August 27, 2014 Leave a comment
The Other Side of the Bridge by Katherine Swartz. Published by Thule

What do you do when you’ve lost everything that ever mattered to you? After losing her job, her husband and her baby, Ava jumps on the chance to leave everything behind and travel to Greece to the old farmhouse she has inherited from her grandmother. Surely she can find some peace there. Instead she uncovers a mystery. When an elderly woman mistakes Ava for her grandmother and pleads forgiveness, Ava is intrigued. What secrets did her grandmother keep? As she begins digging, she discovers that her grandmother worked with the resistance during World War II and that she had a forbidden love affair with a British agent. Told through the voices of three women, The Other Side of the Bridge is a story about love, courage and the undeniable strength of woman

The Other Side of the Bridge is a very moving story that will quickly transport you to another locale. This book had me reading very long into to the night. I did not want to put it down. Katharine Swartz is a very talented author. I will definitely be looking for more of her books.

A very moving story of loss, starting over, bravery and determination.. Stepping back to look at decisions made during stressful times is a reminder to make wise choices and be willing to go for what your heart desires.

Flashbacks to WW2 occupied Greece and the Resistance factions within the country provide a history of Sophia that is moving and very interesting.

Ava & Simon's struggles to have a child shatter their 15 year marriage after a miscarriage. Ava's decision to leave England and live in the house she inherited from her grandmother, Sophia, puts Ava in a small village outside Athens, Greece.
There Ava faces the physical and emotional challenges of a new country, culture and language, but the rewards of learning about her grandmother help Ava face her own problems.

Well thought out story that include views of society both old and new.

Without a question, hands down, this book was 5 stars for me.

It wasn't easy to read, not due to an issue with the writing, which I found great, but rather because the subject matter hits a little too close to home sometimes.

I found this to be a very sensitive and honest look at relationships, personalities, grief, communication (or lack thereof) and the misunderstandings or misconceptions that arise from simply being human.

Truly a hidden gem of a book

About how to find the courage to love and live. The stories of grandmother and grandaughter, who both lost and loved and find the courage to see the beauty in both.

Ava was never very close to her grandmother Sophia - but obviously Sophia had saw the kindred spirit in her, letting her inherit her native house in Greece and thinking of her that she was stronger than she had thought. But Ava thinks of herself as broken, as her marriage got almost destroyed by the death of her unborn daughter. Ava is trying to run away from her pain - to Greece. Feeling Greece on her skin and getting to know more about her then young grandmother in the war times, she is also getting to know her heart better.
Sophia Paranoussis never wanted anything but safety - for her father, her pretty, but childish sister Angelika and herself. So she kept to herself and to hard work. But her discreetness and quiet strength of character was exactly what made the Greek resistance members recognize her. They approached her and Sophia, scared to the core, was helping as she could - till the bridge explosion.

This is one beautiful, gentle story. It is unlike a lot of today's stories in which the woman is leaving the unhappy marriage to start anew - with another georgeous man. This one is not how to leave, this one is on how about to stay, how to understand the differences, how to try to talk to the one you still love and who might still love you. How to be strong in love. How to be strong in life. And all this without any pathos or self-highlighting.

To be honest, I liked the Sophia's story more - as she was an unwilling heroine, the one forced to be more brave than she thought she was capable of - in the cruel times of the Second World War.
But Ava's story is maybe more useful to apply in my own life.

And both stories are very, very good read.