I read this book for a book club I was in at the time…were it not for that, I wouldn’t have picked the book up, at all, regardless for the hype. The synopsis did nothing for me. That, should have been my first clue…

The decisions of the characters in the story were just so off-putting to me that it was a depressing and torturous read. I cannot and will not see how their decisions are “okay” or “understandable”.
I understand (from reading other reviews) that many readers felt a connection to Isabel and what she had gone through, and that because of that they could feel sympathy towards her and her decisions, however disastrous they may have been. I, on the other hand, was not one of those people.

It’s one star redemption was the writing. Great writing. In fact, let me know when Stedman writes something that doesn’t have appalling decisions made by the characters in her stories.

Full review: wanderinglectiophile.wordpress.com/2017/10/22/review-the-light-between-oceans-by-m-l-stedman/ ( )

This is a novel that requires the reader to exercise a good deal of empathy in relation to the characters. Such empathy may be easier to come by if you have ever created a child and can feel what that typically does to a person. If you read this novel without that empathy, from an emotional distance, I doubt you will like it.

Set in 1920s western Australia, the central character is a returning soldier from the WWI front lines. Tom Sherbourne survived the war physically intact but longing for quiet and structure, which he finds manning an isolated lighthouse on Janus Rock. The small administrative town on the mainland is hours away by boat, and there he meets a younger woman who will become his wife and move with him to the small island as its only inhabitants, connected to the rest of the world only by a telegraph line and a supply boat that comes every 3 months.

Desperately wanting a child, Isabel instead suffers three miscarriages; the last one at 7 months along. It is shortly after that that a small boat washes up on shore containing a dead man, a live infant, and a woman's sweater. Tom is persuaded by Isabel to at first wait until the next morning to report this, and seeing her with the baby he decides to grant her this. But by morning Isabel has a grander idea. Convincing herself that the sweater means the mother must have drowned, leaving the baby an orphan, and safely delivered to the island by the hand of God, she wants to keep the child and present it to the world as their own. Is this reasonable, no. Understanding that she has been left deeply emotionally affected by her series of miscarriages, the most recent one a very fresh wound, makes her delusions and actions more comprehensible.

Tom has emerged from the barbarity of the war with his sense of morality, if anything, even stronger. He has sworn to himself never to hurt anyone again. He should have the strength of will to resist his wife's pleading, but he cannot. He buries the dead man and hopes to God that his wife's interpretation of events is correct. Of course, it is not, and on a shore break two years later they discover the truth about how the baby and father came to be in the boat, leaving the baby's mother grieving and heartbroken, yet still clinging to hope that her husband and child are somehow alive somewhere.

What follows is a series of tortuous decisions and wrestling with consciences. Depending on the viewpoint, there are betrayals, selfishness, selflessness, recklessness, sacrifice, heroes and villians. At the center is the child, who grows into a young girl. The story is not always elegantly told; Stedman is a first time novelist and is sometimes clumsy and, worse, predictable. But if you can feel the emotions of everyone involved, the story is pretty gripping.

Received starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, and Publisher's Weekly. ( )

Great book, but very emotional! My heart was so torn between the feelings of all the characters! ( )

