Review: ‘A Bridge Across The Ocean’

Three women are aboard the Queen Mary, heading across the ocean to meet up with their American soldier husbands after World War II. They don't know each other or their stories but are roommates on the five-day voyage to America. As they introduce themselves we are taken back in time to their life before and during World War II in France, Belgium and Germany. One of them has a secret and once it comes out, their three lives are changed forever.

Meissner is known for combining past stories with the present day in her novels and this one is no exception. Brette is a young, married professional who lives in southern California. She has always lived a very quiet life because once her high school friends found out she had 'The Sight” she was ostracized by them, and since then, she has tried to keep her ability to see and communicate with ghosts, or drifters, as she calls them, to herself. Now her husband is ready to have children and she isn't sure that she is willing to pass on 'The Sight” if they would have a daughter. After a visit onboard the Queen Mary, she is confronted by a drifter and feels the need to find answers for the drifter thinking that maybe those answers will help decide her own future.

I wasn't expecting this book to be about ghosts and was unsure if I was going to like it. But, one of Meissner's previous books, 'The Fall of Marigolds” was a favorite of 2014, so I decided to keep going and I'm glad I did.

My favorite parts include the stories of these women during World War II and the extreme heartbreak and danger they went through. One of the women was part of the French Resistance. Another lived a horrific life married to a Nazi soldier. I am still in awe of the people who risked their lives to hide and help those who were traumatized by the Nazi officials. Their stories are inspiring and remind me of the goodness that abounded during World War II even though there was so much evil.

Meissner's novel is character-driven, and you become attached to the three women on the ship as well as Brette during the present day. Her struggle with 'The Sight” is one I've never read about before, and I have to assume the author met with someone who has that ability for her research. The drifter has her own story to tell, and you may be surprised who she is revealed to be.

Fans of historical fiction or dual-time period stories will be swept away by this novel. I learned much about the Queen Mary and her many voyages, including those that carried foreign brides across the ocean. It made me want to visit the Queen Mary myself. In fact, I just heard they are making Queen Mary Island into a large attraction and event center with shops, restaurants, and other activities.

I would have picked up this book for the cover alone. It is absolutely gorgeous, but the story is just as compelling. Meissner has blended historical fiction with a present-day ghost story, and it works.