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)

Slow to get going, then ends well

It was hard for me to keep pushing through this book. Narrator is so hard to understand.

Grand Soap Opera

What did you love best about The Light Between Oceans?

How the loose ends tied together

Would you be willing to try another book from M. L. Stedman? Why or why not?

Maybe. A little too much drama I considered like a soap opera

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He was terrible. Soft spoken and difficult to understand

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The book is moving and complex. Relationships that are difficult to make and break

Well written, painful if read by wrong audienc

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Probably not. It's difficult to conceive how this book could have appealed to me, simply because I don't think I fit in the demographic to which it's marketed. Perhaps, more precise information regarding the main male protagonist's wartime experience. Or some other level of intrigue other than that which was provided by the core story.

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

There was no particularly memorable moment except for my few inner outbursts of frustration at the book slamming me in the brain with it's main emotional theme - i.e. that special sense of loss only a mother can feel when she loses a child, at birth or otherwise. It seemed much or even most of the book was simply attempting to recreate that emotion... for hours... in whoever the book had managed to corner. Ok, if you're inclined to relate, but some audiences, once they get the idea has been satisfactorily conveyed once, will not feel inclined to have the concept reiterated in various forms for 100's of pages on end.

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

An accent. Though at times I found him somewhat repetitive, unfortunately.

Did The Light Between Oceans inspire you to do anything?

Become a loving mother? Alas this dream has ended before it began, being male and all...

Any additional comments?

If you just don't care that much about babies and mommy issues, don't read this book. It's more or less all you're going to get. The story itself is simplistic and relatively quickly presumed by the reader, which limits the books ability to truly surprise, resulting it in being somewhat grinding, especially if you find yourself unable or unwilling to appreciate the book's core theme. Otherwise, very well written - hence my giving it 3 stars as opposed to 0.

Review of The Light Between Oceans

I loved this book! The setting, the characters and this story of love. Noah Taylor's voice was a perfect choice as it blended Tom's kindness, persistence and devotion to Isabelle, and helped us to love & understand her too. Thanks to all involved for this gift. It was my first audible book, and now I'm hooked.

Beautiful story, poor narration

This narrator was probably the most difficult I've ever listened to. He drifted off at the end of sentences making the right volume difficult, either too loud at the beginning of phrases or just right at the beginning and trailing off to too quiet. He sounded bored.

what would you do?

this is a very good read. makes you think of trust, commitment, love, loss and letting go.
what would you do?
this book stirred up old memories, a different time and circumstance a child not mine I had to give her back, she would be 20yrs old now. I know I would fight harder the next time to keep her.
make sure you have Kleenex close by the love and commitment will hold you

Sad story

Truly sad story but so touching. Well written even though I wished for a different ending.
Narrator sometimes difficult to understand.

Great story. Boring narrator.

The story is beautiful but the narrator is so depressing. His monotone delivery is so slow and plodding I had to speed up the playback. Unfortunately, if I chose a speed that is closer to normal speaking I would lose some of the words due to the Australian accent.

Loved it!

Very good story. I’m glad Lucy searched for Tom and Izzie. I just wish it would have happened sooner.

Always kept me intrigued. Lovely story.

This was one of my favorite books to read. heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. This is a story you don't want to miss.