A review by jilliebeen2003
A Bridge Across the Ocean by Susan Meissner
3.0
3.5 stars.
When I read the description of this book, I was instantly excited to read it: I love books that can go back and forth in time and weave two stories together into one. To me, this book was reminiscent of The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton (one of my all-time favorites!): a huge secret kept by a woman (or women), dating back to WW2, and someone in the present-day bringing the truth to light. And this book did it well. However, this book has an element of the supernatural woven in, as the present-day character, Brette, is able to see and hear ghosts, and a particular ghost takes her on a journey to find out what happened to a woman traveling on the Queen Mary to the United States after WW2.
Ghost stories don't bother me at all, and I really enjoyed where this one was going...until the very end when I found out who/what the ghost figure leading Brette on her journey really was. I won't give any spoilers here, in case anyone wants to read the book. I still loved the book and adored the story, but this one thing thrown in just threw me off and cost this book a star in my opinion. I've read plenty of reviews in which readers really thought it was a clever plot point, but I just thought it was cheesy. I feel like Brette could have been led on her journey in a number of other ways, which would have made me not snort with laughter and roll my eyes at that point in the book. (I'm pretty sure that wasn't the reaction the author was going for).
BUT: don't let that weird quirk put you off from reading this book, especially if you're a fan of Kate Morton-esque books and stories about women in WW2. If you like that type of book, I can almost guarantee you'll enjoy this. Just be ready to roll your eyes in the last couple of chapters.
When I read the description of this book, I was instantly excited to read it: I love books that can go back and forth in time and weave two stories together into one. To me, this book was reminiscent of The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton (one of my all-time favorites!): a huge secret kept by a woman (or women), dating back to WW2, and someone in the present-day bringing the truth to light. And this book did it well. However, this book has an element of the supernatural woven in, as the present-day character, Brette, is able to see and hear ghosts, and a particular ghost takes her on a journey to find out what happened to a woman traveling on the Queen Mary to the United States after WW2.
Ghost stories don't bother me at all, and I really enjoyed where this one was going...until the very end when I found out who/what the ghost figure leading Brette on her journey really was. I won't give any spoilers here, in case anyone wants to read the book. I still loved the book and adored the story, but this one thing thrown in just threw me off and cost this book a star in my opinion. I've read plenty of reviews in which readers really thought it was a clever plot point, but I just thought it was cheesy. I feel like Brette could have been led on her journey in a number of other ways, which would have made me not snort with laughter and roll my eyes at that point in the book. (I'm pretty sure that wasn't the reaction the author was going for).
BUT: don't let that weird quirk put you off from reading this book, especially if you're a fan of Kate Morton-esque books and stories about women in WW2. If you like that type of book, I can almost guarantee you'll enjoy this. Just be ready to roll your eyes in the last couple of chapters.