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The Light Between Oceans Paperback – April 2, 2013

by M.L. Stedman (Author)

86,529 ratings

Editors' pick Best Literature & Fiction

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The spectacular New York Times bestseller and major motion picture about a lighthouse keeper and his wife is "a beautifully delineated tale of love and loss, right and wrong, and what we will do for the happiness of those most dear" (The Boston Globe).

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, 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, who keeps meticulous records and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel insists the baby is a “gift from God,” and 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.

From the Publisher

	A Far-flung Life	The Light Between Oceans

Customer Reviews	—	86,529
Price	$30.00	$8.74
By M. L. Stedman	no data	no data

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Irresistible...seductive...a high concept plot that keeps you riveted from the first page."—Sara Nelson, O, the Oprah magazine

“An extraordinary and heart-rending book about good people, tragic decisions and the beauty found in each of them.”—Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief

“M.L. Stedman’s The Light Between Oceans is a beautiful novel about isolation and courage in the face of enormous loss. It gets into your heart stealthily, until you stop hoping the characters will make different choices and find you can only watch, transfixed, as every conceivable choice becomes an impossible one. I couldn’t look away from the page and then I couldn’t see it, through tears. It’s a stunning debut.”—Maile Meloy, author of Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It

“M.L. Stedman, a spectacularly sure storyteller, swept me to a remote island nearly a century ago, where a lighthouse keeper and his wife make a choice that shatters many lives, including their own. This is a novel in which justice for one character means another’s tragic loss, and we care desperately for both. Reading The Light Between Oceans is a total-immersion experience, extraordinarily moving.”—Monica Ali, author of Brick Lane and Untold Story

“Haunting...Stedman draws the reader into her emotionally complex story right from the beginning, with lush descriptions of this savageand beautiful landscape, and vivid characters with whom we can readily empathize. Hers is a stunning and memorable debut.”—Booklist, starred review

“[Stedman sets] the stage beautifully to allow for a heart-wrenching moral dilemma to play out... Most impressive is the subtle yet profound maturation of Isabel and Tom as characters.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The miraculous arrival of a child in the life of a barren couple delivers profound love but also the seeds of destruction. Moral dilemmas don’t come more exquisite than the one around which Australian novelist Stedman constructs her debut.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“This heartbreaking debut from M L Stedman is a gem of a book that you'll have trouble putting down”—Good Housekeeping

“This fine, suspenseful debut explores desperation, morality, and loss, and considers the damaging ways in which we store our private sorrows, and the consequences of such terrible secrets.”—Martha Stewart Whole Living

“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.”—Victoria Moore, The Daily Mail

“A love story that is both persuasive and tender…”—Elizabeth Buchan, The Sunday Times (UK)

“What an extraordinary book this is. Tom, traumatised on the western front, takes a job as lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, 100 miles off the Australian coast between the Indian and Southern oceans, where he hopes that the vast surrounding emptiness will bring him peace. When after three years and as many miscarriages his wife hears a baby's cry and discovers a dead man and a baby in a washed up dinghy, she feels her prayers have been answered. The ensuing tragedy is as inevitable as Hardy at his most doom-laden. And as unforgettable.”—Sue Arnold, Guardian

“Lyrical…Stedman’s debut signals a career certain to deliver future treasures.” ― People

“A beautifully delineated tale of love and loss, right and wrong, and what we will do for the happiness of those most dear.” -- Tova Beiser ― The Boston Globe

“Elegantly rendered…heart-wrenching…the relationship between Tom and Isabel, in particular, is beautifully drawn.” -- Elysa Gardner ― USA Today

Told with the authoritative simplicity of a fable…Stedman’s intricate descriptions of the craggy Australian coastline and her easy mastery of an old-time provincial vernacular are engrossing. As the couple at the lighthouse are drawn into and increasingly tragic set of consequences, these remote, strange lives are rendered immediate and familiar.” ― The New Yorker

“Sublimely written, poetic in its intensity and frailty…This is a simply beautiful story that deserves the praise and wide audience it’s receiving. A stunning debut from a new voice that I can’t wait to hear again.” -- Karen Brooks, author of Illumination

About the Author

M.L. Stedman was born and raised in Western Australia and now lives in London. The Light Between Oceans was her first novel. A Far-flung Life is her second novel.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Light Between Oceans
CHAPTER 1

16th December 1918

Yes, I realize that,” Tom Sherbourne said. He was sitting in a spartan room, barely cooler than the sultry day outside. The Sydney summer rain pelted the window, and sent the people on the pavement scurrying for shelter.

