In 1924, Ruby del Palacio gave birth to a stillborn baby girl named Faith. A year later she delivers another daughter, Alice. Rubygrapples with the constraints of limited women's rights, realizing her primary role is to bear and raise her husband's children. Determined to seek independence and well-being, she files for divorce but faces a custody battle initiated by her impertinent husband. As Alice matures, she uncovers the truth about her absent mother's decisions, spurring a quest to locate her and seek answers for herself and her siblings. The novel portrays themes of love, dedication, sorrow, and resilience from Ruth and Alice's perspectives.

The premise of this novel immediately drew me in! I am a huge historical fiction/women's fiction buff and I wanted to read and enjoy this so badly. After I read the author's note that states this book is based on her mom's personal story I was even more intrigued!

I appreciated the character development and found myself invested in and caring deeply about several of the characters, particularly considering their difficult and tumultuous backgrounds.

I found the storyline somewhat disorganized, lacking a cohesive flow in certain aspects. While the writing itself was well done, the prose didn't quite adhere to a consistent style or tone.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the advanced copy!

Martha Burns has created a beautiful historical fiction novel that intertwines emotion and family discovery that pulled at my heartstrings and had me reaching for tissues at certain pages. Across the Narrows does an amazing job at keeping you invested in the characters and plot, gripping your attention and emotions as you journey with them on this intriguing story of family connection and discovery.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a strong historical fiction novel, it had a great concept that felt like it was supposed to in this setting. The characters were what I was hoping for and had enjoyed from other books in the genre. Martha Burns does a great job in keeping you invested and caring about the characters. I enjoyed everything about this novel and glad I got to read this.

I personally am a big fan of books that are set in a different time period such as Across the Narrows. The synopsis drew me in. However, I had a hard time connecting with the book. I enjoyed the plots but it only held my attention for a short time. I do find the storyline quite interesting, just wished it was a bit more cohesive. Thank you so much NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this in advance.

I found it hard to rate because I just don't know what to make of this book. So I settled for the middle. The author is attempting to tell the story of her mother and her search for her as an adult but, at least for me, it jumps around so much looking to stick to something. Parts of it were interesting and kept my attention but a good portion of it I found boring. Thanks to Netgalley, author and publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.