April 18, 1906. San Francisco is shaken and shattered by a nightmare earthquake. Among the many victims are two teenage girls: orphaned Kate Keely, who has to quit high school to go to work, and Jolie Logan, still recovering from an almost fatal case of scarlet fever and the death of her beautiful mother.

Their lives collide a year later, when Kate is hired as Jolie's "personal companion"-an odd combination of maid, nurse, and, perhaps, friend. They are still getting used to each other when Jolie's father suddenly decides to send them to Ireland. Kate is ecstatic, until he entrusts her with the Logan family secret, one she must keep from Jolie no matter what. The two make the exhausting journey by train and boat, where they stay with Jolie's aunt, and thrive-in ways Dr. Logan would never have expected.

A Sea So Far is Jean Thesman's first historical novel since The Tree of Bells. Its sweeping narrative-and its intimate look at the lives of two girls at the beginning of the twentieth century-is unforgettable.