Helpful Score: 13
First Line: On the day of the miracle, Isabel was kneeling at the cliff's edge, tending the small, newly made driftwood cross.
Tom Sherbourne has done something that hundreds of thousands of other young men didn't: survive four years on the Western Front. When this World War I veteran returns home to Australia, all he wants to do is to forget, to find a job where he can be of use, and to be left to himself. He takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly a half day's journey from the coast of Western Australia. It is a life of isolation. The supply boat comes four times a year, and shore leave might be granted every other year at best.
To this life, Tom brings a young, vivacious, and loving wife, but years pass, and after two miscarriages and a stillbirth, Tom sees that the wife he loves more than life itself is wasting away before his eyes. One morning while tending those tiny graves, Isabel hears a baby's cry on the wind. It is not her imagination. A boat has washed ashore. Aboard are a dead man and a tiny living baby girl.
No one has taken better care of the Janus Rock Lighthouse than Tom Sherbourne. Everything gleams; every bit of machinery runs smoothly; and his records are meticulous. Tom is an intensely moral man, and he wants to report the man and infant immediately, but Isabel has taken the baby and clings to her like a drowning woman to a life raft. Against his better judgment, the incident is not reported, and Tom and Isabel claim the baby as their own and name her Lucy. For Isabel, life is idyllic for two years. Then leave is granted, and the family of three return to shore where they are reminded that there are other people in the world, and their decision has ruined the life of one of them.
You would never dream that The Light Between Oceans is a debut novel. The isolated setting of Janus Rock is indelibly drawn: the wind, the birds wheeling in the air, the crashing of the waves, the steady brilliance of the light at night. The sights, the scents, the sounds-- they all live in the mind as do the streets and the inhabitants of the small town of Partageuse where Isobel's parents live, and where Tom, Isabel and Lucy spend their infrequent leave.
It's impossible to read this book and not become totally drawn in by the characters: the withdrawn and haunted Tom, the bold and laughing Isabel, and all the people who call Partageuse home. It was also impossible for me to read this book and not to choose sides. One of the major images of the book is this meeting of opposites. Janus Rock stands where the warm Indian and cold Antarctic Oceans meet. It's where the taciturn Tom and the ebullient Isabel live. It's where a brilliant light flashes continuously throughout the dark nights. It's where a bad decision is made for all the right reasons. The town of Partageuse continues the image.
I was completely caught up in Stedman's story. I was staunchly in Tom's camp, and I wanted to shake sense into Isabel, but these are not one-dimensional characters, and as the story progressed, I finally put away my outraged sense of right and wrong and let wave after wave of consequences toss me onto the rocks. All I could do was watch... and feel my heart break for these people.
You won't find any easy answers in The Light Between Oceans, but you will find a beautifully written and sensitively told story about people who make mistakes and learn to live with the aftermath. I highly recommend this book.
Tom Sherbourne has done something that hundreds of thousands of other young men didn't: survive four years on the Western Front. When this World War I veteran returns home to Australia, all he wants to do is to forget, to find a job where he can be of use, and to be left to himself. He takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly a half day's journey from the coast of Western Australia. It is a life of isolation. The supply boat comes four times a year, and shore leave might be granted every other year at best.
To this life, Tom brings a young, vivacious, and loving wife, but years pass, and after two miscarriages and a stillbirth, Tom sees that the wife he loves more than life itself is wasting away before his eyes. One morning while tending those tiny graves, Isabel hears a baby's cry on the wind. It is not her imagination. A boat has washed ashore. Aboard are a dead man and a tiny living baby girl.
No one has taken better care of the Janus Rock Lighthouse than Tom Sherbourne. Everything gleams; every bit of machinery runs smoothly; and his records are meticulous. Tom is an intensely moral man, and he wants to report the man and infant immediately, but Isabel has taken the baby and clings to her like a drowning woman to a life raft. Against his better judgment, the incident is not reported, and Tom and Isabel claim the baby as their own and name her Lucy. For Isabel, life is idyllic for two years. Then leave is granted, and the family of three return to shore where they are reminded that there are other people in the world, and their decision has ruined the life of one of them.
You would never dream that The Light Between Oceans is a debut novel. The isolated setting of Janus Rock is indelibly drawn: the wind, the birds wheeling in the air, the crashing of the waves, the steady brilliance of the light at night. The sights, the scents, the sounds-- they all live in the mind as do the streets and the inhabitants of the small town of Partageuse where Isobel's parents live, and where Tom, Isabel and Lucy spend their infrequent leave.
