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A Lesser Light
On the rocky shores of Lake Superior, a piercing story of selfhood and determinism is the future what we’re handed or what we make of it?
It’s 1910, and Theodulf Sauer has finally achieved a position befitting his master lighthouse keeper at a newly commissioned station towering above Lake Superior. When his new wife, Willa, arrives on the first spring ferry, it’s clear her life has taken the opposite after being summoned home from college to Duluth when her father dies, she and her scheming mother find themselves destitute, and Willa is rushed into this ill-suited arranged marriage before she can comprehend her fate. As the lighthouse station establishes, the new relationship teeters between tense and hostile, with little mutual understanding or tenderness. Willa takes solace in her learned fascination with the cosmos, especially (despite her husband’s suspicion of the event) in viewing the imminent Halley’s Comet. Under ominous night skies, Theodulf stands sentry over the lake, clinging to long-ago and faraway memories of happiness that fill him with longing and shame. Into this impasse, a clairvoyant girl and her resolute uncle emerge from across the cove. They see through the Sauers’ thin façade and, by turns and in different ways, convey promise, sympathy, and insight that counter Willa’s despair. Armed with renewed self-determination, Willa forges a path to happiness. But before she can grasp it, tragedy comes to their remote beacon, and her future plunges toward a dark unknown. Set against a brooding and beautiful landscape, A Lesser Light is a story about industry and calamity, science versus superstition, inner desire countered with societal expectations—and the consequences when these forces collide in the wilderness of rapid social change.
It’s 1910, and Theodulf Sauer has finally achieved a position befitting his master lighthouse keeper at a newly commissioned station towering above Lake Superior. When his new wife, Willa, arrives on the first spring ferry, it’s clear her life has taken the opposite after being summoned home from college to Duluth when her father dies, she and her scheming mother find themselves destitute, and Willa is rushed into this ill-suited arranged marriage before she can comprehend her fate. As the lighthouse station establishes, the new relationship teeters between tense and hostile, with little mutual understanding or tenderness. Willa takes solace in her learned fascination with the cosmos, especially (despite her husband’s suspicion of the event) in viewing the imminent Halley’s Comet. Under ominous night skies, Theodulf stands sentry over the lake, clinging to long-ago and faraway memories of happiness that fill him with longing and shame. Into this impasse, a clairvoyant girl and her resolute uncle emerge from across the cove. They see through the Sauers’ thin façade and, by turns and in different ways, convey promise, sympathy, and insight that counter Willa’s despair. Armed with renewed self-determination, Willa forges a path to happiness. But before she can grasp it, tragedy comes to their remote beacon, and her future plunges toward a dark unknown. Set against a brooding and beautiful landscape, A Lesser Light is a story about industry and calamity, science versus superstition, inner desire countered with societal expectations—and the consequences when these forces collide in the wilderness of rapid social change.
539 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 22, 2025
86 people are currently reading
4653 people want to read
About the author
Peter Geye
12 books287 followersPeter Geye is the author of the award-winning novels Safe from the Sea, The Lighthouse Road, Wintering, winner of the Minnesota Book Award, Northernmost, and The Ski Jumpers, forthcoming in September 2022.
Geye received his MFA from the University of New Orleans and his PhD from Western Michigan University, where he was editor of Third Coast. He currently teaches the year-long Novel Writing Project at the Loft Literary Center. Born and raised in Minneapolis, he continues to live there with his family.
Geye received his MFA from the University of New Orleans and his PhD from Western Michigan University, where he was editor of Third Coast. He currently teaches the year-long Novel Writing Project at the Loft Literary Center. Born and raised in Minneapolis, he continues to live there with his family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
March 13, 2025
A fictional account of a mis-matched couple in the early 20th century. Theodulf Sauer is from a prominent family in Duluth and the now in charge of the Gininwabiko Lighthouse and the other watchers, on the shore of Lake Superior. She is much younger, Willa Brandt Sauer, ripped out of Radcliffe College where she studied astronomy, due to the death of her father.
Now Willa and her mother are stranded without funds or ability to get by, so a quick marriage of convenience to Theodulf was arranged. They don’t get along from day one, it is a marriage of convenience and they hardly seem to even try to be friendly with each other. They had met because of her piano playing. Theodulf was taken by her rendition of Moonlight Sonata. It reminds him of the one time he was truly happy, in Paris when he met and had a brief affair with Paul. Being of a strict religious family this type of behavior is not tolerated, thus the need for a wife.
