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fkshg8465's review
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Feels like I’ve been reading a lot about children separated from their parents during WWII. This one was different. Child wasn’t Jewish but an English girl whose parents sent her to the US for her safety. Multiple love triangles. Practicality above all. A lovely little story, but not a lot of deep character development. A bit too superficial to bump up to a four.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, War, Car accident, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
jessamo19's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death of parent, Death, Infidelity, and Grief
Moderate: Classism and Car accident
theheelerbooklife's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: War, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy
fanchera's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: War, Infidelity, Car accident, and Grief
znvisser's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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
5.0
It feels like this story was written for me personally: the family relationships, the multiple POVs, all the emotions, the links to historical events, the influence of a place where you did part of your growing up, the sea…
The writing, nostalgia and the symbolism hit me at the first chapter and made me fall in love right away. The sea served both as a border and a portal, and most of all as a place whereby Beatrix learned to feel community, belonging, being at home. As William puts it years later: “Funny how places become part of who we are.” Anyone who has known such a place in their lives, will definitely find this story resonating more strongly with them.
The writing, nostalgia and the symbolism hit me at the first chapter and made me fall in love right away. The sea served both as a border and a portal, and most of all as a place whereby Beatrix learned to feel community, belonging, being at home. As William puts it years later: “Funny how places become part of who we are.” Anyone who has known such a place in their lives, will definitely find this story resonating more strongly with them.
Despite the many characters the POVs were executed really well. The short chapters from all of those involved have a beautiful pace, almost feeling like a pile of connected short stories, with half-open endings. These beautifully portray the unique details of their characters and all the complicated and layered emotions that the people involved in such a situation are having, and in those coming together, their completely different ways of dealing with them. And later on, it shows the power of memories and their individuality. Gosh, this was beautiful: the parallels, the uneasiness when different worlds collide, the little shifts that change everything… To me, this was a perfect read. And yes, the ending was predictable, but it was also the way I hoped it would turn out from quite early on, because it just made the most sense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Body shaming, Alcoholism, Animal death, Car accident, Infidelity, and War
Minor: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
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
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