“I mean very tough.” The man across the desk leaned forward for emphasis. “It’s no picnic. Not that Byron Bay’s the worst posting on the Lights, but I want to make sure you know what you’re in for.” He tamped down the tobacco with his thumb and lit his pipe. Tom’s letter of application had told the same story as many a fellow’s around that time: born 28 September 1893; war spent in the Army; experience with the International Code and Morse; physically fit and well; honorable discharge. The rules stipulated that preference should be given to ex-servicemen.

“It can’t—” Tom stopped, and began again. “All due respect, Mr. Coughlan, it’s not likely to be tougher than the Western Front.”

The man looked again at the details on the discharge papers, then at Tom, searching for something in his eyes, in his face. “No, son. You’re probably right on that score.” He rattled off some rules: “You pay your own passage to every posting. You’re relief, so you don’t get holidays. Permanent staff get a month’s leave at the end of each three-year contract.” He took up his fat pen and signed the form in front of him. As he rolled the stamp back and forth across the inkpad he said, “Welcome”—he thumped it down in three places on the paper—“to the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service.” On the form, “16th December 1918” glistened in wet ink.

The six months’ relief posting at Byron Bay, up on the New South Wales coast, with two other keepers and their families, taught Tom the basics of life on the Lights. He followed that with a stint down on Maatsuyker, the wild island south of Tasmania where it rained most days of the year and the chickens blew into the sea during storms.

On the Lights, Tom Sherbourne has plenty of time to think about the war. About the faces, the voices of the blokes who had stood beside him, who saved his life one way or another; the ones whose dying words he heard, and those whose muttered jumbles he couldn’t make out, but who he nodded to anyway.

Tom isn’t one of the men whose legs trailed by a hank of sinews, or whose guts cascaded from their casing like slithering eels. Nor were his lungs turned to glue or his brains to stodge by the gas. But he’s scarred all the same, having to live in the same skin as the man who did the things that needed to be done back then. He carries that other shadow, which is cast inward.

He tries not to dwell on it: he’s seen plenty of men turned worse than useless that way. So he gets on with life around the edges of this thing he’s got no name for. When he dreams about those years, the Tom who is experiencing them, the Tom who is there with blood on his hands, is a boy of eight or so. It’s this small boy who’s up against blokes with guns and bayonets, and he’s worried because his school socks have slipped down and he can’t hitch them up because he’ll have to drop his gun to do it, and he’s barely big enough even to hold that. And he can’t find his mother anywhere.

Then he wakes and he’s in a place where there’s just wind and waves and light, and the intricate machinery that keeps the flame burning and the lantern turning. Always turning, always looking over its shoulder.

If he can only get far enough away—from people, from memory—time will do its job.

Thousands of miles away on the west coast, Janus Rock was the furthest place on the continent from Tom’s childhood home in Sydney. But Janus Light was the last sign of Australia he had seen as his troopship steamed for Egypt in 1915. The smell of the eucalypts had wafted for miles offshore from Albany, and when the scent faded away he was suddenly sick at the loss of something he didn’t know he could miss. Then, hours later, true and steady, the light, with its five-second flash, came into view—his homeland’s furthest reach—and its memory stayed with him through the years of hell that followed, like a farewell kiss. When, in June 1920, he got news of an urgent vacancy going on Janus, it was as though the light there were calling to him.

Teetering on the edge of the continental shelf, Janus was not a popular posting. Though its Grade One hardship rating meant a slightly higher salary, the old hands said it wasn’t worth the money, which was meager all the same. The keeper Tom replaced on Janus was Trimble Docherty, who had caused a stir by reporting that his wife was signaling to passing ships by stringing up messages in the colored flags of the International Code. This was unsatisfactory to the authorities for two reasons: first, because the Deputy Director of Lighthouses had some years previously forbidden signaling by flags on Janus, as vessels put themselves at risk by sailing close enough to decipher them; and secondly, because the wife in question was recently deceased.

