Review: Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams

Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams
Also by this author: Tiny Little Thing, Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War, A Certain Age, Cocoa Beach
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on November 3, 2015
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 464
Format: Hardcover
Source: the publisher

Spanning two time periods (1960’s America and 1930’s Europe), Along the Infinite Sea is a genuinely captivating novel that immediately captivates the reader, rendering a reading experience that is both heartwarming and inspiring.  Williams has never shied away from sensitive subjects, known for crafting incredibly well-drawn and intensely developed main character.  The same rings true for this most recent novel involving the Shulyer sisters.

Both Pepper and Annabelle are determined women far beyond their time. Neither is reliant upon a man for their happiness and survival, yet when they do fall it is true and relentless.  Though each storyline has the power and intensity for stand-alone novels, I love how the two are joined together by one material item that holds such power as to forever alter their lives.

I’m not one for mushy romances, yet the relationships Williams creates is so genuine and enduring, a classic love that transcends time and space. There’s nothing contrived about these relationships, nor are they easily formed or forgotten.  They are the very essence of true love.

I do recommend reading the Schulyer sisters books in order (A Hundred Summers, The Secret Life of Violet Grant, Tiny Little Thing, Along the Infinite Sea), for while they each focus on one sister in particular, the timelines do follow one another, characters that are secondary in one might be the focus in another.  Though they aren’t a true series, but a set of companion novels, the most impact would be received in reading them in order.

All in all, Along the Infinite Sea is just further evidence that Williams is a leading author of historical fiction. Highly, highly recommended.