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)

Compelling story of love and hope for one child.

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

I enjoyed the description of the place and how the little island affected the family that lived there. Also the memories that people had throughout the story and how their past affected their decisions now.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Light Between Oceans?

How Lucy came to be found and discovered from both her adopted family and the biological one.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Perhaps especially towards the end I didn't want to stop listening. But I listen when doing other things so when those tasks are done so is my listening.

Any additional comments?

The story line is just so great. We think a lot about how much people are affected during a war not after. Or rather how the community is affected by so much loss and how that impacts their decisions. The light that this little girl brought into the extended family after having lost 2 sons in the war it was understood why her adopted mother didn't want to give her up. I thought it was an amazing inventive tale of love and how honesty can be blurred and affect the choices we make.

Right, Wrong and the Chasm Between

Would you listen to The Light Between Oceans again? Why?

It was a beautiful story. I enjoyed it twice. After I enjoyed it the first time, I was able to savor the storytelling the second time.

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

I've heard a comparison to All the Light We Cannot See, but I didn't enjoy that book, so it doesn't seem like a fair comparison to me.

What about Noah Taylor’s performance did you like?

The narrative was fantastic!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

At it's core, this book is about right versus wrong. The way it unfolds is compelling.

I can't understand a word the narrator says

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

Before I ever read any reviews I had already decided the narrator drops his voice at the end of a sentence and I would lose the last several words. I'm very frustrated at this point because I want to listen to the book but fear I will have to start over

Beautiful story....

I fell in love with all the characters in this book. I love the way the author told the story from both points of view of Isabella and Hannah. I enjoyed Tom's character. I felt real happiness and sadness throughout this book. Such a range of emotions....keep a Kleenex handy. I've read so many negative comments on the narration. My only thought was that it needed the addition of a female voice for Isabella. Other than that no complaints.

Captivating from start to finish

I'm absolutely in love with the writing style of this book. The story tore at my heart and you could feel the absolute love from the pages.

Mixed Emotions

This book will pull at your heart strings and cause a mix of emotions. At times unsettling. Curious to see how they portray the story in movie format.

NARRATOR RUINED THE BOOK FOR ME.

Would you listen to The Light Between Oceans again? Why?

I loved this story, but I had to strain to hear and understand the narrator. I wish I had read the book instead. The narrator's voice is quiet, and his voice trails off at the end of sentences. Also, he has a lisp, and I found the sibilance very distracting, especially with sentences that have a lots of S's.

How could the performance have been better?

I wish there were a different narrator with a loud, crisp voice.

Any additional comments?

Unfortunately, I found this book frustrating to listen to, and I frequently had to rewind to try and hear passages over and over again.

Slow moving storyline

This book was just okay. Somewhat forgettable, and the voice of the reader was droning.

Great story!

Very touching story. You become attached to each character very easily and you can find bits of yourself in those characters.

Slow and Bleek

although I saw the movie...I expected a little more from the book. the book has the same qualities as the movie. empathy..hope fullness, anger, pain....but I didn't feel a type of blissful love that I expected. I mean ...I guess the Era was dismal. the isolation would have killed me.