It's impossible to read this book and not become totally drawn in by the characters: the withdrawn and haunted Tom, the bold and laughing Isabel, and all the people who call Partageuse home. It was also impossible for me to read this book and not to choose sides. One of the major images of the book is this meeting of opposites. Janus Rock stands where the warm Indian and cold Antarctic Oceans meet. It's where the taciturn Tom and the ebullient Isabel live. It's where a brilliant light flashes continuously throughout the dark nights. It's where a bad decision is made for all the right reasons. The town of Partageuse continues the image.
I was completely caught up in Stedman's story. I was staunchly in Tom's camp, and I wanted to shake sense into Isabel, but these are not one-dimensional characters, and as the story progressed, I finally put away my outraged sense of right and wrong and let wave after wave of consequences toss me onto the rocks. All I could do was watch... and feel my heart break for these people.
You won't find any easy answers in The Light Between Oceans, but you will find a beautifully written and sensitively told story about people who make mistakes and learn to live with the aftermath. I highly recommend this book.
Helpful Score: 5
(Setting of Australia after World War One; Historical context, and details about working as a lighthouse keeper were interesting; lots of great imagery of both the lighthouse and the Janus Rock Island it is located; a Quality and above average emotional Read (heavy with sadness and Loss, mental and physical isolation, and recovery), good character development; and the moral dilemma of the story is not easily answered as fully right or wrong, Lastly, the Introductory chapters were awkward with their presentation, but definitely a compelling, satisfying, and complete read thereafter).
Overall, I give it a Rating of 3.5/5.0
Overall, I give it a Rating of 3.5/5.0
Helpful Score: 4
This book was emotionally a hard read. I developed sympathy and/or empathy for every character even though they were all in very different places and hurt each other in very different ways. I thought there were so many ideas and dilemmas that were thought-provoking. I definitely recommend reading this book.
Helpful Score: 3
I loved the plot of this book. The descriptions of lighthouses, etc was very informative. I felt for every character.
Helpful Score: 3
This story takes place in Australia after WW1. A young soldier home from the war marries a young women and they go to live at a Lighthouse. It is very remote and isolating. Both characters face tremendous loss. They make a choice that shatters their lives and many others. It is sad and heart wrenching, as you wish that this couple would have made a different choice. However, you remain transfixed until the end. This is a story about how as humans we make choices for many good reasons, but fail to realize that does not necessarily mean that they are the right ones.
Helpful Score: 2
Very good read, one of those you want to put life on hold while you finish it. A strong moral dilemma paired with excellent imagery of nature. You want everyone to win in the end while you struggle to decide who is right.
Helpful Score: 2
It's not often I give a book 5 stars - this one way deserved it! I fell in love with these characters from the first word and stayed in love through the story - the laughter, the love, and the heartbreak. When I feel this emotionally drained after a read, I know it was a great story! This one does not disappoint.
Helpful Score: 2
A beautiful, beautiful story of great love, great sorrow, and the regret, retribution and redemption of all the lives involved. Would give it 6 stars if I could...simply loved it! D.
Helpful Score: 1
The Light Between Oceans is one of the most beautifully-written and compelling stories I have read in a long time. (Do be advised that the book is much better than the movie, though the movie is not bad.) The outcome was not expected but quite believable.
I give this book 5 stars!
I give this book 5 stars!
Over all, I liked the book. It had a slow start and was not at the point I didn't want to put it down till I was two thirds of the way thru it.
I enjoyed reading this book. Easy read.
This is one of the best books that I have read in quite some time. While it's a great read it also makes you think and to answer questions like "What would you do in this situation?" This happened several times as things happened and you wondered what you would do in that same situation. I know this is not a recently published book but if you have not read The Light Between Oceans, please do as soon as possible, you will not regret that decision.
ok book, found it hard to get into.