This is a long book and things move slowly. There aren’t many characters, but the solitary neighbor girl, Silje is quite a character herself, and my favorite in the book. I was intrigued by the premise of lighthouse and the watchers, and it was satisfied as the lighthouse has a prominent place in the book.
Book rating: 3.75
Thanks to the University of Minnesota Press and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.
Now Willa and her mother are stranded without funds or ability to get by, so a quick marriage of convenience to Theodulf was arranged. They don’t get along from day one, it is a marriage of convenience and they hardly seem to even try to be friendly with each other. They had met because of her piano playing. Theodulf was taken by her rendition of Moonlight Sonata. It reminds him of the one time he was truly happy, in Paris when he met and had a brief affair with Paul. Being of a strict religious family this type of behavior is not tolerated, thus the need for a wife.
This is a long book and things move slowly. There aren’t many characters, but the solitary neighbor girl, Silje is quite a character herself, and my favorite in the book. I was intrigued by the premise of lighthouse and the watchers, and it was satisfied as the lighthouse has a prominent place in the book.
Book rating: 3.75
Thanks to the University of Minnesota Press and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.
December 14, 2024
I will read anything and everything by Peter Geye. The strong pull is for getting to experience one of my favorite places in the world (North Shore of Lake Superior) on the page. But if he changed locations, I'd still jump at the opportunity to spend time with his characters anytime, anywhere. You will fall in love with Willa and Silje, but it's the more minor characters that also add to its depth and soul. My absolute favorite section is Stellar Aberration when the other light house keepers arrive with their wives. I could have read 500 pages of just those three women's daily lives and their relationships with one another. A joy to read and a privilege to read before it was published.
June 22, 2025
She gripped the railing more firmly and sent the water a beseeching query. The answer came from the secreted shore—a lament calling back, a chorus of howls belatedly harmonizing with the whistle. They were so close she could reach out and hold their music. “That’s not your mother’s lap dog,” the purser said, standing there as suddenly as the howling had found her. She acknowledged him by peering harder into the fog. “Wolves,” he said. p5
She’d certainly not wear a dress. Instead, she removed from her closet a short-sleeved blouse and the pair of bloomers she figured were most likely to offend. She took her time changing. After lacing her brogues, she fetched last her parasol. She would walk slowly. Ladylike, if not ladylike at all. p147
Final Review
This book reminds me quite a bit of another book that came out earlier this year, which I would recommend if you like this book, or vice versa-- Isola by Allegra Goodman (my review!). At 510 pages, though, I thought this one was a little too thick through the middle, which contained a lot of repetition. I do think this was a stylistic choice to show the tedium of the characters' lives. If you're a fan of detailed and accurate historical fiction, I recommend this book for you.
My 3 Favorite Things:
✔️ The author is developing an element of mental illness in the main character in a way that doesn't stigmatize and feels authentic. Considering how rare it is to find this, I feel deeply appreciative and seen.
✔️ The writing style is elevated perfectly to suit historical fiction, but is still accessible and lovely.
✔️ I really enjoyed the historical accuracies in this, such as the details of the fmc keeping house, and descriptions of her husband's work as a lighthouse keeper. This helps me access a story whose world is mine but also not mine.
I found an accessible digital copy of A LESSER LIGHT by Peter Geye in Libby. Thank you also to the author, University of Minnesota Press, and NetGalley for a digital copy. All views are mine.
She’d certainly not wear a dress. Instead, she removed from her closet a short-sleeved blouse and the pair of bloomers she figured were most likely to offend. She took her time changing. After lacing her brogues, she fetched last her parasol. She would walk slowly. Ladylike, if not ladylike at all. p147
Final Review
This book reminds me quite a bit of another book that came out earlier this year, which I would recommend if you like this book, or vice versa-- Isola by Allegra Goodman (my review!). At 510 pages, though, I thought this one was a little too thick through the middle, which contained a lot of repetition. I do think this was a stylistic choice to show the tedium of the characters' lives. If you're a fan of detailed and accurate historical fiction, I recommend this book for you.
My 3 Favorite Things:
✔️ The author is developing an element of mental illness in the main character in a way that doesn't stigmatize and feels authentic. Considering how rare it is to find this, I feel deeply appreciative and seen.
✔️ The writing style is elevated perfectly to suit historical fiction, but is still accessible and lovely.