Considerable correspondence on the subject was generated in triplicate between Fremantle and Melbourne, with the Deputy Director in Fremantle putting the case for Docherty and his years of excellent service, to a Head Office concerned strictly with efficiency and cost and obeying the rules. A compromise was reached by which a temporary keeper would be engaged while Docherty was given six months’ medical leave.

“We wouldn’t normally send a single man to Janus—it’s pretty remote and a wife and family can be a great practical help, not just a comfort,” the District Officer had said to Tom. “But seeing it’s only temporary… You’ll leave for Partageuse in two days,” he said, and signed him up for six months.

There wasn’t much to organize. No one to farewell. Two days later, Tom walked up the gangplank of the boat, armed with a kit bag and not much else. The SS Prometheus worked its way along the southern shores of Australia, stopping at various ports on its run between Sydney and Perth. The few cabins reserved for first-class passengers were on the upper deck, toward the bow. In third class, Tom shared a cabin with an elderly sailor. “Been making this trip for fifty years—they wouldn’t have the cheek to ask me to pay. Bad luck, you know,” the man had said cheerfully, then returned his attention to the large bottle of over-proof rum that kept him occupied. To escape the alcohol fumes, Tom took to walking the deck during the day. Of an evening there’d usually be a card game belowdecks.

You could still tell at a glance who’d been over there and who’d sat the war out at home. You could smell it on a man. Each tended to keep to his own kind. Being in the bowels of the vessel brought back memories of the troopships that took them first to the Middle East, and later to France. Within moments of arriving on board, they’d deduced, almost by an animal sense, who was an officer, who was lower ranks; where they’d been.

Just like on the troopships, the focus was on finding a bit of sport to liven up the journey. The game settled on was familiar enough: first one to score a souvenir off a first-class passenger was the winner. Not just any souvenir, though. The designated article was a pair of ladies’ drawers. “Prize money’s doubled if she’s wearing them at the time.”

The ringleader, a man by the name of McGowan, with a mustache, and fingers yellowed from his Woodbines, said he’d been chatting to one of the stewards about the passenger list: the choice was limited. There were ten cabins in all. A lawyer and his wife—best give them a wide berth; some elderly couples, a pair of old spinsters (promising), but best of all, some toff’s daughter traveling on her own.

“I reckon we can climb up the side and in through her window,” he announced. “Who’s with me?”

The danger of the enterprise didn’t surprise Tom. He’d heard dozens of such tales since he got back. Men who’d taken to risking their lives on a whim—treating the boom gates at level crossings as a gallop jump; swimming into rips to see if they could get out. So many men who had dodged death over there now seemed addicted to its lure. Still, this lot were free agents now. Probably just full of talk.

The following night, when the nightmares were worse than usual, Tom decided to escape them by walking the decks. It was two a.m. He was free to wander wherever he wanted at that hour, so he paced methodically, watching the moonlight leave its wake on the water. He climbed to the upper deck, gripping the stair rail to counter the gentle rolling, and stood a moment at the top, taking in the freshness of the breeze and the steadiness of the stars that showered the night.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a glimmer come on in one of the cabins. Even first-class passengers had trouble sleeping sometimes, he mused. Then, some sixth sense awoke in him—that familiar, indefinable instinct for trouble. He moved silently toward the cabin, and looked in through the window.

In the dim light, he saw a woman flat against the wall, pinned there even though the man before her wasn’t touching her. He was an inch away from her face, with a leer Tom had seen too often. He recognized the man from belowdecks, and remembered the prize. Bloody idiots. He tried the door, and it opened.

“Leave her alone,” he said as he stepped into the cabin. He spoke calmly, but left no room for debate.

The man spun around to see who it was, and grinned when he recognized Tom. “Christ! Thought you were a steward! You can give me a hand, I was just—”

“I said leave her alone! Clear out. Now.”

“But I haven’t finished. I was just going to make her day.” He reeked of drink and stale tobacco.

Tom put a hand on his shoulder, with a grip so hard that the man cried out. He was a good six inches shorter than Tom, but tried to take a swing at him all the same. Tom seized his wrist and twisted it. “Name and rank!”

“McKenzie. Private. 3277.” The unrequested serial number followed like a reflex.

