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gemmiejewel's review against another edition
2.0
Ok, firstly I would like to say thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book. That said, I wish I could be more positive but I simply can't.
Sarah is going through IVF unsuccessfully, her husband Jack is unhinged with worry and the mysterious Keeper of the title just wants everyone to go away.
The premise is good and thought through. The issues at hand are serious but I am afraid the plot is all over the place. The perspectives jump from one to another and the copy I received was extremely badly formatted so it was hard to keep up.
As I said the issues are serious but I am afraid the author may have missed the mark completely. I myself have suffered with some of the issues mentioned and I just felt ill at ease reading the whole thing, which I will be honest I was close to DNF'ing at several points.
All in all, I am sorry to say that I cannot recommend this book.
Sarah is going through IVF unsuccessfully, her husband Jack is unhinged with worry and the mysterious Keeper of the title just wants everyone to go away.
The premise is good and thought through. The issues at hand are serious but I am afraid the plot is all over the place. The perspectives jump from one to another and the copy I received was extremely badly formatted so it was hard to keep up.
As I said the issues are serious but I am afraid the author may have missed the mark completely. I myself have suffered with some of the issues mentioned and I just felt ill at ease reading the whole thing, which I will be honest I was close to DNF'ing at several points.
All in all, I am sorry to say that I cannot recommend this book.
artemisienne's review against another edition
3.0
TW: mental health, suicide, death, loss, grief, abusive relationship, domestic violence
Last year, after I first got this ARC, I opened it, excited to read it, then closed it not long after. And so began a month-long attempt at reading this book, finally ended with a close that lasted a year.
Last week, I came to it again. In the middle of a pandemic, having moved to a country which has no plans of controlling the virus, and having recently graduated from uni, I found myself looking for things to do again. And so I found myself revisiting this ARC, long after its date of publication (sorry Mr. Moreton and SPCK!), determined to finish it and finally write a review.
You see, the reason I couldn't get through much of this book the first time wasn't because of the story. It was a horrible formatting of the digital copy on Kindle that I got, filled with different-sized text and empty pages in the middle for no reason at all. It disturbed my reading experience so much I couldn't continue.
But as I pushed past it this last week, I am glad I decided to give this book another chance. It's a beautiful character study and a deep dive into grief and the different ways people deal with it. The setting Moreton chose was apt - a desolate but absolutely beautiful oceanic scene, filled with imagery of landscapes and rural life. Though the story was slow enough for me to consider if there was even a plot, Moreton consistently pulled out twists that kept it interesting.
That being said, despite all of the above, this book wasn't able to pull me in and immerse me into the story. Though I would marvel at the writing, I felt detached the whole time, as if I was watching over everything happening from a distance that prevented me from empathising with these characters. Even at the end, I felt like I had missed something, like there should have been a conclusion that the author seemed to stray away from. Moreton tackled large issues like loss and marriage and mental health but seemed to forget in the process what point he was trying to make.
As mentioned above, this book does have some pretty graphic trigger warnings, but if you like slow-moving stories that focus on character, gorgeous landscapes that are also characters, and an exploration of interpersonal relationships, try this one on for size.
(Thank you to Netgalley and SPCK for this ARC.)
Last year, after I first got this ARC, I opened it, excited to read it, then closed it not long after. And so began a month-long attempt at reading this book, finally ended with a close that lasted a year.
Last week, I came to it again. In the middle of a pandemic, having moved to a country which has no plans of controlling the virus, and having recently graduated from uni, I found myself looking for things to do again. And so I found myself revisiting this ARC, long after its date of publication (sorry Mr. Moreton and SPCK!), determined to finish it and finally write a review.
You see, the reason I couldn't get through much of this book the first time wasn't because of the story. It was a horrible formatting of the digital copy on Kindle that I got, filled with different-sized text and empty pages in the middle for no reason at all. It disturbed my reading experience so much I couldn't continue.
But as I pushed past it this last week, I am glad I decided to give this book another chance. It's a beautiful character study and a deep dive into grief and the different ways people deal with it. The setting Moreton chose was apt - a desolate but absolutely beautiful oceanic scene, filled with imagery of landscapes and rural life. Though the story was slow enough for me to consider if there was even a plot, Moreton consistently pulled out twists that kept it interesting.
That being said, despite all of the above, this book wasn't able to pull me in and immerse me into the story. Though I would marvel at the writing, I felt detached the whole time, as if I was watching over everything happening from a distance that prevented me from empathising with these characters. Even at the end, I felt like I had missed something, like there should have been a conclusion that the author seemed to stray away from. Moreton tackled large issues like loss and marriage and mental health but seemed to forget in the process what point he was trying to make.
