The Light Between Oceans

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman is a beautifully written story with a compelling story line.  Stedman did a fabulous job writing a story that pulls at your heart and makes you question and understand why someone would make a bad decision.  If you are looking for a beach read with a happy ending this may not be the one for you, but if you want a fabulous story with strong characters who you can truly understand and relate to then pick this one up.

I personally give this book  4.5 out of 5 stars.  It is a clean story written quite wonderfully about good people making tough decisions that end tragically.  The only reason it lost out on the perfect rating is that at times it felt a bit predictable.  I knew what was going to happen, and I was pained at what was going to happen, and it happened exactly as I thought.  I just wish it was less predictable so that the book would really wow me. All in all, it is worth a read, but don't be upset with a not so happy ending.

I felt Amazon had a thorough book description that set the story line up for you.  Therefore, I feel no need to recreate it.

"After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.

Tom, whose records as a lighthouse keeper are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.

M. L. Stedman’s mesmerizing, beautifully written novel seduces us into accommodating Isabel’s decision to keep this “gift from God.” And we are swept into a story about extraordinarily compelling characters seeking to find their North Star in a world where there is no right answer, where justice for one person is another’s tragic loss.

The Light Between Oceans is exquisite and unforgettable, a deeply moving novel."  

The Light Between Oceans is a wonderful book.  I actually enjoyed the audio book version.  This is the first audio book that I listened to at home or in the car around town rather than a road trip.  I actually really enjoyed having a book playing while doing dishes, working out, playing with the kids, or driving to the zoo.  I also really enjoyed the reader, Noah Taylor; which is a big deal b/c a reader can make or break the audio book.  Taylor did a great job with the Australian accent to make it even more legit; I'm not sure if he is Australian, but he was consistent with the accent throughout the story.  There were a few character voices, like little Lucy, that sounded a bit funny.  However, a grown man trying to sound like a toddler girl would be challenging and sound a bit funny for most.  Overall, Taylor did a great job with the reading.  I give the audio book version a thumbs up.  

Go read, or listen to, this wonderful book!  You'll be glad you did.