Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: March 21st, 2023
Pages: 351
Publisher: Celadon Books
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Publisher’s Synopsis:
“As German bombs fall over London in 1940, working-class parents Millie and Reginald Thompson make an impossible they decide to send their eleven-year-old daughter, Beatrix, to America. There, she’ll live with another family for the duration of the war, where they hope she’ll stay safe.Scared and angry, feeling lonely and displaced, Bea arrives in Boston to meet the Gregorys. Mr. and Mrs. G, and their sons William and Gerald, fold Bea seamlessly into their world. She becomes part of this lively family, learning their ways and their stories, adjusting to their affluent lifestyle. Bea grows close to both boys, one older and one younger, and fills in the gap between them. Before long, before she even realizes it, life with the Gregorys feels more natural to her than the quiet, spare life with her own parents back in England.As Bea comes into herself and relaxes into her new life—summers on the coast in Maine, new friends clamoring to hear about life across the sea—the girl she had been begins to fade away, until, abruptly, she is called home to London when the war ends.Desperate as she is not to leave this life behind, Bea dutifully retraces her trip across the Atlantic back to her new, old world. As she returns to post-war London, the memory of her American family stays with her, never fully letting her go, and always pulling on her heart as she tries to move on and pursue love and a life of her own.As we follow Bea over time, navigating between her two worlds, Beyond That, the Sea emerges as a beautifully written, absorbing novel, full of grace and heartache, forgiveness and understanding, loss and love.”
My Review:
This was such a surprisingly enjoyable read for me! It was very emotional. I’m not a frequent historical fiction reader, but occasionally I come across one that is really impactful for me. This is definitely one of those.
I love the juxtaposition between her two lives on separate continents. I love the commentary on belonging, complex relationships, grief and loss, and finding your way in life, all set against a backdrop of one of the darkest times in our world’s history. I really liked the short chapters, it kept me turning the pages and upped the sense of momentum as I was reading.
I love all the characters and getting all the different perspectives. Even with so many, their voices were strong enough that I never got confused about who I was reading from. I loved that we got to see their lives over such a long period of time and how each of the characters developed along the way.
It is a very character-driven story, which is not normally my favorite, but I was actually never bored and I was completely invested in every single one of them throughout. At times, my heart broke for them, and in others I felt such joy.
I would give it a 4.5 stars. My only gripe is with the pacing. The first third of this book was a five star read for me, and last third was nearly as good, but the middle section was much weaker.
Even so, I highly recommend this book to all readers! It’s a very captivating and engaging read and I was hooked from the start. I would definitely read more from this author in the future.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Massive thank you to Celadon Books!!!
Have you read this book? Planning to add it to your TBR?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
I love a good book discussion. 🙂
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