BY SOPHIA
Okay so, even though Jensine & I are both self-proclaimed YA lovers, I do tend to branch out once in awhile and read things outside of that genre (such as The Guest List, for example). This author, Susan Meissner, was mentioned by a different book blogger that I personally follow and that blogger said that this book was a beautiful historical fiction mystery that she really enjoyed. You might find it hard to believe but when I’m not reading about fae and wolves, I LOVE historical fiction. I probably get a bit of it from my dad who is a big history buff.
Needless to say, my interest was piqued when I saw this title, A Bridge Across The Ocean. Historical fiction? Mystery? WHAT IS THIS BOOK ABOUT? Without giving too much away … I’ll tell you that it is a ghost story. Yes, you read that correctly. A ghost story. It’s told from multiple different perspectives across many different time eras but one of the perspectives is a modern day woman named Brette who, for lack of a better term, is a medium. Brette is doing a favor for a friend and decides to explore the supposedly haunted Queen Mary ship when she discovers a secret (and maybe a truth?) that has been buried for decades.
The rest of the story is told from the perspectives of different women during and after World War II. I do have a really soft spot that that time period of history so that might have made it a bit more enjoyable for me.
overall rating: 4/5
what i liked:
- Strong female protagonists, the entire story is told from female perspectives.
- Historical aspects of the fiction felt accurate (but honestly, I’m not a scholar or expert of that time period so don’t take my word for it. It felt realistic is all I’ll say.)
- The answer to the mystery definitely didn’t feel obvious …at first.
- Emotional storyline that pulls you in and is quick yet pleasant to read.
what i disliked:
- About 2/3 of the way through the book … I did sort of figure out what the solution to the mystery was (although seeing how it all unfolded was still new to me so I didn’t dock off too many points for this).
- The ending was NOT open-ended (which I like) but I also felt like the author could have given a bit more resolution/closure to the characters (which I disliked). I always want a story to not only give me a happy ending but also a bit of “and these are how those characters are doing now!” and I feel like Susan Meissner could have given a bit more the latter to her reader.
conclusion:
If you like historical fiction and you like mystery, picking up a copy of this book is a no brainer. It’s an easy read (I read it in two sittings over one day) and entertaining enough that you won’t feel like your time was wasted. Go for it!