Beyond That, the Sea: A Novel
“Spence-Ash has written the novel in eight points of view, but each character is utterly three-dimensional and distinct. This debut novel captivated me from start to finish."
—Julia Quinn, author of the Bridgerton Series
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.
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.
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Community Reviews
Beyond That, The Sea is a debut novel by Laura Spence-Ash. While this is historical fiction and WWII adjacent, it doesnât feature any brutal details of war or throw facts at you like a Wikipedia page. Rather Beyond That, The Sea was character driven and I was swept up in a story of two families, forever connected.
The book tells of 11-year-old Beatrix Thompson who has been sent to America to escape the threat of war and bombs in London. Bea is taken in by the Gregory family and the first part of the novel tells the story of her five years in America spent at the familyâs home in Boston and their picturesque summer home in Maine. Bea is sandwiched between Nancy and Ethan Gregoryâs two children, William and Gerald. Parts two and three take place when Bea returns to the UK and follows the three children, and their families, as they grow into adulthood.
A few things I loved about this novel:
- Short Chapters: the chapters are often only a few pages, sometimes only a few paragraphs, and this kept me going, especially when the book felt slow at the start.
- The different perspectives: throughout the novel, you get the perspective of all three Thompsons and all adult members of the Gregory family.
- The time jumps: I loved how, especially in parts two and three, the novel seemed to move quicker - very much how time as an adult does - compared to the slower pace of the charactersâ childhood.
- The found-family dynamic. I was enthralled with Beaâs relationship with the Gregoryâs and my heart ached when they were parted.
- The beautiful descriptions of New England. I felt like I could smell Mrs. Gâs Maine Wild Blueberry Muffins and fresh sea air as I read the story. I was swept up in the setting and it made me long for my own New England childhood.
A few things I didnât love:
- Some problematic content is never explored or glossed over. Nancy and Rose both do some questionable things that are never explained, explored, and seem out of line with their character.
- While the relationships in parts one and two seem very well developed, I thought the ending of the book and the pivotal relationship in part three felt rushed. I wanted more and felt so invested in that story but then kind of let down by how quickly it wrapped up and jumped into the future with the epilogue.
- Most of the chapters have dialogue that is italicized and does not use quotation marks. While thatâs not the end of the world, I found it difficult to follow who was saying what at certain points and found myself re-reading paragraphs repeatedly to figure out who said what when. I also listened to a few chapters on audio and would recommend the audio experience because this doesnât come into play there!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, Celadon Audio and Laura Spence-Ash for an Advanced Reader Copy of Beyond That, The Sea.
Unfortunately, once Bea leaves the Gregory family, though, the narrative falters. Instead of being continuous, the story leaps through the next 30 years, landing only in 1951, 1960-1965, and, in an Epilogue, 1977. Although this satisfies a reader's desire to find out what happen's next in the life of a good character (which Bea is), the jumping around causes us to lose our connection with Bea.
Still, Spence-Ash's writing is solid and the foundation that is set up in the first part of the book is strong enough to carry us through to a satisfying, if not altogether unexpected ending.
FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.
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