In the Light of What We See

By: Sarah Painter

Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham

Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Brighton, 1938: Grace Kemp is pushed away by the family she has shamed. Rejected and afraid, she begins a new life as a nurse. But danger stalks the hospital too, and she'll need to be on her guard to avoid falling into familiar traps. And then there are the things she sees....Strange portents that have a way of becoming real.

Eighty years later, Mina Morgan is brought to the same hospital after a near-fatal car crash. She is in terrible pain but recalls nothing. She's not even sure whom to trust. Mina too sees things that others cannot, but now, in hospital, her visions are clearer than ever....

Two women, separated by decades, are drawn together by a shared space and a common need to salvage their lives.

©2016 Sarah Painter (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

I love!!!!

I had hoped this book would get better than the first chapter and boy if it didn't! This book had ME talking to the characters! I absolutely love this book!!!

A Good Start

The story held such promise and in fact I had hoped for more. I loved the interactions between Grace, the ghost and Nina and wish there had been more. It seemed a long time to tell the story. While I am glad that I listened to the story I somehow long for there to have been more.

overall captivating, but, to & fro hard to follow

Reader did very well. The story created suspense in both time periods. However, I found the hopping around a little too frequent, making it a bit hard to keep track of what was going on with each girl, each time period. I did like both stories and most likely will listen again, maybe multiple times, until I know I've got it all straight.

The dead look after us

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Almost all takes place in a hospital where two women work about 70+ years apart and yet "connect" because of what has happened to each.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

No

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

I found after starting the book that I didn't want to read it, I wanted to hear it instead. I'll probably be able to read it now thanks to Fiona's portrayal.

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

No, While reading I kept wanting things to happen quicker, listening was easier to take the first time through.

Loved the characters

With some dual story narratives you favor one over the other but with this I liked both and the link between their lives at the hospital as well as shared types of experiences. I found this story emotionally intelligent and dealing with some real-life stuff for women, and the reading of it perfectly brought it to life. I was quite on the edge of my seat towards the end as the gradual build-up of the stories culminated...wasn’t sure how the stories were going to resolve and loved how they did. I love the author of this book...the second I’ve read of hers and follow her podcast: The Worried Writer. I recommend this book, very much enjoyed it.

Something lacking

A disappointment. The 2 different time-lines in the plot just never fit together, and there was no flow to the story. Honestly, the current-day characters were boring and unlikable. I would have preferred more about Grace, circa 1938, and less about Mina, present-day. There are so many better duel narratives out there ( I highly recommend "A Memory of Violets" ); pass on this one.