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AnneMarie Brear
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A Distant Horizon (The Distant Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Annemarie Brear (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 3,674 ratings
From the author of The Slum Angel and The Kitty McKenzie series.
1851 Ireland.
After enduring years of a devastating potato famine, Ellen Kittrick is a survivor. Crop failures and a descent into poverty changes her from a happy wife and mother to a woman struggling to keep her children alive. To put food on the table and to stop the landowner's agent from tearing down their cottage due to unpaid rent, Ellen defies her family and works at an Englishman’s manor, but with her husband out of work, and a secretive brother-in-law wanting her for his own, Ellen must face every challenge with new strength. When several shocking events occur, it forces her to make an enormous decision. With aid coming from an unlikely source, namely Englishman Rafe Hamilton, Ellen leaves Ireland with what is left of her family to start again in a new country. But will the colony give her the security and happiness she longs for, especially when she has left her heart behind? Can Ellen thrive in a strange land? Or has she made the greatest mistake of her life?
Book 2 Beyond the Distant Hills
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    The Distant Series
  2. Print length
    302 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    June 1, 2021
  6. File size
    1.6 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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From the Publisher

The Distant Series

The Distant Series

A Distant Horizon Book 1

Beyond the Distant Hills Book 2

The Distant Legacy Book 3

The Distant Horizon

The Distant Horizon

After surviving the Irish Famine, can Ellen prosper in a strange land? Or has she made the greatest mistake of her life?

Beyond the Distant Hills

Beyond the Distant Hills

Will she rise and build an empire for her children? Or will she lose all that she has struggled to achieve?

The Distant Legacy

The Distant Legacy

She is the eldest daughter...

Can she follow in her mother's footsteps?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Award winning & Amazon UK Bestseller AnneMarie Brear has been a life-long reader and started writing in 1997 when her children were small. She has a love of history, of grand old English houses and a fascination of what might have happened beyond their walls. Her interests include reading, travelling, watching movies, spending time with family and eating chocolate - not always in that order! She is the author of historical family saga novels.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08XWWTXLN
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ AnneMarie Brear
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 1, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.6 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 302 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 3 ‏ : ‎ The Distant Series
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 3,674 ratings

About the author

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AnneMarie Brear

AnneMarie Brear

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"Poignant, powerful and searingly emotional, AnneMarie Brear stands shoulder to shoulder with the finest works by some of the genre’s greatest writers such as Catherine Cookson, Audrey Howard and Rosamunde Pilcher." Amazon reviewer.

Author of over thirty-five novels, AnneMarie Brear has crafted sweeping historical fiction with atmosphere, emotion, and drama aplenty that will surely satisfy any fan of the genre. AnneMarie was born in a small town in N.S.W. Australia, to English parents from Yorkshire, and is the youngest of five children. From an early age she loved reading, working her way through the Enid Blyton stories, before moving onto Catherine Cookson’s novels as a teenager.

Living in England during the 1980s and more recently, AnneMarie developed a love of history from visiting grand old English houses and this grew into a fascination with what may have happened behind their walls over their long existence. Her enjoyment of visiting old country estates and castles when travelling and, her interest in genealogy and researching her family tree, has been put to good use, providing backgrounds and names for her historical novels which are mainly set in Yorkshire or Australia between Victorian times and WWII.

A long and winding road to publication led to her first novel being published in 2006.

She has now published over thirty-five historical family saga novels, becoming an Amazon best seller and with her novel, The Slum Angel, winning a gold medal at the USA Reader's Favourite International Awards. Two of her books have been nominated for the Romance Writer’s Australia Ruby Award and the USA In’dtale Magazine Rone award and recently she has been nominated twice as a finalist for the UK RNA RONA Awards.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,674 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy this book, with one review highlighting its rich storyline full of twists and turns. They appreciate the family bond portrayed in the book, with one customer noting how fearlessly devoted the main character is to her children.

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Story qualityEnjoymentFamily bond
8 customers mention "Story quality"8 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the well-written story, with one review highlighting its rich storyline full of twists and turns, while another notes its accurate portrayal of history.

"Well written story with excellent plot, and the best part was how much I learned. I had heard of the potato famine, but never read anything about it...." Read more

"...This storyline was about family and loving your children enough to make sure they will grow up with everything on the line...." Read more

"...It is a wonderful story filled with hardship and sadness but at the center of the story a strong and determined young mother named Ellen...." Read more

"...I felt connected to the characters and their plight. Very realistic and accurate in it's portrayal of history...." Read more

6 customers mention "Enjoyment"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable.

