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The Lightkeeper's Daughter
Three years have passed since Squid McCrae last saw her parents and the remote island where she grew up. She returns now at seventeen, a young woman with a daughter in tow. The visit, she knows, will be rough. Lizzie Island- paradise to some, a stifling prison to others- brings an onslaught of memories. It is the place of Squid' s idyllic childhood, where she and her brother, Alastair, blossomed into precocious adolescents. But Lizzie Island is also the place where Alastair died.
Now the past collides with the present as Squid' s homecoming unleashes bittersweet recollections, revelations, and accusations. But nothing is what it appears to be. No one possesses the complete truth, and no one is without blame.
Now the past collides with the present as Squid' s homecoming unleashes bittersweet recollections, revelations, and accusations. But nothing is what it appears to be. No one possesses the complete truth, and no one is without blame.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 10, 2002
8 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
January 14, 2010
I listened to this on CD. While I listened, I kept waiting for something to happen. The description of the book described it as eerie, with the character of Elizabeth wanting to confront her father about the tragedy and hearing ghosts of the past. Which made me think it would be a kind of spooky ghost story, perhaps, and it is not.
Elizabeth's brother committed suicide when she was 14. She, then pregnant, left the island to have her baby and has been gone for 3 years. She comes back to visit her parents and tell them she is moving to Australia and getting married. Her new relationship is not covered at all except to say it is there.
It is strongly hinted - or at least I felt like it was indicated - that she became pregnant by her brother. There is a mysterious Erik who stops on the island when she is 13 and he is about 10 years older, and he is supposedly the father, but I kept waiting for the big revelation that the father of her baby was actually her brother. There was no revelation, but I still think that's what happened. It would have been nice to have more than hints about it, though, if that were the case.
Elizabeth comes across as bitter and spoiled, while her mother Hannah seems scared and skittish and her father Murray is gruff and existing in his own little world. Of all the characters, I felt the most kindly toward Murray and kind of wanted to smack Elizabeth upside the head and tell her to get over it.
In the end, it was a nice enough story, slow-moving and resolving nothing. I just wish the description on the back of the book had given a better indication of what kind of book it was, so I would not have been expecting something else and come away disappointed.
Elizabeth's brother committed suicide when she was 14. She, then pregnant, left the island to have her baby and has been gone for 3 years. She comes back to visit her parents and tell them she is moving to Australia and getting married. Her new relationship is not covered at all except to say it is there.
It is strongly hinted - or at least I felt like it was indicated - that she became pregnant by her brother. There is a mysterious Erik who stops on the island when she is 13 and he is about 10 years older, and he is supposedly the father, but I kept waiting for the big revelation that the father of her baby was actually her brother. There was no revelation, but I still think that's what happened. It would have been nice to have more than hints about it, though, if that were the case.
Elizabeth comes across as bitter and spoiled, while her mother Hannah seems scared and skittish and her father Murray is gruff and existing in his own little world. Of all the characters, I felt the most kindly toward Murray and kind of wanted to smack Elizabeth upside the head and tell her to get over it.
In the end, it was a nice enough story, slow-moving and resolving nothing. I just wish the description on the back of the book had given a better indication of what kind of book it was, so I would not have been expecting something else and come away disappointed.
October 12, 2018
I read this for a challenge. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have finished it.
I liked the family aspect and little Tat. She was adorable. The narrator, Ed Sala, did a wonderful job with the material he was given. He was very engaging and helped keep my interest at least somewhat attached.
The story was hard to follow because of all the jumps through time in this family’s life journey—from the parents’ first meeting to the children’s growing up to the present with the grandchild. These many time frames (several within each generation) made it nearly impossible to follow the details.
There was a lot of junk I’d never want a teenager or younger (or even myself) to have to read (and that added absolutely nothing to the plot): expletives, nudity, profanity, pre-marital sex (by several characters, one of whom was thirteen), crudity, and evolution. There was at least one mention of tobacco products.
