The Light Between Oceans

by M.L. Stedman

Book Overview

The years-long New York Times bestseller and major motion picture from Spielberg's Dreamworks is "irresistible...seductive...with a high concept plot that keeps you riveted from the first page" (O, The Oprah Magazine).

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1451681755
• ISBN13: 9781451681758
• Release Date: April 2013
• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.2" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

What a Beautiful Book!

This novel took me some time to get into. It takes place in Australia, and some of the verbiage is foreign to me. The pace at the beginning is slow, but when you think of two people alone on an island with their only "friend" a lighthouse, you can understand the slow pace. But as the novel progresses, there are twists and turns, along with absolutely beautiful prose in the last few chapters. It's worth your patience and time.

This made me cry and that's not easy to do

The complex emotional rollercoaster you'll be part of can't be put into words. It's beautifully written and the images it projects into your head while you read feel almost real. I definitely recommend everyone read this, at least once.

Have tissues ready

This is the most morally complex book I’ve ever read. A woman named Isabella goes through multiple miscarriages. The loss is horrifying and intensely human for there is no words to describe that level of motherly grief. A blessing and curse come in the form of a baby that washes up on the shore. The baby is not God’s gift to the world however, as while it cures Isabella’s desire for motherhood, it leaves the child’s real mother on the shore in utter devastation. Do they keep the baby or return it? Most novels do not accurately humanize all characters, or only offer the perspective of the main character. “The Light Between Oceans” gives full emotional depth and understanding to every character involved in this highly emotional and distressing moral situation over a child’s life and parenthood, down to the grandparents of both sides and the personal lives of the officials concerned with making the legal verdicts. This is all excellent without mentioning the fantastic lighthouse setting and vivid prose which captures the ocean beautifully. Through Tom, Isabella’s husband and a lighthouse keeper, the reader is given a thoughtful education on the workings of a lighthouse and a poetic impression of the lonely, diligent profession. Tom’s decisions and Isabella’s decisions are intensely human. Every decision is painful, and many of the results are sad, however life continues on, and the ending is framed beautifully. The many layers of morality result in an incredibly engaging read.

The Light Between Oceans

I found this book very hard to put down. It was a very good book. Captivating from page one to the last page. I loved it. Made me cry.

Heart gripping

This book had me bawling my eyes out for certain parts, and cheering with excitement at others. Truly an emotional read and as a new parent, truly heart gripping.

Great story!!

I really enjoyed this book - a few surprises throughout that I did not see coming. I never watched the movie and was happy I hadn't b/c I was pleasantly surprised.

Heartbreaking, but in the best way.

It took a chapter or two for me to really get pulled into this book, but once I did I couldn't put it down. The story really pulled at the heart strings and caused me to feel emotions that other books haven't. This story of love and loss is so good, definitely a must-read.

I've literally tried for years to read a really great book.

This book is definitely for someone wanting to read a riveting story about people who live on a lighthouse island. I read (or rather listened) to the audiobook. The narrator reads with an Australian accent which makes it even more authentic.

This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. So detailed that I felt that I was the characters and I was going through what they were going through. This is a story that will have you in contact with all of your emotions.

Excellent storytelling!

I loved this book because, like so many incredible works of literature before it that I've read, it transported me far, far away. The book itself is an easy read with pages that were easy to digest, especially for a hungry reader. I felt that with every page I read I was living the character's lives. A great, heart-wrenching look into lives that are torn to shreds and mended again and again at moment's decision. Fantastic read that I recommend to anyone that adores delving into new lands and different lives.