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becca9849's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Grief, Rape, Murder, Drug abuse, Death, Animal death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Addiction, Alcoholism, and Pregnancy
Minor: Child abuse, Car accident, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit
Intheothersideofreading's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I picked up the book as I have an interest in the Flannan Isle Lighthouse mystery. I felt satisfied with the way in which the book dealt with the mystery of three missing lighthouse keepers and I thoroughly enjoyed the resolution of the mystery.
With the nature of the book being a mystery, I found that it was occassionally difficult to keep up with the events to which the characters were alluding that were only revealed later on in the story. Now having read the book, I feel I could go back and better understand a lot of it if I were to reread it, however I don't believe I would gain much more enjoyment from it.
On a personal note, I did not enjoy reading many of Jenny and Michelle's passages, however I do not see this as a fault of the book itself and instead as a result of my own personal tastes. I thought they were interesting characters, but I found their passages dragged on.
I think having numerous narrators made it difficult to really engage with some of the storylines, as some of the passages lacked some detail that would have fleshed out the story more.
After finishing the book, I was a bit confused by one element. The incorporation of the ghosts slightly confused me, as I felt they were a bit out of place. I understood the inclusion of Arthur's son's ghost towards the end, but I remain confused as to who the ghost that Bill saw when he was younger was supposed to be? I know he was the ghost that later appeared in the lighthouse, but that still lacks meaning to me. I would have understood it more if the ghost was meant to be Bill's father or someone else with a connection to the trio, but otherwise I felt it was out of place. I absolutely recognise that this is my own lack of understanding, but I would have appreciated more clarification. Perhaps there is something I am missing, which I am open to hearing about.
Nonetheless, I think it is an interesting story and I would definitely recommend this book for those who enjoy a good mystery with supernatural elements.
With the nature of the book being a mystery, I found that it was occassionally difficult to keep up with the events to which the characters were alluding that were only revealed later on in the story. Now having read the book, I feel I could go back and better understand a lot of it if I were to reread it, however I don't believe I would gain much more enjoyment from it.
On a personal note, I did not enjoy reading many of Jenny and Michelle's passages, however I do not see this as a fault of the book itself and instead as a result of my own personal tastes. I thought they were interesting characters, but I found their passages dragged on.
I think having numerous narrators made it difficult to really engage with some of the storylines, as some of the passages lacked some detail that would have fleshed out the story more.
After finishing the book, I was a bit confused by one element.
Nonetheless, I think it is an interesting story and I would definitely recommend this book for those who enjoy a good mystery with supernatural elements.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Murder
Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Minor: Rape and Medical trauma
rach22's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
Enjoyable read.
I enjoyed getting to see the story and the lives from every characters’ point of view. Well written.
I did not expect that ending.
I felt that it started to drag a wee bit near the end and then unravelled very quickly. Good setting, interesting take but I also did not completely understand the end. Sort of random but enjoyable read. Quite dark at times. Lighthouse was interesting. Bit depressing at times.
I enjoyed getting to see the story and the lives from every characters’ point of view. Well written.
I did not expect that ending.
I felt that it started to drag a wee bit near the end and then unravelled very quickly. Good setting, interesting take but I also did not completely understand the end. Sort of random but enjoyable read. Quite dark at times. Lighthouse was interesting. Bit depressing at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Rape
frietje9's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Grief, Murder, Sexual assault, and Rape
awebofstories's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This is one of those books with so many pieces that I like, but they just didn't come together.
The premise of this story is fascinating, and I loved the atmosphere that Stonex created. However, jumping between two time periods hurt this story as I never felt I could become invested in either plotline. I also had trouble connecting the two different timelines together. Obviously, I could see how they fit, but they never felt like they were in the same universe.
As for the pacing, I felt this book spent too much time idling. There was always a promise of some development, but payoffs were few and far between. There just wasn't any earned suspense here.
I will give Stonex credit for her writing style, which was quite lovely. I'm willing to chalk this up to a book that just wasn't for me and give her another chance.
The premise of this story is fascinating, and I loved the atmosphere that Stonex created. However, jumping between two time periods hurt this story as I never felt I could become invested in either plotline. I also had trouble connecting the two different timelines together. Obviously, I could see how they fit, but they never felt like they were in the same universe.
As for the pacing, I felt this book spent too much time idling. There was always a promise of some development, but payoffs were few and far between. There just wasn't any earned suspense here.
I will give Stonex credit for her writing style, which was quite lovely. I'm willing to chalk this up to a book that just wasn't for me and give her another chance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Child death
katiewhocanread's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Stalking, and Child death
isobelk_18's review
mysterious
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child death, and Animal death
laurataylor's review
adventurous
mysterious
sad
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Infidelity, and Physical abuse
rosyhumbug's review
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Child death
Moderate: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, and Infidelity
chalkletters's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
When book club nominated a book with a lighthouse on the cover, obviously I had to vote for it! The Lamplighters actually has two covers, both with lighthouses, but which give wildly different ideas of what the book is going to be like, so I was curious to see which one would prove more accurate.
Like most of the lighthouse books on this blog, The Lamplighters is historical fiction, set when lighthouses were still manned rather than automatic, but it’s more recent than most, only going back to the 1970s. What also sets it apart is that it’s about a tower lighthouse, jutting directly out of the sea, where there isn’t space for keepers to bring their wives and families with them. Perhaps that was why it was difficult to keep the threads of the marriages straight. Arthur-and-Helen and Bill-and-Jenny merged into such a shapeless muddle that I had to make a note in my reading notebook which I referred back to every time there was a chapter from one of the wives’ perspectives.
Even after finishing The Lamplighters, it’s not entirely clear what happened in a couple of of the plots. Emma Stonex was clearly keeping information back from her readers, raising questions which you’d hope would be answered by the conclusion to the story. Except, several of them weren’t. Maybe it was intentional, because real life rarely offers neatly-wrapped solutions to every question, but in a novel billing itself as a mystery, it was more frustrating than thought-provoking.
Those plots which did feel complete were enjoyable, particularly the stories of those left behind: Jenny, Helen and the novelist Dan Martin. (Michelle, despite being the most distinct of the female characters, sadly got a bit abandoned.) Bill’s storyline could have been more effectively handled, because the bare bones of it were interesting.
There was certainly a lot going on in The Lamplighters, arguably too much because no single plot or detail really got the attention and weight that it deserved. Maybe a less complex structure would’ve delivered the story with more impact. While I’ll be keeping this for lighthouse reasons, I won’t necessarily be running out to buy more books by Emma Stonex, unless one catches my interest or comes highly recommended.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Blood