Beyond That, the Sea: A Novel Hardcover – Deckle Edge, March 21, 2023

A very interesting novel. Well written. Engaging to the end. I had no idea about this program. Bringing English children to the USA. Heart wrenching choice to keep a daughter safe.

Our book club enjoyed this book. Its a good read. I recommend it as a fun chillax read this summer!

...and I read a lot! (this was my 24th book of 2023 so far) Absolutely loved this book from start to finish and read the whole thing in about two days. Because of the way the book is narrated, with eight different characters moving the story forward, the reader gains such an insight into each one of them and the way in which they relate to one another. I read another review where someone said the dialogue was hard to follow, but I had no problem with it at all. To me, the way it was written in italics (and often all in the same paragraph), it flowed together like natural speech, and I never had a problem knowing which person was talking.This is a book about family, more than anything else. About the bonds that are formed in a family that stay with us for the rest of our lives. But it's also a book about place, and the power that a certain place can exert on our memories and actions going forward. The tension in the book is so strong -- the desire that Beatrix has to remain in the U.S. as well as her desire to stay in England, and the story is so well crafted as it moves back and forth between those worlds and people. We know what these characters are thinking and feeling, even though they may not share these thoughts and feelings out loud to others.We have a special place where our family has vacationed almost each summer for over forty years, and I could relate so well to the descriptions of the Maine summers in the book -- the memories that are made there and shared long after everyone has gone back to their regular routines, and the desire to go back there, to relive those moments. "The past is prologue" is mentioned more than once in the story -- the power of the past to form us into the people we become in the future. Beatrix's parents make a decision to send her away from the Blitz into Massachusetts safety back in 1940, but that one decision causes a ripple effect that in some way impacts the life of every other character in the story, all the way until 1977.A marvelous book! I can't recommend it enough!

My eyes are still a bit damp, after having read just now the Epilogue of this book in tears.I would give this novel 10 stars if I could!This triumphant novel is Laura Spence-Ash’s debut book although one would think she’s been writing novels for years.There is so much emotion, love, loss, grief and happiness in this story.Based on true events, this is a fictional story of a British girl being sent to live in America during the Blitz of London during WWII.All that the families live through are historical events from 1940-1977.The style of writing is excellent, alternating between each character and his/her own experiences.The book is written in present tense which normally I do not care for but in this style of writing, it works.There are no quotations for the each character’s speech, but I think I was confused only once or twice.I loved having six years at a time written on the bottom of each page, highlighting the year to which she is writing instead of announcing the years at chapter heads.I learned so much about life in this novel. We need to live fully throughout our lives, not letting one day go by when we don’t express to each other our love and desires.Memories hold dear and for me, this was particularly true, as I had similar summer experiences as did the American family.There is no obscene words or sex in this book, just wonderful storytelling about how important it is to live each day fully.I had only one issue and that is the print is small and could be a problem for some readers.Truly a masterpiece!

The book is good but at some point in the characters lives, it’s actually depressing. The story is about WWII and how it effected the characters lives overall. One British girl is sent to America for her safety. The American family who takes her in is definitely changed by her presence in spite of the fact that they all come to love her in their own way. It’s when the British girl goes home in 1945 that things begin to fall apart for the members of the American family that adopted her. The American family consists of 2 young boys and their parents and their German Shepherd dog. It’s worth reading and easy reading.

This is such a wonderful book! I really enjoyed the characters and story line. Light and truly just a sweet easy read. I liked that the characters and story were easy to follow and keep straight. Not a lot of jumping from past to present or tons of characters to keep track of. Just a heartwarming story that kept me on the edge of my seat and not wanting to put the book down. LOVED IT!!!