Thursday, July 25, 2013

The Light Between Oceans M.L. Stedman

Hardcover, 343 pages
 Published July 31st 2012 by Scribner (first published April 9th 2012)
original title
The Light Between Oceans
ISBN
1451681739 (ISBN13: 9781451681734)
edition language
English
setting
Australia 1926
literary awards

 "Sometimes life turns out hard, Isabel. Sometimes it just bites right through you. And sometimes, just when you think it's done its worst, it comes back and takes another chunk."

Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia after World War I and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. This isolated island rarely see visitors, a supply boat once a season and Tom only receives biannual shore leave. Tom meets and marries Isabel in the town closest to the island and brings his bold young wife to the island shortly after he begins his tenure there. Tom and Isabel suffer several miscarriages and a still birth and years later a grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries while tending her garden. A is on the shore with an infant a deceased man.

Tom is a meticulous record keeper with incredibly strong moral principles and he wants to report their findings immediately,  while Isabel, still grieving their latest loss, begins to feed the baby her own breast milk. Tom, torn between making his wife happy and his better judgement reluctantly agrees to name the baby Lucy. Two years later while on shore leave they are reminded that other people exist and how their choices have affected them.

 I really enjoyed this book and the moral and emotional dilemmas presented.  Each character was struggling with right or wrong, hope or despair, forgiveness or hate.  I plowed through the book in just a couple sittings and could not wait to see how it ended or what choices the characters made.  The end was very moving, I was crying so hard I could barely see the pages! I give this book five Good Reads stars and highly recommend it!  And it was only $4.99 on my Kindle - bonus good cheap read!

4 comments:

  1. Hey! Found your blog through book blogs, and was happy to follow via Google/email/twitter etc :) Feel free to follow back if interested!
    Blog: http://ramblingsonreadings.blogspot.com/
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RamblingsOnReadings

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/jpeterson1027

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  2. Thanks for following Jessica Nicole, I am following your blog as well!

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  3. Following your blog now! I almost blubbered at the end of this! Just managed to hold back the tears!

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  4. Amanda - Thanks for following!

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