As mentioned above, this book does have some pretty graphic trigger warnings, but if you like slow-moving stories that focus on character, gorgeous landscapes that are also characters, and an exploration of interpersonal relationships, try this one on for size.
(Thank you to Netgalley and SPCK for this ARC.)
fictionophile's review against another edition
5.0
“The stories we tell define us. So do the stories we don’t tell and the ones we never finish.”
Sarah and Jack Bramer are a young couple who are desperate to have a child. Or at least Sarah is… After seven years of disappointment, their relationship has reached a crisis point. Sarah is a mixed race British woman. Jack is an American. Lately, his love for her has taken a sour turn. Sarah knows that this is her last chance to become pregnant. She wants to know, yet she doesn’t …. She runs away to her favourite place on the South Downs to come to terms with her rampant emotions. Jack, goes in search of her. He is distraught, manic, and increasingly desperate.
His name is Gabriel Keane, but they call him the ‘Keeper’. A man in his forties, he lives alone in a decommissioned lighthouse located at Beachy Head, East Sussex. He is a raggedy, handsome, and battered man.
The Keeper does not keep a light. He keeps sorrow, heartache, and a crippling sadness. He mourns for his love – Maria an artist, who went by the name of Rí (rhymes with free).
“It’s so hard to be here without her, but he can’t leave, because she is still here, at least in his head. His heart. Her things in the tower, the art she made.”
Before he came here, the Keeper was a war correspondent, then an investigative journalist. Now, he questions no one. All of the sad stories he keeps locked away in his mind. From long experience, he is a good listener.
When the grieving Keeper meets up with the emotional fragile Sarah, both lives will be forever changed.
The place. The striking white chalk cliffs of the South Downs. A place where people come to admire the beauty. A place where others come to end their lives. In fact, this area is the third most common suicide location in the world! So many people come to this area to commit suicide that there are regular patrols to try to locate and stop potential cliff jumpers.
MY THOUGHTS
What a delightful surprise this novel was. Slow-paced, literary fiction that cover themes of loss, hope, childlessness, suicide, and most of all… the ways that grief and bereavement can shape a life.
The characters are written with deep empathy and compassion. The setting was rendered with affection which caused the reader to feel as if they are ‘there’.
“My place. There is a symmetry that appeals. The sea and the sky. The white and the green, the chalk and the down. The drop and the rise. Falling and rising.”
I highly recommend this novel to anyone who reads and cherishes moving, well-written, thoughtful, literary fiction. Loved it!
“The Light Keeper” will be available for purchase on August 15, 2019. Pre-order your copy today!
I received a complimentary digital copy of “The Light Keeper” from the publisher, Marylebone House, via NetGalley in consideration of my review.
Sarah and Jack Bramer are a young couple who are desperate to have a child. Or at least Sarah is… After seven years of disappointment, their relationship has reached a crisis point. Sarah is a mixed race British woman. Jack is an American. Lately, his love for her has taken a sour turn. Sarah knows that this is her last chance to become pregnant. She wants to know, yet she doesn’t …. She runs away to her favourite place on the South Downs to come to terms with her rampant emotions. Jack, goes in search of her. He is distraught, manic, and increasingly desperate.
His name is Gabriel Keane, but they call him the ‘Keeper’. A man in his forties, he lives alone in a decommissioned lighthouse located at Beachy Head, East Sussex. He is a raggedy, handsome, and battered man.
The Keeper does not keep a light. He keeps sorrow, heartache, and a crippling sadness. He mourns for his love – Maria an artist, who went by the name of Rí (rhymes with free).
“It’s so hard to be here without her, but he can’t leave, because she is still here, at least in his head. His heart. Her things in the tower, the art she made.”
Before he came here, the Keeper was a war correspondent, then an investigative journalist. Now, he questions no one. All of the sad stories he keeps locked away in his mind. From long experience, he is a good listener.
When the grieving Keeper meets up with the emotional fragile Sarah, both lives will be forever changed.
The place. The striking white chalk cliffs of the South Downs. A place where people come to admire the beauty. A place where others come to end their lives. In fact, this area is the third most common suicide location in the world! So many people come to this area to commit suicide that there are regular patrols to try to locate and stop potential cliff jumpers.
MY THOUGHTS
What a delightful surprise this novel was. Slow-paced, literary fiction that cover themes of loss, hope, childlessness, suicide, and most of all… the ways that grief and bereavement can shape a life.
