Might be a good historical book... ( )

Really enjoyed, well done! ( )

Eloise is from the landed gentry in Cornwall in the 1870s. One day her father comes home and says that their uncle (who owns the land they live on) has sold the farm and he wants the family to travel to New Zealand as a wealth of opportunities await them in the new colony. On the ship over, Eloise loses two brothers and her third is struck blind. With her only other sister being special ( read Autistic) , her mother suffering shock and her father disappearing to find her uncle, the role of matriarch falls to Eloise in this strange land. As the family become desperately poor, Eloise stumbles across Lars, a handsome Norwegian immigrant she met on the boat and love blossoms. But Eloise is already betrothed by her father to her cousin who is on a ship to New Zealand now to marry her. Very engaging story of pioneer life in NZ and of the main character confronting her attitudes towards Maoris and the lower classes of society. There is quite a lot of story devoted to the preachers' daughter who helps them and what the Bible says in relation to how Eloise thinks herself superior to others.
Nevertheless its an interesting story that keeps moving and seems fairly believable. One for students who like historical novels. ( )

Set in the 1870's, this story opens with a burial at sea and then goes back to the preceding year when the Sansonnet family learn that their uncle has sold the family farm and they are to join him in New Zealand. After a difficult sea voyage, the family that arrives in Napier is considerably changed from the one that left Cornwall. When her father abandons them to search for his brother-in-law, it falls to sixteen-year-old Eloise to look after the family while they try to adjust to their new lives in the unfamiliar country.
Originally a carefree girl from a comfortable farming family, Eloise has to grow up quickly to cope with all the family’s misfortunes and the beginnings of her first love. Although the sheer number of things that go wrong seem a little unlikely, Cristina Sanders does an excellent job of showing Eloise’s courage and increasing confidence in herself and her opinions. No doubt Eloise would have joined the suffragettes in later years, completing the transformation from meek and mild to feisty and independent. Although Eloise is the star of the story, the minor characters are depicted with just as much skill and we grow to care about them all. As much as we might wish for a happily-ever-after ending for Eloise and her family, the reality is that their life will continue to be challenging, however Sanders signals the prospect of some happiness for Eloise.
This engaging story is a worthy winner of the Storylines Tessa Duder award. It paints a convincing and engaging picture of the hardships encountered by emigrants to New Zealand, both on the voyage and in the new colony, and would be an excellent way for teens to painlessly absorb some of our history. ( )