Narrator: Ell Potter
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance
Publisher: Celadon Books
Release Date: March 21, 2023
Order Link: Amazon
Special thanks to Celadon Books for an audio and physical arc.
A big shout out to my fellow Bookstagram Buddy Readers for a great discussion! #SQAF
5 Beautiful Hearts
A sweeping, tenderhearted love story, Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash tells the story of two families living through World War II on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and the shy, irresistible young woman who will call them both her own.
Review:
Beyond That, The Sea shines a light on the heart breaking plight of many families desperate to protect their children during WWII in Europe. Parents were forced to make the agonizing decision to send their children across the sea to live with strangers to keep them safe until the war was over. For a scared, resentful eleven-year-old Beatrix Thompson, the journey would land her with the Gregory family in Boston and last for five of the most formative years of her young life. Bea's new life in America is idyllic and vastly different than the life she left behind in London and she soon becomes an intricate part of the affluent family. Mr. & Mrs. G and sons William and Gerald welcome her with open arms as Bea struggles with guilt over her fading memories of the mother and father she left behind in London. Newly formed bonds strengthen over time, and her happiness is marred only by the knowledge that she'll have to return home to London someday soon. On the other side of the sea, a crushing sense of loss overwhelm Bea's parents even though they know they sent their daughter away for the right reasons. Try as they may, it's hard to control the havoc the void plays on their lives and marriage. Their only contentment comes from the fact they believe their daughter is safe even as mother Millie hides the growing resentment she feels over the better life Bea is living in America as relayed through Bea's letters home - a life they couldn't give her. These scenes are highly emotional, grief stricken and heart-breaking.
The first part of Beyond That, The Sea follows Bea's life in America with all the personal relationships forged that will remain forever in her heart throughout her life. The author excels at rendering fully fleshed, believable characters that quickly stole my heart. Relationships are multifaceted and continuously evolving as Bea matures into her teenage years with all the emotional highs and lows. Every day is a new adventure, a new experience for the once sheltered Bea. The desolation experienced by all involved is heart breaking when time comes for the now young lady Bea to return home. Settling back into her former life will prove even harder than she imagined as Bea finds things vastly different then when she left, and she yearns for the life and family left behind in America.
Spence-Ash's vivid, lyrical prose conveys all the emotions - the highs, the lows, the tears, the laughter, the hope & despair - experienced by each player in this story spread over several decades. The utilization of short chapters and multiple points of view through which readers come to know individual characters' true thoughts and feelings is perfect. Each family member's life after Bea's return home is portrayed in Parts Two and Three, and I found myself drawn deeply into the hopes and dreams both realized and lost of each one. It's seldom that I can say that every character in a book touches me deeply, but in Beyond This, The Sea they do.
Beyond That, The Sea is a beautifully rendered story that quietly packs a powerful punch. While it doesn't delve deep into the physical destruction of war, it speaks volumes about the chaotic effects it forces upon families on both sides of the sea - most especially on displaced children and the families left behind. The harrowing, emotional turmoil of all involved permeates every single page with emphasis on the true meaning of family, both by blood and by choice. It's a coming of age story about the meaning of true love and sacrifice, love found and lost and forgiveness. As much as I loved this book, I was left feeling a bit forlorn and melancholy after finishing - I think mostly due to Spence-Ash's unique ability to fully immerse me into the lives of these families that I came to care about on both sides of the sea. It'll be a long time before I'm able to let Beyond That, The Sea go. Highly, highly recommended to fans of historical fiction. Don't pass this one up!
Note: While I received both a physical and audio copy, I highly recommend the audio version if you get the chance to listen to Beyond That, The Sea. The narrator's English accent and word choices are perfect for this story, pulling me into this world very quickly. Excellent job by Narrator Ell Potter!
Synopsis:
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.
As we follow Bea over time, navigating between her two worlds, Beyond That, the Sea emerges as a beautifully written, absorbing novel, full of grace and heartache, forgiveness and understanding, loss and love.
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.
As we follow Bea over time, navigating between her two worlds, Beyond That, the Sea emerges as a beautifully written, absorbing novel, full of grace and heartache, forgiveness and understanding, loss and love.
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