Caricamento
Informazioni sul libro
The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter: A Novel
Scritto da Hazel Gaynor
Narrato da Imogen Church
Azioni libro
Inizia ad ascoltareDescrizione
From The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home comes a historical novel inspired by true events, and the extraordinary female lighthouse keepers of the past two hundred years.
"They call me a heroine, but I am not deserving of such accolades. I am just an ordinary young woman who did her duty."
1838: Northumberland, England. Longstone Lighthouse on the Farne Islands has been Grace Darling's home for all of her twenty-two years. When she and her father rescue shipwreck survivors in a furious storm, Grace becomes celebrated throughout England, the subject of poems, ballads, and plays. But far more precious than her unsought fame is the friendship that develops between Grace and a visiting artist. Just as George Emmerson captures Grace with his brushes, she in turn captures his heart.
1938: Newport, Rhode Island. Nineteen-years-old and pregnant, Matilda Emmerson has been sent away from Ireland in disgrace. She is to stay with Harriet, a reclusive relative and assistant lighthouse keeper, until her baby is born. A discarded, half-finished portrait opens a window into Matilda's family history. As a deadly hurricane approaches, two women, living a century apart, will be linked forever by their instinctive acts of courage and love.
Azioni libro
Inizia ad ascoltareInformazioni sul libro
The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter: A Novel
Scritto da Hazel Gaynor
Narrato da Imogen Church
Descrizione
From The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home comes a historical novel inspired by true events, and the extraordinary female lighthouse keepers of the past two hundred years.
"They call me a heroine, but I am not deserving of such accolades. I am just an ordinary young woman who did her duty."
1838: Northumberland, England. Longstone Lighthouse on the Farne Islands has been Grace Darling's home for all of her twenty-two years. When she and her father rescue shipwreck survivors in a furious storm, Grace becomes celebrated throughout England, the subject of poems, ballads, and plays. But far more precious than her unsought fame is the friendship that develops between Grace and a visiting artist. Just as George Emmerson captures Grace with his brushes, she in turn captures his heart.
1938: Newport, Rhode Island. Nineteen-years-old and pregnant, Matilda Emmerson has been sent away from Ireland in disgrace. She is to stay with Harriet, a reclusive relative and assistant lighthouse keeper, until her baby is born. A discarded, half-finished portrait opens a window into Matilda's family history. As a deadly hurricane approaches, two women, living a century apart, will be linked forever by their instinctive acts of courage and love.
Informazioni sull'autore
HG![]()
Recensioni
Such a beautiful story full of love, heartbreak, hope, courage and connections between generations.
Beyond words! This is one of the best books I have listen too! Such a treasure.
I knew nothing about the true story at the heart of this tale. I did turn to the google to learn about the woman who inspired one half of the book. This is what I love about reading – learning about people and events that may not have changed world history but had great impact for the people involved.There are two distinct stories; in 1838 off of England Grace Darling (that was her real name!) lives with her family in a lighthouse when one night there is a shipwreck. Even though conditions are treacherous she goes out with her father to try an rescue as many people as they can. Their success in doing so leads to her becoming a minor celebrity in her time. She does not really welcome the attention – she just wants to live her life quietly on the island, tending the lighthouse.In the second story, Matilda is being sent away to Rhode Island into the care of a distant aunt who is a lighthouse keeper. She finds herself pregnant out of wedlock and this is just not acceptable. She is to give birth, leave the baby and return.Matilda is not sure what to expect when she arrives but what she finds is so much more that she ever could have expected. It is not a warm welcome but as she gets used to a life so alien to what she had known she starts to learn old family history which leads her to Grace.These two women have far more in common than they could ever imagine and as Matilda learns more about Grace which leads to her learning about herself.This is a book that wraps itself around you and doesn’t let go. Ms. Gaynor creates such atmosphere in describing her worlds that it’s a bit disconcerting when you put down the book and you come to the realization that you are not on an island caring for a lighthouse. The characters are so well drawn as to pull you into their lives and share the small details that make the difference between reading a book and becoming immersed in a world.
