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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash
In 1940 London, Millie and Reginald Thompson make the extremely difficult decision to send their eleven year old daughter to live with a well off family in America. It is really Reg who makes the decision but he allows their daughter Beatrix to think it is her mother's decision, which affects the way Beatrix thinks of her mother for years to come. But no matter who made the final decision, Beatrix is out of the way of the wartime bombing while becoming an integral part of another family.
The American Gregorys, Mr. and Mrs. G as Beatrix calls them, and their sons William and Gerald, absorb Beatrix into their family as if she's always been with them and Beatrix will be racked with guilt when she thinks about how they feel as much her family as her mom and dad back in London. In fact, as the years go by, her London life becomes a fuzzy memory. Still, she knows she'll have to go back to London, there is no way she can stay in the US and break the mother's heart.
The book is divided into three parts and Part 1 is my favorite part. Beatrix blossoms with the Gregorys, in a different way than she could have ever blossomed in war racked London. The family blossoms, too, and they never take for granted what having Beatrix in their life has given them. It's so interesting to me to know that children came to America to escape the war. I also know that many of them did not have the idyllic life that Beatrix has in this story.
Part 2 and 3 show us "life after Beatrix in America". Throughout the book we get short chapters (except for a few times when longer chapters are necessary) with viewpoints from the various characters. I feel like I really got to know each person and I miss this family now that the story is over. By family, I mean everyone, not just the Gregorys but Beatrix's mom and other characters that join the story as it progresses through the years. At the same time, there is such a melancholy feel to the story. In my opinion, one of the characters will never be happy, that is just the nature of that character. A few of the characters seem to settle for less than what they want for too long. But isn't that the way of real life?
But here I am, wishing the book wasn't so sad. And then we get towards the end and things seem too rosy. I think the sadness is probably more real than the rosy future outlook but I gravitate towards happy when I can so I'm thankful the story ends the way it ends. The people and the locations seem so real to me that it seems like I was there. It's going to take a while for me to get these characters out of my head. And I have Mrs. G's blueberry muffin recipe card and the brown paper and string parcel wrapping that my book came in to remind me of the hominess of this special story.
Pub: Mar 21, 2023
Thank you to Celadon Books for the print version of this ARC.
In 1940 London, Millie and Reginald Thompson make the extremely difficult decision to send their eleven year old daughter to live with a well off family in America. It is really Reg who makes the decision but he allows their daughter Beatrix to think it is her mother's decision, which affects the way Beatrix thinks of her mother for years to come. But no matter who made the final decision, Beatrix is out of the way of the wartime bombing while becoming an integral part of another family.
The American Gregorys, Mr. and Mrs. G as Beatrix calls them, and their sons William and Gerald, absorb Beatrix into their family as if she's always been with them and Beatrix will be racked with guilt when she thinks about how they feel as much her family as her mom and dad back in London. In fact, as the years go by, her London life becomes a fuzzy memory. Still, she knows she'll have to go back to London, there is no way she can stay in the US and break the mother's heart.
The book is divided into three parts and Part 1 is my favorite part. Beatrix blossoms with the Gregorys, in a different way than she could have ever blossomed in war racked London. The family blossoms, too, and they never take for granted what having Beatrix in their life has given them. It's so interesting to me to know that children came to America to escape the war. I also know that many of them did not have the idyllic life that Beatrix has in this story.
Part 2 and 3 show us "life after Beatrix in America". Throughout the book we get short chapters (except for a few times when longer chapters are necessary) with viewpoints from the various characters. I feel like I really got to know each person and I miss this family now that the story is over. By family, I mean everyone, not just the Gregorys but Beatrix's mom and other characters that join the story as it progresses through the years. At the same time, there is such a melancholy feel to the story. In my opinion, one of the characters will never be happy, that is just the nature of that character. A few of the characters seem to settle for less than what they want for too long. But isn't that the way of real life?
But here I am, wishing the book wasn't so sad. And then we get towards the end and things seem too rosy. I think the sadness is probably more real than the rosy future outlook but I gravitate towards happy when I can so I'm thankful the story ends the way it ends. The people and the locations seem so real to me that it seems like I was there. It's going to take a while for me to get these characters out of my head. And I have Mrs. G's blueberry muffin recipe card and the brown paper and string parcel wrapping that my book came in to remind me of the hominess of this special story.
Pub: Mar 21, 2023
Thank you to Celadon Books for the print version of this ARC.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5 A beautifully written story about family, first love, coming-of-age, misunderstandings, betrayals, life, death, and finding one’s place in the world. A study of how these characters grow over a lifetime until they find a place of peace.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Resolved: No more World War II books for a while; I think I've reached the point where I have read about almost every angle of the war, especially as seen from a British perspective.
I liked but didn't love this book. Spence-Ash brings us the story of eleven year old Beatrix, sent by her parents to live with a family in Boston to keep her safe during the Blitz. This part of the story was the most compelling, and kept my interest. When the story shifted to grown-up Beatrix and American brothers William and Gerald, the plot became much more predictable, much less interesting, and way, way too long.
Ell Potter was a good narrator, but I think having a cast of narrators might have worked better, considering that all of the chapters in the novel were told from the different perspectives of the various characters.
I liked but didn't love this book. Spence-Ash brings us the story of eleven year old Beatrix, sent by her parents to live with a family in Boston to keep her safe during the Blitz. This part of the story was the most compelling, and kept my interest. When the story shifted to grown-up Beatrix and American brothers William and Gerald, the plot became much more predictable, much less interesting, and way, way too long.
