The Light Between Oceans is a bittersweet novel that will crush your soul (in a good way).

This is M.L. Stedman's first book, and it is one fantastic first novel (to be brutally honest). This book was beautifully written, it pulled at my heart strings and it demanded my attention. Typically fictional novels that are more focused on "drama" don't pull me like this book did! I was obsessed and had to finish reading it, I had to know what was going to happen to Tom, Isobel and Lucy.

The layers of love and affection in this story, mixed with the difficult decision making (and catch-22's, as most reviewers are saying) make this a really intriguing story. It really made me question myself and my own choices - if I was Isobel in that time period (or Tom for that matter) and went through what they had been through, would I keep the baby? Would I admit I kept the baby? What would I do?

It's a difficult decision, and you see one plot line of how this story can go. It's not like a crazy soap opera, it seems realistic (to me, anyways). It's a story all about bad decisions being made by good people, and the tension and fall outs that happen because of it. Were they really doing a bad thing, if their hearts were in the right place?

This book seems to be 50/50 for people - you either love it, or you don't. I enjoyed the slight romance, dramatic fiction, heart wrenching tale that it is....but...I also didn't read any reviews before and went in knowing I just wanted to read the book to see the movie. I had 0 expectations, and I came out loving it. In my opinion, some people seem to be reading way to far into the book. Are there themes? Yes. Is this a book that will be compared to Shakespeare (or even It...) in relation to it's themes? No. Does it identify how good people can make bad decisions? Yes. Do you have to agree with their decisions? No. Do the characters decisions have to be your decisions? No. It's simply a novel that is well written and shows one story of bad decision making.

Overall, this book is well written and is a fun read. All I can say now is, I can't wait to watch the movie!

Five out of five stars. ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed the first two thirds of this book. It tells of a man, still reeling from the horror he witnessed during World War One, cut himself off from the world by taking a position as a lighthouse keeper, so remote he dosn't see another human for 6 months at time. On one of his leaves he meets a woman, falls in love, takes her as his bride, and returns with her to the island. The trials and tribulations they face are described in a manner that is poignant, compelling, and at times very touching. But during the third part of the book when they are forced to leave island and return to the mainland the tone of the book changes dramatically. In my opinion, it becomes overly melodramatic and almost even soap opera like. Just way over the top for my taste. ( )

4.5 stars Ok so it was sad....really sad. It earned the high rating because I could not put it down and I cried, really cried and for more than one point of view. The setting was descriptive and I don't usually like books that are set back in history. 5 stars would have been if it had a little happy in the end, so I didn't go to bed depressed!! ( )

Loved this romance. Very sad but a wonderful story. ( )

When Tom Sherbourne returns to his native Australia, mentally scarred by his experiences in World War I, he takes up a position as lighthousekeeper on a remote island called Janus Point off South-West Australia. While back on the mainland for a short time, he falls in love with and marries Isabel Graysmark and she comes to live with him on the island, where they are the only two inhabitants.

Their happiness is all but destroyed by two miscarriages and a stillbirth, so when a boat lands on the island with a dead man and a healthy young baby onboard, Tom and Isabel make the decision to raise the child as their own. But while they live a life of solitude on the island, it becomes clear that back on the mainland, their decision has affected the lives of many others and there will be far reaching consequences for all involved.

There was a lot to like about this book. I think the author has a lovely turn of phrase and captured the remoteness of life on Janus Point very well. Tom was a very well drawn character, although I thought Isabel was less so (this may have been because I far preferred Tom; during the course of the story Isabel’s decisions put me off her). I wanted to read until the end and did so, but I felt the story took a long time to get going, and the final third of the book was strung out more than it had to be. Some of the characters also made strange choices, even taking into account the unusual circumstances that people were coping with.

That all said, it was difficult not to sympathise with everyone involved in such a sad story. I do feel the pace of the storyline plodded in places and a fair chunk could have been cut out of the last section of the book but nonetheless the slow unfolding of what happened somewhat matched the pace of life on Janus Point so maybe this was a deliberate move on the author’s part.

Overall a fairly enjoyable book and I would probably read more by M.L. Stedman. ( )