Tom Sherbourne is a decorated Australian WWI veteran who is on his way to a remote island, Janus Rock, off the southern coast of Australia to be the keeper of the island’s lighthouse. To get there, he must first transport via ship to Partageuse, where, if he is accepted, he will be taken to the island by a smaller boat to relieve the current lighthouse keeper, who apparently went mad. In Partageuse, Tom meets a young woman named Isabel Graysmark, and he is taken with her. When he receives his first supplies and mail three months later, she has written to him and he writes back, and they make plans to marry when he gets his first leave at the end of his first year.
Still carrying around survivor’s guilt from WWI, as well as issues from his childhood, Tom has trouble opening up fully, despite all of Isabel’s coaxing, although he is clearly in love with her. Even when he takes Isabel to the island, where they are the only inhabitants, he is unable to share his past. Over the first several years they live on the island, Isabel miscarries twice and then has a stillborn son and descends into a dark depression until one day a dinghy washes up on the beach carrying a dead man and a crying baby girl wrapped in a woman’s sweater. Tom wants to alert the authorities immediately, but Isabel convinces him to wait until the next day, by which time she has become so attached the baby, and seeing her so revitalized, Tom overcomes his uneasiness and, against his better judgment, they raise the girl, who they name Lucy. They write to Isabel’s parents about the birth of their granddaughter rather than that they buried a stillborn grandson. Tom buries the dead man near the beach where long-ago victims of a shipwreck are buried. Tom goes to set the boat adrift in the sea and discovers a silver rattle, which he gives to Lucy.
During the family's first leave from Janus Rock two years after Lucy turned up, Tom learns that a local woman, Hannah Roennfeldt, daughter of the wealthiest man in Partageuse, has been mourning the mysterious loss of her husband Frank, an Austrian ex-pat, and their two-month old daughter, Grace. Frank had jumped into a boat to get away from a drunken mob of WWI veterans who assailed him , calling him a Hun. Given the timing of the disappearance, when he hears the story, Tom has no doubt that Frank was the dead man in the boat, and that Lucy is Hannah's daughter, Grace. He wants to tell Hannah Roennfeldt the truth, but Isabel is outraged by this idea, convinced that it will harm Lucy. He acquiesces once again and they return to Janus Rock. However, a note turns up in Hannah’s mailbox indicated that her daughter is alive and safe.
The Sherbourne family returns to the mainland again two years later, when Lucy is four, and this time, they encounter the tortured Hannah. Unable to keep silent any longer, Tom leaves Hannah Lucy/Grace’s silver rattle. The rattle is photographed for the newspaper, and a deckhand on the boat that supplies the Sherbournes tells his mother he saw the rattle on Janus Rock, and she convinces him to tell the police in order to collect the generous reward offered by Hannah’s father. The police turn up on Janus Rock, and Tom lies to them and takes all the responsibility for not reporting the appearance of the boat with the dead Frank and baby Lucy. More unfolds afterwards; in the end, Lucy-Grace is returned to Hannah, and Tom does a short stint in jail, and he and Isabel move away. They eventually buy a farm and live out the rest of Isabel’s life there, another 20 years, until she succumbs to cancer. Shortly after he buries Isabel, Lucy-Grace visits, hoping to see both of them. She herself has an infant son, and had been in the service in WWII, and shared with Tom that she had some memories of her time with Tom and Isabel. The ending is neither uplifting nor sad, but has a melancholy feel to it. Well written, dynamic characters, interesting story line.
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This is another tough one. It came highly recommended by lots of different people, so perhaps my expectations were too high. Mostly, I found it aggravating.

There are parts of the book that I enjoyed. I liked Tom quite a lot. I loved reading about the quiet life of a Lighthouse keeper. In fact - I wanted to read a whole book about that! I found Isobel annoying. She pops into the story suddenly, she seems fun but the courtship is fast (out on necessity) and from that point things are rushed. I wish we felt more of the journey of their marriage and more about her despair over the lost babies. The decision making is crazy and I guess it's explained, but I didn't feel like it was earned.

Once they get Lucy, everything Izzy did annoyed me more than the last. Hannah too grated. I'm sure part of it is the fact that I am not a mother (have never wanted to be a mother) so their behavior seems insane to me, although maybe it's legit primal instinct.

The resolution seems unsatisfying too. The benevolence of dead Frank just arrived out of left field.

Aside from all of that, I didn't really enjoy the writing either. It seemed very remote and standoffish at times. Perhaps because that is Tom's personality? I don't know. It just didn't quite sit properly with me.

It sounds like I really disliked the book. That's not true, but for me it was just OK.


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2.5 maybe? I just couldn't get into this book, but I have to admit the last 40 pages or so really tugged at my heartstrings... ( )

The tale of a couples' slide to the end of the slippery slope and its multiple and devastating consequences. ( )

A heart wrenching look at love, guilt and forgiveness. Definitely a favorite book, and highly recommended. ( )

my mom saw the preview for this movie then realized it was a book. knowing that I like to read books before i touch the movies I bought this and I am so happy i did.