I thought the premise sounded interesting, but overall, the story fell far short of the expectations I had from that blurb, even knowing it was general market. Surprisingly, there was a bit of a faith thread, but that felt so out of place with the boatload of junk that was thrust into the story.
Besides needing this book for a challenge, what kept me reading was the mystery angle. That part was written very well. Little tidbits of clues and answers kept coming at just the right moments to keep me interested enough to keep on keeping on with this one. The mystery being so well done is the reason I didn’t one-star this book.
I liked the family aspect and little Tat. She was adorable. The narrator, Ed Sala, did a wonderful job with the material he was given. He was very engaging and helped keep my interest at least somewhat attached.
The story was hard to follow because of all the jumps through time in this family’s life journey—from the parents’ first meeting to the children’s growing up to the present with the grandchild. These many time frames (several within each generation) made it nearly impossible to follow the details.
There was a lot of junk I’d never want a teenager or younger (or even myself) to have to read (and that added absolutely nothing to the plot): expletives, nudity, profanity, pre-marital sex (by several characters, one of whom was thirteen), crudity, and evolution. There was at least one mention of tobacco products.
I thought the premise sounded interesting, but overall, the story fell far short of the expectations I had from that blurb, even knowing it was general market. Surprisingly, there was a bit of a faith thread, but that felt so out of place with the boatload of junk that was thrust into the story.
Besides needing this book for a challenge, what kept me reading was the mystery angle. That part was written very well. Little tidbits of clues and answers kept coming at just the right moments to keep me interested enough to keep on keeping on with this one. The mystery being so well done is the reason I didn’t one-star this book.
January 26, 2011
This was a very strange book. I picked it up on a whim for some light reading and because I was attracted to the cover. It's considered a juvenile fiction book, but I've found some very entertaining and well written books in that section so I wouldn't consider it a reason to not read the book if you are an adult.
Seventeen year old Squid (real name Elizabeth) is on a boat with her three year old daughter Tatiana traveling to an island that was her home for thirteen years. She's very apprehensive about the trip and what her mother and father, Helen and Murray, will think about her daughter, and what they will think about her since they haven't seen each other for years. Just thinking about the island brings back terrible memories as her brother Alastair had died there shortly before she left to give birth to her daughter. When she lands, its hard to see her parents and remember all the pain that they and the island brought by keeping her and her brother isolated there.
When she can, she escapes to the smaller house on the island where her brother had lived and reads his journals. They are filled with pain and his longing to leave the island and bring back memories for her of when they were small and traveling around the waters and island together. She reads these notes in secret and hopes that her mother and father won't find out about this, but she shouldn't worry too much as they have found distraction in her daughter. All these painful memories make her want to leave though but for the first time her daughter seems to be thriving. She's not sure what the best route to take would be.
These characters make up a very confused family. At times its painful to watch them interact with each other. This however, serves to make them very human and I do think that they were well written in this case. One complaint I would have in characterization would be Squid's reactions to some things. At times she acts like a normal seventeen year old and can get huffy at nearly anything, but the majority of the time she acts very old and mature. Granted she had a child young and had to grow up fast but it didn't feel authentic to me. There was just a sense that her character really didn't act like a seventeen year old most of the time.
The writing was in the third person and was written very clearly. Lawrence did an excellent job of keeping his writing level at a point that wasn't too mature for the juvenile crowd, but not too immature to make them avoid the book thinking it was for younger children. It deals with a lot of weighty topics and to my opinion, would appeal to the moodiness that some teenagers have at that age. That being said there were some things I was disappointed in. The book was written in third person and jumps around from Alastair's journal, to bits of the past Squid remembers, and the present time in which she is visiting. Normally this wouldn't' be a problem but its very choppily done in this book. It definitely could have flowed much smoother between transitions of subjects and time.