The characters are written with deep empathy and compassion. The setting was rendered with affection which caused the reader to feel as if they are ‘there’.
“My place. There is a symmetry that appeals. The sea and the sky. The white and the green, the chalk and the down. The drop and the rise. Falling and rising.”
I highly recommend this novel to anyone who reads and cherishes moving, well-written, thoughtful, literary fiction. Loved it!
“The Light Keeper” will be available for purchase on August 15, 2019. Pre-order your copy today!
I received a complimentary digital copy of “The Light Keeper” from the publisher, Marylebone House, via NetGalley in consideration of my review.
jackcabnory's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
barbrokatrin's review against another edition
4.0
Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
Beautifully written and a compelling story. He author takes up topics that might be hard to talk about in public and he does it in a beautiful way.
Beautifully written and a compelling story. He author takes up topics that might be hard to talk about in public and he does it in a beautiful way.
silverliningsandpages's review against another edition
4.0
“Here there is simplicity on a grand scale, strange as that sounds. You know what I mean. Spectacular simplicity. Breathtaking. Look out there. It does take my breath away, still. Huge skies, miles and miles of rolling Downs, immense cliffs, the wide sea. Something about the scale makes it restful. There’s a peace to be had I’m sitting here, whatever the weather...You can remember, here. Things you don’t even know you have forgotten”.
.
This is a very emotive book, which deals with some difficult themes: suicide, grief, abusive relationships and infertility. It’s set at dramatic Beachy Head, where desperate people in that no-man’s land between life and death, decide which of those two paths to follow. Sounds dark and heavy? Yes, it was moody and at times I wasn’t sure if I could keep reading, but I’m so glad I did. As the title would suggest, it is actually full of hope and redemption. Beautifully evocative, it captures all that is majestic, ancient and spiritual in the landscape and sea. And it is very compassionate; I loved reading about the “Guardians”, volunteers, who patrol the cliffs, trying to save lives. My favourite character was the admirable Christian ex-police chief who leads the volunteers, he explains his faith, motivations and fears, a very capable man but one who is not afraid to let himself be vulnerable. This story is written from a Christian perspective, but even if you are of a different faith or no faith, I don’t think it’s “preachy” or presumptuous, judging from the lovely Author’s Note at the end.
4/5
.
This is a very emotive book, which deals with some difficult themes: suicide, grief, abusive relationships and infertility. It’s set at dramatic Beachy Head, where desperate people in that no-man’s land between life and death, decide which of those two paths to follow. Sounds dark and heavy? Yes, it was moody and at times I wasn’t sure if I could keep reading, but I’m so glad I did. As the title would suggest, it is actually full of hope and redemption. Beautifully evocative, it captures all that is majestic, ancient and spiritual in the landscape and sea. And it is very compassionate; I loved reading about the “Guardians”, volunteers, who patrol the cliffs, trying to save lives. My favourite character was the admirable Christian ex-police chief who leads the volunteers, he explains his faith, motivations and fears, a very capable man but one who is not afraid to let himself be vulnerable. This story is written from a Christian perspective, but even if you are of a different faith or no faith, I don’t think it’s “preachy” or presumptuous, judging from the lovely Author’s Note at the end.
4/5
thebooksheelf's review against another edition
3.0
I received a free e-copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
I did enjoy The Light Keeper, the prose is often quite beautiful and the epic scenery really is done justice. Story-wise, I found myself wanting to just flick through to the Keeper’s chapters as they seemed to have the most depth and as an exploration of grief, this book really does hit the mark.
Unfortunately, the Sarah/Jack addition just didn’t really fit all that well for me. The last 30% of the book felt rushed, forced and just out of keeping with the languid beginning and the ending just felt rather flat. Without spoilers, there were a few other very strange elements that just didn’t add anything substantial to the narrative despite hints throughout that they’ll have a significant part to play.
3 and a half stars from me!
I did enjoy The Light Keeper, the prose is often quite beautiful and the epic scenery really is done justice. Story-wise, I found myself wanting to just flick through to the Keeper’s chapters as they seemed to have the most depth and as an exploration of grief, this book really does hit the mark.
Unfortunately, the Sarah/Jack addition just didn’t really fit all that well for me. The last 30% of the book felt rushed, forced and just out of keeping with the languid beginning and the ending just felt rather flat. Without spoilers, there were a few other very strange elements that just didn’t add anything substantial to the narrative despite hints throughout that they’ll have a significant part to play.
3 and a half stars from me!
rhonamtennant's review
3.0
This was a very confused novel.