This fairly interesting story alternates between 1838 and 1938. It opens during a violent storm near Longstone Lighthouse in Northumberland, England. Nineteen-year old Grace Darling rows out in a small boat with her father to rescue survivors of a shipwreck. One of them, Sara Dawson, is a widow who was taking her two children on holiday to visit her brother; the children are among those who perished. Grace's heroism captures the imagination of the British press and sets her world on end as reporters, portrait artists, and the curious descend on her home and admirers send her letters asking for a lock of hair or a clipping from the dress she was wearing during the rescue mission. Grace neither wants this celebrity nor feels that she deserves it. She feels that her father and Sara Dawson are the true heroes.The later story involves Matilda Emmerson, a 19-year old who has gotten pregnant out of wedlock. Her parent shuttle her off to the US to stay with a distant relative until her child is born and given up for adoption. Harriet Flaherty, a rather taciturn and private woman, has a house in town but leaves every day to tend to her job as a lighthouse keeper. Matilda has a lot of questions about Harriet, but she isn't getting any answers. She wants especially to know about Cora whose name is painted on the conch shells lining the widow sill. And almost every night, Matilda hears Harriet calling out for Cora in her sleep.This is just the bare bones of a story that seems simple yet is actually quite complex. There are longstanding ties between many of the characters that are only gradually revealed, and Gaynor touches on a number of themes: woman's lives and women's work, motherhood, art, celebrity, societal expectations for both men and women, and the human longing for a place to call home. It gets a little too romance-y for my taste towards the end, and both strand of the story rather rush towards conclusion, but overall, I enjoyed this book, as I have others by this author.
Two interleaved stories, one based on the early 19th century Grace Darling whose help rescuing several shipwreck survivors catapulted her to an unwelcome celebrity, and one fantasized about a descendant of a woman she saved 100 years later. It was a good read, but I feel overly manipulated.
THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER’S DAUGHTER by Hazel GaynorCombining two stories to tell the life of lighthouse keeping and coming of age make this a charming and intelligent read of historical fiction. Grace Darling was also known as the Heroine of the Farne Isles because of her actions during the wreck of the Forfarshire where many lives were lost, but, because of Grace and her father, nine lives were saved. The companion story tells of Matilda Emmerson, a “disgraced” Irish nineteen year old escaping her family’s judgement to spend time with a distant relative who is a lighthouse keeper in America.Well researched and written, both tales tell the hardships and joys of “keeping” over the space of a hundred years. Gaynor’s characters come to life as she exposes their lives and work. The terror and beauty of the raw power of the sea tell its own story in masterful hands. The dynamics of family and friendship are exposed as each woman’s story is revealed.Book groups will enjoy the tales and learn a great deal about “keeping” and also the natural beauty and power of living seaside.5 of 5 stars
A wonderful book!
I really cannot say more than the 5 stars I’ve given. I do not give a novel a 5 star rating often. This book is ranked among the best books I’ve ever read. Please don’t miss this one.
Lots of people have a real fascination with lighthouses. They collect miniatures or pictures. They visit local lights and climb the steps up into the towers. Lighthouses are certainly scenic, romantic, and eternally appealing. (Just look at this cover!) But even for people with this lighthouse fascination, how much thought is really ever given to the actual keepers, their families, daily life on small rocky outcrops off the mainland, and to the dangerous but vital duties they performed, especially in the time before lights became automated when winter storms wreaked havoc on ships in treacherous waters? Hazel Gaynor's newest novel, The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter, presents the life of Grace Darling, a lighthouse keeper's daughter who became famous in 1838 for doing what she saw simply as her duty, and of Matilda Emmerson, an unmarried, pregnant, Irish woman in 1938 banished to America and the care of a distant lighthouse keeper relative until her baby's birth.Matilda has shamed her parents by getting pregnant so they send her off to America to live with Harriet Flaherty, a relative she's never heard of before. Harriet keeps the lighthouse in Newport, Rhode Island and although she doesn't easily embrace Matilda's presence in her life, she does give her a way to stay busy and engaged while waiting for the baby. Matilda works on scrapbooks of famous female light keepers, including the famous Grace Darling, who has a connection to Matilda's own great-great granny, Sarah Dawson. In 1838, living at the Longstone Lighthouse where her father is the keeper, Grace helps out with all aspects of his job. Almost all of her other siblings, besides one younger brother destined to one day take over from their father, have moved on and made lives for themselves on the mainland or at other lighthouses. Unlike these siblings, Grace is quite content living a solitary and quiet life amidst the rocky islands and the spraying waves. Nothing has ever made her question her decision to stay with her parents at the lighthouse until she meets artist George Emmerson. She finds him living in her thoughts as she goes about the daily business of keeping watch. Then everything changes one night as a storm batters the lighthouse and Grace spots the wreck of the steamer Forfarshire and people bobbing in the thrashing sea. She and her father set off to try and rescue any survivors, eventually bringing two boatloads of people back to the lighthouse despite the terrible risk to their own lives in doing so. One of the people who is rescued is Sarah Dawson, a young mother who has tragically lost both of her young children in the wreck. Grace bonds with the devastated woman, only later discovering that she is George Emmerson's sister and was on her way to visit him. Grace's role in the rescue catapults her into a fame she never wanted, a fame that she finds intrusive and distressing.Grace's story alternates with Matilda's story as she starts to come to know the reserved and undemonstrative Harriet, slowly uncovering the tragedy in her past that Harriet refuses to discuss. She comes to understand her own mother's longstanding cold, judging remoteness and finds a happiness in her life that has long been missing, even before the unwelcomed and unexpected pregnancy. With the help of Harriet, her new friend Joseph, and the kindly, maternal Mrs. O'Driscoll, who accompanied her from Ireland and reappears in her life when she most needs her, Matilda learns to look into her heart to make the right decisions for her future and that of her baby.Based on the true story of Grace Darling and her part in the rescue of the Forfarshire survivors, Gaynor has woven an engaging tale of bravery, duty, love, and loss. Both of her main characters, Grace and Matilda, are well drawn and complete, both buffeted by the storms of life in ways that they cannot fully control. Grace's story is the more interesting, especially as it has its origin in truth but Matilda too is an engaging character. Reading of Grace's decision about honor and where her life lies is hard and affecting for sure. Her frustration with the intrusiveness of fame and the desire to go back to her previously quiet, unheralded life is absolutely palpable in the text. Both Grace and Matilda are isolated in so many ways beyond the obviousness of lighthouse living. Some of these ways are good and welcome and others are sad and heartbreaking. All of the losses, great and small, of life and love, resonate throughout both stories, leaving a mark on the reader's own heart. The connection between the women is well done; they are close but not so close as to be unbelievable. The ending of the novel is both beautiful and devastating. If you are a historical fiction fan, like dual story lines (both in the past here), or have secret yearnings to live a solitary life in a lighthouse, this book will be perfect for you but definitely make sure to have a box of tissues at hand. You'll need them.
3.5 Two strong, able women, a century apart, and their lives as keepers of a lighthouse. WHAT I LIKEDThe settings, lighthouses are one of the things I seek out on my vacations. I love them and the role they have played throughout history.Grace Darling was a real person, and as always that sets a different tone to the story, an authenticity if you will. She did live in a lighthouse on Farne Island and did help rescue nine people when the steamer, Fecfashire broke apart during a horrific storm. Her life would be changed due to the notoriety this brought into her life.The atmosphere and the descriptions of the many natural items Grace collected. These were beautifully described.That this book showcased strong women who, especially Grace in the late 18800s that women were not expected nor encouraged to do. They each forged their own paths, sdmirably if not always joyfully.The writing, Gaynor does a good job with these historical novels.WHAT I LIKED A BIT LESSThe dual timeline. Although the timelines are connected through the lighthouses and a looser surprise connection, this is far from my favorite way of presenting a story. I usually end up liking one more than the other. The novel sometimes became lost in the details, some just went on too long, and the story bogged down.As you can see there were many more likes than dislikes. This was a sisters read, and most absolutely loved it. I liked it very much but with a few reservations.ARC from Edelweiss.
Author Hazel Gaynor's historical novels frequently deal with stories in two different time periods- A Memory of Violets and The Girl Who Came Home among them. Her latest intriguing novel, The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter continues in that tradition.Grace Darling lives with her parents and brother in 1838 at Longstone Lighthouse off the coast of England. She is a great help to her father, the lighthouse keeper, learning all there is to becoming a lighthouse keeper in her own right. It would be her dream to take over for her father, but alas, her brother will take over as women are not encouraged to hold such jobs.When a terrible storm blows through and a nearby ship sinks, it is Grace and her father who jump into a boat to rescue several men and one woman who washed up on a rock. The woman, Sarah Dawson, was traveling with her two young children to visit her brother George Emmerson in Scotland after losing her husband.The story of how Grace risked her own life to save others becomes legend, with newspaper stories written about her bravery. Artists wish to paint her portrait, people ask for locks of her hair and small pieces of her clothing, and she and her father even get to meet a duke and duchess who honor them.In 1938, Matilda Emmerson finds herself pregnant and sent by her proper Irish parents to Newport, Rhode Island to stay with a distant cousin, a female lighthouse keeper named Harriet. Matilda is to give birth to the baby, give her up for adoption and return home to forget the whole thing.Harriet is a bit brusque, and keeps to herself. Matilda hears her crying out for someone named Cora in her sleep, but when she asks about Cora, Harriet rebuffs her. Matilda finds a trunk with a portrait in it of a woman who has some connection to herself, and sets out to find out who the woman is.Matilda begins to enjoy her life in Newport, making friends with a local artist named Joseph, and when she discovers a secret that Harriet has been hiding, her life begins to make sense to her. (The secret is a doozy!)The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter is a wonderful book for young adult women to read as well. Through Grace, Sarah, Matilda and Harriet, we see independent women trying to make their way through a male-centered world, overcoming obstacles and tragedy. and finding their own strength.I liked that there were male characters who supported these women- Grace's father, George Emmerson and Joseph- and who valued these women for their strength. Gaynor combines great characters with compelling storylines.The Lighthouse Keeper is a poignant read, and I enjoyed learning about life in a lighthouse. I also found Grace's brush with fame interesting, and not so different from what happens in today's tabloid-filled world where people get their fifteen minutes of intense fame.
Grace Darling is the daughter of the Longstone Lighthouse keeper in the Farne Islands. She has dedicated her life to helping her father keep the light. Although, for a young women in the 1830's, this is not the life that is expected of her. Grace's life is put into the spotlight when she assists her father in rescuing the survivors of a shipwreck. One of the survivors of the shipwreck is Sarah Dawson, who has lost both of her children to the sea. Sarah is also the brother of George Emmerson, an artist who visited Longstone and formed a strong bond with Grace. Grace and Sarah become fast friends after their ordeal on the island and share a bond of courage and heartache.One hundred years later, Sarah's great-great granddaughter, Matilda arrives in Rhode Island disgraced and pregnant, sent away from her hometown in Ireland to stay with her cousin and lighthouse keeper, Harriet. To keep herself busy Matilda sorts through an old chest, finding momentos of Grace Darling and George Emmerson. By learning the stories of Grace, Sarah and Harriet, Matilda finds strength within herself to what must be done.The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter is a story of courage and bravery carried through time. The phrase "Even the brave were once afraid" is a theme throughout the book and something that each character realizes over time. I was pleased to learn the history of Grace Darling, I name I have heard of, but didn't know anything about. Much of what is written about Grace is fact-based and well researched. Through the writing I could perfectly picture Grace and her attention to her duties and well as her unease at becoming a heroine for simply performing the duty of a lighthouse keeper. Matilda and Harriet's story took a little bit longer to capture my attention; however, when all of the secrets throughout time are revealed, their bravery shines through and everything falls into place. As always, Hazel Gaynor's writing transports me easily through time periods with poise and captures multiple characters personalities perfectly. Overall, an amazing story of courage and love. This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Really beautiful story with characters that are instantly likable. Interesting history about women lighthouse keepers.
