Beyond That, the Sea By Laura Spence-Ash

"While the work is told from eight different points of view, Spence-Ash manages to make each of the characters absolutely three-dimensional and unique. This brand-new author's work had my attention from the very first page to the very last.
Julia Quinn, writer of the Bridgerton books and series

Beyond That, the Sea is a sweeping and tenderhearted love story written by Laura Spence-Ash. It tells the story of two families who live through World War II on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean and the story of the shy, irresistible young woman who will call them both her own. Beyond That, the Sea is set in the present day and is set in the United Kingdom.

In 1940, as German bombs fall over London, working-class parents Millie and Reginald Thompson are faced with an unenviable choice: they decide to transfer their daughter Beatrix, who is eleven years old at the time, to the United States. There, she will reside with another family for the rest of the conflict, and her loved ones are keeping their fingers crossed that she will be protected there.

Bea travels to Boston, where she will meet the Gregorys, feeling frightened and enraged, as well as lonely and uprooted. Bea is integrated into the lives of Mr. and Mrs. G as well as their kids William and Gerald in a way that is seamless. She eventually becomes a member of this vibrant family, picking up their customs and traditions while adjusting to the luxurious way of life they lead. Bea has tight relationships with both of the boys, one of whom is older while the other is younger, and helps bridge the age difference between them. In a short amount of time, and before she really knows it, she finds that her life with the Gregorys is beginning to feel more natural to her than the calm and reserved existence she led with her own parents in England.

The girl that Bea had been starting to fade away as she matures and settles into her new life, which includes spending summers on the coast in Maine and making new friends who are eager to hear about life across the sea. This continues until the war finally comes to an end, at which point she is unexpectedly summoned back to London.

Bea, who is adamant that she does not want to give up her life, faithfully retraces her journey across the Atlantic Ocean to return to the world that she once knew. She moves back to London after the war, but the memory of her family in the United States follows her there. It never fully lets her go, and it constantly tugs at her heart, making it difficult for her to go on with her life and pursue love and a life of her own.

As we follow Bea through time, traveling between her two worlds, Beyond That, the Sea reveals itself to be a wonderfully written and engrossing story. It is full of grace and sadness, forgiveness and understanding, loss and love.

Dettagli