Rated of 5
by Joe S. (Port Orange, FL) Nice story, interesting history.
I thought that this was a good book. It is well written and very well researched. Florida has a fascinating history and the author used it well in telling an entertaining and fascinating story.
Rated of 5
by Laurie F. (Brookline, MA) Engrossing Tale of Forbidden Love
Fabulous read! You will delve into the loves and life of Emily Lowry, the heroine of this novel - plan to stay up at night as you live her life, sympathize with her tragedies and delight in her good times. Well written, identifiable characters and realistic settings. Pick this one for a great escape.
Rated of 5
by Betty T Some History, without the Pain
I loved this book! Joanna Brady did extensive research on the history of the Florida Keys and the lighthouse keepers and some history of Cuba. Some of the characters in this book were real people. It was interesting reading of the difficulties the lighthouse keepers had to deal with -- the difficult work of maintaining the lighthouse, hurricanes, Seminole wars, wreckers, and, most all, the isolation.
Emily, the heroine of the story, was a strong woman and “ahead of her time”. She was against slavery although her family had owned slaves. She did not let others make decisions for her. When her husband disappeared, she insisted on taking his job as the lighthouse keeper at Wreckers Cay even though she had three small children.
Each chapter of this book held me in its grasp. The characters were well-developed. The story moved at a good pace, giving some interesting aspects of our country’s history. A very enjoyable book!
Rated of 5
by Karen R Great read!
This novel is set mostly in Key West and the fictional Wrecker’s Cay during the1800’s. It tells the story of Emily Dinsmere, a New Orleans debutante who after a few weeks of courtship with a Bahamian fisherman, Martin Lowry, finds herself in a desolate outpost of Key West called Wrecker’s Cay, where she and her husband are the sole inhabitants, tending the lighthouse. Martin disappears one day and his young widow Emily is left to tend the lighthouse on her own and raise their three young children.
Weaved throughout Emily’s story is fascinating historical information during a time when Key West was considered a new frontier, slavery was commonplace and the Cuban cigar and tobacco industry was burgeoning. I was captivated by the many challenges and accomplishments of this strong, resourceful woman. The supporting characters who come in and out of her life over the years are well developed. Her relationship with Andrew captivated me most of all. This book has numerous twists and turns and a fabulous read.
Rated of 5
by Sharon Fiction & Fact
This was an easy read and the historical aspect added to my interest in the story. I was intrigued by some of the points of history and looked at some historical research myself. I really enjoy fiction based on historical fact since I get to enjoy the story and characters as well as learn something about a time period or locale that I did not know.
Rated of 5
by rebajane Unique Setting
The story of The Woman at the Light is not a new story. Its the story of a strong woman who survives a life filled with loss and struggles but who is victorious in the end. Its the story of a woman who loves a man, a love that is despised by society. Its a story of a woman who, in the end, is able to overcome everything and everyone to live out her life with this man. Its not a new story and, at times, a little farfetched. The trust she puts in her children to keep her secrets is one example. But the setting is unusual. Its set in Key West and on an island with a lighthouse. I learned a great deal about Key West and its history which, to me, is the essence of historical fiction. The writing was okay and the dialogue a little over the top but all in all a good read
Fearless, gripping, at once darkly funny and tender, spanning three continents and numerous lives, Americanah is a richly told story set in today's globalized world.
The story of an American family, middle class in middle America, ordinary in every way but one. But that exception is the beating heart of this extraordinary novel.
The most mature work yet from an incomparable storyteller, TransAtlantic is a profound meditation on identity and history in a wide world that grows somehow smaller and more wondrous with...
First time novelist Vaddey Ratner captured my heart and senses in this novel based on her childhood in Cambodia. Her story transcends any news story...
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From the first page, I was drawn in by the lyrical writing of the author and mesmerized as the narrator, eight year old Raami, remembered the years...
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Trite but true, all good things must come to an end. I so wanted to keep reading the wonderful prose, the settings that let one think they are part...
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Kenn Nesbitt is new Children's Poet Laureate(Jun 12 2013) Kenn Nesbitt has been named the new Children's Poet Laureate: Consultant in Children's Poetry to the Poetry Foundation, which noted that the two-year position...
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of 5
by Joe S. (Port Orange, FL) 
of 5
by Laurie F. (Brookline, MA) 