Ell Potter was a good narrator, but I think having a cast of narrators might have worked better, considering that all of the chapters in the novel were told from the different perspectives of the various characters.
World War II backdrop, small moments that changed dozens of lives.
Beyond That, the Sea was just the gentle, immersive book I was hoping for after reading a wilder, more adventurous novel. In 1940, 11-year-old Beatrix Thompson's parents send her from London to the United States in hopes that she'll be safe from Hitler's bombings. Bea is lucky enough to end up in Boston with the Gregory family. She misses her family terribly and they miss her, but she quickly fits in with 13-year-old William and nine-year-old Gerald. Bea learns how to swim at the Gregory's island summer home, excels academically, and grows into a teenager. When the war ends, she is unsure about where she belongs and fearful about returning home to a different London and a family that is much different.
The story is told in short chapters, each from a different POV. Laura Spence-Ash provides plenty of insight and emotion without writing overwrought drama. I very much enjoyed this WWII era story told from a unique and original perspective.
Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on March 21, 2023.
The story is told in short chapters, each from a different POV. Laura Spence-Ash provides plenty of insight and emotion without writing overwrought drama. I very much enjoyed this WWII era story told from a unique and original perspective.
Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on March 21, 2023.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
The first part of the book is set during WWII when London is being bombed. Millie and Reginald Thompson want their daughter, Bea, to be safe, so they decide to send her to America alone. A family in Boston agrees to let her stay with them for the duration of the war. Bea doesn't know them, but the Gregorys are a loving family who want to make her feel part of their family.
The first part of the story is complex because it is about Bea's struggles and her mother's struggles. Bea is struggling with navigating two worlds. Bea feels more at home with the Gregorys and doesn't want to go home. In addition, Millie, Bea's mother, worries about how she will ever get to know her daughter again once she comes home.
The second part of the story takes place from the 1950s to the 70s and is just as complex because Bea really doesn't know who she is or what she wants. It is also about Bea and Millie's struggle to form a relationship with each other.
While there is a love story involved in the plot. It is more about the characters trying to define themselves.
I especially liked the epilogue. The author wrote beautiful descriptions of the ocean and life in Maine. She also wrote one of the most beautiful descriptions of baseball I have ever come across in a novel.
I listened to this story on audio. I liked the narrator, Ell Potter. She made the book come alive for me.
If you like a beautifully written sweeping family novel, you will love BEYOND THAT, THE SEA.
The first part of the story is complex because it is about Bea's struggles and her mother's struggles. Bea is struggling with navigating two worlds. Bea feels more at home with the Gregorys and doesn't want to go home. In addition, Millie, Bea's mother, worries about how she will ever get to know her daughter again once she comes home.
The second part of the story takes place from the 1950s to the 70s and is just as complex because Bea really doesn't know who she is or what she wants. It is also about Bea and Millie's struggle to form a relationship with each other.
While there is a love story involved in the plot. It is more about the characters trying to define themselves.
I especially liked the epilogue. The author wrote beautiful descriptions of the ocean and life in Maine. She also wrote one of the most beautiful descriptions of baseball I have ever come across in a novel.
I listened to this story on audio. I liked the narrator, Ell Potter. She made the book come alive for me.
If you like a beautifully written sweeping family novel, you will love BEYOND THAT, THE SEA.
Beyond That, The Sea is a nice coming of age book that feels like a warm cozy blanket to me. I was able to connect with the characters and felt like I wasn’t reading a fiction novel, but like I was reading about what actually happened to real people.
The book follows members of two families: the Gregorys and the Thompsons. At the start of WWII, the Thompsons send their daughter, Beatrix, to live with the Gregory family in Boston. Coming from London at the age of eleven, it’s a huge change, but within the five years she spends in the US, she blends in with the family perfectly. After the war, though, Beatrix heads back to London where the rest of the story is told over the course of the next 30 or so years.
The book is told from many different perspectives, but it doesn’t end up being confusing at all. I found myself enjoying seeing how everyone was thinking and what they had been up to through the years.
One of the things I didn’t like in this book, however, was the narration style. In the beginning of the book, all of the dialogue was in italics. In the next section, the dialogue was in quotations, but only for a few chapters. Then it went back to italics. It was a weird switch that I didn’t understand why for only a few chapters. Also, when the dialogue was in italics, sometimes it wasn’t clear who was talking, since it was all in one paragraph sometimes. I had to pause and come back to make sure I had the right character.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the eARC!
The book follows members of two families: the Gregorys and the Thompsons. At the start of WWII, the Thompsons send their daughter, Beatrix, to live with the Gregory family in Boston. Coming from London at the age of eleven, it’s a huge change, but within the five years she spends in the US, she blends in with the family perfectly. After the war, though, Beatrix heads back to London where the rest of the story is told over the course of the next 30 or so years.
The book is told from many different perspectives, but it doesn’t end up being confusing at all. I found myself enjoying seeing how everyone was thinking and what they had been up to through the years.
One of the things I didn’t like in this book, however, was the narration style. In the beginning of the book, all of the dialogue was in italics. In the next section, the dialogue was in quotations, but only for a few chapters. Then it went back to italics. It was a weird switch that I didn’t understand why for only a few chapters. Also, when the dialogue was in italics, sometimes it wasn’t clear who was talking, since it was all in one paragraph sometimes. I had to pause and come back to make sure I had the right character.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the eARC!
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No