✔️ I really enjoyed the historical accuracies in this, such as the details of the fmc keeping house, and descriptions of her husband's work as a lighthouse keeper. This helps me access a story whose world is mine but also not mine.
I found an accessible digital copy of A LESSER LIGHT by Peter Geye in Libby. Thank you also to the author, University of Minnesota Press, and NetGalley for a digital copy. All views are mine.
September 9, 2025
1910.
Willa is a highly educated woman who faces financial troubles upon her father’s tragic death. Theodulf is a disbarred lawyer who escapes scandal and becomes a lighthouse keeper guarding the shores of Lake Superior. The two are forced into a marriage of convenience which finds them poorly matched and miserable.
After introducing the protagonists the author slowly peels back layers of an onion to reveal a pivotal cast of characters who brighten Willa’s world. Further layers unmask backstories that include repression, cruelty, secrets, shame, horrendous parenting, and misogyny.
The brilliance of the book is that the author depicts the stars, moon (the lesser light) and ocean as central characters. He deftly uses physical realities such as the dark side of the moon, Halley’s Comet, an ocean’s undertow, and rouge waves to metaphorically describe the historical and relational aspects of this story. I could not put it down.
Willa is a highly educated woman who faces financial troubles upon her father’s tragic death. Theodulf is a disbarred lawyer who escapes scandal and becomes a lighthouse keeper guarding the shores of Lake Superior. The two are forced into a marriage of convenience which finds them poorly matched and miserable.
After introducing the protagonists the author slowly peels back layers of an onion to reveal a pivotal cast of characters who brighten Willa’s world. Further layers unmask backstories that include repression, cruelty, secrets, shame, horrendous parenting, and misogyny.
The brilliance of the book is that the author depicts the stars, moon (the lesser light) and ocean as central characters. He deftly uses physical realities such as the dark side of the moon, Halley’s Comet, an ocean’s undertow, and rouge waves to metaphorically describe the historical and relational aspects of this story. I could not put it down.
December 1, 2024
It is only recently that I have learned that I DO like historical fiction. I was granted early access to this book by NetGalley and it will long live in my mind. In the time frame of this novel, the early 1900's, women are not autonomous people. Marriage is not for love.
In the year 1910, Theodulf, a disgraced lawyer from a prominent MN family, takes on the position of master lighthouse keeper on the craggy shores of Lake Superior. Willa, his young new wife, arrives at their remote lighthouse location, after her life takes a terrible turn upon the death of her father when she and her mother find themselves destitute. As a result, Willa is rushed into an arranged, loveless, marriage. She is an academic, very bright, and was attending college when her father died. She is ill suited to marriage at her age, but understands she must. She does not attend to her housewife duties willingly. She rebels at societal norms, complying minimally.
This book is beautiful. I loved Willa and her spiritedness. I felt for her and as I read, also for her husband, for different reasons. It is so well written and I am moved.
This book publishes April 22, 2025.
In the year 1910, Theodulf, a disgraced lawyer from a prominent MN family, takes on the position of master lighthouse keeper on the craggy shores of Lake Superior. Willa, his young new wife, arrives at their remote lighthouse location, after her life takes a terrible turn upon the death of her father when she and her mother find themselves destitute. As a result, Willa is rushed into an arranged, loveless, marriage. She is an academic, very bright, and was attending college when her father died. She is ill suited to marriage at her age, but understands she must. She does not attend to her housewife duties willingly. She rebels at societal norms, complying minimally.
This book is beautiful. I loved Willa and her spiritedness. I felt for her and as I read, also for her husband, for different reasons. It is so well written and I am moved.
This book publishes April 22, 2025.
June 8, 2025
3.5 ⭐️ First off, I have read and loved the author’s previous books. I was excited to read this new book. It was good, with good character development but waaay too long. There was too much self reflective talk. Also, I had to keep a notepad next to me to jot down all of the words that I needed to look up the definitions for. I love learning new words but his use of so many different words was distracting. Maybe these were more common words of the time period but 🤷♀️. Otherwise the story itself was very good.
October 22, 2025
An involved story about a lighthouse keeper in Duluth, Minnesota, on Lake Superior, who marries an unfortunate young woman named Willa. Her father dies, and she and her mother are destitute. Their only option is for Willa to marry Theodulf, a rather hard man with no likable characteristics. However, Willa is no more endearing. The book has very few players in it, but a major one is the lake, and I could feel its harshness.
