The Sky Beneath Her by Mary Ellen Taylor ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

 

An unforgettable tale of lost love and buried truths, where the mysteries of a famous shipwreck hold the key to one woman’s future―and the truth of her mother’s final days.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site.  A free book was provided for an honest review.

July 2026; Montlake; 978-1662530142
audio, ebook, print (335 pages); family fiction

The Sky Beneath Her is an intriguing and beautifully written dual timeline novel.  

1941 timeline

The Oceanus is traveling from Spain to the United States with several passengers.  It was a very dangerous time for ocean travel because German U-boats had been sinking boats near the Outer Banks in North Carolina.  

Normally, boats making that crossing traveled together, but the Oceanus was delayed and traveling alone. Despite the danger, there were passengers on the ship who had to get to safety out of Europe and the threat of the Nazis. Most notable were Dr Brooks, who had kind of a shady back story, and Johnna, who was fleeing from her cruel Nazi sympathizer husband in Vienna and was about 8 months pregnant.  She wanted to keep a low profile, but Dr Brooks seemed to know a lot about her, and one of the other passengers recognized her from Vienna.  Will she be able to safely get to America, where she can hide in New York City?

Present Day Timeline

Tula grew up with an adventuresome mother who traveled the world and dived for treasure.  When Tula arrived in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, it had been seven years since her mother disappeared when she was diving to the Oceanus.  

Tula had completely changed her life after her mother’s death - she was afraid of and didn’t want to live anywhere near the ocean.  She moved to Norfolk, got a job, and got married.  After 7 years, her marriage had ended, and her employer asked her to clean out his uncle’s house and get it ready to sell.  The house was very close to the wreck of the Oceanus.  

Was it a coincidence, or was there a connection between that house and the man who lived and died there, and the ship that was sunk by a U-boat in 1942?  

As Tula finds paperwork in the house, she learns not only more about the man who lived there but also discovers an unexpected family connection.   

Will her discoveries help her overcome her fears and return to the ocean that she used to love? 

‘Sometimes the greatest journeys begin when we find the courage to dive back in.’

My Recommendation

Both timelines were interesting, and I was surprised when the connection between the timelines was shared near the end of the story.  I especially enjoyed the present-day timeline and found it interesting to see the way that the main character grew as she faced long-held fears that had affected her life more than she realized.

I thought that this was an intense intriguing story and definitely recommend it!

Buy The Sky Beneath Her at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.

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