It was the logistics of the journeys that the immigrants wrote about in greatest detail. The emotions they either took for granted or were too shy to record, especially the Norwegians, who were famous for their reserve. (There is a Norwegian joke about an old farmer who, in the grip of powerful emotion, once confessed to his best friend, «I love my wife so much I almost told her.»)

«The world is full of nothing» ran inanely through Walter’s mind. And now he experienced that little seizure that tightens around the heart when you first realize you've taken a step that you cannot reverse.

Grace Rollag may not have been the best housekeeper in Minnesota - she was too fond of reading to stay on top of every little chore - but she knew how to handle herself when life got rough. She was not one to get lost in a blizzard.

Ten minutes to turn warm skin and blood to ice. The five boys had been outdoors by that point for over nine hours.