Theodulf, now a master lighthouse keeper, needs a wife, although he doesn’t really want one, and Willa absolutely doesn’t want a husband, especially one like Theodulf. There are struggles, and that’s putting it mildly. There’s very little human companionship for Willa in this setting, and the manner in which the author wraps it up does not provide neat conclusions. Instead, the ending gives opportunities to see the ways that life brought them together and then what choices they can select from that point.
The writing centers on Theodulf, and the use of imagery and vocabulary are truly stunning. I thought the book was very slow, especially in the middle.
I’m rating this as 3 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received a copy of the digital ARC via the publisher and NetGalley. My review is voluntary.
Theodulf, now a master lighthouse keeper, needs a wife, although he doesn’t really want one, and Willa absolutely doesn’t want a husband, especially one like Theodulf. There are struggles, and that’s putting it mildly. There’s very little human companionship for Willa in this setting, and the manner in which the author wraps it up does not provide neat conclusions. Instead, the ending gives opportunities to see the ways that life brought them together and then what choices they can select from that point.
The writing centers on Theodulf, and the use of imagery and vocabulary are truly stunning. I thought the book was very slow, especially in the middle.
I’m rating this as 3 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received a copy of the digital ARC via the publisher and NetGalley. My review is voluntary.
May 19, 2025
This is the sixth book of Geye's I've read. All of his books are wonderfully atmospheric and about place. His books also contain tragic characters and move back and forth in time, answering and mining the question, "What happened to you?"
November 14, 2024
Peter Geye talks about a light House such a Split Rock which is north of Two Harbors totally not maned by the Coast Guard anymore but by other people who man it today. I love to hear about all the stories of ships that have been dealt with by the huge waves during the November storms. I worked on the Great Lakes over the summers for the Columbia Line. My friend worked on the S.S. Edmund Fitzgearld during the summer of 1975. She sank that year in November. He was really unhappy about it. He locked out. This story is about Keeper Sauer and his wife, Willa. I'll let Peter tell his story but it is a good one which I recommend.
May 20, 2025
For those who enjoyed reading So Terrible a Storm by Curt Brown, you will remember the terrors of the storms of November 1905, and the loss of so many lives along with the heroic efforts of the citizens of Duluth. Although the storm , and the lake are central to this novel, Societal norms & Astronomy also play crucial roles in this book. This novel explores situations which the characters find themselves trapped in, and some unusual and unexpected ways they find their own failings and strengths.
May 23, 2025
Another epic novel from Peter Geye with very dark undertones and complex characters. Be prepared for twists and turns in every chapter. I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish the story. One of the many things I love about this author is his writing is focused in the area of northern MN near Lake Superior.
July 8, 2025
A lighthouse story! Yes! On Lake Superior, even better! Long ago, loving it! An old religious fanatic man married to a young blue stocking modern woman, purely due to convenience, could be good! Isolated in a teeny tiny village-y posting with a hunky single fisherman living close by….very intriguing setting and possibility for a good story. But. Unlikable characters, for sure. Actually, there’s maybe 3 characters who MIGHT be likable but the horrid others dim their light….get it?? LIGHT???? Lighthouse??? I found the slow pace and yucky characters overpowered what promise the book initially held for me. So, I tried, really I did, but the 2 main characters in this dark and slow read were so icky, I didn’t give a damn what happened to them after about 130 pages and took the book back to the library. Sometimes I’m just like that. Life’s too short when you’re pushing 70 to waste time with books you aren’t enjoying.
August 2, 2025
I had a hard time rating this book. The author is very good at using rich words that may have to be looked up, but his style gets cloying after awhile. I could tell from the beginning that Willa was going to get involved with Mats. Likewise with Theo's " big secret."
I did have to read the whole book to find out what was truly going to happen. The author does a great job of setting the scene in northern Minnesota and on the shores of the Big Sea Water. A few of the characters were lovely to hate.
So, you need to read this to decide for yourself.
I did have to read the whole book to find out what was truly going to happen. The author does a great job of setting the scene in northern Minnesota and on the shores of the Big Sea Water. A few of the characters were lovely to hate.
So, you need to read this to decide for yourself.
May 25, 2025
Geye gets better with each book— Vivid writing and wonderful characters, including the lake. I expected a tragic ending and was so pleased with the way the story resolved. Geye has become one of my favorites.
