The Light is Ours

by Ann Heyse

A work of historical fiction, The Light is Ours is set in a Great Lakes lighthouse in 1871-72. Lighthouse keepers in the small harbor town give aid to ship captains and sailors as well as their fellow townspeople in the harsh Wisconsin wilderness. When a  formerly enslaved freedman and a ship captain come to Roundstone Harbor, a fictional village set on the Door County peninsula, their lives become intertwined with one another in a story of challenge and redemption.

Arden Anderson, a young ship captain who hauls cargo up and down the Lake Michigan shoreline carries a secret about a troubled past. He spends years as a young man sailing the world and five more years in the Union Navy during the War Between the States trying to flee from a past of which he's ashamed. When a wealthy businessman hires the ship captain to transport supplies onto an island north of the Door County peninsula, the routine sail does not go as planned.

Meggie McGinn has come home to the lighthouse after four years away. She returns as a widow who must fight societal norms in order to be independent. And her abolitionist views are tested when she comes face to face with lingering effects of the slave trade.

The Light is Ours transports readers to a small  harbor town 150 years ago when life was rugged, shipwrecks were not uncommon, and winters were cruel. It is a story of unforgettable characters and the difference they make by helping others survive.

Genres: Historical Fiction

316 pages, Perfect Paperback

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

I write. Words are wonderful.

I've published two books for children about the beautiful place where I live: Good Morning, Door County (2016) and Good Night, Door County (2020.)

Drink In Sweet Rain is a collection of poems, published in 2020.

I recently switched genres to historical fiction. The Light is Ours, published in July 2023, allowed me to put characters in a place I love in a time period that fascinates me. The research was fun. And unlike poetry that is sparse, writing a novel meant I could add detail.

I'd love to hear from readers which books of mine they like best!

Reviews

[Andrew Hiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice piece. Beautifully written story taking place in Door County Wisconsin. The amount of detail the author pours into each page transports me instantly to the northern peninsula. The whole part regarding the trial caught me a little by surprise but was also pretty predictable. Overall great summer book and was an enjoyable read

[Michaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives a very good feel for a specific time and place.

SPOILER AHEAD


But I am aggravated by the lack of resolution between the two primary protagonists of the story.

[Janelle Bailey]

31: The Light is Ours by Ann Heyse

It's going to be a little bit before I can pick up another book, as the end of this one causes some great and thoughtful pause, creates an opening of so many possibilities rather than bringing closure to these stories, and prompts me to just keep thinking about these characters and how/where things might go for them after this book. THANK GOODNESS there is a sequel coming within the next few months! Until then...I'll just be wondering about Arden and Meggie, Solomon, Kate and Jack...how they're all doing.

Ann Heyse has written a beautiful work of historical fiction set in one of my favorite parts of the country, Wisconsin's Door County peninsula. I spend a lot of time on the Green Bay side, though, and this book is set on the Lake Michigan side. Heyse's fictitious Roundstone Lighthouse, located north of Cana Island and south of Northport and Death's Door, is the home of its operators and the family of characters at the center of this book, the McGinns, Jack and Kate and their children. "The water is solace, with colors that change and waves that sing...At night the moon shines a path on the water, and sometimes the moonpath crosses paths...We live in the middle of wonder..." (163). Beautiful writing about a beautiful place.

This novel is set in the mid-1800s and addresses so many important themes so well, in addition to showing us an earlier way of life in this just-starting-out place and introducing us to characters rich with life. The shipping industry--character Arden Anderson, captain of the Jenny Marie, also at the center of this story--is also introduced here, while transporting materials to new sites in Door County as well as transporting lumber from the north of Wisconsin to other points south, as far as Chicago in this story. And Anderson's first mate, Solomon, is a former slave, which prompts us to learn that Wisconsin was one of the first states to give Blacks the right to vote in 1866. There is much discussed of value and relevance today, just as much as then.

The inclusion of Meggie's diary entries allows us to learn more of her person and character as well as join her in following her heart and dreams after marrying young, being widowed, and returning home, not sure her heart will ever heal. But she's got ideas...and hopes, dreams, to create new things.

Truth: this is a wonderful book. I'm so tickled that there's a "what's next" coming out soon so that I can hear more about these people I came to appreciate while meeting them in The Light is Ours. Ann Heyse is a treasure of a writer and thinker...and person, period.

[Susan Leaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an especially fascinating book for me because I love Door County and have spent time there every year since I was 6 years old. Ann Heyse did a good job with character development and made these characters very relatable. I soon came to care a lot about the main characters in this book. She also did a good job with the plot of this story and the way that she brought these characters lives to interact with each other in a specific historical context. I liked the fact that the chapters were short, but always left me wanting to keep reading the next chapter and the one after that, etc. It was a very hard book to put down. My only criticism of this book was that I felt like the author stopped writing before this story was finished. It would be great if she would write a sequel to this story. There is so much unfinished business with both the characters and with the outcome of the civil trial, etc. It left me, the reader, with all sorts of unanswered questions. My advice to Ann Heyse is to continue this story and write a second book.

[Alexis Crotty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up on vacation in Door County which was a great little touch to start it where it is set. It was an easy read that I could set down and jump right back into. I felt like the dialogue was sometimes a bit bland which gave the characters more monotone voices, but the diary entries were really well done. There were also a few times that I kind of lost the time line and where it was at in the story. This especially happened when it went to Arden and Solomon going to Sally's for the very first time. It was predictable, but it didn't really take away from the story for me. Overall, I enjoyed the messages and would recommend it for an easy, comfy historical fiction read especially if you like to see books set Wisconsin (as someone who has lived here most of my life, I love to see them).

[Joni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love history more as I get older. This book goes back to the mid 1800’s and it was well written. Adding Door County and the Peninsula geographically makes it relatable and fun. A good story well written.

[Katie Buckley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story that takes place in Door County. Strong themes and interesting historical fiction aspects of DC and sailing on Lake Michigan, really makes you picture how it was around that time back then. Felt the romance fell a little short, but overall an endearing story with likable characters.

[Laurel Dicus · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fun to read this sweet historical fiction book written by my former teacher! Reminded me a bit of Little House on the Prairie.

[LJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love reading stories when the setting is in Door County!

[Marianne Dickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Door County lovers, it's a good book.

[Christel Ruddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s fun that the setting is Door County, and the author ensures you care about the characters. I hope there is a sequel coming!

[Ellie Anna Axtman · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Bought this book from a local author while in Door County! Historical fiction is my favorite genre & I love the local spin. The author is definitely trying to convey strong themes. I do wish the romance would have had some sort of resolution!