Reviews with content warning for Child death - The Lamplighters

An interesting story, but doesn't live up to the hype. The first chapter starts off very slow, but it ends with a bang: where did the 3 light keepers go? The first 2/3s of the book, I did my best detective impersonation, trying to put possible pieces together through linking bits of the alternating stories of the past (the light keepers, 3 men) and present (the women they left behind) together, which was fun to do.

As an American, some of the chapters were hards to read, as trying to decipher some of the thick English accents were harder than I anticipated, but those parts don't last long. The style does take some time getting used to, as most of the the "present" portions read like interviews, with little emotion. It made it harder to understand and care for the women. There were moments I felt sad for them, and the things they went through, but I never connected with them. Not that I connected to the men that much more, but at least I understood their motivations, their hates/morals/desires, more. The women seemed flatter in comparison; boiled down, they were just one-dimensional, grief and guilt stricken partners. We get a glimpse into what their worlds are like after 20 years without their partners, but the author barely scratches the surface of "oh, I wish my husband/boyfriend was still alive."

Overall, it was a fine book to read over the course of 2 days. The reveal of what happened was a quick 3 page explanation, which was... fine. I think the author was trying to be subversive, by going with an explanation that no one in the book had guessed. I'm glad

Bill got what he deserved, and I guess the ending made sense- there is no way for the characters to know what actually happened.

I think the author ended the book in the best way she could, but it still left me unsatisfied.

Content Warnings

booksandmo's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

rach59r's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

_emmadoherty's review

Go to review page

reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover and the blurb which sounded really promising. I like true crime and mysteries etc and I have to say I found it really interesting in the beginning linking it to the true story of lighthouse keepers who went missing from eilean mor. However, I found the pace of the plot very slow. A lot of the book kind of felt like filler material - although the author does write beautifully and quite a few quotes and descriptions from the book are like poetry! But it just wasn’t for me - too slow paced and not much action tbh just lots of describing small sections of what the characters were doing day-to-day. I wanted it to be a bit more exciting. I have given 2 stars because I wouldn’t read it again or recommend it as I found it quite boring and a struggle to finish. Sorry!

Content Warnings

More...