When one marries, one hopes to have a family. Such is the case with Tom and Isabel Sherbourne. Tom is recovering from emotional stress as a result of his war experiences when he meets the enchanting Isabel whose cheerful, fun loving ways beckon to him. They marry and move to an isolated island where he is a lighthouse keeper and the isolation can help cure him. When Isabel loses her first child, she begins to change. She loses three babies in a row and Tom fears for her sanity when a boat arrives at their shores with a dead man and a live baby. The inevitable happens and the baby is unofficially adopted. Their lives are forever changed by this action prompted by their own losses. There is much to come in this book and it is well worth taking time to read it. It's sad in so many ways but teaches the reader how love can sustain a couple through crises.
Beautifully written with an engrossing plot. One of the best books I have ever read.
THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS was the December 2012 pick in my neighborhood book club. I've officially renamed it, THE YAWN BETWEEN OCEANS.
The writing style just wasn't for me. I found the narrative so very boring. It rambled, filled with eye-glazing details about lighthouse keeping, war, politics, etc.
The plot and characters were also very contrived. There's too much "it-just-so-happens-that" for it to be engaging: the couple struggling to start a family just so happens to be on an isolated island, and just so happens to find a boat washed up with a baby, who just so happens to be a newborn, who just so happens to be perfect for passing off as the couple's own, because it just so happens no one knows Isabel miscarried...yada, yada. You get the picture.
This just wasn't creative enough for me to enjoy. I give it a C-.
The writing style just wasn't for me. I found the narrative so very boring. It rambled, filled with eye-glazing details about lighthouse keeping, war, politics, etc.
The plot and characters were also very contrived. There's too much "it-just-so-happens-that" for it to be engaging: the couple struggling to start a family just so happens to be on an isolated island, and just so happens to find a boat washed up with a baby, who just so happens to be a newborn, who just so happens to be perfect for passing off as the couple's own, because it just so happens no one knows Isabel miscarried...yada, yada. You get the picture.
This just wasn't creative enough for me to enjoy. I give it a C-.
This is another one of those books which I wasn't quite sure that I would finish. The first part of it was a bit slow for me but then I couldn't put it down. The story contains bits of pain, betrayal, confusion, forgiveness, hope, and enduring love. There were parts of it that I read where my eyes filled with tears. I really felt for the characters portrayed by Ms. Stedman. I can't believe this is her first novel. Bravo!
An extremely poignant tale about a couple who tend a lighthouse on a remote island off the coast of Australia in the early 20th century, and how many lives are effected by their choice to keep a baby as their own after it washed up in a boat onto their island.
Review first published on my blog: http://memoriesfrombooks.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-light-between-oceans.html
The Light Between Oceans is the story of one decision and its ramifications through so many lives. Tom is a soldier returning from the war. He brings with him all the memories and horrors of the war. Isabel is the young vivacious girl who manages to reach his heart.
Janus Rock is a small island off the coast of Australia. The only thing on the island is the lighthouse. The only people living there are the light keeper and his family. Their only contact with the outside world is a supply boat every six months and a shore leave every few years. This is the isolated life to which Tom brings his new bride. Their content life is marred, however, by the inability to have children. Their hopes are built up and then destroyed as they suffer through miscarriages and a stillbirth.
One day, a boat comes ashore with a dead man and a crying baby. Now comes the decision. Instead of reporting the incident, Tom and Isabel keep the baby as a gift from God. Now, their life really is content. However, when returning to the mainland, they discover the impact that decision has had on so many lives. What happens next....well, that would be a spoiler.
The book is beautifully written. The characters are well developed, and the writing makes you care. It is one of those stories that you wish could have a happy ending for everyone, but you know it really can't. Without giving a spoiler, I can say that I loved the fact that the author did not wrap the story up in a neat package at the end. It was a much more realistic approach. Again, I wished for the happily ever after, but I think I really would have liked the book much less if it had gone that way.
A beautiful debut novel.
*** Reviewed for the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program ***
The Light Between Oceans is the story of one decision and its ramifications through so many lives. Tom is a soldier returning from the war. He brings with him all the memories and horrors of the war. Isabel is the young vivacious girl who manages to reach his heart.
Janus Rock is a small island off the coast of Australia. The only thing on the island is the lighthouse. The only people living there are the light keeper and his family. Their only contact with the outside world is a supply boat every six months and a shore leave every few years. This is the isolated life to which Tom brings his new bride. Their content life is marred, however, by the inability to have children. Their hopes are built up and then destroyed as they suffer through miscarriages and a stillbirth.
