Summer Reads: Beyond That, the Sea

This is part of my Summer Reads series where I’ll be sharing book recommendations –  a series of “not just cookbooks”.

Coming at you with yet another historical fiction novel this week – Beyond That, the Sea. This one I absolutely FLEW through, it was such a magical, heartbreaking yet uplifting story and so beautifully written.

From the publisher:

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.

Before I started reading, I hadn’t realised that children were sent all the way across the Atlantic to America during World War II – I knew children were evacuated out of large cities in Britain but not to other countries (note to self: must brush up on historical knowledge). At the start of the book, Bea’s story is heartbreaking from both her own perspective and that of her parents. Imagine sending your child away for an unknown period of time. To another country. To another continent. Imagine being that child.

Bea ends up adjusting to life in America marvellously but it’s not a quick adjustment at all. Spence-Ash writes her character in such a way that she opens up to the reader, just as she does to the Gregory family, little by little, and we see her truly blossom over the course of her time with her “host” family. Unfortunately, from a little bit of reading I have done since finishing this book, it seems that Bea’s very positive experience was most definitely not what all children experienced which is heartbreaking.

The second and third sections of the book deal with post-war/ post-Bea in America and it seems like the adjustment for Bea back to life in Britain is much more difficult than her adjustment to life in America. There is a lot of grief throughout the story though it’s punctuated with some lovely hopeful moments too. It’s not a flashy, action-packed WW2 story but more of a slow burn – it draws you in with its well-developed characters and short chapters (told from various character perspectives). The change in narrator from chapter to chapter doesn’t detract from the flow of the story or character development at all. I was deeply invested in the storylines of all the main characters.

A highly recommended read for lovers of historical fiction and romance and especially for those who appreciate beautifully-written novels with thoughtfully-developed characters. This is Spence-Ash’s first novel – I can’t wait to read what she writes next!

Buy Beyond that, the sea on Amazon (this affiliate link should bring you to the Amazon store in, or closest to, your country).

For free worldwide shipping, find Beyond that, the sea on Blackwell’s.

Please note: This post contains affiliate links. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.  This post also contains a Blackwell’s affiliate link. This means that if you click over and purchase something, I will receive a very small percentage of the purchase price (at no extra cost to you). Thank you in advance!

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Buy my books! In the French kitchen with kids and French Food for Everyone: le goûter  (after school snacks), le dîner (dinner) and le petit déjeuner (breakfast) are out now! Click here for details and how to order!

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