“What’s past is prologue” William Shakespeare
15 Bookers met at the home of Kittie Minick to discuss this month’s selection a richly drawn historical fiction, coming-of-age, family saga spanning from the 1940s to the 1970s in London, Boston, and a magical island off the coast of Maine. Daily life in London in 1940 during World War II consisted of air raids with residents huddling in shelters as Nazi Germany conducted massive bombing strikes throughout the city. How do you as a parent of an eleven-year-old girl keep her safe? This question was answered when Reginald and Millie Thompson put their only child on a ship, sailing alone to live with the Gregorys in the United States giving readers a story of two families separated by the sea, but united in their love for this young lady…Beatrix in London…Bea in the States.
With short chapters, each one narrated by one of the eight point-of-view characters (Beatrix, Millie, Reginald, Ethan, Nancy, William, Gerald, and Rose) a window opens into their lives detailing a child’s personal growth into a woman – adjusting from her English Thompson family background of “no money in savings” to the “house-rich and dollar poor” Gregory family of Boston. A love triangle develops as the brothers, William, and Gerald, vie for Bea’s attention, realizing later the difference between youthful love and lasting love. This tale is of heartbreaking loss and unbridled joy as the characters cope with inner conflicts of grief and regret mixed with contentment as each one eventually finds their place in the world. The ending is a feel-good-satisfactory conclusion for the characters all wrapped up in a nice little bow.
Discussion:
Most read and either loved or liked the novel with only one saying the format was hard to follow between the eight POV’s and the back-and-forth timelines. Some were bothered by the author’s different stylistic approach with parts 1 and 3 written in past tense and conversations/quotes in italics buried in paragraphs as it was hard to understand who was speaking. Part 2 was written in present tense with conversations/quotes traditionally formatted with only two point-of-view characters, Bea, and William. The author purposefully did this to make the middle section stand out and be more vivid. We discussed how difficult it would be to send your child away even if it was for his or her own safety, sharing personal stories of how these types of decisions, although in the child’s best interest, were certain to cause heartache. Reginald blamed the decision to send Bea to the United States on Millie…Why? So, he could keep her favoritism toward him and keep her safe at the same time. The title of the novel was derived from a specific moment that showcased the conflict between the two parts of Bea’s life – reconciling the parts of her identity, the sea being the symbol of that division – she just finished swimming to the mainland for the first time and looks back, facing east toward the island…and beyond that, the sea…referring to London and her parents. The sea was important to William as he associated it with the best of times and memories of his childhood. He died in a car accident near the sea…could this have been purposeful? The sea then becomes a symbol of tragedy, and end to the life he was unable to recreate. There were constant comparisons between Ethan and William and Nancy and Gerald when the boys were younger. William was untamed in the conservative opinion of his father pushing the limits in everything he tried…the polar opposite of Ethan. Gerald had “little space between his head and his heart,” a trait among others he inherited from his mother…two peas in a pod. Bea’s two sets of parents were not only an ocean apart but could not have been more different – in one it was like she was living in a fairy tale full of fancy dresses, and parties while in the other, she lived a “small life” in a working-class family. The patriarchs of the Thompson and Gregory families formed an unlikely bond beyond Bea – they found similar interests talking about Churchill, Roosevelt, the German push, and Japan and playing postal chess – both men keeping their connection private from their wives. Nancy and Millie both faced the loss of their husbands, Nancy became solitary in her mourning, Millie tried multiple marriages – highlighting one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to grief – begging the question what role society should play in determining what is proper and acceptable.
