Wartime intrigue spans the lives of three women—past and present—in this emotional novel from the acclaimed author of The Last Year of the War. February, 1946. World War Two is over, but the recovery from the most intimate of its horrors has only just begun for Annaliese Lange, a German ballerina desperate to escape her past, and Simone Deveraux, the wronged daughter of a French Résistance spy. … wronged daughter of a French Résistance spy.
Now the two women are joining hundreds of other European war brides aboard the renowned RMS Queen Mary to cross the Atlantic and be reunited with their American husbands. Their new lives in the United States brightly beckon until their tightly-held secrets are laid bare in their shared stateroom. When the voyage ends at New York Harbor, only one of them will disembark…
Present day. Facing a crossroads in her own life, Brette Caslake visits the famously haunted Queen Mary at the request of an old friend. What she finds will set her on a course to solve a seventy-year-old tragedy that will draw her into the heartaches and triumphs of the courageous war brides—and will ultimately lead her to reconsider what she has to sacrifice to achieve her own deepest longings.
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A beguiling tapestry of storytelling and a unique look at one of history’s most enigmatic ships.
I was utterly spellbound, beguiled, swept up in this ghostly mystery.
I was in no way prepared for what awaited me within the pages of this book. I’ll tell you right now that the description does NOT do this book any justice. What caught my attention was the historical fiction angle. I love a good historical fiction novel and the World War Two war brides were not a topic I have ever encountered or truly given much thought to. The stories of Simone and Annaliese were heartbreaking, but entwined with all the loss and anguish were inner strength and a sense of hope that refused to burn out, no matter how the flame flickered. I found it especially interesting that neither of these women was Jewish, which was a bit of a surprise, given the World War Two context. The author went a bit more unexpected in her choices for characters and I loved the viewpoint her choices provided.
Something I often don’t feel is done well is the back and forth of past and present within a historical fiction nvel, especially when the present is an entirely different character all together (as opposed to the aged version of a character from the past). I wondered how the present would fit with the past, but our present day character, Brette, is where the description failed the book. Brette has a special ability. Brette can see the spirit world. In the past, books with ghosts and supernatural occurrences have felt contrived to me. It’s all so overly forced and uncomfortable. I *loved* the way Susan Meissner wrote not only of Brette’s ability, but also the way she spoke of the Drifters (the spirits left wandering in this world). I found myself totally enthralled with how Brette finds herself immersed in the lives of Simone and Annaliese.
Another thing I loved about this book was the inclusion of one of my favorite historical landmarks (is it really considered a *land*mark, though…?): The RMS Queen Mary. Because I’ve been onboard the vessel more than once, I could picture so much of what was taking place there. The description had mentioned the ship, but I didn’t realize just how much attention she would be given throughout the story itself. This was a fun surprise.
There were some excellent twists in this book. Moments the story went sideways in the best possible ways. Characters I loved and hurt for. Very little creepiness — even with the ghost-y parts! so if you’re looking for spooky, this isn’t your book — but more a sense of loneliness and longing. There was some intrigue and a tiny bit of romance, but mostly this was a story of perseverance and hope and compassion. I could say more, but some of the secrets this book holds are best discovered when you read it, so I will simply say that I am so glad that, despite the inadequacy of its description, I found my way to “A Bridge Across the Ocean,” because it was such a lovely, aching book with a soul all its own.
5 Stars. Great novel! I found the stories from the past more compelling than the contemporary story that tied them together, but overall I really enjoyed this book. My favorite Susan Meissner book has been A Fall of Marigolds, but this comes close to tying with that story 🙂 Beautiful prose, wonderful characters, perfect narrator. Loved it!
Susan Meissner never disappoints. This story takes us from World War II to the present day. This author is remarkable at being able to tell a story going back and forth between multiple time periods and many different characters. Brett, who lives in the present time period can “see” ghosts who have not been able to cross over for some reason. She sees this as a curse but is pulled into a situation she cannot avoid upon visiting the Queen Mary and and getting the feeling that someone who has been on the ship is trying to tel her a story. Upon researching the history of the ship, Brett learns of a group of English war brides that were brought to America on the Queen Mary. Going back seventy years, we get to know the stories of some of these brides and how they came to be on the ship. A thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying story.