May 9, 2025
A beautifully told story set in 1910 on Minnesota's north shore of Lake Superior. Theodulf Sauer is a failed lawyer with a secret and the first keeper of a new lighthouse on the remote north shore. He also has a new wife, Willa, who is newly graduated from Radcliffe, a passionate stargazer, and whose family's tragedy drove her into the marriage. The newly married and estranged couple is left to fend for themselves amid the harsh weather and rocky cliffs, forcing them to confront each other their pasts. In doing so, Willa and Theodulf set themselves on a path to love, fulfillment and destruction.
January 29, 2025
BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of A Lesser Light, by Peter Geye, from the University of Minnesota Press/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.
I’m a sucker for a lighthouse story, even though—as my husband and I discussed last night—they all seem to be depressing and weird/unsettling/etc.
Unfortunately, this was not one of the better ones I’ve read and/or watched. I even whinged on a bit about it in a Book Report about a novella I read whilst in the middle of reading A Lesser Light.
Version Short: First quarter boring as all get-out. Pass out stone cold sober boring. Almost didn’t pick it back up after the novella. Then two quarters of interesting, but so, just……strange. And somewhat difficult to read because of the wording choices—lots of vocabulary from the early 1900s. Then the final quarter was kind of a maze to get through, with an unsatisfyingly cliched (to me) ending.
But, hey, at least it led to an interesting dinner table discussion about Lighthouse Movies (& Akin) That We Have Loved. So without further ado….
- The Lighthouse, 2019. “Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.” Willem Dafoe and a noise that would drive a sane person crazy, much less the rest of us. But particularly me, because the foghorn sounded so much like the alarm clock I got in high school. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7984734/
- The Vanishing, 2018. “Three lighthouse keepers on the remote Flannan Isles obtain a mysterious trunk, leading to their mysterious disappearance.” Could things get any weirder? Well, probably. But, still. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4131496/
- The Fog, 2005, and The Fog, 1980. “Local legend tells of a ship lured on to the rocks of Antonio Bay being enveloped by a supernatural cloud as it sank; the myth says that when this mysterious fog returns, the victims will rise up from the depths seeking vengeance.” Pick your poison. Both the original and the remake are worth seeing for different reasons. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080749/ and https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432291/
- How I Ended This Summer, 2010. “One place. One day. Two men. The place is a polar research station on an island in the Arctic Ocean, inhabited now only by Sergei and Pavel. One day when Sergei is out angling, Pavel picks up a radio message that he daren't communicate.” No lighthouse proper, but feels like there should’ve been. Russian. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588875/...
- Enys Men, 2022. “Set in 1973 on an uninhabited island off the Cornish coast, a wildlife volunteer's daily observations of a rare flower turn into a metaphysical journey that forces her as well as the viewer to question what is real and what is a nightmare.” Once again not a lighthouse proper, but the movie is certainly evocative of one. And I have never thought of lichen the same way since watching this. Repeatedly. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11698800/
We haven’t watched this one, yet, but want to: The Lighthouse, 2016. “Based on real events which saw two lighthouse keepers stranded for months at sea in a freak storm, the film tells a tale of death, madness and isolation; a desolate trip into the heart of human darkness.” https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3520714/
Cheerios, then!
DESCRIPTION
On the rocky shores of Lake Superior, a piercing story of selfhood and determinism develops: is the future what we’re handed or what we make of it?
It’s 1910, and Theodulf Sauer has finally achieved a position befitting his ego: master lighthouse keeper at a newly commissioned station towering above Lake Superior. When his new wife, Willa, arrives on the first spring ferry, it’s clear her life has taken the opposite turn: after being summoned home from college to Duluth when her father dies, she and her scheming mother find themselves destitute, and Willa is rushed into this ill-suited arranged marriage before she can comprehend her fate.
As the lighthouse station establishes, the new relationship teeters between tense and hostile, with little mutual understanding or tenderness. Willa takes solace in her learned fascination with the cosmos, especially (despite her husband’s suspicion of the event) in viewing the imminent Halley’s Comet. Under ominous night skies, Theodulf stands sentry over the lake, clinging to long-ago and faraway memories of happiness that fill him with longing and shame.
Into this impasse, a clairvoyant girl and her resolute uncle emerge from across the cove. They see through the Sauers’ thin façade and, by turns and in different ways, convey promise, sympathy, and insight that counter Willa’s despair. Armed with renewed self-determination, Willa forges a path to happiness. But before she can grasp it, tragedy comes to their remote beacon, and her future plunges toward a dark unknown.
