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The Light Between Oceans

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The Light Between Oceans

By: M L Stedman
Narrated by: Noah Taylor
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Discover the sweeping Sunday Times bestselling and prize-winning novel, made into a major motion picture starring Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender, and Rachel Weisz.

After experiencing the horrors of The Western Front, Tom moves to Janus Island to work as a lighthouse keeper. He hopes that life on the remote island with his wife Izzy will bring him peace following the war.
The two of them are happy together, although frustrations arise the longer they try for a child that never comes.
But then, one day, a boat washes up on the shore of their little island. In it, lies a dead man - and a crying baby.

Faced with an impossible decision, Tom and Izzy do what they think is right and follow their hearts. What happens next will break yours.

NEARLY FIVE MILLION COPIES SOLD
'An extraordinary book. Unforgettable' Guardian
'Irresistible . . . a high concept plot that keeps you riveted from the first page' Oprah Magazine
'A love story that is both persuasive and tender' Sunday Times
‘A moving tale. One of this year's must-reads’ Stylist Magazine

© M L Stedman 2012 (P) Penguin Audio 2012

 20th Century Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Heartfelt Tear-jerking

Critic reviews

A love story that is both persuasive and tender
An extraordinary book . . . Unforgettable
A description of the extraordinary, sustaining power of a marriage to bind two people together in love
It is not only the plot that it so compelling . . . What makes this wonderful novel stand out is the cast of emotionally fragile characters, all of whom inspire tremendous sympathy in the reader
A moving tale . . . prepare to weep
Irresistible . . . seductive . . . a high concept plot that keeps you riveted from the first page
A spectacularly sure storyteller . . . Reading The Light Between Oceans is a total-immersion experience, extraordinarily moving.
The Light Between Oceans unfurls in small acts, at first feeling slight to touch, then building in emotional substance. Into the spaces between words, Stedman breathes an anxiety and pulsating intensity that roils with the ocean and the lighthouse beacon
Book of the Week. Everyone is buzzing about The Light Between Oceans, the gripping debut from M L Stedman
The characters are beautifully drawn . . . A completely unique read. ****
All stars
Most relevant
The characters are totally believable and the setting very well described. The internal torment of the two main characters is very well caught.

The reader is excellent.

Sad but beautiful

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This was recommended by a friend and has sat in my wishlist for a while, I only wish I had listened to it sooner.

It takes us back to 1926 and the lives of Isabel, Tom , Hannah and Lucy Grace . It is written with passion and as the tale unfolds it is hard to bear the raw emotions.

This is up there in my top 10 books, and wonder if it's in the top 100 books to read before you die because it should be.

My only criticism is Noah Taylor's voice a bit slow and odd pitched, sometimes it's almost a whisper.
However set your reading speed at 1.25 and it makes for a better listen.

I can not compare this book to anything else, however the writing style of pure emotion reminds me of Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks so if you are fan I hope you will enjoy this as much as I have.

Simple beautiful

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I loved this book which was initially like a warm summer's day. Tom, after serving at the Front in WW1, returns to Australia and meets and marries the young and lovely Isobel. Wishing for peace and quiet after his war experiences Tom is drawn to serve as a lighthouse attendant on a remote island and Izzy is keen to join him there. That's the basis of the story but from there on in it gets complicated. I'll not spoil it.

However, there are some serious moral questions in this story and you may find yourself being torn in many different directions. I genuinely cried several times.

I've only given the performance three stars which is a bit mean but I found the narrator a little monosyllabic and in some of the slower parts of the book I found myself falling asleep.

Lovely story but with some sharp moral questions

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I enjoyed the story although I feel it took a while to get going. Very sad ending. Unfortunately the narrator spoilt my enjoyment hugely. At times he spoke so quickly and quietly I couldn't hear what he was saying and had to replay parts. His voice also seemed to drift off at the end of some sentences. I checked over other people's reviews and it seems I am not the only one.

Poor narration

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I loved this book, Read in 2 days , couldn't put it down.
So sad, but enjoyable. Tissues definitley needed.

Excellent,

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