I wasn't crazy about this book but then I had to remember that I'm not in the age group it was directed at. It has an overall sense of moodiness and angst and I can see it resonating with people who need someone to understand the loneliness and awkwardness they are going through. If it weren't for the hard readability I would probably rate this book fairly well, but as such it was just average to me. If I happen to see them I'll check out some of his other work's as Lawrence does seem to be a talented writer. Hopefully I'll enjoy them more than I did this one.
The Lightkeeper's Daughter
Copyright 2002
246 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2010
Seventeen year old Squid (real name Elizabeth) is on a boat with her three year old daughter Tatiana traveling to an island that was her home for thirteen years. She's very apprehensive about the trip and what her mother and father, Helen and Murray, will think about her daughter, and what they will think about her since they haven't seen each other for years. Just thinking about the island brings back terrible memories as her brother Alastair had died there shortly before she left to give birth to her daughter. When she lands, its hard to see her parents and remember all the pain that they and the island brought by keeping her and her brother isolated there.
When she can, she escapes to the smaller house on the island where her brother had lived and reads his journals. They are filled with pain and his longing to leave the island and bring back memories for her of when they were small and traveling around the waters and island together. She reads these notes in secret and hopes that her mother and father won't find out about this, but she shouldn't worry too much as they have found distraction in her daughter. All these painful memories make her want to leave though but for the first time her daughter seems to be thriving. She's not sure what the best route to take would be.
These characters make up a very confused family. At times its painful to watch them interact with each other. This however, serves to make them very human and I do think that they were well written in this case. One complaint I would have in characterization would be Squid's reactions to some things. At times she acts like a normal seventeen year old and can get huffy at nearly anything, but the majority of the time she acts very old and mature. Granted she had a child young and had to grow up fast but it didn't feel authentic to me. There was just a sense that her character really didn't act like a seventeen year old most of the time.
The writing was in the third person and was written very clearly. Lawrence did an excellent job of keeping his writing level at a point that wasn't too mature for the juvenile crowd, but not too immature to make them avoid the book thinking it was for younger children. It deals with a lot of weighty topics and to my opinion, would appeal to the moodiness that some teenagers have at that age. That being said there were some things I was disappointed in. The book was written in third person and jumps around from Alastair's journal, to bits of the past Squid remembers, and the present time in which she is visiting. Normally this wouldn't' be a problem but its very choppily done in this book. It definitely could have flowed much smoother between transitions of subjects and time.
I wasn't crazy about this book but then I had to remember that I'm not in the age group it was directed at. It has an overall sense of moodiness and angst and I can see it resonating with people who need someone to understand the loneliness and awkwardness they are going through. If it weren't for the hard readability I would probably rate this book fairly well, but as such it was just average to me. If I happen to see them I'll check out some of his other work's as Lawrence does seem to be a talented writer. Hopefully I'll enjoy them more than I did this one.
The Lightkeeper's Daughter
Copyright 2002
246 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2010
June 29, 2009
A young adult book. I thought it was well written, but seems a bit sad and dark for a young adult. I don't think I would have kept reading this when I was 13 or 14. But, I liked the way the author portrayed the family dynamics with it's little nuances, and the way memories of past events can be completely genuine from each person involved, yet still not add up to the same story. The characters were very realistic, though the daughter was never very likeable to me, even though the story is mainly hers.
The scene that stands out the most for me is when the father takes his son for a walk ont he island to show him where he wants to be buried. He does this in response to his son's desperation to get off the island, where he is drowning in his isolation and depression. The son's desperation to leave is matched by the father's desperation to remain there for the entirety of his life, with his family by his side. With amazing subtlety and very few words, he is able to manipulate the son at such a deep level that is eventually brings about the end of his son's life, and changes the rest of the family's lives in ways they never imagined.
The father is both infuriating to me, yet sympathetic because he's likeable. He is a man that is an island himself, and his deepest committment and emotional attachment is to the island he lives on. His family seems to revolve around the outside of this relationship, and he doesn't change his course even when it's detrimental to his family. He seems completely unaware that his actions/beliefs/steadfastness/decisions actually have any negative effect. He is a desperate man- desperate to keep his family around him. He isn't able to see the individual needs of the rest of his family, and cannot face the harsh truth that he bears some responsibility for thr tragic consequences.
