The Maidenstone Lighthouse

by Sally Smith O'Rourke

Retreating to the quaint coastal village of Freedman's Cove in Rhode Island after the death of her lover, Susan Marks becomes immersed in a century-old mystery that leads her to Dan Freedman, a local historian and famed artist who brings hope and love back into her life. Original.

Genres: Romance, Mystery, Fiction

296 pages, Paperback

First published August 31, 2003

About the author

“Where shall I begin? Which of all my important nothings shall I tell you first?” (J.A. June 15, 1808)

That I reside in the Victorian village of Monrovia, California; a mere two miles from my place of employment, The City Of Hope. COH is a cancer research hospital where I spend most daylight hours in the operating room as a scrub nurse.

That I am a native Californian, having been born in Glendale, and spent most of my life here with a relatively short span of years in Reno, Nevada where I attended school. Returning after graduation I have remained in sunny SoCal.

That I was widowed some time ago. That I have very domestic hobbies like sewing, cooking, baking, candy making and cake decorating. Oh, yeah I write, too. Mike, my late husband and teacher, taught me that writing has to be treated like a job so every day no matter how tired I am I edit, research one or more projects and write.

Reviews

[Shauna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery and intrigue of this mild ghost story were enjoyable, but I could have done with fewer racy comments. At least I only had to skip a paragraph here and there instead of numerous pages at a time.

[gardienne_du_feu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nach dem Verlust ihres Verlobten bei einem Flugzeugabsturz zieht sich Susan in das Haus ihrer Tante an der Küste von Rhode Island zurück. In der alten Villa hat sie in ihrer Kindheit und Jugend immer den Sommer verbracht und hofft, an diesem vertrauten Ort etwas zur Ruhe zu kommen nach dem schrecklichen Ereignis, das ihrem bisherigen Leben ein jähes Ende gesetzt hat.

In dem etwas düsteren alten Gemäuer sieht Susan plötzlich eine Frauengestalt am Fenster stehen. Zunächst tut sie das als Einbildung ab, doch es häufen sich schwer erklärbare Vorfälle, und so langsam beschleicht sie das Gefühl, dass diese etwas mit der Geschichte ihrer Familie zu tun haben, genauer gesagt mit ihrer Vorfahrin Aimee, von der sie nur ein altes Foto kennt und sonst gar nichts weiß.

Ansonsten ist die Rückkehr an einen altvertrauten Ort auch mit vielen widerstreitenden Emotionen verbunden. Es ist nicht immer angenehm, alten Bekannten gegenüberzustehen. Die Wiederbegegnung mit Dan Freedman, der inzwischen ein international erfolgreicher Künstler ist, gehört allerdings nicht gerade zur unschönen Sorte, und er ist es auch, der Susan hilft, mehr über Aimee und den geheimnisumwitterten Leuchtturm am Rande des Ortes herauszufinden.

Ein bisschen Mystery, ein bisschen Romanze, ein malerischer Schauplatz und schaurig-schöne alte Gemäuer sind immer wieder beliebte Romanzutaten, doch die Rechnung geht für meine Begriffe hier nicht so ganz auf. Zum einen mag ich es nicht besonders, wenn in einem ansonsten gar nicht phantastisch angehauchten Buch übersinnliche Phänomene nicht aufgeklärt werden, zum anderen ist das Buch zwar durchaus unterhaltsam, aber auch wahnsinnig vorhersehbar. Bis auf einen Twist in Aimees Geschichte habe ich eigentlich so ziemlich alle Entwicklungen kommen sehen. Die Romanze ist vom ersten Moment an sonnenklar, das Schaurige war mir größtenteils doch zu wenig schaurig und die Charaktere sind wandelnde Klischees (am schlimmsten: Susans unattraktiv gewordener, aufdringlicher Ex).

Es mag auch teils an der Übersetzung gelegen haben oder daran, dass ich schon zu viele Bücher und Filme mit ähnlichem Strickmuster kenne - die Lektüre habe ich zwar nicht unbedingt bereut, aber ich hätte auch nichts verpasst, wenn ich das Buch nicht gelesen hätte.

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started out slow but as I got into it I couldn't put it down. Wonderful ghost story with a twist.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy read and I enjoyed it for the most part. Some of it read a little too much like a romance novel - in how fast she fell in love and it was a little corny at times. I also didn't like how fast she was to jump into bed.

I also found myself annoyed at how often her "romantic" side and "practical side argued with each other. It would have been a nice tecnique if it hadn't been overused.

Overall, though, I liked it.