First Line: On the day of the miracle, Isabel was kneeling at the cliff's edge, tending the small, newly made driftwood cross.

Tom Sherbourne has done something that hundreds of thousands of other young men didn't: survive four years on the Western Front. When this World War I veteran returns home to Australia, all he wants to do is to forget, to find a job where he can be of use, and to be left to himself. He takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly a half day's journey from the coast of Western Australia. It is a life of isolation. The supply boat comes four times a year, and shore leave might be granted every other year at best.

To this life, Tom brings a young, vivacious, and loving wife, but years pass, and after two miscarriages and a stillbirth, Tom sees that the wife he loves more than life itself is wasting away before his eyes. One morning while tending those tiny graves, Isabel hears a baby's cry on the wind. It is not her imagination. A boat has washed ashore. Aboard are a dead man and a tiny living baby girl.

No one has taken better care of the Janus Rock Lighthouse than Tom Sherbourne. Everything gleams; every bit of machinery runs smoothly; and his records are meticulous. Tom is an intensely moral man, and he wants to report the man and infant immediately, but Isabel has taken the baby and clings to her like a drowning woman to a life raft. Against his better judgment, the incident is not reported, and Tom and Isabel claim the baby as their own and name her Lucy. For Isabel, life is idyllic for two years. Then leave is granted, and the family of three return to shore where they are reminded that there are other people in the world, and their decision has ruined the life of one of them.

You would never dream that The Light Between Oceans is a debut novel. The isolated setting of Janus Rock is indelibly drawn: the wind, the birds wheeling in the air, the crashing of the waves, the steady brilliance of the light at night. The sights, the scents, the sounds-- they all live in the mind as do the streets and the inhabitants of the small town of Partageuse where Isobel's parents live, and where Tom, Isabel and Lucy spend their infrequent leave.

It's impossible to read this book and not become totally drawn in by the characters: the withdrawn and haunted Tom, the bold and laughing Isabel, and all the people who call Partageuse home. It was also impossible for me to read this book and not to choose sides. One of the major images of the book is this meeting of opposites. Janus Rock stands where the warm Indian and cold Antarctic Oceans meet. It's where the taciturn Tom and the ebullient Isabel live. It's where a brilliant light flashes continuously throughout the dark nights. It's where a bad decision is made for all the right reasons. The town of Partageuse continues the image.

I was completely caught up in Stedman's story. I was staunchly in Tom's camp, and I wanted to shake sense into Isabel, but these are not one-dimensional characters, and as the story progressed, I finally put away my outraged sense of right and wrong and let wave after wave of consequences toss me onto the rocks. All I could do was watch. I wont give any more away I will just say i was impressed. ( )

The narrator on this audio version was not good. He frequently got soft towards the ends of sentences, almost swallowing or mumbling the words. This manner of reading made it very challenging to listen, even though he was good at differentiating the voices of different characters.

The story itself was alright. I can't say I loved it, but there was nothing really specific I didn't like. Maybe Isabelle, the mother, because I was unable to relate to her tunnel-vision perspective of Lucy. I also found it strange how the narrator set up scenes with the doctor as if the doctor was making a grave error in judgement (explanation of Isabelle's condition, Lucy's reaction to Hannah) but then later proved him right. I didn't like the doctor.

And as with many books, the ending was longer than necessary. I would have been satisfied without the last chapter.

Very good story, but yet the saddest book I've read in a long time. ( )

Loved this book!!! Will be featuring it on my writer's page as one of my new "favorite books". It poses a question every mother could relate to but I don't want to give anything away. Also very interesting about the life of a lighthouse man back in the early 1920's. ( )

Great book, I read far into the night. Thank heavens I didn't have work the next day. ( )

I just couldn't get over how weak one of the characters was ( )

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. ( )

I really didn't like this book at all. I'm surprised because I thought the premise sounded very intriguing. A loving couple, Tom and Isabel, who tend a lighthouse on a deserted island are unable to have children. A boat floats ashore, and there's a baby in it. The heart of the moral quandary of the book is whether to raise the child as their own or get in touch with law enforcement.

