When Times Were Tough

When Times Were Tough - the title tells it all as the story is set in the late 1700s, when times certainly were tough for most during that period of history. The story depicts life as it was during those harsh and often cruel times while travelling from one side of the world to the other.The story commences in a seaport in the south of England, Portsmouth, where Elizabeth, a teenager, was living with her parents, a surgeon and his wife. Elizabeth had just completed her private home education and family circumstances altered to the point that a family change was thought essential. Elizabeth spied a newspaper story regarding the gathering of ships for the First Fleet to New South Wales, Australia, which she showed to her parents. Her father was experiencing difficulties at his surgery and was convinced a fresh start in a far-off place may be the answer. While Elizabeth and her family were considering joining the fleet, Richard, a Marine, was finding his military situation untenable, and