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A review by bandysbooks
Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash
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