First off, Meissner is a brilliant writer and I love her storytelling ability. She opens up World War II scenes with a style that’s powerful, emotive, and with some beautiful literary moments. On that basis, I’d give her a consistent five stars every time out, including here. “The Last Year of the War” is a masterpiece; my wife and I both read it during our summer break and loved every page.
Here’s the problem with “Bridge Across the Ocean.” It’s an amazing story of WWII brides escaping the horrors of Nazism aboard the Queen Mary. Okay. But the author has unwisely chosen a fantasy motif involving “Drifters,” the lost and bewildered souls of people who have died but somehow didn’t make it to heaven. Their presence haunts the ship; for some reason a desperate would-be suicide victim is still in limbo down at the Long Beach dock 70 years after the 1946 voyage.
Well, that’s a fascinating sci-fi hook, and I’m an avid fan of similar themes, having devoured time-travel tales and even dabbled in crafting such stories myself. But as a Christian writer of renown, Meissner steps onto some real theological quicksand with the assertion that disembodied souls are all about us and that a chosen few can communicate with them. All through Scripture, that kind of dabbling in spiritualism is condemned in the strongest possible terms, e.g. Saul and the Witch of Endor. “The living know that they shall die, but the dead KNOW NOT ANYTHING.” Eccl. 9:5. “Even their thoughts perish.”
As a stand-alone ghost story, this literary hook might be okay. But coming as it does from the prolific pen of a born-again disciple, it’s a surprising choice. And frankly, the story could have been just as brilliant without the supernatural element.
Having said that, she’s a talented pro with a pure gift – offered to her by a sovereign Lord who doesn’t leave His treasured subjects in a drifting state of bewilderment.
Loved this book. After visiting the Queen Mary, I was drawn to this novel. The shifts between past and present and the ghostly element combine for an intriguing, interesting mystery. It is an easy yet fascinating read.
Mystery and wonder are found on each page of this great story. The Queen Mary ship is full of people with unique stories of life and death. Circumstances cause Brette Caslake to become involved in finding the truth to an old mystery and also, to possibly help a family in need of closure. The way the author describes the “ghosts” in the story made me feel as if I could have been there on the ship with the wind blowing across my skin. No scary “ghosts” in this story. I enjoyed this story very much and look forward to reading more by author Susan Meissner
Intriguing, creative, informative. I really enjoyed the back-and-forth in time of this story and its original ending.
This is the second book I have read by this author and she is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Susan Meissner is able to take seemingly unrelated experiences and weave them together in a believable and touching way. Really enjoy her writing!
As ALL of Susan Meissner’s books, this was fantastic. Havent missed one, and look forward to the next one!!!
Very good historical fiction.
I enjoyed this book tremendously!
Lovely and engaging, like all Meissner’s novels, and twisty enough to keep you guessing as you go. Highly recommended.
I enjoyed the story line and characters. I learned a bit of history, too.
I won this book as from Goodreads giveaways and I am writing this review because I enjoyed it very much. This is a wonderful story that tells about 3 women who survived WWII and became war brides, except one never got off the Queen Mary when she docked in NY. Each woman came from a different part of Europe and survived some very bad things that happened to them. Then you throw in that the ship has memories and allows Ghost to come and visit and till the they are ready to move on. One young woman has a gift to see them but doesn’t deal with it very well but tries to help a high school friend with his daughter and gets into understanding that one of the women listed as dying on the ship really didn’t. I loved this story it is well written and give you a insight on what some of the War Brides went through.
Loved this book! Magical view of life and the hereafter.
Interesting stories of WWII GI Brides with an unexpected twist.
I loved this book and it may be my favorite of Susan Meissner! It is haunting (literally!), mysterious and so very interesting. It certainly keeps your attention. I highly recommend this book.
I enjoyed this book about war brides. A story I have never heard much about prior to this. I thought it was very realistic and loved the characters. Looking forward to the next book by this author.