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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
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 deathstephanieswilley'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
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
readingwithkaitlyn's review
reflective
medium-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? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Death, Alcohol, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, and Body shaming
Minor: Pedophilia, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Sexism, Incest, Cancer, Miscarriage, Car accident, Racism, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
Bombings, mayflower mention.
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