Thank you, Celadon Books, for the gifted copy of Beyond That, the Sea 🌊 {partner}

Genre: Historical Fiction
Time: 1940 — 1977
Format: 🎧
Pub Date: 3.21.2023
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆.5

I've strayed away from WWII-centered books for the last year or two. But then I decided to sign up to read Beyond That, the Sea through the Celadon Read-along initiative. Once I signed up and received the book, I became apprehensive — what if I didn't like the book? I felt guilty for potentially taking on this book when it's been a genre I've avoided.

But this is different from your typical WWII book. It may begin during the war, but Beyond That, the Sea is much more than that. It encompasses one of my favorite historical fiction tropes - following a character over their lifetime. In this book, we follow two brothers (William & Gerald) in America and a young English girl (Bea) who flees her home during the war to live with her family in the states.

In this character-driven story, we are given an inside look into their journey throughout the war, how different it was for families here vs. families in Europe, and then life after Bea returns to London. It was a beautifully written story, and I'm so glad I chose to read this with Celadon.

Don't get me wrong, Beyond That, the Sea was heartbreaking at times, but the ending brought me so much comfort. These characters had survived so much, but they kept going, and I love this gentle reminder to keep moving forward.

3️⃣ Told in three parts
👥 Character-driven
⏳ Coming-of-age and then some
🎧 No quotation marks (I loved the audio)
🗓️ Love the years added to the bottom of each page - it was such a nice touch to the story

I recommend reading Beyond That, the Sea if you enjoyed reading The Dutch House or The Most Fun We Ever Had.


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