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Loading... The Light Between Oceans (edition 2012)by M.L. Stedman
Work detailsThe Light Between Oceans by M L Stedman
Beautifully written, very compelling story. Explores the intimate lives within marriage and parenthood. At its crux is the story of doing what is right and acting out of love. (  ) Lcwilson45 | Jun 15, 2013 |  Tom and Isabel live on Janus Rock, the lighthouse station off the southwest coast of Australia. Tom's job is to keep the light burning and record everything that occurs around the island, such as ships that pass by and signal their thanks. It is all very routine until the day he sees a small dinghy that has washed up on the island's shore. In it are a dead man and a young, crying baby. After three failed pregnancies, Isabel wants to keep the baby and pass her off as their own. The rest of the book is how each of them lives with this decision. Isabel believes God has granted her wishes. Tom vacillates between wanting to make his wife happy and feeling guilty about keeping this secret. ( ) aimless22 | Jun 12, 2013 | A must read!!This book was set in Australia and is about a light house keeper and his wife who make choices that are heart wrenching. (  ) teeth | Jun 9, 2013 | "The Light Between Oceans" by Stedman is a wonderful book that takes place on and near the coast of Australia. It is the story of a good man's commitment to the keeping of a very isolated lighthouse and the life choices that are presented to him and those he loves. Lighthouses have always held a strong attraction for me, and after taking road trips along both the eastern and western coast of the U.S. and visiting the beautiful coastlines of Australia and New Zealand, I am even more fascinated with them. I cannot even imagine the isolation and quiet that are described in this moving story. The characters that are developed in this novel take on a larger than life profile as their lives unfold. I was particular taken with the maturing and struggles of Tom and Isabel Sherbourne, who become the keepers of the lighthouse. The joys and disappointments of families, the beliefs in individual responsibility and the importance of personal moral integrity are all highlighted in this wonderful novel. I give this story a rating of 4.5. (  ) WeeziesBooks | Jun 8, 2013 | First time novelist wrote a good summer read. Story was a bit contrived, especially the arrival of the shipwrecked dead father with his little infant girl who was alive. Not sure this was a great piece of literature, but certainly would recommend as a summer beach read. (  ) suzabelle | Jun 7, 2013 |
 Light" is a story you want to finish, despite some predictability problems. I cared about Tom and Isabel, and cheered for them even as they betrayed each other. And I was charmed by the supporting cast of characters (Bluey and Ralph in particular). Stedman's grasp of the dialect of the region's inhabitants and dialogue fitting for the era are admirable. Her writing is sound, if sometimes uninspiring, but every so often she throws out a gorgeous line that you have to stop and read twice to appreciate, like this one: "A goblin thought jumps onto her shoulder: what's the point of tomorrow?" Or, "The rain is falling more heavily, and in the distance, thunder grumbles at being left behind by the lightning." Nice. First-time novelist Stedman did what all good writers should do: She got her readers emotionally invested in her story. As if you needed it, here's more proof that this novel is worth your time: The film rights have already been picked up.  The miraculous arrival of a child in the life of a barren couple delivers profound love but also the seeds of destruction.......A polished, cleverly constructed and very precisely calculated first novel As time passes, the harder the decision becomes to undo and the more towering is its impact. This is the story of its terrible consequences. But it is also a description of the extraordinary, sustaining power of a marriage to bind two people together in love, through the most emotionally harrowing circumstances. Light Between Oceans' is tough to shake off....And to the author's credit, Light's resolution is neither sensationalistic nor overly tidy. Everyone in this book has to make tough choices, including the little girl. By letting neither her readers nor her characters off the hook easily, Stedman creates a bond that makes her book tough to shake off.
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"A novel set on a remote Australian island, where a childless couple live quietly running a lighthouse, until a boat carrying a baby washes ashore"--Provided by publisher.
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