I received this book as an ARC through Netgalley but gave it, as always, an unbiased read. Naturally, I only applied for the book as it was something that piqued my interest so I had relatively high hopes.

From the very first pages of this book I was absolutely hooked. Not just for the story of Emmaline but all of the others that are mentioned in England (whether that’s Wiltshire or Liverpool) and then during everything that follows.

The way that the character relationships develop are done incredibly naturally and slowly and, especially as we get later into the book where Emmaline trusts a little less, there is a flow with it all that makes sense. As a reader we have all the background explained to us and we can see the plot developing in real time in a way that makes us want to be caution and question everyone that comes into Emmaline’s life.

I took notes throughout this entire book and even somebody that turned out to truly be friendly and have no ill intentions I had a lot of notes that were questioning whether they were really a good person. And there were good people in this book, plenty of them, but some could not or did not dare to intervene because of everything that they were themselves scared of. Deep down Emmaline knew this and those she cared for and trusted in, even after starting a new era in her life, she made sure to send letters to when she could.

The author mentions that this book is based partly on somebody from her own family past and that there are some names, such as Samuel, that were real people. I think knowing that this is based on reality and with elements of truth, of course edited and developed to fit the narrative of a historical novel, really adds to the connection to Emmaline and makes our heart both break and mend with her for everything she faces. As readers we feel rage, anger, happiness and sadness as everything is happening to her and I think if anything, because of the connection to the reality of the past, that is exacerbated.

And to Emmaline the way we feel is perhaps only partially accurate; Partly, because as this story develops and Emmaline ages she manages to take control of her life and her future. It is clear she never forgets and everything she does going forward, especially for those that matter to her, is because of the past. It was wonderful to see her grow and develop and to heal but how I wish at times I could have bundled her up in my arms and said everything was okay.

I think the only real thing I wished for was a little bit on her time during pregnancy and very early motherhood would have added to more connection and understanding of the bond, though perhaps a trauma bonding and co-dependency bond at times with her child, and a map! I think having a map with the locations mentioned in the book as they went on the trail would have been a wonderful way for a reader, especially somebody not from the US, to understand the distance and where all these landmarks are/were. Understanding the vastness of the journey in a visual way would have added more impact to the words.

This book gave me a lot to research in terms of historical events, what was happening in society for different groups and classes of people and to help me increase my understanding. I appreciated the additional notes that the reader provided at the end of the book to show how things have changed in the settings and sects of religion that are mentioned in the book as well as giving us a little more detail on the real lives of the real people this booked is based on. Seeing something grounded in fact not fantasy really helped this book to stand out as a brilliant read.

The most deserving of 4.5/5 stars.

Trigger warnings; Death, parent death, rape, sexual abuse, poverty, manipulation and more