What readers think of The Light Between Oceans, plus links to write your own review.

I sincerely enjoyed this debut novel by M.L. Stedman. A childless couple living on a remote island find a crying infant in the arms of her dead father. The novel becomes a struggle not between good and evil, but something much harder to clarify and define - like two varying shades of gray that deepened as the story developed. I loved Tom and his staunch refusal to pretend that his actions (and Isabel's) did not have consequences - at least for someone. I enjoyed the imagery of Janus as well. This is one of the best debut novels I've read in a long time and appreciated how the novel forced me to reflect what my own actions would have been in similar circumstances.

The Light Between Oceans would be a great book club selection. The story is about a light house keeper and his wife living on an isolated island off the coast of Australia. A boat comes ashore with a dead man and a small baby crying that will change their lives forever. The choices that are made will lead to devastating events. This book will make for a great book club disscusion.

This was a novel heavy on domestic drama as well as detail from the world of lighthouse keeping in early twentieth century Australia. The core conflict in the story stems from protagonist and Janus Rock lighthouse keeper Tom Sherbourne's decision to choose his wife Isabel's happiness over what is right.

I appreciated the descriptive passages celebrating western Australia and the art of lighthouse keeping. The tension of whether the Sherbourne's secret would be discovered was enough to keep me reading to the end. As a foster parent, I found the topic of a small child's home and family being determined by various biased parties to be accurately portrayed but sometimes a bit too close to home.

The Light Between Oceans struck me as a likely female book club choice. It also qualifies as a slightly meaty beach read.

This book begins with such promise! The first section is beautifully detailed with evocative descriptions of wild landscape and harsh weather; the author clearly has a gift for this kind of writing. However, her attention to detail slows down the story and overloads the narrative with details about the workings of a lighthouse that were interesting at first but ultimately became rather tiresome. The characters are engaging but not complex; a more nuanced exploration of the characters would have made the plot less predictable. The book is a good choice for those who like more romance than drama but for me, it was too much of a tearjerker.

The author gives a very authentic description of a lighthouse keepers life, but tends to get wordy. The story depicts how one lie can develope into many, and how these lies affect the character's lives. The last paragraph of the book sums up the story - man is shaped by the happenings in his life.