her mother cannot take care of them due to illness, even though her mother would recover and desire to have Grace and her siblings back.  Grace is separated from her sister when a couple adopts her and tells her she had no family left when, in fact, that was not the case.  Grace's brother and sister were both indentured and had to serve out terms of their contracts.  Grace's sister was placed in a friendlier atmosphere than her brother was, but her brother met the love of his life while serving his indenture.  

After World War I, Grace's brother comes back to Canada to find Grace after she wrote a letter to the home where she was originally taken to find out about her family.  She is seventeen and her parents are planning her debut, so that she can make an "advantageous match" and marry into society.  Status and wealth seemed to mean everything to her parents. When Garth comes to the house where Grace is living, Grace's parents turn him away.  Garth and his friend Ron plot a way to get Grace away, if that is Grace's desire.  Their family is waiting in England for her. 

In a parallel plot, Garth has been waiting for letters from Emma, the woman he wants to marry, but time and circumstances have prevented her letters from getting to him and his letters from getting to her. One other purpose Garth has for coming back to Canada is to find Emma.  In a series of unfortunate events, Emma's landlady is murdered and the suspicion falls on Emma.  She leaves town and moves with Margaret, the cook of the boarding house, to Margaret's sister's place.  Margaret's sister has a restaurant where Emma and Margaret work to help out for their room and board. 

Emma is eventually found and arrested by the authorities, and Garth's brother-in-law-a Perry Mason-ish barrister, comes from England and defends Emma in court.   

It was easy to be angry with Grace's adoptive parents for the information they withheld from her, for the way they turned her brother away from their home, and for the way they pushed her toward a socially acceptable marriage; but their motives were good though misguided and their priorities needed an adjustment. 

Grace is a sweet girl who lived to please her parents, but always thought she fell short of the mark, so when Garth offered her a way out, she took it. Garth's friend, Ron, was a mainstay to Grace during the whole adventure.  

This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a tearfully joyful reunion. 

Waterbrook/Multnomah Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.