REVIEW: Beyond the Clouds (The Women of Midtown): by Elizabeth Camden
They lost each other once before; now the clouds of war may give them a second chance.
As teenagers, Delia Byrne and Finn Delaney fell in love while flying kites and dreaming of a future together–until betrayal tore them apart. Now, as America enters World War I, Delia works for peace as a paralegal and pacifist. Her values forbid her from supporting the war effort, but she volunteers for a relief organization trying to save millions of lives in famine-stricken Belgium.
Returning to America as a decorated war hero, Finn is eager to get back to the front but is assigned to use his fame to raise funds instead. To his surprise, this mission will bring him face-to-face with Delia, the only woman he ever loved and once hoped to marry. As their shared mission draws them together, old sparks of romance begin to stir–until duty sends them behind enemy lines in occupied Belgium. Will the greatest danger be the conflict raging around them–or the possibility of falling in love again?
Dear Ms. Camden,
And so ends this wonderful series about young women in the 1910s forging lives for themselves against adversity. This book stands well on its own though, so newcomers don’t need to worry if they want to jump in here. The hero and heroine of the previous book have secondary roles but their lives are explained and they take part in the book to aid it rather than wave the flag for their own story. Though I do recommend reading it as it’s charming.
Finn and Delia’s relationship goes from friends to first love to a bad break up before they’re thrust back together to aid in raising funds for the Commission for Relief in Belgium. They aren’t happy to be back in each other’s company for Reasons. Finn wants to get back to flying in France while Delia still hasn’t forgiven him for what he did ten years ago. But since Finn signed up with the Army once he got back to the US (he had begun flying with the Lafayette Escadrille) and the Army is happy to loan him to Bertie Hoover who is desperately trying to raise more funds to keep the Belgian population from starving to death, Finn has no say in it.
Finn also needs to be cagey about exactly how he escaped from Belgium after being shot down because if the Germans discover who helped him and that he was spirited out of the country using CRB operatives, the person who helped him will be arrested (and probably shot) and the relief operation will be shut down. When Finn discovers the worst has happened, something from his past makes him do something foolhardy but brave and then it’s up to Delia to force herself past her fear and try to save him.
I was surprised at a few things in this book. Delia and Finn had dreamed big dreams – for two orphans living in late 19th century NYC. But then Finn did something that broke Delia’s trust in him despite Finn’s efforts to repair what he did. Her lingering anger at him has to be examined and Delia must come to terms with why she’s clung to it for so long. I like that this is part of her built-in personality traits – not that she’s still angry but why she’s still angry. It will still take a bit more effort for her to finally put this fear in her past though.
Delia was disappointed to not have the life that she and Finn dreamed of but she finds another path, honed her skills, has a good job plus a possible new love interest. That subplot was not one I expected but again, Delia deals with what happens and sticks up for herself. Go, Delia. Finn is the “go for broke” one of the pair who takes a chance which leads him to what he wants. He also tends to act first and think later and has a tendency to try to be the hero. Still he’s been longing to repair the damage he did to Delia and uses their fundraising time together to work on that. When he decides he must go back to Belgium, Delia is frustrated but understands why. Then she goes about putting some of her fear behind her and goes after him.
From the blurb, I had visions of the two of them elbow crawling behind enemy lines while under fire. Nah, nothing like that happens. Instead we get more diplomatic maneuvering like what was so much a part of “When Stars Light the Sky.” Delia uses her skills at law research, too, as well as turning German rule following against them, plus naive faith to “go for broke” herself. It never hurts to ask for what you want.
During his (second) time in Belgium, Finn has to face emotional, physical, and spiritual despair while digging deep into his determination to survive. He also forges a bond with someone he once would have thought of as an enemy. This is an inspirational romance and religious belief is important to both Delia and Finn. They pray at times and think of scripture but it doesn’t get preachy.
I’m sorry to see this series end but I’ve enjoyed all the books as well as learning a lot about the efforts of the CRB to fend off starvation in Belgium due much to the hard work of Bertie Hoover. I’m embarrassed that I didn’t realize who he is until almost the end of the book. B
~Jayne
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