Rating: 5 stars
Cover synopsis: A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book -- a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own. On her 21st birthday, they tell her the truth and she begins a quest to find her real identity.
This was a fascinating geneological mystery, spanning four generations. It was beautifully written, and I loved the fairy tales that were woven in.
The pace of this story is slower with a lot of emphasis on character development. But that's not to say it was boring, or that it wasn't a page turner! In nearly every chapter, some layer to the mystery would be peeled back, keeping me intrigued, curious and moving forward.
I don't usually gravitate to mystery books because oftentimes I feel manipulated -- strung along, or teased with the promise of enlightenment, only to have it yanked from me time and again. But I didn't get that impression at all from this book. I didn't always agree with the actions and motivations of the characters, but I could understand why they did what they did, for better or worse.
