The Light Between Oceans

A Novel

By: M. L. Stedman

Narrated by: Noah Taylor

Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

A captivating, beautiful, and stunningly accomplished debut novel - the story of a lighthouse keeper and his wife who make one devastating choice that forever changes two worlds.

In 1918, after four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia to take a job as the lighthouse keeper on remote Janus Rock. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes only four times a year and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Three years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel is tending the grave of her newly lost infant when she hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up on shore 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 dead man and the infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom’s judgment, they claim the child as their own and name her Lucy, but a rift begins to grow between them. When Lucy is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world…and one of them is desperate to find her lost baby.

M.L. Stedman’s extraordinarily compelling characters, still trying to make sense of life in the wake of so much death in the war, are imperfect people seeking to find their north star in a world of incomprehensible complexity.

©2012 Grasshill Communications. (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“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)

Great story and reading

If you could sum up The Light Between Oceans in three words, what would they be?

taking a child

Who was your favorite character and why?

the wife. I felt for her

What about Noah Taylor’s performance did you like?

He did fine.

If you could rename The Light Between Oceans, what would you call it?

Truth or Consequences

Any additional comments?

Really enjoyed this story.

Starts slow, but interesting enough..

If you could sum up The Light Between Oceans in three words, what would they be?

Starts slow, but interesting enough that I don't feel the read was time wasted.

The narrator is the worst I have heard

Would you try another book from M. L. Stedman and/or Noah Taylor?

Narrator drops his voice at the end of sentences and often in the middle of sentences. Sounds like he runs out of breath sometimes and cannot get the words out. For the first time in the 30 years of listening to tapes and audible.com - I am asking for a refund - it was that bad. I took the book out from the library to read and the story is lovely.

How could the performance have been better?

Narrator drops his voice at the end of sentences and often in the middle of sentences. Sounds like he runs out of breath sometimes and cannot get the words out. For the first time in the 30 years of listening to tapes and audible.com - I am asking for a refund - it was that bad. I took the book out from the library to read and the story is lovely.

Was The Light Between Oceans worth the listening time?

Not with this narrator - read the hard copy to really enjoy the prose.

Heart wrenching

This story will never leave me. Read with such emotion. Looking forward to another one.

Domino Affect

Where does The Light Between Oceans rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I think I would put it at a 75% ranking. The story is heart wrenching but the reader good have done a better job.

What did you like best about this story?

Although it starts slow, once Tom and Isabelle start their relationship the book starts to move and move it does. Once they make the decision to keep the baby they find, you realize their lives will get complicated and that it does...affecting so many people outside their isolated world.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I like the narrator but found myself having to turn up the volume constantly. He would start in a strong voice and finish a paragraph in a whisper as if he ran out of breath. A bit irritating.

If you could take any character from The Light Between Oceans out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Grandfather Septimus. He had a very strong connection with Lulu/Grace upon her return to her mother and I think had a profound influence on her adaption to her new life.

Any additional comments?

It's a very complicated story and I am happy I listened to it rather than read it. However the ending just sort of ended, jumping to 1950 and Lulu/Grace's visit to Tom. After spending so much of the book building up the characters they just die off or get old.

Excellent narrator!

What made the experience of listening to The Light Between Oceans the most enjoyable?

I loved this narrator's accent - it was beautiful and lilting without being overwhelming. The pauses and emotion were all elegant. At no time did it "get on my nerves"

What other book might you compare The Light Between Oceans to and why?

Beautiful Ruins - beautiful, mesmerizing reader! Touching story that transcends time!

What does Noah Taylor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

That voice!!! The best since The Goldfinch!

captivating story.

love struggling with right and wrong. loss of integrity and facing the consequences of decisions.

Listening to it twice.....

I enjoyed this story, but was afraid I missed something, so listened to it a second time. It's a touching story that a person could dive into, but not in today's world. It would be considered light reading for a vacation, perhaps....but I enjoyed it very much!

Great story

This was a wonderful story that blurs the the lines of right and wrong. The narrator had a pleasant voice to listen to. Highly recommend this book. Cons: The author had poor transitions between people, events and time. The narrator’s voice and inflection was smooth and relaxing. This is a book you really need to “listen” so you don’t miss anything. I found myself having the go back a replay several parts because if I wasn’t totally focused, I’d miss key pieces of the plot.

Incredibly narrated, beautiful story

This was my first audio book and I'm worried its spoiled me. Narration is incredible.