Were you surprised by Evangeline's fate? Why or why not?

Were you surprised by Evangeline's fate? Why or why not?

Evangeline's death was a true surprise and disappointment; but that is life, isn't it? There was hope that something good would happen since the time as governess did not go well. One could not predict the direction of this book...and that is a good thing.

Not so much surprised but saddened by her fate. I liked Evangeline a lot and so naturally was hoping for the best for her.

I was absolutely shocked. When the chapter ended with her going overboard, I was sure that when the plot returned to her character that she'd be rescued.

I was shocked. But once I got over the shock, I realized how well it worked in the narrative. But I still miss Evangeline. We all want a happy ending and its crushing when we don't get one.

Yes I was surprised and wondered why they didn't make a sailor dive in to rescue her? I know they said it was dangerous, but why not send in Buck? Maybe he didn't know how to swim either. She seemed like a main character so I was surprised that she died. KimK, I agree with you, I thought when we got back to her story that she would have been rescued. A tragic life all the way around.

I was surprised and horrified! Only a few times have I read a book where a main character is suddenly killed off, and it's always very disorienting. I kept hoping she had somehow survived and would turn up later in the book, which did not happen.

Yes it was a complete surprise and I loved her character and really wanted something really good to happen to her. I had to re read that part several times to make sure I read it right. After thinking about it I realized this was what made the story believable and really peaked my interest as to how the story would go from there. I knew Buck would reappear.

Yes- I was very surprised and angry that she had to die in such a horrible manner. She was such a resilient woman I guess I thought she would be in the story until the end.

I was surprised. She was the most alive character for me and I was very sad to see her go. Especially like that. But it made the story even more real as I'm sure even worse things than that happened to those poor women.

Yes, very surprised. After finishing I wondered if there might not be room in the rest of the narrative for both Evangeline and Hazel. I was sad to see her go but think if one of them had to, Hazel would have the more interesting story.

I was very surprised and saddened. I had the whole happy ending for her formed in my mind.

Yes, I was very surprised! I assumed that since she was the first character we met that she was also the main character, and therefore couldn’t be killed off. Boy, was I wrong.

I was shocked because she seemed to have been developed as the main character.

Evangeline's fate was mapped out from the beginning. I didn't see it coming but once it happened, it made sense. She was not cut out for the harshness of the life in Van Diemen's Land. It opened up the development of Hazel and I found her to be a much more interesting character.

I did not see that one coming at all! It totally shocked me. I was so invested in her story, that it made me feel really sad. I was glad though that her life lived on through Ruby. In hindsight, it was a very powerful act in the book, although I wasn't happy about it when reading it.

In most books and movies, you can count on the main character surviving through to the end; however, not in this case. I found it to be a surprising twist, but it does take some time to get used to.

I was totally surprised and dismayed after reading about Evangeline's fate. I thought she'd make it to the end being able to turn her life around. I was hoping someone somehow got behind Buck and tossed him in!
In hindsight,I feel the author was really able to flesh out her characters and make me interested in what was happening to them!

I understand that Mathinna was based on a real person, and Evangeline might have been a composite of all the women Baker Kline read about. I really appreciate this author's massive amount of research!

Yes, I was shocked! I wanted her to marry the doctor. It was a good twist that just made the book more interesting.

Shocked and sad at Evangeline’s fate but, of course, it allowed Hazel to step up and really grow as a person.

I wasn't surprised; I was disappointed. I wanted her to live a long, happy life which she deserved after all she had endured.

Maybe not really surprised, just a little jolt when it happened. I agree with Bay Park Reader, that it opened new avenues for Hazel. PBR had another good point, would Hazel have grown as much as a person if she had not stepped up to the plate to look after Ruby?
By having one of the main characters die, it totally changed the arc of the story and let other storylines branch out.

I also was totally surprised and shocked! I kept waiting for a miracle to occur!!! She was so well developed as a character - I really wasn't expecting it.

Yes, totally surprised. I expected her to get back to Cecil with their child and have the typical happy ending. But, this story made much more sense as there is no happily ever lasting in the real world and especially at that time with such a arduous journey. Buck's story was to be expected, too.

Like so many others, I was shocked. I was looking for the doctor to jump in and save her even knowing it would have been impossible. It was so final and seemed like the end of the book. That was a gutsy move by the author.

I was surprised! She was such an integral part of the novel; I felt like she would withstand. I do like the twist and enjoyed how Hazel then played the bigger role.

Yes, but only because I so wanted her to succeed. She was treated unfairly.

Yes - shocked because I thought she was the main character. I expected her to take the lead when they landed. I liked her and wanted to see her turn her life around in the end. I expected her to end up being successful and going back to find Cecil. I didn't expect her to end up with Cecil. He was shallow and she had a lot of character and strength. This twist made the book more interesting and less predictable.

I was absolutely shocked - and saddened - by Evangeline's fate! I thought there must be a mistake, or somehow she would be rescued. I was surprised because she seemed to be such a central figure in the story, and I wish she would have had opportunity to continue her story in Australia.

Evangeline's death was devastating to me. I had to close the book and take a deep breath.

"Startled" would be a more accurate word. I expected trouble on the deck, but not the event that actually occurred. I will confess to immediately turning ahead to see if she was rescued. But as I continued to read it became clear that the event in question was necessary to the progression of the story.

I was very surprised, since I felt she was the main character...

I was surprised and sad, but it reflected things that happened to many young women in those days. The kindness of strangers in taking baby Ruby to raise was an important part of the story.

Evangeline was too good a person to suffer through the injustices and hardship of her lot in life. She probably would have been a survivor in Australia. Yet, her death provided the ballast for others to make the most of their lives, including Hazel and the Doctor.

I was initially surprised by Evangeline's fate. At that point, I saw her as one of main protagonists in the story. It graphically illustrates how life-especially in that time and place-could end tragically.