"...This is one of the best books I have read this year!" Read more

"I have thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was so informative about the Irish Potato Famine as well as life in colonial Australia ...." Read more

"Believe me, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. Ellen is a woman I believe each reader would like to be like...." Read more

"I enjoyed this book very much. I didn't realize how devastating the famine in Ireland was. I felt connected to the characters and their plight...." Read more

3 customers mention "Family bond"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the family bond in the book, with one review highlighting the mother's fearless devotion to her children.

"...This storyline was about family and loving your children enough to make sure they will grow up with everything on the line...." Read more

"...I love how strong Ellen is and inspires her family!" Read more

"...She is fearlessly devoted to her children and would move heaven and earth to protect and do everything to see they are fed and given opportunities...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • ASB
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well written story!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Well written story with excellent plot, and the best part was how much I learned. I had heard of the potato famine, but never read anything about it. I also was unfamiliar with migration to Australia as a result. This book appears to be well researched, and I appreciate that. I liked the strength of our h and her determination to seek a better life for her and her family. Looks like there is a sequel to this story, so I’ll read that next.
    Helpful
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  • ms girl
    4.0 out of 5 stars Hardship in Ireland.
    Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This a story about the potato famine. Its hard to imagine people starving in large amounts during this time in history. This storyline was about family and loving your children enough to make sure they will grow up with everything on the line. I could not give 5 stars because the story was too depressing. Hope it gets better in the next book.
    Helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Story!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This is my first Annemarie Brear book and I loved reading 'A Distant Horizon'. It is a wonderful story filled with hardship and sadness but at the center of the story a strong and determined young mother named Ellen. I love the strong character of Ellen and her family and feel like I am there through out her sadness and triumphs and her love for her family. I can not wait to read the second book to find out what happens to Ellen, her family, Alistair and the love she has for Rafe. This is one of the best books I have read this year!
    Helpful
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  • barbara jones
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great novel!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I have thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was so informative about the Irish Potato Famine as well as life in colonial Australia . I love how strong Ellen is and inspires her family!
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hypnotized
    Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Believe me, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. Ellen is a woman I believe each reader would like to be like. She is fearlessly devoted to her children and would move heaven and earth to protect and do everything to see they are fed and given opportunities. I am going to start the next book in this series tomarrow.
    Helpful
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  • sandy hein
    4.0 out of 5 stars Well written and compelling
    Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I enjoyed this book very much. I didn't realize how devastating the famine in Ireland was. I felt connected to the characters and their plight. Very realistic and accurate in it's portrayal of history. I will definitely read the next in the series.
    Helpful
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  • jstrfic
    5.0 out of 5 stars A SAGA TO SWEEP YOU AWAY
    Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    From the first to the last paragraph, this book was a page-turner for me. The author's writing makes it easy-reading with a rich storyline full of twists and turns. The characters were well-developed and the dialogue realistic. If you have a couple of 'me' hours to relax, this book is the one to read.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Zoe J
    4.0 out of 5 stars Well written
    Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    A good depiction of the era. Whispersync made the book come alive with the narrator's use of dialect. Disappointed that the book ended without answering pending questions in this reader's mind. Must read book 2 to find answers.
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Mim
    5.0 out of 5 stars A tale of the Irish Famine and Australian migrants
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I really enjoyed this book as I have many, but not all, by this writer.
    It covers two topics not often featured in historical fiction. The 19th century Irish famine and the lives early migrants to Australia.
    I look forward to reading the rest of the series. Anyone who liked this book might like The Pearler's Wife by
    Roxane Dhand
    Report
  • Annette Petersen
    4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting story with the main character the focus.
    Reviewed in Australia on November 20, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I enjoyed this book. Very well written and I have started the second book straight away as I want to see what happens next!
    Report
  • Kathy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Hoping the author writes a third one.
    Reviewed in Canada on March 8, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This the second book about this family. I read at bedtime and unfortunately this book caused some late nights for me. I was sorry to see it end there's still so much mores story that could be told. The author did hint that she might write the third.
    Report
  • Happy reader
    4.0 out of 5 stars You need the next book
    Reviewed in Australia on July 19, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Left with a bit of disappointment, the story is brilliant but to end a book hanging like this, without the next book out was just nasty.
    Report
  • Nicole Riley
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Distant Horizon (The Distant Series Book 1)
    Reviewed in Canada on February 10, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    J'ai bien aimé le côté historique et je me suis empressé d'entammer le Tome 2.
    Report

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