The mother is different. She does recognize the situation her son is in, at least to a point, yet just never takes any action to change it. She's an annoying character to me because the author portrays her as much more aware of reality and in tune with the needs of the kids, yet she takes such a passive role, and lets her husband dictate their lives, and their demise. She doesn't bother to change anything until both her children are already gone, and it starts to make HER life unbearable.
The scene that stands out the most for me is when the father takes his son for a walk ont he island to show him where he wants to be buried. He does this in response to his son's desperation to get off the island, where he is drowning in his isolation and depression. The son's desperation to leave is matched by the father's desperation to remain there for the entirety of his life, with his family by his side. With amazing subtlety and very few words, he is able to manipulate the son at such a deep level that is eventually brings about the end of his son's life, and changes the rest of the family's lives in ways they never imagined.
The father is both infuriating to me, yet sympathetic because he's likeable. He is a man that is an island himself, and his deepest committment and emotional attachment is to the island he lives on. His family seems to revolve around the outside of this relationship, and he doesn't change his course even when it's detrimental to his family. He seems completely unaware that his actions/beliefs/steadfastness/decisions actually have any negative effect. He is a desperate man- desperate to keep his family around him. He isn't able to see the individual needs of the rest of his family, and cannot face the harsh truth that he bears some responsibility for thr tragic consequences.
The mother is different. She does recognize the situation her son is in, at least to a point, yet just never takes any action to change it. She's an annoying character to me because the author portrays her as much more aware of reality and in tune with the needs of the kids, yet she takes such a passive role, and lets her husband dictate their lives, and their demise. She doesn't bother to change anything until both her children are already gone, and it starts to make HER life unbearable.
March 31, 2023
The summary made me think mystery. It ended up being depressing and odd. Good thing it was a quick read or I’m not sure I would have finished it.
August 4, 2024
One of my favorites, sad and beautifully written.
February 24, 2014
This book I thought was not good especially for my age people. I did not like how the book kept going back from past to present. It just wasn't my type of book that I like reading. This book was about a light keeper who lived on an island named Lizzie Island. He had a wife and two kids. The wife's name was Hannah the daughters name was Squid (real name was Elizabeth) and the sons name was Alastair. They all lived on that island for so long and that is where Squid grew up. The son died on that island but the father was to attached to that island so he still wanted to live there. The daughter Squid got pregnant at the age of 13 and when it was time for her baby he didn't even leave the island with her to go to the hospital, he left it up to the mother to do that. So Squid is now seventeen with a young daughter and she hasn't been to Lizzie island in three years. She goes to visit but she knows that it will not be a pleasant trip. When she returns back to the island nothing is going on right. Everyone there is not saying the complete truth and she doesn't know who is lying and who isn't lying. You don't really find out for sure but I believe that the father of Squids baby was her brother. There wasn't a good end to it but I think it would be a better book for older people.
December 1, 2008
An interesting look at a lighthouse keeper's family life. I liked it, but I don't know that young adults would really would. The daughter, who is about 17, is a mother herself, but you can't really figure out her age. It would be difficult for a typical teenager to put herself into this character's shoes. She didn't come alive for me.
September 12, 2010
Appreciate what you have now and be content.
February 26, 2019
8 September 2002 THE LIGHTKEEPER'S DAUGHTER by Iain Lawrence, Delacorte Press, September 2002
" 'Gather round.' He always said 'Gather round' to start it off. Squid was six or seven.
"Hannah, Squid, and Alastair sat on the rocks as sharp as nails. 'This is the byssus,' said Murray, spreading with his fingers the cottony threads that held the mussel to its rock. 'It's spun by a gland in the animal's foot. He lashes himself in place like Ulysses to his mast.' "He turned the shell in his hand. It was a California mussel, nearly eight inches long. He pointed out the scars along the shell, like patches of white on its deep purple back. 'This fellow,' he said, 'has had some sort of an accident. He might have been wacked by a log.' The scars were deep, and Murray picked at the grooves with his nails. 'The poor brute almost bought it there. Must have got the fright of his life.'
