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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked that she took a real event from the 1900s and wrote her own story of how it played out set in 1972. It was interesting learning about the life of light house keepers and their families.
An amazing mystery inspired by a true story of three lighthouse keepers on a remote Scottish lighthouse who vanished without trace in 1900. This story is transposed to 1972 with the three women in relationships with the three men who disappeared telling their stories twenty years later to a writer wanting to resurrect the mystery. All of them - the men who disappeared and the women left behind - have their own secrets and stories.
I was definitely tempted by the premise and looked forward to reading it. I have a beautiful Waterstones special edition too which made it even more enticing. There is some gorgeous writing and descriptions of the sea but the characters felt a little unreal and wooden and I didn’t warm to any of them. It felt like an uneasy cross between a literary novel in parts and a murder mystery in others. Maybe it could have worked one or the other but not both.
I was definitely tempted by the premise and looked forward to reading it. I have a beautiful Waterstones special edition too which made it even more enticing. There is some gorgeous writing and descriptions of the sea but the characters felt a little unreal and wooden and I didn’t warm to any of them. It felt like an uneasy cross between a literary novel in parts and a murder mystery in others. Maybe it could have worked one or the other but not both.
Very cool book. It’s a strange blend of a lot of things, it feels like a murder mystery but all the present day relationships feel more like a drama. It’s clearly well researched and I felt like I learnt a lot about lighthouses just by osmosis. The exploration of both what such isolation might do to the mind and how loss without closure is so hard to heal are both done really well. This book feels a lot about layers and is slow to reveal the secrets it hints at early on but the pacing itself never feels slow. Really unique read.
I enjoyed the story but I was less enamored with the writing style.
[b:The Lamplighters|52291199|The Lamplighters|Emma Stonex|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1601768803l/52291199._SY75_.jpg|73630371]. So many people are fascinated by lighthouses. The way they are situated. The way they can conger up an historical story about each one they meet.
This is one of those tellings based on a true event. But it isn't THE STORY of that event but a What If and, of course, there could be many tellings of the What If.
Her writing is exceptional making the time spent reading so enjoyable.
This is one of those tellings based on a true event. But it isn't THE STORY of that event but a What If and, of course, there could be many tellings of the What If.
Her writing is exceptional making the time spent reading so enjoyable.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was so set to love this book as I’m really into lighthouses as a theme right now. I gave it good try, reading more than half before putting it down. It didn’t lift for me, the plot stayed at the same level and I got bored. Add to that the somber atmosphere, it really did feel a little slow and sad in a really bleak way. Unfortunately it wasn’t for me. But I know others may like this slower burn storyline. Definitely not a page turner but I acknowledge that it’s well written and I liked the letters and different character perspectives. It just lacked a magic that I was hoping for.