Set against a brooding and beautiful landscape, A Lesser Light is a story about industry and calamity, science versus superstition, inner desire countered with societal expectations—and the consequences when these forces collide in the wilderness of rapid social change.
Received a complimentary copy of A Lesser Light, by Peter Geye, from the University of Minnesota Press/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.
I’m a sucker for a lighthouse story, even though—as my husband and I discussed last night—they all seem to be depressing and weird/unsettling/etc.
Unfortunately, this was not one of the better ones I’ve read and/or watched. I even whinged on a bit about it in a Book Report about a novella I read whilst in the middle of reading A Lesser Light.
Version Short: First quarter boring as all get-out. Pass out stone cold sober boring. Almost didn’t pick it back up after the novella. Then two quarters of interesting, but so, just……strange. And somewhat difficult to read because of the wording choices—lots of vocabulary from the early 1900s. Then the final quarter was kind of a maze to get through, with an unsatisfyingly cliched (to me) ending.
But, hey, at least it led to an interesting dinner table discussion about Lighthouse Movies (& Akin) That We Have Loved. So without further ado….
- The Lighthouse, 2019. “Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.” Willem Dafoe and a noise that would drive a sane person crazy, much less the rest of us. But particularly me, because the foghorn sounded so much like the alarm clock I got in high school. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7984734/
- The Vanishing, 2018. “Three lighthouse keepers on the remote Flannan Isles obtain a mysterious trunk, leading to their mysterious disappearance.” Could things get any weirder? Well, probably. But, still. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4131496/
- The Fog, 2005, and The Fog, 1980. “Local legend tells of a ship lured on to the rocks of Antonio Bay being enveloped by a supernatural cloud as it sank; the myth says that when this mysterious fog returns, the victims will rise up from the depths seeking vengeance.” Pick your poison. Both the original and the remake are worth seeing for different reasons. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080749/ and https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432291/
- How I Ended This Summer, 2010. “One place. One day. Two men. The place is a polar research station on an island in the Arctic Ocean, inhabited now only by Sergei and Pavel. One day when Sergei is out angling, Pavel picks up a radio message that he daren't communicate.” No lighthouse proper, but feels like there should’ve been. Russian. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588875/...
- Enys Men, 2022. “Set in 1973 on an uninhabited island off the Cornish coast, a wildlife volunteer's daily observations of a rare flower turn into a metaphysical journey that forces her as well as the viewer to question what is real and what is a nightmare.” Once again not a lighthouse proper, but the movie is certainly evocative of one. And I have never thought of lichen the same way since watching this. Repeatedly. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11698800/
We haven’t watched this one, yet, but want to: The Lighthouse, 2016. “Based on real events which saw two lighthouse keepers stranded for months at sea in a freak storm, the film tells a tale of death, madness and isolation; a desolate trip into the heart of human darkness.” https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3520714/
Cheerios, then!
DESCRIPTION
On the rocky shores of Lake Superior, a piercing story of selfhood and determinism develops: is the future what we’re handed or what we make of it?
It’s 1910, and Theodulf Sauer has finally achieved a position befitting his ego: master lighthouse keeper at a newly commissioned station towering above Lake Superior. When his new wife, Willa, arrives on the first spring ferry, it’s clear her life has taken the opposite turn: after being summoned home from college to Duluth when her father dies, she and her scheming mother find themselves destitute, and Willa is rushed into this ill-suited arranged marriage before she can comprehend her fate.
As the lighthouse station establishes, the new relationship teeters between tense and hostile, with little mutual understanding or tenderness. Willa takes solace in her learned fascination with the cosmos, especially (despite her husband’s suspicion of the event) in viewing the imminent Halley’s Comet. Under ominous night skies, Theodulf stands sentry over the lake, clinging to long-ago and faraway memories of happiness that fill him with longing and shame.
Into this impasse, a clairvoyant girl and her resolute uncle emerge from across the cove. They see through the Sauers’ thin façade and, by turns and in different ways, convey promise, sympathy, and insight that counter Willa’s despair. Armed with renewed self-determination, Willa forges a path to happiness. But before she can grasp it, tragedy comes to their remote beacon, and her future plunges toward a dark unknown.
Set against a brooding and beautiful landscape, A Lesser Light is a story about industry and calamity, science versus superstition, inner desire countered with societal expectations—and the consequences when these forces collide in the wilderness of rapid social change.