“Private, you’ll apologize to this young lady and you’ll get back to your bunk and you won’t show your face on deck until we berth, you understand me?”

“Yes, sir!” He turned to the woman. “Beg your pardon, Miss. Didn’t mean any harm.”

Still terrified, the woman gave the slightest nod.

“Now, out!” Tom said, and the man, deflated by sudden sobriety, shuffled from the cabin.

“You all right?” Tom asked the woman.

“I—I think so.”

“Did he hurt you?”

“He didn’t…”—she was saying it to herself as much as to him—“he didn’t actually touch me.”

He took in the woman’s face—her gray eyes seemed calmer now. Her dark hair was loose, in waves down to her arms, and her fists still gathered her nightgown to her neck. Tom reached for her dressing gown from a hook on the wall and draped it over her shoulders.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Must have got an awful fright. I’m afraid some of us aren’t used to civilized company these days.”

She didn’t speak.

“You won’t get any more trouble from him.” He righted a chair that had been overturned in the encounter. “Up to you whether you report him, Miss. I’d say he’s not the full quid now.”

Her eyes asked a question.

“Being over there changes a man. Right and wrong don’t look so different any more to some.” He turned to go, but put his head back through the doorway. “You’ve got every right to have him up on charges if you want. But I reckon he’s probably got enough troubles. Like I said—up to you,” and he disappeared through the door.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1451681755
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 2, 2013
Edition ‏ : ‎ Reprint
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 345 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781451681758
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1451681758
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 1 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #13,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #65 in Family Saga Fiction
- #262 in Psychological Fiction (Books)
- #443 in Literary Fiction (Books)

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M. L. Stedman

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M.L. STEDMAN was born and raised in Western Australia and now lives in London. The Light Between Oceans is her first novel. An award-winning international bestseller, the book has already sold over 3 million copies in the English language alone, and is published in 45 countries. In 2016 it was made into a Dreamworks film starring Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, produced by Heyday Films.

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Customers find this novel to be a compelling read with a unique love story and unexpected twists and turns, making it thought-provoking and good for discussion. The book features wonderful characters who are very human, and customers describe it as heart-wrenching and bittersweet, with vivid descriptions that capture the reader's imagination and heart. While some customers find it well-paced, others mention it starts a bit slow.

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8,373 customers mention "Story quality"8,286 positive87 negative

Customers find the book to be a compelling read, with one describing it as a real page turner.

"...Great read! If I could have given this more stars, I most certainly would have!" Read more

"...Altogether, a good read. I easily can see this as a movie. (And if it becomes one, I hope they don't muck it up.)" Read more

"...Great book. M. Stanfield, Houston, Tx" Read more

"This was a very provocative book, in addition to being a great read. Beautiful language, very visual - I could imagine this on the big screen...." Read more

3,768 customers mention "Writing quality"3,515 positive253 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, noting its beautiful descriptions and easy readability.

"...Overall, it was well written, and at times the language was breathtaking...." Read more

"Well written. Book club pick" Read more

"Beautifully written, even poetic. But the story is a difficult one to finish...." Read more

"...easy answers in The Light Between Oceans, but you will find a beautifully written and sensitively told story about people who make mistakes and..." Read more

3,539 customers mention "Emotional content"2,805 positive734 negative

Customers find the emotional content of the book deeply moving and heart-wrenching, describing it as a bittersweet story that brings tears to their eyes.

"...and, in doing so, creates characters who are fully realised, noble, sad and capable of great strength and a depth of understanding about the actions..." Read more

""The Light between Oceans" is a haunting story about love, loss, the effects of isolation and the consequences of the choices we make...." Read more

"...Captures our human-ness, and the need for love, connection, forgiveness, relationships. I couldn't read it in one sitting...." Read more

"...In a word, heartbreaking. This month's book club selection started off slowly for me...." Read more

2,829 customers mention "Plot"2,352 positive477 negative

Customers enjoy the plot of this novel, describing it as a gripping love story with unexpected twists and turns.

"...It covers many perspectives – love, innate desires, rationalization of decisions, internal turmoil resulting from those decisions, doing what’s..." Read more

"...It is a love story that portrays the truth of the human experience in a way that captivates the reader...." Read more

"...None the less, it is an easy read summer story with an interesting plot...." Read more

"...There is a truly entertaining mix of drama, intrigue, humor, suspense, and even a little "Crime and Punishment"-style dramatic irony that really..." Read more

2,671 customers mention "Thought provoking"2,470 positive201 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking, keeping them interested throughout and making it good for discussion.

"...Saying that this book is interesting, touching, emotional and dramatic is not saying anything at all...." Read more

"...I would recommend it to a book club to read as it is thought provoking and did hold my interest once I got into it...." Read more

"...observations of the various components and persons drew me and were compelling - one could almost feel the beauty of smell the many scents and even..." Read more

"Interesting and sad. Well worth taking the time to read. Some parts were overly wordy and heavily edited...." Read more

2,285 customers mention "Character development"2,066 positive219 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, finding them wonderful and very human, with one customer noting there are no villains.

"...I enjoyed the story, the characters, the developing of the characters...." Read more

"...All that said, I like her writing style and thought her characters were well developed until about half way through and then they went flat and..." Read more

"...I found this book enjoyable, with likable but deep and interesting characters, and perhaps most importantly made me think..." Read more

"...The fine writing and character development, however, make up for any flaws in the plotting." Read more

740 customers mention "Believable"653 positive87 negative

Customers find the book believable and wonderfully recharged by its realism, with vivid descriptions of the island that capture the reader's imagination and heart.

"...The characters are well-thought out and believable. The story moves along quickly, always raising questions . Did Isabel and Tom do the right thing?..." Read more

"...All her characters are so well drawn and real, keeps you wondering what will happen, right up to the last pages...." Read more

"...can affect many people and approaches the subject matter in a very believable and realistic manner...." Read more

"...Her characters are flawed, complicated, and realistic. Her descriptions are just right, neither lacking in detail nor drowning in it...." Read more

1,230 customers mention "Pacing"613 positive617 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it well-paced and spectacularly moving, while others note it starts a little slow.

"...Slow start and very quick ending." Read more

"...I recommend this book as a moving and sympathetic study of parenting and the grief that comes with the loss of a child." Read more

"...I gave it four stars instead of five only because of the slow start...." Read more

"...It's a sad story that I found very moving and I still wonder what decisions I would have made if I were in their situation...." Read more

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Heidi (but books are better)
Moral dilemma of what is "the right thing"
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2012
Verified Purchase

"The Light between Oceans" is a haunting story about love, loss, the effects of isolation and the consequences of the choices we make. I loved this book, and it is on my list of favourites read this year. It made me smile and it made me cry, and it questioned all previous beliefs I ever held about the black and white of right or wrong, and what it means to "do the right thing".

Set in the South-West corner of Westerns Australia, the story tells of Tom Sherbourne, a young serviceman recently returned from the horrors of the WW1 battlefields, who takes a posting as lighthousekeeper on the remote little island of Janus Rock, off the coast between Albany and the fictional settlement of Point Partageuse. Comforted by the isolation of the island and the routine of maintaining the light and keeping records of the weather, Tom's emotional scars left over from the war slowly begin to heal. When he falls in love with Isabel Graysmark, a beautiful and headstrong young woman from Point Partageuse, and brings her to the island as his wife, both are filled with love and hope for the future. But after several miscarriages and stillbirths, their relationship has become overshadowed by grief, and Isabel's overwhelming desire to have a child. One day, after a storm, Tom discovers a boat which has been washed ashore on the island, containing the corpse of a man and a crying baby girl. Convinced that the child was sent to them as a "gift from God", Isabel persuades Tom not to report the incident, but to raise the child as their own. However, the happiness their new daughter brings the couple is soon being overshadowed by consequences of their decision neither has been able to foresee.

The strength of this novel lies in the development of its characters, whose innermost thoughts, desires and motives are being openly exposed and explored, until the reader is completely drawn into the minds of the three main protagonists. Because all decisions are made out of love and the conviction of doing the right thing at the time, the line between right and wrong becomes blurred and I felt constantly torn between my sympathies for everyone involved, knowing that every path chosen or decision made would cause pain to someone - an impossible choice.