[Hilary Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not exactly deep reading. Don't hurt yourself trying to find a copy of this one.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this last year or early this year, but forgot to update it. It was a very quick read. I liked that the author's writing was very thorough. I loved the descriptions, the fascination with all things antique (Victorian? Edwardian? I forget which period...), the fact that the author didn't leave things unfinished (if the character set down an object, said object was retrieved on page and didn't just show up later in the chapter when the character changed locations, stuff like that). The one thing that really bugged me was that the main character, in spite of her Victorian manners and sensibilities, shoved all that aside on an attempt at modernism when it came to morals. She had no problem with living with another man, or sleeping with someone she just met. And it was really implausible. I mean, who would sleep with a guy, the same day she met him, after he saved her from a mugging, and she was all injured and bruised up??? C'mon, really??? The supernatural element at the end helped. I did guess the ending.

[Jen Bruggeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good beach read

[Jared Bieschke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hot trash.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, as I mentioned in my Friday Finds post, I happened across this book while browsing the stacks at BJ's. They had loads of books on my TBR list, one of which I picked up (The Hunger Games), but what caught my eye was the beautiful cover of this book, so I read the cover and my interest was piqued. I'd never heard of the title or the author, and when I got home and searched the blogging sites I read, there were no reviews to be seen.

I really enjoyed reading this book. O'Rourke's writing style is pleasant and flows easily, which is exactly what I needed since I'm still a bit foggy from being sick most of the week. I was caught up in the story very quickly--who doesn't like a ghost story?--and I had a hard time putting the book down. Actually, there is more to this book than just the ghost story, but I don't want to give away too much because I would risk spoiling it. Let's just say the last several chapters prove to be very intense!

I also liked the way O'Rourke handled Susan's two men in her life--Bobby (disappeared and presumed dead), whom Susan had basically fooled herself into believing was the perfect man, and Dan, who truly was the perfect man--for her, I mean, naturally he had his own flaws. It was a very realistic portrayal of her relationships--luckily, in the end she found someone who was everything she wanted, rather than someone whom she had built up to be everything she wanted because that was what she wanted to believe and wanted to have. (I hope that made sense, I plead a fuzzy head from the cold if it doesn't!)

All-in-all I thought it was a great escapist read, made even better by the fact that had I not been browsing BJ's, I likely never would have come across it! A ghost story/mystery from Susan's family's past, an emerging mystery in Susan's current life, and a love story with a happy ending. Now I've got to get my hands on O'Rourke's first book, The Man Who Loved Jane Austen--I like the sound of that!

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw several copies of this book on hold in my local library as a "book club" hold, so I figured it would be a good discussion storyline... Eh. Not so much.

Another reviewer classified this book as a good "poolside read." She was right. It's too Harlequin Romance for my tastes -- too much heaving bosom, vivid fantasy, and sidelong glances for me to really get to the ghost mystery storyline hiding underneath.

To tell you the truth, I almost gave up a third of the way through because the story wasn't really going anywhere, and I feared it would be too predictable. But I persevered.

I was right about the predictability, but it came together decent enough to warrant my two-star rating.

The main character is a bit of a floozie, and the long-lost love isn't a big enough character for us to really care about him - so we hardly understand her pining for him after his death. Therefore, when she finds her new love (after only one day of knowing him), it's not as if she's betraying anything she had previously, though the author tries to make us feel that way.

If you don't have anything else to read, go ahead and try Maidenstone Lighthouse. I definitely wouldn't have picked it for my book club group - there's just nothing really to discuss except for how shallow it all is.

[Miccilina Piraino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this down once I started reading, I got caught up in the story, the story within the story and the characters. I started to get it and figure out the ending about half way in, but I do that with books and with movies too if I am really into them. I kept thinking, boy would THIS ever make a great movie! I found the language at times, especially the love scenes, charmingly reminiscent of some of the Victorian Romance novels I had read as a teen, but it fit and was a good part of the story.

The characters were engaging, and seemed real. I especially enjoyed the character of Damon. I got involved in their emotions and their stories. The Author made me see her word pictures and was successful in making me like the story and the characters. There was a lot of mystery, two to solve here and in the solving of one, the intent of the other comes out, so really well done. I will be looking for her other books and hoping they are as good a read as this one was.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character, Susan, is in "denial" about the death of her gorgeous, pilot lover, and goes back to the inherited victorian cottage to heal. How nice that a gorgeous, rich artist is waiting to become her next ardent, imaginative lover.

For the record, I didn't think Bobby was dead almost from the get-go, and when all of her memories about him center not on him, but on sex with him, I don't think she was in love; I think she was in heat.

Also, it should be an alarming pattern that she begins sexual relationships before a full week of acquaintanceship has passed, although it is nice that the gorgeous artist proposes marriage.

Also, I think that "all night long" or "for hours on end" is mythical, designed to create feelings of inadequacy and discontent in those who aren't sexual marathon athletes.

[WhatShouldIRead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable book. The author's easy writing style held me inside the story and I felt as if I were there with all the characters. The sense of place was predominant in the story line and I appreciated that as it was so well done.

The characters had depth to them and each their own personalities which made their interaction a joy to read.

One quibble - this may be a spoiler - a few of the heroine's friends repeatedly mentioned how they did not trust her boyfriend, yet she blatantly dismisses their worries rather than sitting down to think about it. Also, her repetitious mentioning of losing her loved one was a bit too much for me. It may have been just as effective with just a few mentions and I would have easily have 'got' it.

I would recommend this book for a lazy summer afternoon read!

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

To give the book some credit, I did finish it in one night. I'm not sure if it was more of an insomnia induced late night reading fest, or if I was that into the book. I'm suspecting the former.

The premise of the book was okay. Susan leaves New York for the healing power of Freedman's Cove, RI--where she spent her summers growing up--after her lover is presumed dead in an airplane crash and she can't seem to get over it.

Some twists and turns kept me somewhat interested, but the whole talking-to-the-ghost as though you wouldn't be scared out of your mind...come on.

There were a lot of holes in the plot and some leads I would've liked to have seen researched out more, but overall it was an okay book.

[Joey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I loved this book. It drew me in from the very first chapter. Sue is so easily liked and I so wanted her to heal from the terrible loss she reeling from. It had all the emotion I loved and also a bit of suspense and intrigue that kept me turning pages and wanting to know what happened. It was a wonderful story of love and growth. I loved the ghost story that was told here. Aimee gives so much fiber to the story and allows the author to give a depth to the tale that would so be missing without her. She is everything I want a ghost to be. Read It, Read It!!

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was enjoyable, it was about a woman that loses her love and to try to get over him she goes to a house that she inherited from her Aunt. It was a fine story, with a relationship that she finds while she is staying at the house. I think that the relationship was pretty unbelievable, just because they fell in love way to fast for me. I thought that the story was interesting with a ghost and a ancestor story but in the end it turned out to be somewhat of a mystery. I did enjoy it even if it was somewhat out there on logic.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Sue Marks's lover is lost at sea in a plane crash her grief is overwhelming. She can't seem to accept that he's gone, and she thinks she keeps seeing him around town. To get away from the memories she goes to Freedman's Cove, Rhode Island to the Victorian House she inherited from her Great Aunt. There Susan comes face to face with the ghost of one of her ancestors, a young girl who was tragically killed at a young age. Susan trys to solve the mystery of her relative and meets an old acquantance from her youth.

An interesting story about ghosts, death, grief, and the after life.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book, some parts are a little racy, in that they just tell you there was lovemaking, they don't actually describe it, like so many "romantic" (aka smutty) books do. I liked the ending, and the twist I did not even see coming. Not to mention the fact that the author discussed it in depth with her late husband before he died young. I am sure this book holds a special place in her heart, as it does for mine. I really liked it. I am a romantic at heart though...

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book on a list of books with "lighthouse" in the title, and put it on hold at the library. When I finally got it and started reading it, I thought " Oh! It's a romance novel!" Not what I usually read! But I decided to read it anyway (I have a thing for books set in a lighthouse.) and found out that it was a romance/mystery/ghost story. At first I thought it wouldn't all come together, but ! After a heart-pounding conclusion, all loose-ends were tied up satisfactorily.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish books came with a rating like movies do. If this had a "movie rating" it would definitely be an "R" for sexual scenes and language. It was a dissappointment- the man who loved jane Austen was better with less language. It's one of those you wish you hadn't read and wonder why you even finished it.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book couldn't decide what it wanted to be: a romance, a mystery, a ghost story, a thriller. It was okay, and I guess it wrapped everything up in the end, but it felt a little forced to me. Still, it was a quick read and I didn't feel like I'd wasted my time.

[Emilee]

I finished this book and I enjoyed it. It was a little hard getting into but once I started getting used to the characters and the point of the story, I started to really enjoy it. There were a couple "adult" parts that I had to read over but other than that it wasn't too bad.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a relief to finally read something light and easy, even though it was predictable and a little far-fetched. I’m always attracted to books about the sea which is why I picked this book up at the Goodwill store. I read it in four days.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh....it was pretty good. Some suspenseful moments. Some romantic stuff. Some stuff that was a little too descriptive. Pretty far fetched story.
I read that the author's deceased husband actually wrote most of it, and she just finished it and got it published!

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up during a library browse and thought it looked right up my alley. A very enjoyable read, well written with some interesting plot twists. I am going to read her other book as well.

[Cindy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found myself bored with this book by page 30. I tried to read it but found myself skimming. It seemed like it kept repeating itself.

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story...little too gushy for me in parts, but I LOVED the whole lighthouse aspect and tales from the past of what happened around the lighthouse. Made me want to visit Cape Cod.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light ghost story/romance. Nice summer reading.

[Janice · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a quick, predictable read. I probaby wouldn't recommend it if asked but it was good poolside reading.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinda silly...