May 7, 2025
It's 1910, and Theodulf is now the master lighthouse keeper at a new station looming over Lake Superior. His new wife, Willa, arrives on the spring ferry, and it soon becomes clear the two have almost nothing in common. Willa decides to seek companionship with their two neighbors, finding solace away from her home. But tragedy will strike, and they will find their isolated lives set in turmoil.
I chose to read this one because the themes listed were interesting to me - science vs. superstition, how traditional power plays out in an isolated setting, etc. But these themes were buried under the writing. This work is 512 pages long, but should have been closer to 280. In fact, I honestly couldn't tell you what those pages were spent on because it just wasn't memorable. A lot of ramblings and introspection for all characters, a lot of flashbacks that were repetitive, and then some more introspection. There were also many things that were introduced, but even with 512 pages, weren't explored. Were they supposed to be red herrings? But don't you need a mystery to make that inclusion worth it?
The "brooding and beautiful landscape" got buried beneath how overwritten this all was. And the characters suffered much the same fate. Despite having plenty of chapters from Willa's POV, she doesn't come alive as a character. Theodulf is fully drawn, but he doesn't really change over the course of the book, so he's more repetitive than anything. There's also some things included that were very much "man writing woman" stereotypes that didn't work for me (the most egregious was a 13-year-old girl being aroused by watching her uncle having sex. Why include this? Just why?)
I rarely DNF books, and never DNF review copies, but I had to fight temptation to keep from giving up on this one. If you like very slow, very dense historical fiction with static characters you may like this one. My thanks to NetGalley and University of Minnesota Press for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I chose to read this one because the themes listed were interesting to me - science vs. superstition, how traditional power plays out in an isolated setting, etc. But these themes were buried under the writing. This work is 512 pages long, but should have been closer to 280. In fact, I honestly couldn't tell you what those pages were spent on because it just wasn't memorable. A lot of ramblings and introspection for all characters, a lot of flashbacks that were repetitive, and then some more introspection. There were also many things that were introduced, but even with 512 pages, weren't explored. Were they supposed to be red herrings? But don't you need a mystery to make that inclusion worth it?
The "brooding and beautiful landscape" got buried beneath how overwritten this all was. And the characters suffered much the same fate. Despite having plenty of chapters from Willa's POV, she doesn't come alive as a character. Theodulf is fully drawn, but he doesn't really change over the course of the book, so he's more repetitive than anything. There's also some things included that were very much "man writing woman" stereotypes that didn't work for me (the most egregious was a 13-year-old girl being aroused by watching her uncle having sex. Why include this? Just why?)
I rarely DNF books, and never DNF review copies, but I had to fight temptation to keep from giving up on this one. If you like very slow, very dense historical fiction with static characters you may like this one. My thanks to NetGalley and University of Minnesota Press for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
February 15, 2025
A Lesser Light
By Peter Geye
This is a beautifully written book that touches on many things but nothing direct. It takes place along Lake Superior near Duluth, Minnesota at the turn of the 20th century.
It is the story of the Gininwabiko Lighthouse, its keeper, and those who live around it. The lighthouse master is one Theodulf Sauer. He is the son and heir of a pillar of the Duluth community, a wealthy attorney and a self-made man. Though a professed Roman Catholic, Mr. Sauer Sr. is not a nice – or good – man.
Theodulf, his son, is socially awkward, a disappointment to his father. After embarrassing his father and being disbarred, Theodulf is sent to Paris to sow his wild oats and get himself straight. Unfortunately, far from straightening up, Theodulf finds himself in a relationship with another man!
Willa, is the much loved daughter of her meteorologist father and her drunkard mother who cuckolds her husband while belittling him. Willa has just returned from Radcliffe College upon receiving word that her father has ended his life. Her college is over and she and her mother are facing poverty.
Theodulf and Wiila enter into a marriage of expedience – he for his job prospects, she for financial security. As they start life together at the lighthouse, they always seem to be out of step and both unhappy, not knowing how to reach out to each other.
There are other characters here as well who exemplify both the good and bad in human beings. The weather – both the beautiful days and the horrendous storms – seems to reflect the multiple facets of the characters.
I would call this a character study – including the weather as a character. While not filled with plot twists, the book will leave you with much to ponder.
By Peter Geye
This is a beautifully written book that touches on many things but nothing direct. It takes place along Lake Superior near Duluth, