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5★
“From this side of the island, there was only vastness, all the way to Africa. Here, the Indian Ocean washed into the Great Southern Ocean and together they stretched like an edgeless carpet below the cliffs. On days like this it seemed so solid she had the impression she could walk to Madagascar in a journey of blue upon blue...
As if to make amends, the island – Janus Rock – offered a lighthouse, its beam providing a mantle of safety for thirty miles.”
Fantastic debut novel
Oh what a tangled w ...more
“From this side of the island, there was only vastness, all the way to Africa. Here, the Indian Ocean washed into the Great Southern Ocean and together they stretched like an edgeless carpet below the cliffs. On days like this it seemed so solid she had the impression she could walk to Madagascar in a journey of blue upon blue...
As if to make amends, the island – Janus Rock – offered a lighthouse, its beam providing a mantle of safety for thirty miles.”
Fantastic debut novel
Oh what a tangled w ...more
I was keen to finally read this book, because it has just started at the movies here. What an excellent read, I was in tears at the end, and there is only one other book that has had that effect on me.
A beautiful and emotional story about a baby found in a boat by a lighthouse keeper and his wife.
Isabelle has suffered several miscarriages and believes that this baby has been sent by god to them to care for as their own. What to do, does Tom report the baby as being found, or do they live the lie ...more
A beautiful and emotional story about a baby found in a boat by a lighthouse keeper and his wife.
Isabelle has suffered several miscarriages and believes that this baby has been sent by god to them to care for as their own. What to do, does Tom report the baby as being found, or do they live the lie ...more
This is a very poignant and heart-felt story with real emotional depth. The book centres on the idea that decisions, even those made for all the right reasons, can have terrible consequences.
Tom and Izzy were both well written characters. I found their relationship a little forced at first, but with the arrival of Lucy, you really started to understand the two of them better. Stedman gave us just enough background on each of them for us to understand their motivations, but did not fall into the ...more
Tom and Izzy were both well written characters. I found their relationship a little forced at first, but with the arrival of Lucy, you really started to understand the two of them better. Stedman gave us just enough background on each of them for us to understand their motivations, but did not fall into the ...more
M L Stedman has written a novel that is quite simply sublime. She takes an extraordinarily difficult subject and crafted a story that is heart wrenching.
Tom Sherbourne has returned from WW1 and is only able to find solace by tending lighthouses. The solitude allows him to quieten the internal demons. Into his life comes Isabel, her vibrancy and enthusiasm wins him over and they marry. They take a lighthouse posting on Janus Island. Life falls into an easy routine and they are happy.
However thi ...more
Tom Sherbourne has returned from WW1 and is only able to find solace by tending lighthouses. The solitude allows him to quieten the internal demons. Into his life comes Isabel, her vibrancy and enthusiasm wins him over and they marry. They take a lighthouse posting on Janus Island. Life falls into an easy routine and they are happy.
However thi ...more
Omg. Sitting in my hotel room crying. This was lovely. Heartbreaking yet satisfying. Please read this.
A gripping story. I could hardly put it down, wondering how things would be put right. But maybe things could never be put right. I was disappointed in the end. And sad for so much loss. For me, the style was a little brittle in parts but still the author had me feeling the joy and pain of Tom, Isabel and Lucy.
When I saw this book on the list of most popular reads of 2013, I knew it was time to pick it up and see what the fuss was about. It is a thoughtful and considerate novel about the decisions we make and how they impact our relationships along the way.
I loved the unusual setting of a lighthouse of the Perth coast in the early 1900's. The charm and drama of the period really took me by surprise and sparked my interest in reading more Australian history novels.
With her poetic prose Stedmen manages ...more
I loved the unusual setting of a lighthouse of the Perth coast in the early 1900's. The charm and drama of the period really took me by surprise and sparked my interest in reading more Australian history novels.
With her poetic prose Stedmen manages ...more
Jan 25, 2015
Magdalena
added it
Ran out of books while on holiday and read the one my husband had bought in the airport in one day (even though doing other activities during the day)! It was a very engaging and well written book that drew me in instantly and kept me involved and reading until the end.
This book was entertaining, but only okay as far as literature goes. The characters behaved in unbelievable ways at times and I could have hoped for a happier ending. It wasn't totally predictable, though, and that made it a somewhat interesting read.
...more
Great characters - dreadful moral dilemmas, beautifully handled. great sense of place on harsh Australian coastline. Really good read.
May 03, 2012
Dot
marked it as to-read
May 31, 2012
Alex
added it
Aug 13, 2012
Cornelia
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
australia,
abc-bookclub
Nov 20, 2012
Susan
marked it as to-read
Jun 30, 2013
Nancy
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
australia
Jan 27, 2014
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
marked it as to-read
Shelves:
to-read-jervis,
to-read-goodreads-authors
Jul 31, 2014
Chris
marked it as unfinished-tower-of-babel
Dec 11, 2016
Alison Connell
added it
