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)

Amazing! Beautiful! Heart wrenching!

Headline says it all. Tragic, painful, yet redemptive. Noah Taylor is a brilliant narrator. Highly recommended.

Fair story, but really hard to listen to.

Any additional comments?

I have been a member of Audible for years and this is about the only narrator I really had a hard time listening to. He always sounded so depressing. I could understand the Irish accent but almost couldn't finish the book because of the narration. I found myself opening the hard copy up to read instead of having to listen to this voice.

Great book to listen to! Loved the accent!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Light Between Oceans to be better than the print version?

I did not read the book in print and am glad b/c I loved the accent of the narrator!

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

It was a great story as a whole and made you ask yourself lots of questions! "What would you do?"

Which character – as performed by Noah Taylor – was your favorite?

The husband

Who was the most memorable character of The Light Between Oceans and why?

The wife

Any additional comments?

Not to be missed. Cried a lot but LOVED this book!

Interesting Story, I'm OK with Narrator

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

It's an interesting story of a crossroads in the lives of two people and the consequences of an action. I loved the story being set at a lighthouse, the isolation, the dynamic between the husband and wife. I didn't feel as strongly about the narration as many other reviewers. Listen to a sample and decide for yourself.

I probably wouldn't read/listen to the book again, but I might go to a movie--right director, right actors...

Slow to start...but a great read

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

Sad, thought provoking, detailed

What did you like best about this story?

The way Lucy brought Tom and Isabelle's relationship alive.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Lucy gives Tom his birthday present and writes in the atlas "I love you forever forever forever forever!

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

The last chapter made me cry, it was all so sad about not being able to have a child of their own and what Isabelle had resorted too to achieve that dream. It could have all been avoided if they had done the right thing in the first place. Their lives were forever dramatically changed😢 But on the flip side I could understand their reasons for keeping Lucy!

Wonderful story with well developed characters

Would you consider the audio edition of The Light Between Oceans to be better than the print version?

Since the book is set in Austraila, the narration with an Austrailian was particularly appreciated. It was easy to be transported to a different place and time.

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

Noah Taylor brings a sence of being in another place and time. He also brings a gentle strength to the characters that enhances the written word.

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

I would not rename the book, I thought the name was perfect.

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend this book because it is a complex stroy with a very unexpected ending.

Well written but sad

The narrator has a nice accent, but swallows the ends of sentences a lot, so it's a struggle to listen at times.

Heartbreaking story--totally lived it!

What a touching story about two people who fall in love and live on an island. The twists and turns of their lives will take you on am emotional journey. Couldn't stop listening.

Better read than listen

The modulation of the narrator made this less enjoyable to listen too because of the way each sentence starts out strong then goes down to almost a whisper making it necessary to make constant volume adjustments. I did enjoy the story but not the way it was narrated.

Almost Returned it - But Glad That I Didn't!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Light Between Oceans to be better than the print version?

I have not read the print version, but expect that it is better that the audio one due to the difficulties of understanding this narrator.

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

While the first half of the book is rather slow, the second half is difficult to tear yourself away from, with one memorable moment after another as Tom and Isabelle are forced to admit the truth about what they have done and confront the painful consequences that unfold. The emotional suffering experineced by all of the characters, particularly the little girl Lucy/Grace, will haunt me for a very long time.

What didn’t you like about Noah Taylor’s performance?

This narrator is very difficult to understand, not only because of his accent, but because he often speaks so softly that you cannot hear what he is saying. Because of this I almost returned the book, but wasn't able to (I had returned another title earlier this month because I also didn't like the narrator, so I gues I had reached my return limit!) so decided to keep going and found that I loved the story. I do, however, think that I missed a lot of the finer nuances due to the poor narration.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A story of love, loss, and survival that you will never forget.

Any additional comments?

Read the print version if you can. However if you can't, and are able to tolerate the narration through the first half of the book, the second half is sure to draw you in.