Why I chose to read this book:1. I saw that this story, set in Australia, was highly rated on Goodreads. Luckily, I found my copy at a thrift shop; and,2. January 2023 is my "Books That Come From a Land Down Under" Month.Praises:1. Author M.L. Stedman's powerful and eloquent writing was heartbreaking even before the actual story started;2. As a mother and grandmother myself, I felt empathy for each and every one of these characters (even the extended family members and mutual friends) and their ...

I found the story in *The Light Between Oceans* to be rather simple, but there's a certain kind of attractiveness present in its simplicity. It’s the kind of book that lingers with you. The uncomplicated nature of M.L. Stedman's storytelling really allowed me to not only imagine, but connect with, the loneliness of being the sole lighthouse keeper on an isolated island, the unforgiving beauty of the sea, and the quaintness of a sleepy seaside Australian town. The setting truly comes alive. It'...

Please visit www.readrantrockandroll.com to see this review and others...The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman is a truly heart-wrenching story. It explores the deep connection between two people and the immense risks they're willing to take for love. Honestly, this story wrecked me emotionally. You can feel the intense love that Tom and Isabel share. Tom, who is ready to do absolutely anything for Isabel, is a character I instantly connected with and loved. The book really makes you question...

The book - 4 stars The audiobook - negative 1000 stars! (more on that later) This book, The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, was a soul-crushing catch-22. The decisions the characters had to make and the options they were presented with ranged from totally awful to just plain bad. It was a gripping read, a book that felt from beginning to end like there was absolutely no chance for a happy ending. You're constantly wondering which terrible option will ultimately win out. The audiobook is ...

On the Offshore Lights you can live any story you want to tell yourself, and no one will say you’re wrong: not the seagulls, not the prisms, not the wind.So Isabel floats further and further into her world of divine benevolence, where prayers are answered, where babies arrive by the will of God and the working of currents. There's this married couple, their names are Tom and Isabel. For the purposes of this review, Tom = Doormat and Isabel = Batshit Crazy but we'll shorten it to Batshit. It's...

I just can’t do this. I'm halfway through The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, but I can't go on. There are people waiting for this library copy, and the library is calling it back in, so I’m going to give it up to someone who actually *wants* to read it. Considering the moral choices at the heart of the plot, The Light Between Oceans could have been a much better book… if it were, you know, well-written. Apart from the fairly good initial characterization of Tom Sherbourne as a WWI vet suf...

M.L. Stedman's *The Light Between Oceans* is an incredibly moving novel exploring the consequences when good people make bad decisions. Set in Point Partageuse, Australia, during the 1920s, the story begins with a lighthouse keeper and his wife discovering a lifeboat washed ashore on their isolated island. Inside, they find a living baby and a deceased man. Fueled by misguided intentions and a touch of superstition, they decide to raise the child as their own, choosing not to inform the authorit...

I'm going to start this review with a disclaimer. This review is subjective, from my point of view, etc. I thought this book was terrible, bad, no good. You don’t have to agree with me, and you could think that *The Light Between Oceans* was the most AMAZING book and your eyes almost exploded from all the awesomeness that traveled through them to reach your brain, which leapt in your skull with every sentence you read, and that is fine. I do not think that you are inferior to me. Now on to my re...

What a wonderfully complex and morally riveting story! I literally could not put "The Light Between Oceans" by M.L. Stedman down. I read for a solid 3 hours last night, until 1am, when I finally finished it!When Tom Sherbourne returned from WWI, he was a shattered man. He needed a quiet place to gather his thoughts, to calm himself, as he didn’t believe he should have survived the war when his mates did not. So he became a lighthouse keeper, and over the next few years, he did his job and learne...

"Sometimes life turns out hard, Isabel. Sometimes it just bites right through you. And sometimes, just when you think it's done its worst, it comes back and takes another chunk."Remember when you were four years old, and your mother was just about your entire world? If you can remember that long-ago feeling of attachment to a parent, or if you have a child, or if you have longed for a child of your own, your heart will break for little Lucy. And it will break for all the grown-ups who loved her,...