One day, a boat comes ashore with a dead man and a crying baby. Now comes the decision. Instead of reporting the incident, Tom and Isabel keep the baby as a gift from God. Now, their life really is content. However, when returning to the mainland, they discover the impact that decision has had on so many lives. What happens next....well, that would be a spoiler.
The book is beautifully written. The characters are well developed, and the writing makes you care. It is one of those stories that you wish could have a happy ending for everyone, but you know it really can't. Without giving a spoiler, I can say that I loved the fact that the author did not wrap the story up in a neat package at the end. It was a much more realistic approach. Again, I wished for the happily ever after, but I think I really would have liked the book much less if it had gone that way.
A beautiful debut novel.
*** Reviewed for the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program ***
Loved this book! Couldnt put it down. I had in mind a different ending but I dont suppose there could have been any other. Highly recommend it.
I nearly gave up on this book, it starts off so very slowly. I'm glad I stuck with it, though, even if it did turn me into a sniffly mess. The story is about a married couple, Tom and Isabel, who are lighthouse keepers and unable to have children of their own. Tom is a world war one veteran who finds a boat washed up on his small island one day, containing the body of a dead man and a very young infant. At it's heart, this story is all about consequences and how one small act of kindness leads to another and another until it's too late. Be warned, this book will rip your heart out and then come back for more. You'll want kleenex for the second half of the book. A great read.
Compelling story. Wonderfully written.
This story gripped me from the first pages all the way to the end. The characters are complex and so well-written that you can identify with each one of them and really understand their motivations. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down.
THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS was the December 2012 pick in my neighborhood book club. I've officially renamed it, THE YAWN BETWEEN OCEANS.
The writing style just wasn't for me. I found the narrative so very boring. It rambled, filled with eye-glazing details about lighthouse keeping, war, politics, etc.
The plot and characters were also very contrived. There's too much "it-just-so-happens-that" for it to be engaging: the couple struggling to start a family just so happens to be on an isolated island, and just so happens to find a boat washed up with a baby, who just so happens to be a newborn, who just so happens to be perfect for passing off as the couple's own, because it just so happens no one knows Isabel miscarried...yada, yada. You get the picture.
This just wasn't creative enough for me to enjoy. I give it a C-.
The writing style just wasn't for me. I found the narrative so very boring. It rambled, filled with eye-glazing details about lighthouse keeping, war, politics, etc.
The plot and characters were also very contrived. There's too much "it-just-so-happens-that" for it to be engaging: the couple struggling to start a family just so happens to be on an isolated island, and just so happens to find a boat washed up with a baby, who just so happens to be a newborn, who just so happens to be perfect for passing off as the couple's own, because it just so happens no one knows Isabel miscarried...yada, yada. You get the picture.
This just wasn't creative enough for me to enjoy. I give it a C-.
This is a good "summer" read. Nothing too heady, but just a good story. I enjoyed it.
what a sad story. so many emotions. there was hope for this young couple in the beginning, then sadness when they couldn't conceive, then happiness when the baby arrived and they were all so happy together but at the same time a growing horror that it would all go wrong. and of course it does. Which is both horribly sad and horrific the outcome on everyone's lives. Wraps up nicely with some of them finding their way back at the end, but not all of them do. well written.
This is a beautifully poignant book about hope and loss, good and bad decisions, and how people's choices affect people they don't know.
This is a well-written, compelling story that is so totally plausible and so heart-wrenching and sad, yet filled with so much love and happiness that it makes it worth reading.
An extremely difficult book for me to read. It was so sad, from beginning to end. I kept hoping for things to turn around, but it became more and more obvious there could not be a happy ending. And, there were no bad guys, just normal human beings making life decisions that led them further and further into despair. Having said all that, it was extremely well written. Must have been to have evoked all that emotion from me. So, when giving this a rating I was torn between the quality of writing and my personal taste in reading material. Hence the middle-of-the-road 3.
THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS was the December 2012 pick in my neighborhood book club. I've officially renamed it, THE YAWN BETWEEN OCEANS.
The writing style just wasn't for me. I found the narrative so very boring. It rambled, filled with eye-glazing details about lighthouse keeping, war, politics, etc.
The plot and characters were also very contrived. There's too much "it-just-so-happens-that" for it to be engaging: the couple struggling to start a family just so happens to be on an isolated island, and just so happens to find a boat washed up with a baby, who just so happens to be a newborn, who just so happens to be perfect for passing off as the couple's own, because it just so happens no one knows Isabel miscarried...yada, yada. You get the picture.
