Beyond That, The Sea

Beyond That, The Sea by Laura Spence-Ash was a different take on the World War II experience. It's based on something that I wasn't at all aware of. I knew all about the kindertransport where Jewish families sent their children out of Eastern Europe to safety in England. In this novel, a working class family sends their daughter, Beatrix, from London to the United States to keep her safe. Who knew?

Beatrix was sent to a family in Maine where she "grew up" with the two very different brothers of the host family, The Gregorys. At first, she is scared, missing home and overwhelmed by being part of this lively family. Eventually, though, she adapts to life on this side of the Atlantic and to live in an American family. Life in London and with her quiet parents fade away. So it comes as a shock when at the conclusion of the war, Beatrix is brought home to London. How does she come to terms with the two very different aspects of her life? And what's next?

This is a lovely novel about what it means to be part of a family, to love and be loved, and what war time was like in New England during World War II.

This is another one that I highly recommend.