" 'How old is he?' asked Alistair.
" 'Hard to say.' Murray bounced the mussel in his palm. 'He's an old-timer, all right. They grow like weeds in the beginning; more than three inches the first year. But then they slow down, and this one's lived on the island maybe as long as I have.' "
Imagine being Murray and Hannah's kid: growing up on an island, learning how to swim before you walk, working with your parents for a few hours in the morning, and then having the rest of the day for exploring, reading, playing, dreaming, and listening to your father rhapsodize about the mysteries of the plant and animal kingdoms around you. Hop into a glass-bottomed rowboat he's built, paddle out into the water as you observe the creatures below, and then stow the oars as whales breach and blow alongside you.
Hungry? Need a new book? Don't worry! Supply ships come by the island every month so that you've got plenty of food, fuel, supplies, clothes, and books to read.
There is a downside, however.
Throughout the years of growing up, the only human contact that you have outside of your parents and sibling are those monthly supply ships and the voices of the other lightkeepers over the radio system, reporting the weathers every few hours.
THE LIGHTKEEPER'S DAUGHTER is the story of Squid (Elizabeth) and Alistair growing up on remote Lizzie Island, off the coast of British Columbia. It is told looking back, four years after Alistair had drowned, when seventeen year-old Squid brings her three year-old daughter to the island for the first time. It is a mysterious and taut tale about what went so terribly wrong with their idyllic existence on the island.
" 'Humpbacks sing,' said Murray. 'Did you know that?'
"She shook her head.
" 'Each year one of them starts a song. Then others pick it up; they lengthen it and change it.' He spoke softly--he always did--looking out to sea and not at her. 'By the middle of summer they all know the song. They sing in a chorus over hundreds of miles.'
"She leaned her head against his shoulder. She could feel him breathing, and she tried to do what the whales were doing, and time her breath to his.
" 'No one knew,' said Murray. 'Until the war. Then someone put a microphone in the water, hoping to hear submarines. They heard this singing instead. And they didn't know what the hell it was.' "She pressed herself against him. She was shivering, but he didn't notice.
" 'I don't understand it,' he said.
" 'The song?' she asked.
"He shook his head. 'Och, we'll never understand that. I mean how men could kill them.'
" 'No,' she said.'
"He sighed. 'They're wonderful things, whales are. They're miraculous.' "
This is a story that is haunting and bittersweet, a setting that is utterly entrancing. Murray has no use for civilization--he hasn't been off of the island since leaving school and taking over from the last lightkeeper. Hannah washed up on the shore a couple of decades after Murray arrived. The kids soon followed. Bit by bit the two children and their mother reveal the secrets of their lives with Murray, a barnacle of a man who has a life or death grip on the island. My own head will remain cemented to Lizzie Island and these characters for some time to come.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
" 'Gather round.' He always said 'Gather round' to start it off. Squid was six or seven.
"Hannah, Squid, and Alastair sat on the rocks as sharp as nails. 'This is the byssus,' said Murray, spreading with his fingers the cottony threads that held the mussel to its rock. 'It's spun by a gland in the animal's foot. He lashes himself in place like Ulysses to his mast.' "He turned the shell in his hand. It was a California mussel, nearly eight inches long. He pointed out the scars along the shell, like patches of white on its deep purple back. 'This fellow,' he said, 'has had some sort of an accident. He might have been wacked by a log.' The scars were deep, and Murray picked at the grooves with his nails. 'The poor brute almost bought it there. Must have got the fright of his life.'
" 'How old is he?' asked Alistair.
