Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Beyond That, the Sea: A Novel
    Beyond That, the Sea: A Novel
    Beyond That, the Sea: A Novel
    Audiobook12 hours

    Beyond That, the Sea: A Novel

    Written by Laura Spence-Ash

    Narrated by Ell Potter

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    "Ell Potter's narration spans countries and decades as the story follows Bea and her connection to two families and two very different lives. Potter creates believable distinctions between well-developed characters of different ages from different locales. Listeners will be captivated by this compelling story."- AudioFile Magazine


    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.

    A Macmillan Audio production from Celadon Books.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateMar 21, 2023
    ISBN9781250882240
    Beyond That, the Sea: A Novel
    Author

    Laura Spence-Ash

    Laura Spence-Ash’s fiction has appeared in One Story, New England Review, Crazyhorse, and elsewhere. Her critical essays and book reviews appear regularly in the Ploughshares blog. She received her MFA in fiction from Rutgers–Newark, and she lives in New Jersey.

    Related to Beyond That, the Sea

    Related audiobooks

    Contemporary Women's For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    Related categories

    Reviews for Beyond That, the Sea

    4.5/5

    121 ratings8 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Wonderful interwoven story of two families living an ocean apart with great character development and love tales in rhe mix.
    • 5/5
      Many turns I didn’t expect and a book I will think about for years. Thoughts of relationships from every angle.
    • 5/5
      Great story, great narrator, great storyline, and learned something new, looking for more books by Laura
    • 5/5
      This book was amazing! Love the characters! I definitely recommend
    • 5/5
      One of best books I’ve read in a long time! I loved it!
    • 5/5
      This is a beautiful coming through the ages story, one that is both a snapshot of lives lived in another place and time, while also being a relatable and timeless family tale. Excited to see more from the author!
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this historical fiction book - there have been a LOT of books published recently about the WWII era, which is where this one starts. But this one takes a different approach, looking at the war and its effects on two families - one British and one American. They're connected by Beatrix, whose parents send her at age eleven from Britain to the US to live with an American family. It's a heart-wrenching decision they make hoping to keep her safe from the air raids for the duration of the war. The two families live very different lives, Beatrix' family in Britain lives a very working-class life, even before the war. Her American family is much more well-to-do, and the at the heart of this book is Bea's journey between the two families, both of whom she loves, both of whom she resents at times. Just as she was torn about leaving Britain for the US, when the war is over she's equally torn about returning to her home and family - not only is she unsure about the changes there, she's learned to love her American family and her life there among them. The publisher's description of the book ends describing it as being "full of grace and heartache, forgiveness and understanding, loss and love". Frankly I couldn't describe it any better than that. It's a lovely story. The audiobook is beautifully narrated by Ell Potter.
      Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.
    • 5/5
      I can't believe this was the author's first novel. I haven't read a book this good in a long time. The character development was amazing - I felt like I truly knew the characters, and I loved them all. I really hated for the story to end. The narration was excellent also. I highly recommend this book and hope the author has a new one coming out soon. Thank you!