The Lighthouse Keeper's Wife

by Connie Scovill Small

Connie Scovill Small writes about her twenty-eight years of lighthouse living and service along the Maine and New Hampshire coasts with her husband, Elson.. "Now in her late nineties, Connie continues to be an inspiration to all who meet her. This new edition of The Lighthouse Keeper's Wife presents Connie's text with many additional photographs from the author's collection. The book also includes an interpretive essay by historian Andrea Hawkes, who examines Connie Small's life story as an important source for understanding New England history and the study of women, and places it within a tradition of American women's autobiography.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction

170 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1999

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book while spending time in Maine. It is the story of... the lighthouse keeper's wife. It is interesting to learn about the lifestyle and the hard work that lighthouse keepers did. They took tremendous pride in their work and in their lighthouse. This story is informative, yet rambling. The author would have benefitted from having a good editor but then she's not a writer... she's a lighthouse keeper's wife and she has told a story that very few people can tell. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in the history of Maine or lighthouses.

[Alison Fulmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting recap of the author’s life as the wife of a lighthouse keeper in Maine and NH in the mid 20th century. A difficult job prior to automation and in many cases in locations without electricity. The writing is pretty basic. Learned there are/were a lot of lighthouses in Maine

[Sedonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much. I kept tearing up while reading it. One of the main reasons, aside from the absolutely beautiful relationship between Connie Small and her husband was the fact that I lived right in this area and have met many of her family still in that area. The Lubec Channel light, affectionately r ferred to as te spark plug was at the end of our road and the first thing we saw when turning onto our road. The spot is breathtaking, so picturing her and her husband climbing the ladder onto this light was extra vivid for me.

As I mentioned, the relationship between Connie and Elson Small was the kind that mowt people dream of having, what the romance novels are erally about but never find in reality. Connie sacrificed her personal interests in favor of being a constant support to Elson in his job as a lighthouse keeper, and in today's world, a woman outting her own interests aside for her husband is not considered cool or desirable mostly, so the relationship may seem very old fashioned to many. But beautiful. Moving. A lesson in inner strength and care and what it takes to be real soulmates.

The other amazing aspect of this book is the insight into such a life. Many of us have a romantic idea about lighthouse keeping but it is a challenging and at times harsh way of life. The beauty and ruggedness of the Maine coast comes alive in er account. Connie Small dwcribew everything, down to the smallest domestic detail of what it was like, the challenges, the losses and the fullness. At the end of her life Connie Small felt she had the best life possible, full and beautiful. Truly uplifting.

[Jenn Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating is 4 in part due to this author is my great grandaunt. It was a bit magical to read about my great grandmother and grandfather in small snippets. If one is a lighthouse history fan, this is a fun book, too. Connie goes deep into some lighthouse lens details at times. This book really gave a feel for both the isolation and pleasures of a life not known in the same way now.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought the book, The Lighthouse Keeper’s Wife, by Connie Scovill Small, while visiting The Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland, Maine. This story is about how hard living, working and surviving at a lighthouse during the 1920-1960’s was. Ms. Small tells lots of snippets of her and her husband’s humorous and life threatening experiences they endured in all sorts of weather. I realized how difficult and devoted their life would be. The light is on at dusk and off at dawn everyday, 24/7, no matter what. So many sailors depended on this light to guide them to safety through storms or fog. There were frequent transfers to different lighthouses during their 40 plus year marriage. Sometimes the two felt the loneliness of seclusion on the island lighthouses.
It was fun to read her stories about the lighthouses I had recently visited along my trip up the coast of Maine.

“May the sunrise give you hope and inspiration,
The sunset, the comfort of a day well spent.”
Connie Small

[Penny Goetjen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful look into life (and work) on islands off the coast of Maine. I picked up the book thinking there was a certain degree of romance connected to being a lighthouse keeper. That was an outsider’s idealistic view. Facing unspeakable danger just to survive and keep the light burning on remote islands, the dedication and work ethic of lighthouse keepers were unsurpassed. The Lighthouse Keeper’s Wife is a thoughtfully transcribed account of one woman’s heroic life.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read. Rather interesting, especially having just been in Bar Harbor and taken light house boat tour.

[Sharon Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful insights into the daily lives of keepers on the Maine coast. An interesting perspective too on women's roles in the 1920s through 1960.

[Sarah Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Connie Scovill Small’s memoir dealt with the nearly three decades she spent working on different lighthouses in Maine with her husband. I’ve visited several of the lighthouses mentioned, and I always tried to imagine what an isolated, hard life the keepers and their families lived before the automation of lighthouses occurred. Connie is very forthcoming and honest about her life – her initial hesitation to take on the isolated lifestyle and the many mini housekeeping disasters she encountered.

I was particularly moved by her close relationship with her husband. They clearly dearly loved one another and depended greatly on one another due to their choice of occupation and because they never had children. I also was moved by the great work ethic both Connie and her husband possessed. Even after retiring and her husband’s death, Connie went on to work at a college and stayed very active writing this memoir and traveling giving talks and lectures on lighthouse keeping. Connie’s life was both simple but rigorous – she makes light of her hardships including ferocious storms that threatened her life (if the Coast Guard can’t reach your island for several days, you know it must be bad), intense isolation on her island homes, and the loss of family, friends, and pets – but the reader can sense her deep emotion beyond her words. This book made me sort of sad to know that lighthouses no longer have keepers and good, honest people like Connie Small.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone once told me that the reason we read autobiographies is their relevance to our lives. Not that I can compare with this woman's experience, but her strength is certainly inspiring; the woman was 85 when this book was first published! Connie and her husband Elson spent 28 years on lights along the Maine and New Hampshire coast. She tells us about sharing the lighthouse keeping with her husband, messaging to other lights using semaphores, lighting the kerosene lantern when her husband was gone or ill, ringing the fog bell when the mechanism didn't cooperate, and target shooting. Elson's first assignment was Channel Light, Lubec -- the only way to enter the light was from an exposed ladder. She tells about that first visit: "So, with him behind me telling me to look up and never look down I made it. To this day I have kept his words with me and when I'd get discouraged I would think of them." A great read; you'll long to visit the lights along the coast after reading Connie and Elson's adventures.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. It's not particularly thrilling or anything. It's more just like reading Connie's journal or memoirs (which I guess is exactly what it is!) I found the details about living on and keeping a lighthouse very interesting. I love to see her relationship with her husband. They really were best friends.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simply story.

[Marion]

Completely compelling.