That sounds like a good premise albeit a little Jodi Picoult-ish. But I like Jodi Picoult, and Stedman ain't no Picoult.

Honestly, other than the baby, I didn't feel badly for any of these characters. The women are selfish beyond all measure. Tom seems like a good person, but the stoic male with a backstory that somehow is supposed to be impactful on the present, but really struck me as superfluous.

At every point where there was a choice to be made in the plotting, I disliked the author's choice. To make matters worse, I was bored.

There are some nice turns of phrase, but not enough to really propel the book into something more than its plot. A LOT of people loved this book, but I thought it was formulaic with a bunch of unsympathetic characters. So happy to be done with it. ( )

I started the audio version of this book and had to switch to the written version. The reader has an Australian accent, but I don't think that was the issue. It was just very difficult to hear and understand in certain parts. I'm SO glad I had the hard copy of the book to switch to. I could not stop thinking about this book and the choices the characters made. Not that I agreed with many of those choices or even really understood them, but they came across as forgivable as the story unfolded. In the end, the book was incredibly complex, moving, and thought provoking. ( )

Probably 3.5 stars.
I quite enjoyed this. There was a lovely lyricism to the writing which felt like I was drifting in a dinghy on the ocean. Quite appropriate really. It just didn't quite hit the mark with Isabelle and Hannah's characters for me. Tom, I loved.
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This truly is one of the best books I've ever read. It was a pleasure to read Ms. Stedman’s lovely turns of phrase, and I was deeply moved by her poignant exploration of the frailties of humankind. I have whole-heartedly recommended the book to my friends. ( )

A slow starter, this novel explores the moral core of its main characters, the town, and ultimately war. If I weren't reading for book club, I may have set this down. The premise had already been set, along with the moral dilemma of keeping a shipwrecked baby. However, the plot didn't thicken until halfway into the book, giving the reader a feeling that all the prior actions were simply setting the scene. I did appreciate the complexity of every character and their decisions. ( )

3.5/5.


I will start with saying that I found it a pretty easy read.

I thought it started well, you get to know the characters and what life is like on a lighthouse.
As a new mum, reading about Izzy's three heartbreaks was quite raw for me, especially experiencing the deaths so isolated from her parents.

So when the next event happened, I understood why she clung to Lucy so tightly. However, had I been in that situation, I would have at least, covertly, tried to make certain whether or not 'Lucy''s' mother was in fact alive or not. If her mother had passed, then I would remain mum on the situation and claim Lucy as my own, however, if I did discover her mother was alive and STILL searching for her child, then I would return her. So, despite knowing how hard it would be to give back a child after loving them for a year, it would be the right thing to do, and as only a year had passed perhaps the birth mother would not have been as opposed to Izzy and Tom being able to perhaps be the Godparents or at least frequent visitors to Lucy.

That point, where they returned after the baptism and knowing the mother was still hoping her child was alive somewhere, was when the book turned downhill for me.

The resulting arrest (and interrogation which seemed to drag on for me) as well as the drama and point of view switches felt out of place with the beginning of the book. Izzy refusing to talk to her husband was frustrating, yes she loved the baby and could not have any of her own (did she really start menopause in her 20s?), but this child already HAD a mother who still WANTED AND LOVED her. If Izzy wanted to be a mother again so badly then she could have asked Tom to move back to the mainland to adopt, especially after talking about those abandoned children she had visited at the orphanage.
That being said, I thought Hannah and Izzy could have made the transition a little smoother, so that Lucy could understand and have some sort of trust forming before being placed 100% in Hannah's care - perhaps visitation from Izzy as long as she understood that she was no longer the mother.

The biggest unanswered question for me was how Franz died (or perhaps in my sleep deprived state I missed the explanation)??

It was rather sad that that Izzy did not get a reunion with Lucy before she passed, and that she never adopted or became a foster parent.

I've babbled enough about the story line.

In terms of the book, what I liked most was learning about life on a lighthouse and the dynamic between husband and wife. I started to lose interest once Lucy was returned, but then again, I did want to continue reading to find out what happened.
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