" 'Hard to say.' Murray bounced the mussel in his palm. 'He's an old-timer, all right. They grow like weeds in the beginning; more than three inches the first year. But then they slow down, and this one's lived on the island maybe as long as I have.' "
Imagine being Murray and Hannah's kid: growing up on an island, learning how to swim before you walk, working with your parents for a few hours in the morning, and then having the rest of the day for exploring, reading, playing, dreaming, and listening to your father rhapsodize about the mysteries of the plant and animal kingdoms around you. Hop into a glass-bottomed rowboat he's built, paddle out into the water as you observe the creatures below, and then stow the oars as whales breach and blow alongside you.
Hungry? Need a new book? Don't worry! Supply ships come by the island every month so that you've got plenty of food, fuel, supplies, clothes, and books to read.
There is a downside, however.
Throughout the years of growing up, the only human contact that you have outside of your parents and sibling are those monthly supply ships and the voices of the other lightkeepers over the radio system, reporting the weathers every few hours.
THE LIGHTKEEPER'S DAUGHTER is the story of Squid (Elizabeth) and Alistair growing up on remote Lizzie Island, off the coast of British Columbia. It is told looking back, four years after Alistair had drowned, when seventeen year-old Squid brings her three year-old daughter to the island for the first time. It is a mysterious and taut tale about what went so terribly wrong with their idyllic existence on the island.
" 'Humpbacks sing,' said Murray. 'Did you know that?'
"She shook her head.
" 'Each year one of them starts a song. Then others pick it up; they lengthen it and change it.' He spoke softly--he always did--looking out to sea and not at her. 'By the middle of summer they all know the song. They sing in a chorus over hundreds of miles.'
"She leaned her head against his shoulder. She could feel him breathing, and she tried to do what the whales were doing, and time her breath to his.
" 'No one knew,' said Murray. 'Until the war. Then someone put a microphone in the water, hoping to hear submarines. They heard this singing instead. And they didn't know what the hell it was.' "She pressed herself against him. She was shivering, but he didn't notice.
" 'I don't understand it,' he said.
" 'The song?' she asked.
"He shook his head. 'Och, we'll never understand that. I mean how men could kill them.'
" 'No,' she said.'
"He sighed. 'They're wonderful things, whales are. They're miraculous.' "
This is a story that is haunting and bittersweet, a setting that is utterly entrancing. Murray has no use for civilization--he hasn't been off of the island since leaving school and taking over from the last lightkeeper. Hannah washed up on the shore a couple of decades after Murray arrived. The kids soon followed. Bit by bit the two children and their mother reveal the secrets of their lives with Murray, a barnacle of a man who has a life or death grip on the island. My own head will remain cemented to Lizzie Island and these characters for some time to come.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
June 21, 2020
I'm not totally sure about my 4 rating. could be a 3-1/2...
this is the story of a troubled family... living isolated on an island could do things to your head, and this father is so messed up by it - only seeing the world through his eyes, wanting to control the lives of his kids (blatant message to parents there) He is not even the main story point...
His daughter's age makes it weird. pregnant at 14, coming home at 17. They really let her go off island alone and stay?..strange. She is hard to read - at times quite mature for 17 as of course she had some growing up to do. but of course still a teen not able to deal well with her parents and such. I would have felt it more real to have her at least a few years older grappling with the issues at hand.
The reveal about the brother's death was slow...like the secret that had to come out, what no one wanted to talk about, but 'there'
Of course the loss of the son, then losing the daughter when she leaves at 14... not the way of most family lives. certainly could change your outlook.
I was captivated, yet...
this is the story of a troubled family... living isolated on an island could do things to your head, and this father is so messed up by it - only seeing the world through his eyes, wanting to control the lives of his kids (blatant message to parents there) He is not even the main story point...
His daughter's age makes it weird. pregnant at 14, coming home at 17. They really let her go off island alone and stay?..strange. She is hard to read - at times quite mature for 17 as of course she had some growing up to do. but of course still a teen not able to deal well with her parents and such. I would have felt it more real to have her at least a few years older grappling with the issues at hand.
