You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
4.5 stars
A lovely tale of found family set amidst the turmoil of World War II. Beatrix is a young British girl sent to the United States during the war to avoid bombings. She arrived to join the Gregory family - a family of four with two young boys, one older and one younger than Bea. Her short stay turned into a 5 year stretch of growing up in a foreign land that began to feel like home.
The tale carries the reader throughout the characters’ lifetimes. Love and loss and longing are constant themes as the decades roll by, sweet memories carrying them all through.
A lovely tale of found family set amidst the turmoil of World War II. Beatrix is a young British girl sent to the United States during the war to avoid bombings. She arrived to join the Gregory family - a family of four with two young boys, one older and one younger than Bea. Her short stay turned into a 5 year stretch of growing up in a foreign land that began to feel like home.
The tale carries the reader throughout the characters’ lifetimes. Love and loss and longing are constant themes as the decades roll by, sweet memories carrying them all through.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
I enjoyed the first half of this book very much. But then it felt like it dragged telling the “after” story with a lot of sadness and lack of hope in life. Wish it would have ended sooner.
Beyond that, the sea by Laura Spence-Ash
Beatrix is sent to America during WWII to be kept safe and away from the danger of her London home. Her mother is devastated, her father terrified. This starts the story of Bea and her relationship with her foster family, to be told over decades. You really get to know the characters and see them throughout change, tragedy, love and family. I loved it. It was a sweet coming of age story with the perfect amount of characters to keep the story moving and engaging, but not overwhelming. I think both the Dad’s were my favourites, they offered a unique perspective to Bea growing up that I don’t usually read about.
I think listening to this on audio is what made it enjoyable. It was a beautiful story but slow and long, my least favourite aspects of a book. So I am honestly surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did, I really need to remember this and choose audio for the slow moving character driven novels from now on!
Thank you to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for my copy!
#macmillanaudio #myaudiobooks #mybooks #audiobooks #listentobooks #netgalley #bookworm #historicalfiction #characterdriven #bookthoughts #bookishthoughts #bookreview #audiobookstagram #audiobookreview #bookrecommendations #canadianbookstagram #bookstagrammer
Beatrix is sent to America during WWII to be kept safe and away from the danger of her London home. Her mother is devastated, her father terrified. This starts the story of Bea and her relationship with her foster family, to be told over decades. You really get to know the characters and see them throughout change, tragedy, love and family. I loved it. It was a sweet coming of age story with the perfect amount of characters to keep the story moving and engaging, but not overwhelming. I think both the Dad’s were my favourites, they offered a unique perspective to Bea growing up that I don’t usually read about.
I think listening to this on audio is what made it enjoyable. It was a beautiful story but slow and long, my least favourite aspects of a book. So I am honestly surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did, I really need to remember this and choose audio for the slow moving character driven novels from now on!
Thank you to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for my copy!
#macmillanaudio #myaudiobooks #mybooks #audiobooks #listentobooks #netgalley #bookworm #historicalfiction #characterdriven #bookthoughts #bookishthoughts #bookreview #audiobookstagram #audiobookreview #bookrecommendations #canadianbookstagram #bookstagrammer
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed this book, I think it had a good story but for some reason it felt very slow for me. For a historical fiction book, it didn’t seem to focus on history enough for my liking. I also found the characters to be likeable but there wasn’t anything all that exciting about them that kept me coming back for more. I definitely wanted to finish the book and see how it ended, and I did enjoy the ending, but it just fell a little flat. There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with it, just not all that great.
4.5 stars rounded up. I loved this one! really liked the short chapters and how they kept the pace moving in a very character driven story. felt like it was the perfect length to actually develop the characters and make their journey seem real
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated