From Publishers Weekly
Presented as a manuscript discovered by the author in the attic of her country house in the North of England, this meticulously crafted, self-reflexive historical novel tells the story of Mark Greenhow, whose Quaker family once owned the house. In 1811, Mark's younger sister, Rachel, while doing missionary work in Canada, met and married Adam Mackenzie, a Scot associated with the fur trade in North America. Because the marriage was outside the order, Rachael was disowned; subsequently, she lost her baby and mysteriously disappeared into the wilds of what is today northern Michigan. Determined to discover his sister's fate, Mark departs for Canada, where he spends nearly two years sorely testing his Quaker faith through episodes that reveal to him the wider world beyond his placid English countryside. In the meantime, the War of 1812 rages and Mark tries to avoid the kinds of "vain" entanglements that would contradict his beliefs. The inclusion of Mark's own footnotes, lengthy discourses and commentary on his adventures and their aftermath lessens the story's suspense. The novel's interest lies in Mark's struggle to reconcile his faith with the verities and practicalities of the "real world" and in Elphinstone's mastery of early 19th-century argot. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Set largely in the wilds of the U.S.-Canadian border on the eve of the War of 1812, this novel celebrates persistence, integrity, and bonds between cultures. Mark Greenhow leaves home in England at the age of 23 to search for his younger sister, Rachel, who (with her aunt) took her Quaker ministry to Canada, was disowned by her faith for marrying outside it, and vanished while grieving for her stillborn son. After a voyage of many months, Mark finds Rachel's husband, fur trader Alan Mackenzie, and with French-Indian voyageur Loic they return to the Indian-inhabited island where Rachel disappeared to search for her. Mark's religion of peace proves ultimately beneficial, even as the extent to which the politics of war play a role in events is gradually revealed. The story is presented as Mark's journal as rewritten by him 27 years later, a structure that is initially confusing, with footnotes added in the rewriting that impede the flow of the narrative. Still, beyond its opening chapters, this adventure becomes more involving, avoiding predictability to reach a satisfying conclusion. Michele Leber
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Kirkus Reviews
The illusion of a past time is beautifully sustained by Elphinstone’s detailed re-creations... A stunning work of historical fiction.

Book Description
The year is 1811 and Mark Greenhow, a young Quaker, leaves his small community in northern England and embarks upon a life-changing journey. His sister, Rachel, a missionary traveling in North America, has gone missing and is presumed dead. Only Mark refuses to abandon hope. What follows is a beautifully evocative and gripping account of Mark's search across Canada's vast, uncharted wildernesses. Traveling with the "voyageurs"-the men who canoe the immense Canadian fur-trade route-in search of the truth about his sister's last journey, Mark struggles to maintain his religious belief in non-violence while all around him take up arms in the War of 1812. Voyageurs is a gripping and hugely enjoyable adventure set against the magnificent backdrop of nineteenth-century Canada that also addresses the timeless themes of war, love, and the emotional bonds that bind us to one another.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review from Discover Great New Writers
Often, when encouraging readers to try a new writer, we encounter resistance. For some reason, certain readers believe they earn points for reading the tried-and-true classics of literature, points that contemporary literature will not accrue. Well readers, take note: Voyageurs is a 21st-century classic, and Margaret Elphinstone is a writer to be reckoned with -- a brilliant historical novelist.

Somewhere within the opening pages of Voyageurs, it ceases to be merely a book and becomes a time machine, transporting readers to the Canadian wilderness at the advent of the 19th century. The principal vehicle of this invigorating journey is a young British Quaker, Mark Greenhow, who leaves his family farm in northern England, crossing the Atlantic in search of his sister, who is missing after an elopement with an undesirable outsider. Mark's determined devotion to his sister is undiminished by the obstacles he faces, and he negotiates his survival in the wilderness with its dangerous inhabitants: beleaguered Native Americans, territorial fur traders, suspicious warriors, and spies. As war between a fledgling America and the motherland erupts again, the New World becomes a place where allegiances and identities must be proved and tested; Mark Greenhow's integrity is rock solid and fully convincing. Elphinstone's writing is fluid, vivid, and compulsively readable. Travel with Voyageurs, and discover a new world, full of treasure and promise. (Fall 2004 Selection)

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The year is 1811 and the fledgling U.S. empire is about to embark on war with Britain. Mark Greenhow, a young, peaceful Quaker, leaves northern England to find his sister, Rachel, a missionary missing and presumed dead in the wilds of wartime Canada. As a result, this thoughtful, earnest young man is thrown into a world of roughneck fur traders, British spies, and embattled Native Americans while struggling to survive in deepest Canada. Along the way, his religious convictions and familial loyalty are tested by the passion evoked in him by a beautiful young woman he encounters in his travels.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly