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The Light Between Oceans    by M. L. Stedman Amazon.com order for
Light Between Oceans
by M. L. Stedman
Order:  USA  Can
Scribner, 2013 (2012)
Hardcover, Softcover, CD, e-Book
* * *   Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth

Having survived the War to end all Wars, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia where he manages to obtain a job as a lighthouse keeper. Janus Rock is a half-day's journey from the coast. He's happy to be alone with the quiet and solitude. A supply boat comes once a season. That's enough connection to the mainland for him.

On a shore leave, he meets Isabel, a young woman he can't get out of his mind. She feels the same about him. They marry and she joins him on Janus Rock. They live happily there for six years except for two miscarriages and one stillborn child.

A rowboat drifts onto their beach. A dead man's body lies in the bottom of the boat. As does a tiny baby wrapped in a woman's sweater. God has finally smiled on them. Despite Tom's misgivings, they raise the child as their own. Lucy brings joy and happiness to their lives. Except Tom feels silent remorse over their action.

The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman will bring tears to your eyes as well as smiles to your face. It is a tale that will tug at your heartstrings, raise your ire, and make you wonder what you would do in a situation like this. One that would not happen again in many lifetimes.

The Light Between Oceans is beautifully written by a master storyteller. There were times when I could almost feel the spray from the ocean hitting the rocks. Author Stedman brings out emotions I didn't know I had. A stellar novel.

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