The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline

Evangeline is a young, naive girl serving as a governess.  She's seduced by the son and gets accused of stealing the ring he gave her.  She's also pregnant.  Then she pushes the housekeeper down the stairs because she's saying mean things.  The housekeeper is OK but the lady of the house calls it attempted murder and sends her away with the police.  Suddenly she finds herself on a boat heading to Australia.

William Morrow sent me an Arc of this book to read for review (thank you).  It will be published September 15th.

She strikes up a friendship with Hazel.  She's younger but her mother was a midwife and she knows herbal remedies for common complaints.

In Australia, a little orphan girl is taken in by an English couple.  She doesn't want to be but she has no choice.  They attempt to make her conform to English norms.  She hates it.  She gets in trouble when she acts out.

The story of how awful the conditions were for the prisoners and how all of them did not survive tugs at your heart.  But many of them had inner strength and lived through it and went on with their lives.  I especially liked the story of how the baby, Ruby, made it and went to brace her father!

This story is historically accurate.  With all the pain and suffering in our past lives wouldn't you think we'd be kinder today?