This just wasn't creative enough for me to enjoy. I give it a C-.
The writing style just wasn't for me. I found the narrative so very boring. It rambled, filled with eye-glazing details about lighthouse keeping, war, politics, etc.
The plot and characters were also very contrived. There's too much "it-just-so-happens-that" for it to be engaging: the couple struggling to start a family just so happens to be on an isolated island, and just so happens to find a boat washed up with a baby, who just so happens to be a newborn, who just so happens to be perfect for passing off as the couple's own, because it just so happens no one knows Isabel miscarried...yada, yada. You get the picture.
This just wasn't creative enough for me to enjoy. I give it a C-.
I was really moved by this excellent first novel from M.L. Stedman and will be anxious to see what she comes up with as a followup. This story is about a young couple in the 1920's who serve on a lighthouse off the coast of Australia. The wife experienced 3 miscarriages and when a baby miraculously shows up on the island, the couple decides to raise her as their own (against the better judgment of the husband). This bad choice leads to some serious consequences 4 years later when it is discovered that the child's mother is still alive. A very emotionally charged novel that I would highly recommend!
This book was okay. It took me awhile to get into it, but I didn't really get into it like I do other books- can't say why, it just did not really catch my imagination.
I really like the way this author writes. It's very straightforward and to the point and this story was pretty good. I'm not entirely crazy about the way it ended but all in all not too bad.
Morally muddled, this book left me with the sense that nothing in the world was truly "right." The choices these characters made were a confusing mess of betrayal, loyalty, and selfishness; that will make sense once you read it.
One woman makes a selfish decision based on what she believes to be "a sign." That decision affects her relationship with her husband, the lives of others on the mainland, and probably most unfairly, the life of a little girl who was born innocent. Th ending left me drenched in sadness for everyone involved. Ultimately, I believe the correct and morally right decision was made at the end but at an exhausting price. Life is sometimes really terrible.
One woman makes a selfish decision based on what she believes to be "a sign." That decision affects her relationship with her husband, the lives of others on the mainland, and probably most unfairly, the life of a little girl who was born innocent. Th ending left me drenched in sadness for everyone involved. Ultimately, I believe the correct and morally right decision was made at the end but at an exhausting price. Life is sometimes really terrible.
Terrific read by a first time author. Hopefully she will write more!
I just read this book for my book club. What a wonderful read! The characters are so alive in this book! This book has you questioning yourself is wrong really so wrong when they did what they did? And yet, whose side would you be on considering all the conditions? Does someone always have to pay? This book is hard to put down and stays with you long after you turn the last page.
I am struggling to put into words how much I loved this book. It will break the heart of anyone who has ever loved a child. That being said, I do believe that those of us who are parents will have a special place in their hearts for this book. There were times while I was reading where the events that were occurring were so heartbreaking I found myself tearing through the pages, wanting to just "get through it". Not that this book wasn't completely enjoyable; it's just one of those rare books that exemplifies the miracles that occur everyday, but because they are so commonplace, seem almost mundane. Such as the all-encompassing love a parent has for their child, wherein they would lay down their very lives if it means the child will be safe and happy. While feelings like these occur in every town in every country, every minute of every day, that does not diminish the fact that they are indeed miracles. This is the first book I read this year that was so wonderful it literally took my breath away. It has earned a spot on my "favorites" shelf, and I will recommend this book to anyone who will listen.
One of the best books that I have ever read. Tom and his wife Isabel have lost 3 babies.Isabel is about ready to snap when Tom finds a boat washed up on the beach on the island where there is a lighthouse and only Isabel and he live there. In the boat is a dead man and a very tiny baby wrapped her mother's shawl.Assuming both her parents are dead Tom and Isabel keep the baby and name her Lucy. How they love her. But they find out her mother is still alive and are forced to return Lucy. Lucy eventually makes up to her biological mother after many twists and turns. In the end Isabel dies and Lucy and her baby come to see Tom.
This was a great book.
What is right and what is wrong when there is is no right or wrong? I knew this book was about a couple at an island lighthouse who rescue a baby adrift in a row boat with a dead man. But I had no idea of the twists in the plot, and that makes it a great story for a group discussion. What would you do in their place? I am going to recommend this book to my book club.
Great read!
