Call of a Distant Shore
Due to increasing unrest and violence in his birthplace of Hochdorf, Germany, in the 1750s, Michael Heber impulsively decides to join his newly married daughter and son-in-law and move his family to the new land of Nova Scotia. Trusting in the claims of the British government to provide for immigrant families, they set sail for Dartmouth only to be faced with disease, unyielding land, and unfulfilled promises.
Basing her work on her own family history, Hoebers artfully weaves fact and fiction, giving the reader insight into each Heber family member as they face innumerable trials throughout the ocean voyage and in the harsh northern climate of their new home. A few times, the thick political discussion caused my attention to wander, and the end felt abrupt and confusing. (In fact, I’ve reread those chapters a number of times to find where I went off course and am still confused.) Overall, though, the story is brisk, entertaining, and interesting.
