A review by kaz14
The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex

slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

 I think for me this was an example of going into a book with such high expectations, from having read so much positive hype, that I was always going to be disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad book, it was just not the exceptional book I had hoped for. 

The premise was good, the research was sound, and I learnt a lot about lighthouses, including looking up various terms and vagaries associated with the physical structure and the life of a lighthouse keeper. I really liked the fact that the author included the lives of the women, left behind for weeks on end. This was a very challenging job and lifestyle, for keepers and family members alike. 

At the same time, I found the women’s sections a little tricky. I really enjoy alternate writing styles, but the reportage/spoken word format as they met with the prospective author of the book within the book, just didn’t work for me. In fact, it really distanced me from these women. I also struggled a bit with the love triangle and the supernatural elements. Again, not something I dislike or object to, but they just didn’t work. Perhaps there was just too much going on – grief and loss, mental illness, difficult childhoods, marital problems, criminal records and more. And yet despite all that is going on the novel moves at a very slow pace and ultimately all of this occurs within a locked door style mystery that, for me, did not resolve in a particularly convincing manner.

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