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kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Title: Beyond That, the Sea
Author: Laura Spence-Ash
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: March 21, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Tender • Bittersweet • Layered
📖 S Y N O P S I S
As German bombs fall over London in 1940, working-class parents Millie and Reginald Thompson make an impossible choice: 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.
💭 T H O U G H T S
For 2023, I designed a personal Book of the Month project, where I pre-order one of my most anticipated releases each month. Beyond That, the Sea was March's selection and although it may have taken me a little longer than expected to get to it, it was a delightful read.
Told from multiple points of view, this character driven story sheds light on the journey many children were forced to take during WWII. It was a completely fresh take on WWII historical fiction. Laura Spence-Ash does a fantastic job telling what it may have been like for the parents left behind, the child themselves, and the host families. Although many children were not as lucky as Bea, and ended up in dire situations when they were sent to North America.
The story unravels at a slow and steady pace that really allows for fully fledged out relationships between the characters. The descriptions of the scenery created a vivid picture bringing the story to life even more. There were many different ways this book could have gone, and I really liked the route the author chose to take it - it felt the most realistic.
Beyond That, the Sea is a beautifully written exploration of love and loss, of sacrifice and resilience, of understanding and forgiveness, and most importantly, the meaning of home. There is pain and there is joy. And it left me deeply satisfied when it ended. While it doesn't pack the same emotional punch as other WWII novels, it is still a quiet, powerful story that introduces a fresh new voice in the historical fiction genre
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• WWII historical fiction fanatics
• fans of realistic fiction
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Together, they would always be fifteen and seventeen, on the cusp of something. How sweet that moment is, that moment of before. When anticipation is everything. When everything is new. When there are no consequences, when there is no after."
"Some secrets are weights to be borne. Others are gifts, little bits of warmth, to be revisited again and again. No one else ever needed to know. No one else had the right to know. It was theirs and theirs alone."
Author: Laura Spence-Ash
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: March 21, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Tender • Bittersweet • Layered
📖 S Y N O P S I S
As German bombs fall over London in 1940, working-class parents Millie and Reginald Thompson make an impossible choice: 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.
💭 T H O U G H T S
For 2023, I designed a personal Book of the Month project, where I pre-order one of my most anticipated releases each month. Beyond That, the Sea was March's selection and although it may have taken me a little longer than expected to get to it, it was a delightful read.
Told from multiple points of view, this character driven story sheds light on the journey many children were forced to take during WWII. It was a completely fresh take on WWII historical fiction. Laura Spence-Ash does a fantastic job telling what it may have been like for the parents left behind, the child themselves, and the host families. Although many children were not as lucky as Bea, and ended up in dire situations when they were sent to North America.
The story unravels at a slow and steady pace that really allows for fully fledged out relationships between the characters. The descriptions of the scenery created a vivid picture bringing the story to life even more. There were many different ways this book could have gone, and I really liked the route the author chose to take it - it felt the most realistic.
Beyond That, the Sea is a beautifully written exploration of love and loss, of sacrifice and resilience, of understanding and forgiveness, and most importantly, the meaning of home. There is pain and there is joy. And it left me deeply satisfied when it ended. While it doesn't pack the same emotional punch as other WWII novels, it is still a quiet, powerful story that introduces a fresh new voice in the historical fiction genre
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• WWII historical fiction fanatics
• fans of realistic fiction
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Together, they would always be fifteen and seventeen, on the cusp of something. How sweet that moment is, that moment of before. When anticipation is everything. When everything is new. When there are no consequences, when there is no after."
"Some secrets are weights to be borne. Others are gifts, little bits of warmth, to be revisited again and again. No one else ever needed to know. No one else had the right to know. It was theirs and theirs alone."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, War, Death of parent, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Infidelity, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Car accident, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Classism, and Alcohol
sibling deathmdavis26's review
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Car accident, Miscarriage, and War
Minor: Body shaming
machenn's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
stephanieswilley's review
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, War, Alcohol, Car accident, and Death
silverhill's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident, Classism, and Sexual content
bringmybooks's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
well, I absolutely loved that.
✨ 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 ✨ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷
In an oversaturated genre that tends to get repetitive (don’t get me wrong, I still love it), I think Beyond That, The Sea stands out in a really moving, slow, beautiful way.