The reveal about the brother's death was slow...like the secret that had to come out, what no one wanted to talk about, but 'there'
Of course the loss of the son, then losing the daughter when she leaves at 14... not the way of most family lives. certainly could change your outlook.
I was captivated, yet...
April 1, 2024
Okay hear me out. I know a lot of people think this book is slow and weird and to be fair it is quite slow and some of the things that happen are really weird. But I really liked it! I feel like if you focus on Squid (Elizabeth) as the main character then yes it is a bit weird. But I like to think of this as Alistair’s (her brother) story told/ discovered from the perspective of Squid then I really liked it! The unravelling of his mind and he drowns in suffocation from begin forced to stay in this island, grappling with the feelings he has for his sister, and his hatred for his father this book feels suffocating and parallels how trapped he felt and how death really was the best solution for him (not romanizing suicide just understanding where he comes from). I think you should give this book a chance and really sit with some of the feelings this book elicits.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2017
Can you imagine living on an island where your family is the only occupants? Squid and Alistair are brother and sister that grow up isolated on Lizzie Island where their father is the light keeper. Three years after Alistair's death, Squid and her daughter return to visit her parents. All the memories of her past including where to place the blame for Alistair's death comes crashing upon them. What does she discover?
October 16, 2019
I read this book years ago when it first came out. It haunts me. Lawrence is such a rich writer. He uses what he is passionate about (all things nautical) and weaves together this heart-wrenching story of family, shame, and mystery. I have read the book at least six times since I first picked it up and I am sure I will read it again. Some of the most meaningful book discussions I have had with students and friends are around this book.
September 23, 2022
I made the mistake of expecting something different. I was expecting mystery or action or something. Instead this book's journey is a very slow one. Character development and scene setting and atmosphere is everything. It's not riveting reading, but I did connect with it on an emotional level on reflection. The jumps forward and backward in time can be a bit much, too.
It's worth a read, but just relax into a very slow and detailed story that doesn't really travel a long way.
It's worth a read, but just relax into a very slow and detailed story that doesn't really travel a long way.
December 6, 2020
With young daughter in tow, she returns to the island, to the lighthouse, to her parents.... and to the troubling memories of her younger years. How will her family receive her, an unmarried young mother? What of her brother, who yearned to leave the island to explore a life of his own? Will she find love an acceptance?
November 1, 2017
Von Seite 1 an spannend!
January 1, 2018
interesting premise. not as interesting as I thought it would be.
November 25, 2020
Pretty sure I bought this book in middle school/high school but just read it now in my late 20s because it was on the shelf. It wasn’t great
May 5, 2021
Pretty much nothing happened in the book, I like stories about lighthouse keepers but the author did not delve into any characters. It was just a really dull read.
August 9, 2021
Nice story but depressing. Why are YA books always so depressing?
October 20, 2011
I found this treasure of an audio in our collection at the library. The reader (Ed Sala) had such an interesting style of presentation with meaningful pauses and breaks in his narration. The story is about a mom, dad, son, and daughter living in isolation on an island off the Western coast of Canada. We are introduced to how they spend their days, ("Work first, play later."), their months, and their years. All four characters deal with the loneliness in different ways. Squid (the daughter) looks forward to leaving the island some day. Alistair (the son) keeps diaries and plays the flute in attempts to stay sane. Hannah (the mother) does her daily chores and works with the lessons for her children. And Murray (the patriarch and lighthouse keeper) lords over all. (To be fair, he was there first!). The book begins with Hannah arriving on the island with her daughter Tatiana after some time away. As they are welcomed back by Murray and Hannah we find out about all the past events that brought them to this point. The flashbacks are terrific. In some ways, the book is absolutely heartbreaking and in other ways it is very, very hopeful. The scenes are so well drawn and compelling. Some favorites were defining the word "hermaphrodite" and the inability to go help a boater who is SOSing. They are two among many others that explain the angst and confusion of the children. A fascinating study in family psychology.