I knew nothing about the true story at the heart of this tale. I did turn to the google to learn about the woman who inspired one half of the book. This is what I love about reading – learning about people and events that may not have changed world history but had great impact for the people involved.There are two distinct stories; in 1838 off of England Grace Darling (that was her real name!) lives with her family in a lighthouse when one night there is a shipwreck. Even though conditions are treacherous she goes out with her father to try an rescue as many people as they can. Their success in doing so leads to her becoming a minor celebrity in her time. She does not really welcome the attention – she just wants to live her life quietly on the island, tending the lighthouse.In the second story, Matilda is being sent away to Rhode Island into the care of a distant aunt who is a lighthouse keeper. She finds herself pregnant out of wedlock and this is just not acceptable. She is to give birth, leave the baby and return.Matilda is not sure what to expect when she arrives but what she finds is so much more that she ever could have expected. It is not a warm welcome but as she gets used to a life so alien to what she had known she starts to learn old family history which leads her to Grace.These two women have far more in common than they could ever imagine and as Matilda learns more about Grace which leads to her learning about herself.This is a book that wraps itself around you and doesn’t let go. Ms. Gaynor creates such atmosphere in describing her worlds that it’s a bit disconcerting when you put down the book and you come to the realization that you are not on an island caring for a lighthouse. The characters are so well drawn as to pull you into their lives and share the small details that make the difference between reading a book and becoming immersed in a world.
I enjoyed this novel, but I just didn't connect with it in the way I have with other novels. Set in two timelines, nearly a hundred years apart, this novel traces the stories of women seeking their own paths, who are united by a shared connection to a lighthouse. Overall, a good book, with plenty of history and an atmospheric setting.
This beautiful, well written novel has two wonderful main characters that I loved - I laughed with them and cried with them as they faced the storms of life - not only the outer storms but also the inner storms that can cause so much damage.Grace Darling lives in a lighthouse in England with her family in 1838. She loved the lighthouse and the way it worked and would have loved to be the keeper when her father retired but since she was a woman, that role went to her brother. She helped her Dad rescue some passengers from a ship and became famous throughout the land for being such a brave FEMALE. The other main character is Matalida who has been sent from Ireland to live with a cousin at a lighthouse in Rhode Island after she becomes pregnant in 1938. As she sorts through an old chest, she learns more about Grace Darling and the connection between them. They are both brave women during different parts of history and the connection between them is strong.I loved this book. It's about love through the ages, the strength of women and their friendships and family. It will make you smile and it will make you cry but at the end you will feel that you know both of these incredible women.Thanks to Edelweiss for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
I found myself quickly immersed in this story, a story of life and death, and love and losing.The author did a wonderful job of melding the centuries, with the lighthouse guiding the lives of people chosen to operate them. When you know that this book is based on a true story, and see how fragile life is.A story woven with love, and I didn’t see some of it coming, but you might want to keep the tissues handy!We span decades and centuries and the book comes together beautifully, intertwining a family, but making you want to hold your loved one’s close.A story that will linger!I received this book through Edelweiss and the Publisher William Morrow, and was not required to give a positive review.