The day after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, they captured Singapore, the center of natural rubber products, cutting off 90% of rubber to the allied forces forcing the US to increase synthetic rubber production. We talked about the national rubber drives (this is why Gerald was collecting rubber band balls) and tin can, metal, and paper drives. We had a chuckle about how women coped with the hosiery rationing by applying nude colored makeup on their legs, drawing black seam lines with eyebrow pencil down the back of their legs to simulate the look. Fashion is fashion, war, or no war! We discussed the emotion Bea and the Gregorys felt when she was summoned home, her U.S. family upset and frantic and Bea, once she was on the ship wanted nothing more than to stay in America, bake pies with Mrs. G., play chess with Mr. G, explore with Gerald, to kiss William…to marry him and be in his family forever. Before she leaves, she tells William to move on as she knows about living across an ocean from the people you love. When the author reverted to Part 2, August 1951, Bea, and William are front and center. They are older and wiser but still in love, he vowing to keep their time together in London only in his memories. She had no regrets, although he had a baby on the way and was getting married…it felt like the right way to close things out – they had come together in order to move apart. In Part 3 – back in the 1960s William and wife, Rose, agreed every other Saturday night they would enjoy date nights, but not together. She knew he had stopped loving her a long time ago, but he was a wonderful father and divorce was not in the cards. We talked about Shakespeare’s quote from The Tempest and the meaning of “What’s past is prologue,” which is a reminder of how our history influences our present choices and future outcomes. William feels close to Rose’s family as it was like the one he had always wanted, no one was ever disappointed in him or expected him to be more than he is.
The island off Maine was more than a vacation house. The characters enjoyed a less structured life, routines were abandoned, bedtimes abolished, and mealtimes were more of a free-for-all and less than a continuation of a lesson plan. They were family there, not just members of the family. When William died Rose said she should have known it was an omen when Patrick Kennedy only lived for a short time; Gerald took the lead in notifying everyone; Bea was shocked but not surprised…sensing he was not living the life he wanted, something was off. Why was it impossible for him to be happy? Rose arranged William’s Catholic service much to the chagrin of Nancy but at the gravesite, a tribute to his love of the Maine island home included guests tossing a handful of sand instead of dirt into the grave and a basket of seashells were passed around. We talked about Bea’s decision to marry Gerald and whether she was settling for second best. She finally let go of her fantasy of William and never denied loving him but realized that Gerald was better suited to marriage than William would have ever been. She still kept what happened between the two of them in London from Gerald but all she would admit was that she did love him, but they were no longer teenagers, he was getting married, and Rose was pregnant. This was the only way to hold on and protect what they had and insisted it had nothing to do with her feelings for Gerald. The author masterfully developed the character arcs for each one transitioning their traits from the beginning into a new picture of them at the end of the novel. So well done! And the finale, the epilogue, August 1977, was certain to put a smile on our faces and a warm glow inside as the Gregorys in their Maine island home represented a blend of the old with the new. Home indeed.
On the business side:
A funny and odd thing was brought to my attention by Bonnie asking me in a text how she missed my new book, A Sort of Quiet, being published. I honestly thought she’s got too much going on in her life. But as it turns out there was a 5-star review of my latest novel, posted on OnlineBookClub. It is an “enrapturing novel that dives into the intricacies of human connections, insider facts, and the force of pardoning. Set in a humble community in Texas, the story follows the existences of three ladies – Elizabeth Amelia, and Laura – whose lives converge unexpectedly…. with its lavishly drawn characters, convincing storyline, and strong subjects, the book isn’t to be missed.” I searched for the title on Amazon, Google, etc…to no avail. I didn’t want to miss out on all the royalties generated by my latest and greatest novel. LOL. I even asked AI to generate a review and “it” also provided a detailed accounting.
The donation for the PWC Women of Influence gala has been assembled and delivered. The total value came to $362.00 which included the $100.00 Bookers’ Bookish gift card. I included signed copies of my books, a signed copy of Marcus Zusak’s (author of The Book Thief) latest, Bridge of Clay, and a few other “Book” related items. Also, many thanks to MN Stanky for her donation and to author, Jim Willi, for donating a signed copy of his four novels! Their support is much appreciated.
Bonnie Magee suggested as extra reading (not for Bookers though) The Only One Left, a 2023 murder mystery/horror novel by American author Todd Ritter, writing under the pen name, Riley Sager. The plot concerns a woman who takes a job caring for an elderly invalid who was accused decades ago of murdering her parents and younger sister, slowly unraveling the truth behind the murders and a missing nurse. And several Bookers suggested reading Kristin Hannah’s latest bestseller, The Women, detailing an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time in an epic tale of a nation divided as the world is changing in 1965 when women can be heroes.
Our next meeting will be April 9th, 10:00 a.m. at the home of Jane Shaw, 116 White Cap. We’ll be discussing A Likely Story by Leigh McMullan Abramson.
Happy Reading,
JoDee
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