Having had several miscarriages myself I could relate to Isabel's pain and unquenchable desire to have a child, to the verge of destroying their marriage and her own sanity. Her decision to keep the foundling and her reasonings therefore rang true, and I could never blame her for it, despite the consequences and the pain this caused another woman. I also suffered for Tom, torn between love for his wife and daughter, and doing what he felt was "the right thing". Out of all the characters, he probably had the hardest choices to make, as he never had Isabel's conviction of having made the right decision, and knew that whatever he did would cause pain to others. And who would not feel for Hannah, the other victim in all of this, through no fault of her own? At times reading the novel felt like trying to solve one of Kohlberg's moral dilemmas, where any decision you make always involves some horrible sacrifice - the question being only which is the lesser evil. Maybe my desire for a solution that would accommodate all people involved was a foolish one, and one that was not granted by the book's ending, which left me with a faint echo of sorrow for the rest of the day.

Apart from its characters, Stedman has also beautifully captured the essence of South-Western Australia, its countryside and its characters. I live very close to where the fictional place of Point Partageuse would be situated, and the author's descriptions of the environment rang very true and brought the place alive in my mind. The lighthouse itself closely resembled another place in WA where I have spent a lot of time in the past, imagining the lives of the lighthouskeepers from the past, and the effects of the extreme isolation - both the beauty and the cruel realities. I have experienced the effects of it myself, and commend the author for so realistically portraying them in Isabel.

An outstanding debut novel and a wonderful read - fully recommended.

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K.B.
A story of tough choices
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2020
Verified Purchase
This book has been on my to be read list for a long time. And having now finally read it, I do think for the most part it lived up to the hype. I felt invested in the story and in the characters but I guess my only criticism is I wish I could have felt more. I didn't shed a tear until the end when I feel like there were parts of the story before that which should have made more of an emotional impact. I have way more positive feelings about this book than negative, but it wasn't quite the five star read for me.

It's 1926 and after fighting in the war, Tom Sherbourne, has taken up a job as a light keeper on Janus Rock, an isolated island off the Australian coast. Tom only is allowed to take leave every couple years and a supply boat visits only once a season. Tom eventually marries a young woman named Isabel and while they would love to start a family, unfortunately Isabel has suffered 2 miscarriages and a stillbirth. One day a boat washes up to shore with a dead man inside and also a baby who is very much alive. It's his duty as a light keeper to report this discovery but Isabel wants to keep the baby and raise her as their own. No doubt whatever decision is made will have lasting consequences.

The author does a great job at setting the scene as it was easy to imagine how isolating it would feel to live on Janus Rock. The setting without a doubt enhanced the story. I also thought it was a good choice to follow many characters as it allowed me to feel invested in each one and understand their viewpoints better. I might not have agreed with every choice that was made, but I could at least grasp where that person was coming from.

Going into reading this book I was expecting a tearjerker. There were quite a few things in the story that really should have hit me but they fell flat. The plot was good but it just felt like something was missing for so much of the book. Not sure why other than towards the end I didn't connect on the same emotional level other readers did. For me this wasn't a beautifully written story, instead it was just a very good story. Good enough that I would recommend it to the few of you who haven't checked it out yet.

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ohio quilter
Just…wow!
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2025
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
What begins as a love story evolves into a spectacularly moving and complex experience. The characters are incredibly deep, the plot multi-layered. The descriptions of the physical world as well as the innermost thoughts and feelings of each character is exquisite. I often read quickly, but this book I slowed down in order to savor each word. The ending is spellbinding-do NOT read it first! This book is perfection-never to be forgotten.

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Kei
素晴らしいの一言フルストップ
Reviewed in Japan on November 23, 2019
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素晴らしいの一言です。人物。風景。匂い。景色。全てが素晴らしく描写されています。まるでオーストラリアにいるみたいな錯覚になります。そんな力がこの作家と作品にはあります。映画を見たのでストーリーは知っていましたが、そんなの関係なく読者を圧倒させます。ただ圧倒されます。

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Quikou
The Lights between Oceans
Reviewed in France on July 18, 2015
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Un très bon roman qui se passe en Australie et une histoire d'enfant perdu et retrouvé qui fait et défait des vies d'adultes. Le message est clair, la vie est plus forte que tout pour cette enfant qui ,fera son chemin et trouvera le bonheur sans chercher à renouer avec le passé. C'est le miracle de l'enfance qui vit le présent et s'oppose aux remords et rancœurs des adultes.

