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jchant 's review for:

Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash
3.5
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.