Full review to follow
UPDATE:
I was given a free copy to read through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
This review contains spoilers
This was a very confused book, I found it difficult to follow for many reason. It felt, though, like Moreton wasn’t really sure what the point of the story was – what was he actually trying to say?
The first obstacle I found was the formatting – I thought at first it was an issue with my downloaded copy or my kindle but reading other reviews suggests that it is a formatting problem with the ARC. I understand that this is not a finale published version so the formatting errors may be fixed before publication but it did make it difficult to read. The text constantly changing size and font was distracting and the blank numbered pages broke up important events and passages of the book – making dramatic scenes lose their sense of importance.
I actually almost gave up reading about 20% into the book but I decided I couldn’t really give a fair review if I hadn’t finished the book.
To be honest I didn’t actually like any of the characters. Jack was, even before we found out he was physically abusive was erratic and wholly unlikable. I never understood what Sarah saw in him.
The book spent so long in Gabe’s POV but how much did we really learn about him?
Another thing I found difficult overall was the length. It seemed that the first 60% of the book could be removed and it would still make sense. I get building up a sense of place and world; character development etc. but Moreton doesn’t really do that. Because by 60% of the way in, when the action actually happens how much do we actually know about the world or characters?
So onto the actual action; mentions are made throughout the book of an increased rate of suicide at The Downs – the blurb on the book suggests that maybe Gabe has something to do with it, and something to do with Sarah’s disappearance – but when we finally get down to it he has no great secret. It’s suddenly Magda of all people. It wasn’t until at least halfway through the book that we are properly introduced to any of the Guardians – there is no proper build up or any real mystery regarding the deaths – or how it actually connects to the story as the underlying plot isn’t actually affected by that storyline.
So the additional 60% that I think can go? We got a lot of backstory of Gabe’s but nothing was really said. Again and again we’re told that he’s staying there because of Rí and how he’s so jaded and depressed but then a couple of chapters later it switches up to how happy he is there and how he couldn’t imagine being happy anywhere else? If Gabe is meant to be depressed or suffering from a mental illness it is not portrayed well, at all.
I didn’t care about the characters; like I say I didn’t like them so when it came right down to the climax it was just anti-climactic in a way. It was just boring really.
I can’t say I would recommend this book.
Full review to follow
UPDATE:
I was given a free copy to read through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
This review contains spoilers
This was a very confused book, I found it difficult to follow for many reason. It felt, though, like Moreton wasn’t really sure what the point of the story was – what was he actually trying to say?
The first obstacle I found was the formatting – I thought at first it was an issue with my downloaded copy or my kindle but reading other reviews suggests that it is a formatting problem with the ARC. I understand that this is not a finale published version so the formatting errors may be fixed before publication but it did make it difficult to read. The text constantly changing size and font was distracting and the blank numbered pages broke up important events and passages of the book – making dramatic scenes lose their sense of importance.
I actually almost gave up reading about 20% into the book but I decided I couldn’t really give a fair review if I hadn’t finished the book.
To be honest I didn’t actually like any of the characters. Jack was, even before we found out he was physically abusive was erratic and wholly unlikable. I never understood what Sarah saw in him.
The book spent so long in Gabe’s POV but how much did we really learn about him?
Another thing I found difficult overall was the length. It seemed that the first 60% of the book could be removed and it would still make sense. I get building up a sense of place and world; character development etc. but Moreton doesn’t really do that. Because by 60% of the way in, when the action actually happens how much do we actually know about the world or characters?
So onto the actual action; mentions are made throughout the book of an increased rate of suicide at The Downs – the blurb on the book suggests that maybe Gabe has something to do with it, and something to do with Sarah’s disappearance – but when we finally get down to it he has no great secret. It’s suddenly Magda of all people. It wasn’t until at least halfway through the book that we are properly introduced to any of the Guardians – there is no proper build up or any real mystery regarding the deaths – or how it actually connects to the story as the underlying plot isn’t actually affected by that storyline.
So the additional 60% that I think can go? We got a lot of backstory of Gabe’s but nothing was really said. Again and again we’re told that he’s staying there because of Rí and how he’s so jaded and depressed but then a couple of chapters later it switches up to how happy he is there and how he couldn’t imagine being happy anywhere else? If Gabe is meant to be depressed or suffering from a mental illness it is not portrayed well, at all.
I didn’t care about the characters; like I say I didn’t like them so when it came right down to the climax it was just anti-climactic in a way. It was just boring really.
I can’t say I would recommend this book.
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