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JAO
Envìo ràpido y a bajo costo
Reviewed in Spain on August 10, 2023
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El libro es excelente. La compra y envìo por Amazon fuè simple, ràpido y preciso

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Janet B
A RIVETING DEBUT NOVEL!
Reviewed in Canada on April 17, 2013
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It is December 1918, when Tom Sherbourne applies for a position as a lighthouse keeper. He had previously spent four years fighting in World War 1. He had received several Medals of Honour. Now, Tom finds himself in a small town in Western Australia. In June 1920, he receives news of an urgent vacancy available on Janus Rock, a remote island off the coast of Australia, where the supply boat comes every season. Tom is replacing Trimble Docherty, who was put on sick leave. Apparently, his wife had disobeyed the rules and caused a stir. So Tom was going to fill in for him for six months. A few days later, Tom lands in Partageuse, a half a day's journey to the isolated Island. While in Partageuse, he sees a young girl feeding the seagulls. She offers him some bread to feed the seagulls too and that is how they meet. Before setting off for the Island, it is customary for the new lighthouse keeper to be invited to have dinner with the Harbourmaster and his wife. Captain Percy Hasluck is in charge of all the comings and goings at the port. At the dinner, Tom is introduced to Isabel Graysmark. She is there with her parents. Isabel is the young and bold girl who was feeding the seagulls. The very next day, Tom is taken by boat to Janus Rock. Tom and Isabel decide to keep in touch by sending letters by boat every three months, when the supply boat arrives.

When Tom arrives, his job as the lighthouse keeper begins. The logbook tells the tale of the keeper's life. He has to keep a record of the exact minute the light is lit, the exact minute it is put out, the weather conditions, the ships that pass, a distress flare, a wisp of smoke and a bit of metal washed up that might turn out to be a wreckage. The log is the gospel truth. Everything has to be recorded and Tom's records are meticulous.

It is now several months that Tom and Isabel correspond and through their letters they decide to marry. Tom is concerned that Isabel would have nothing to do on an island, but she finds many things to do. They hope to start a family. Sadly, she has two miscarriages and one stillbirth. Isabel feels like a failure and is grieving her loss.

Two weeks after the stillbirth, Isabel hears the cries of a baby. A canoe has washed up ashore at Janus Rock and in it is a dead man and a live baby girl. Tom has a sense of duty and wants to report it. It is the moral thing to do. His records are meticulous and he wants to report the dead man and he also wants to return the baby to its rightful mother. However, Isabel begs Tom to keep the child. She tells Tom that the dead man is probably the father and the baby's mother must have died too. Tom loves Isabel and gives in to keeping the baby. Isabel feels the baby is a miracle from God. They name the baby Lucy. Isabel tells Tom to keep it a secret and that no one has to know the truth. Tom buries the dead man and they keep the baby. All is well for two years when .......
This is where a bad decision is made for all the right reasons.

You wonder who this baby girl is. Does she have parents who are grieving on the mainland? Who is the dead man? How did he die? What happens to Tom and Isabel for breaking the law? The answers to these questions are slowly resolved.

The Light Between Oceans is a stunning debut novel by M. L. Stedman. The description of the Australian coastland is breathtaking. The characters are so true to life. What an enjoyable read! I highly recommend this book. You will not be disappointed.

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Umesh Raval
Excellent, a must read
Reviewed in India on June 1, 2023
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A beautiful read which will take you to another world

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5.0 out of 5 stars Moral dilemma of what is "the right thing"

4.0 out of 5 stars A story of tough choices

5.0 out of 5 stars Just…wow!

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars 素晴らしいの一言 フルストップ

5.0 out of 5 stars The Lights between Oceans

5.0 out of 5 stars Envìo ràpido y a bajo costo

5.0 out of 5 stars A RIVETING DEBUT NOVEL!

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, a must read

Moral dilemma of what is "the right thing"

A story of tough choices

Just…wow!

素晴らしいの一言フルストップ

The Lights between Oceans

Envìo ràpido y a bajo costo

A RIVETING DEBUT NOVEL!

Excellent, a must read