What happened during the 19th century when Europeans couldn't find their ground at home? They left for the colonies to never come back. That is exactly what this story is about. You follow a number of people and their life stories all the way from Scotland to New Zealand with all the ups and many downs that come with that. This makes the book diverse, it spreads out over half the globe and well over a decade of life stories.
The story is compelling, many of the characters interesting, but why did it take me so long to read then? The lead up to the boat trip was long and tedious and I struggled getting through. When I got past that the rest of the book was finished in no time at all. If you can look past a slow start and like a good historical story about colonial times this book is good pick.

This novel is a well researched, sweeping piece of historical fiction . The multigenerational story is peopled with likeable characters and the author chose to tell a realistic tale avoiding obvious predictable endings. Well worth the read!