January 19, 2011
Meh. My opinion of this book may be colored by the fact that I didn't read it. I listened to the audio version on CD during my commute. So, to be honest, the book didn't always get my 100% attention. Although, if it hadn't been so darn... meh that probably wouldn't have been much of a problem. I read a review here on Goodreads that seemed to agree w/some of the things I disliked. If you read the Goodreads synopsis you may think the main character is "Squid" the teenage girl who grew up isolated on Lizzie Island with her parents and now deceased older brother and is returning (w/her toddler daughter) after years of self-imposed exile. But she's also the least sympathetic character in the book. Overall, I didn't care for her or about her. The CD passed the time during my commute but if I'd been reading the actual book I think I would have put it down w/in a chapter or two and moved on with my life. Do yourself a favor right now and just move on with your life. You're welcome.
March 16, 2011
Welcome to Lizzy Island, home to the Lightkeeper and his family. We meet his daughter, Elizabeth (a.k.a Squid), who comes home after a few years away and brings a LOAD of memories (not many of them fond) with her. Her reunion with her parents dredges up flashbacks of her life growing up on the island. Missing is her older brother, Alastair. There is a hint of something sad and painful regarding Alaistair, and his story unfolds in memories from Squid and secret diaries of his that get discovered. This is a sad and lonely tale - one that clearly captures the sadness of life on a small rock of an island. The ending isn't very satisfying, but thoughtful.
If you enjoy this, try Lawrence's trilogy The Wreckers, an interesting - and slightly humorous - tale of life among folks who pick through shipwrecks.
If you enjoy this, try Lawrence's trilogy The Wreckers, an interesting - and slightly humorous - tale of life among folks who pick through shipwrecks.
January 25, 2015
Oh the pain between parent and child - and to complicate the situation with the isolation of living on an island, a light house no less. Ian Lawrence's Lightkeeper's Daughter is a masterful tale of love and loss, of the mysteries of family and of the deep. Particularly struck with Murray McRae's inarticulate strength and love, and the incredible sensitivity of Alastair, lost at sea by chance or intent, his fullness of being among the whales. Also loved the historic nature of light houses, the movement towards automation and the passing of the light keeper's profession.
A really good read. I'll look for his others.
--Ashland Mystery
A really good read. I'll look for his others.
--Ashland Mystery
August 5, 2011
When I started the Lightkeeper's Daughter, I didn't know what to expect. I found Lawrence's writing beautiful. It is very lyrical, and I found myself rereading sentences simply because of their beauty. I also liked that he played with time in the novel. The novel wasn't told in a linear fashion instead he moved back and forth between past and present almost seamlessly. The novel examines family dynamics - what it means to be a sibling, a child, a parent, and spouse. It is complex and gripping. And even though the cover seems to harken back to a simpler time, this book is anything but simple. i think this will be a book that is cherished by my stronger and more mature readers.
June 14, 2009
This was an emotional ride through a family's life as they repair relationships, past mistakes and sorrows. It was wonderfully written, with an interesting back drop of an isolated island where the family lived and the children grew up. Highly recommend it to people who like books about relationships.
January 25, 2010
It was good. But so sad. I really enjoyed it. The story revolves around a family of a lightkeepeeper in the Pacific Northwest, the suicide of their son and the unexpected pregnancy of their daughter. The daughter has returned after a few years' absence with her young daughter to allow her to meet her grandparents and to try to expell demons of the past. It was a sad and hauting tale.
September 23, 2010
I thought this book was horrible. Not only did I have a hard time reading it but thought this book was ill fitting to be listed as a teen/YA book. All the stuff about incest, sex, and suicide was absolutely horrible and a not a single positive thing. It's as if the author is saying incest, teen sex, marital separation, and suicide are perfectly fine.
April 25, 2013
This book goes into my top ten of the year. What a great story, seamlessly moving back and forth in time to develop the story of a family living in isolation on an island in British Columbia. The characters are so rich, so complex, so real. And the ending...wow. I highly recommend this story. I have a new favorite author...
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