Voyage: A Young Adult Novel Where Friendship and Love Flourish on the Journey to America

by Adèle Geras

At the dawn of the twentieth century, Mina, Daniel, Yasha, and Rachel are just a few of the many people leaving their countries for America. They have great hopes for their new lives, but before they can achieve their dreams, they must survive the long and difficult voyage across the sea.

As passengers in an overcrowded steerage compartment, they must endure hunger, thirst, and even brushes with death. And as they struggle to hold on to their hopes for a better future, they find that even under such harsh conditions, friendship and love can flourish.
Includes a reader's guide.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Novels, British Literature, Historical, Childrens

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Adèle Geras FRSL (born 15 March 1944) is an English writer for young children, teens and adults. Her husband was the Marxist academic Norman Geras and their daughter Sophie Hannah is also a novelist and poet.

Geras was born in Jerusalem, British Mandatory Palestine. Her father was in the Colonial Service and she had a varied childhood, living in countries such as Nigeria, Cyprus, Tanzania, Gambia and British North Borneo in a short span of time. She attended Roedean School in Brighton and then graduated from St Hilda's College, Oxford with a degree in Modern Languages. She was known for her stage and vocal talents, but decided instead to become a full-time writer.

Geras's first book was Tea at Mrs Manderby's, which was published in 1976. Her first full-length novel was The Girls in the Velvet Frame. She has written more than 95 books for children, young adults, and adults. Her best-known books are Troy (shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize and Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal) Ithaka, Happy Ever After (previously published as the Egerton Hall Trilogy), Silent Snow, Secret Snow, and A Thousand Yards of Sea.

Her novels for adults include: Facing the Light, Hester's Story, Made in Heaven, and A Hidden Life.

Geras won two prizes in the United States, one the Sydney Taylor Book Award for the My Grandmother's Stories and the National Jewish Book Award for Golden Windows. She has also won prizes for her poetry and was a joint winner of the Smith Doorstop Poetry Pamphlet Award, offered by the publisher of that name.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Miranda Jollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite novels from my childhood. This take of a disparate group of Jewish people, fleeing persecution in Europe to seek a new life in the United States, is a wonderful collection of stories, hopes and dreams, and characters that have stayed with me for many years. In 2017 it's worth reading again, to be reminded of how the USA has not only been a refuge for the persecuted, but also of how it was these immigrant communities, with their skills, hard work and ambition, that built the country.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sentimental, historical.

[Dora · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Voyage" by Adele Geras tells the tale of European passengers traveling to the America, leaving everything for an unfamiliar new world. Set in the start of the twentieth century, we are introduced to Mina, Daniel, Yasha, Rachel, and Golda, who carry hopes and dreams along with their baggage. Mina hopes for her family to reunite with her father and to attend art school one day. Daniel wants to start a new life by leaving his forsaken past behind. Yasha dreams of becoming a rich jeweler, working his way up from a lowly watchmaker's apprentice. Rachel wishes for a new start with her father, longing to forget the horrible night that left her scarred for life. And Golda is determined to meet her husband again, bringing their two-month old baby with her. However, throughout the passage, they are overcome with challenges that include hunger, thirst, and the risk of losing their lives, making their dreams seem farther away. But soon they begin to realize that love and friendship can thrive under the rough conditions.

I found this book pretty interesting as I was reading it and I liked how the author wrote the book in different perspectives, giving the readers an idea on how everyone felt. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good book to read. This book shows how hard life was for those journeying to America at the time and how friendship can still grow despite the circumstances.

[Jo-Willfried · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good book about people's journey to America.

[Dolorosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Vuyiswa]

How to explain what I read

[Rach · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really did enjoy the book, but I wished that there would have been some more to it.