No Ocean Too Wide: A Novel (McAlister Family)

No Ocean Too Wide is the first book in The McAlister Family series. I found this historical novel to be compelling. I was drawn into the book and I just wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen next to the McAlister family. I thought No Ocean Too Wide was well-written with interesting characters. The author's research is evident in this story which is based on true events. Laura McAlister has strength, determination, faith and loyalty to her family. I liked that she learned a few life lessons along the way. Katie had a strong faith for a fourteen year old girl. She never failed to pray no matter the circumstances. Katie never lost faith that God would help her. I found No Ocean Too Wide to be an emotional story that will stay with the you long after you finish it. I liked that the romance is not the feature of this book. It plays out gently which suits the characters and their situation. Christianity is a part of the characters lives. They seek Him out and are not afraid to share their belief with others or speak of it aloud. We see in No Ocean Too Wide that God is always with us. We need to have faith and trust in Him. We see that there are two sides to every story as with life. While some people only heard about the good of child emigration, there was a bad side to it as well. I liked the addition of Rose Carson and Henry Dowd. They were great additions to this book. No Ocean Too Wide is a poignant novel that will touch your heart.