Beyond the Moon by Catherine Taylor
Publisher & Release: The Cameo Press Ltd, June 25, 2019
Time and setting: Early 20th century, England
Genre: Historical Romance/Time Travel
Length: 496 Pages
Heat Level: 1 flame
Rating: 5 Gold Crowns
Book Description:
A time travel romance, yet so much more than that. It is also an unflinching portrait of the horrors of war, and a look at the torturous extremes a human soul can endure. It is a sonnet to the transformative power of love, even as it is also a criticism of the futility and pointless destructiveness of war." — Shaylin Gandhi, author of By The Light of Embers
In 1916 1st Lieutenant Robert Lovett is a patient at Coldbrook Hall military hospital in Sussex, England. A gifted artist, he’s been wounded fighting in the Great War. Shell shocked and suffering from hysterical blindness he can no longer see his own face, let alone paint, and life seems increasingly hopeless.
A century later in 2017, medical student Louisa Casson has just lost her beloved grandmother – her only family. Heartbroken, she drowns her sorrows in alcohol on the South Downs cliffs – only to fall accidentally part-way down. Doctors fear she may have attempted suicide, and Louisa finds herself involuntarily admitted to Coldbrook Hall – now a psychiatric hospital, an unfriendly and chaotic place.
Then one day, while secretly exploring the old Victorian hospital’s ruined, abandoned wing, Louisa hears a voice calling for help, and stumbles across a dark, old-fashioned hospital room. Inside, lying on the floor, is a mysterious, sightless young man, who tells her he was hurt at the Battle of the Somme, a WW1 battle a century ago. And that his name is Lieutenant Robert Lovett…
Two people, two battles: one against the invading Germans on the battlefields of 1916 France, the other against a substandard, uncaring mental health facility in modern-day England. Two journeys begun a century apart, but somehow destined to coincide - and become one desperate struggle to be together.
Part WW1 historical fiction, part timeslip love story - and at the same time a meditation on the themes of war, mental illness, identity and art - Beyond The Moon sweeps the reader on an unforgettable journey through time. An intelligent read, perfect for book clubs.
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Excerpt:
High Wood, mid-July 1916
It was beautiful; so unexpectedly and profoundly perfect that he felt his heart might break. Robert looked out over the cornfield at High Wood, tears spilling down his cheeks, surprised he still had the ability to cry. Perhaps there was something in him that was still human after all. A little way behind stood Private Nesbitt, his signaller. The two of them had come out in advance to assess the lie of the land.
The breeze brushed softly through the ripening ears of corn, as if for the simple pleasure of feeling them part. And the corn, in turn, seemed to shiver with pleasure at its touch. There was scarcely a shell hole to be seen. Nearby, a song thrush spilled its joyous tune. It was warm, the sky mostly overcast, but every now and then a shaft of sunlight broke through and gilded the landscape and heated the back of his neck. Only the distant boom of the guns gave away the fact they were still at the front.
He closed his eyes, drank in the silence. He could almost be back at home in the fields of his boyhood, tramping through the thigh-high buttercups with a jam jar, catching beetles and pretending not to hear Cook at the bottom of the garden calling him back in for lunch. He could scarcely believe he’d ever been that boy. That time increasingly seemed like a fantasy dreamt up by someone else.
It was just two weeks since the great offensive had kicked off, but he felt he’d aged a lifetime. His battalion had been sent further down the line, south of the Albert to Bapaume road, where the attack had been a bit more successful on the first of July. There, the British had not only taken a little ground but held it – albeit at great cost. Now Sir Douglas Haig wanted to exploit the gains. Things had gone well so far that morning. Instead of a long preliminary bombardment proclaiming loudly to all and sundry the fact that the British were coming, there’d been a short, lightning bombardment. Under cover of darkness, they’d been able to take the Germans by surprise and turf them out of three miles of their own second line. Luck had, for once, been on their side. Now they must press their advantage and advance further. There were no two ways about it. This time they simply had to succeed.
Vikki’s Musings
Thanks goes to the author for offering me a chance to read and review Beyond the Moon. This book is available through the Kindle Unlimited program, which is how I chose to read it. I’m so glad Ms. Taylor brought her book to my attention. What an amazing debut novel!
Beyond the Moon is an epic novel with characters that touched my heart, and a plot that is riveting. The writing is crisp and flows beautifully, and the pacing is perfect. The dialogue is smooth and pulled me into the story. Ms. Taylor’s transition from present day to war torn France and England is excellent.
Louisa Casson’s character is compelling. I became vested in her from the first page to the last. I could feel her terror when she discovers she’s confined in Coldwater Hall. Her independent personality would have gotten her into hot water if she hadn’t taken advice from one of the other patients.
Robert Lovett is the hero, and I fell in love with him from the beginning. He’s an intriguing character, and I could not wait to learn more about him. I loved that he could not forget Louisa although he isn’t sure she truly exists.
The romance between Louisa and Robert is amazing. Although they are separated by distance and time, it remains strong. The times they are together, are electric. It’s a tribute to Ms. Taylor’s talent that she could keep me involved in their love story when they spend so much time apart.
If you enjoy time travel with an intriguing twist, with amazing characters and an intricate plot, then you will love Beyond the Moon as much as I did. I will be looking for future works by this talented author. Happy reading!
Author Bio:
Catherine was born and grew up on the small island of Guernsey, one of the British Channel Islands in the English Channel.
She’s been obsessed with history, and particularly with WW1 for a long time - in fact she dates her fascination with WW1 to the moment she first read Wilfred Owen's poem "Strange Meeting" as a child.
The literature of the First World War is the most moving she’s ever read, and she defies anyone to read Vera Brittain's A Testament Of Youth and not be moved to tears. As well as being a history obsessive, She’s a hopeless romantic. And she always knew that the novel she one day intended to write would be a historical love story, set during the First World War - one that would be intelligent, well-researched and have a big, emotional heart.
Not only that, she always wanted her novel to have a touch of the fantastical about it too. As a child she loved to read books with magic in them, especially timeslips, and as she got older, she wondered why it was that most novels with elements of the paranormal in them were exclusively for children.
Catherine is a former journalist who lives in West London with her husband and two children. Beyond The Moon is her first novel.
I’m not really very active on Facebook, but I post on Twitter and Instagram where my handles are @CathTaylorNovel and @catherine_taylor_author respectively.
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