(Also important to note that I can also see how this could be a really divisive book; I think the narrative choices are either going to work for you or they aren’t. Also worth noting that this is a heavily character driven novel, which normally isn’t my jam, but I loved it here.)
It’s a unique novel that is built almost entirely around the narration (the dialogue is sparse, and when it does appear, is italicized in the paragraph as an afterthought rather than a driving force). While covering almost 30 years, the book seems to keep you in settled in one place - namely, the characters.
There’s a lot of moral ambiguity to be found here, and in some aspects a lot of it feels really bleak, and kind of hopeless … while also somehow maintaining a real sense of otherworldly solemnity that makes it feel really poignant. (Sounds pretentious as all get out, I know. But that’s how it felt, so there.)
Honestly, I think you’ll either love this one or you won’t - but it’s also safe to say that if you don’t love it by 25% in, it’s not your jam. As for me? I can easily see this making it into my Top Ten of 2023.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Infidelity
Minor: War, Classism, Death, and Racism
rachelkreadsbookz's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Miscarriage
bandysbooks's review
dark
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? Yes
4.0
Beyond That The Sea is a historical fiction set during WW2 which follows an English girl sent to America to wait out the war. When she is finally allowed to return home, she struggles with leaving her adopted American family behind. What follows is a story that spans several decades, multiple countries, and a multitude of trials.
The strongest point of this story for me was the main character Beatrix. I thought she felt very authentic at the various ages we see her at. In particular, her child and pre-teen version is very compelling. Her desire to not be babied and even to rebel a bit all seemed very natural for her age. Her guilt at not being present for certain events also makes sense as the world is in chaos, but she's safely hidden away in the States.
I was a bit nervous when it became apparent that the romance aspect of the book would become more prominent as I am not a big romance reader. However, this was tastefully done and there was still a lot to the story aside from just the romantic element. I will say that I did find it a bit predictable in terms of who fell in love when and in what order, but it didn't really deter me from enjoying the book.
I do wish there had been a bit more detail about the war and how it affected things when it finally reached America. I know some details were included, but I feel like most of it was glossed over and resolved pretty quickly. I know that because the family Beatrix is living with is wealthy, they are protected to some degree, so that makes it understandable that they wouldn't necessarily feel it as deeply as a poor or middle class family might, but I do think it might be a bit more prominent or worrisome than it comes across in the book.
As for the audiobook version of this book, I did think the narrator did a good job. Their voice was pleasant to listen to and was easy to follow. I did have to speed up the audio a bit, but that is normal with audiobooks for me.
All in all, if you enjoy historical fiction mixed with coming of age and romance that spans a couple of decades, you'll likely enjoy this book.
Thank you to the publisher for the physical copy of the book and to Netgalley for the audio-galley! This in no way affects my ability to objectively review this book.
The strongest point of this story for me was the main character Beatrix. I thought she felt very authentic at the various ages we see her at. In particular, her child and pre-teen version is very compelling. Her desire to not be babied and even to rebel a bit all seemed very natural for her age. Her guilt at not being present for certain events also makes sense as the world is in chaos, but she's safely hidden away in the States.
I was a bit nervous when it became apparent that the romance aspect of the book would become more prominent as I am not a big romance reader. However, this was tastefully done and there was still a lot to the story aside from just the romantic element. I will say that I did find it a bit predictable in terms of who fell in love when and in what order, but it didn't really deter me from enjoying the book.
I do wish there had been a bit more detail about the war and how it affected things when it finally reached America. I know some details were included, but I feel like most of it was glossed over and resolved pretty quickly. I know that because the family Beatrix is living with is wealthy, they are protected to some degree, so that makes it understandable that they wouldn't necessarily feel it as deeply as a poor or middle class family might, but I do think it might be a bit more prominent or worrisome than it comes across in the book.
As for the audiobook version of this book, I did think the narrator did a good job. Their voice was pleasant to listen to and was easy to follow. I did have to speed up the audio a bit, but that is normal with audiobooks for me.
All in all, if you enjoy historical fiction mixed with coming of age and romance that spans a couple of decades, you'll likely enjoy this book.
Thank you to the publisher for the physical copy of the book and to Netgalley for the audio-galley! This in no way affects my ability to objectively review this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, War, Death, Abandonment, and Death of parent
martachbc's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Car accident
Minor: War, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage
noladawnreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, War, and Infidelity
Moderate: Alcoholism and Death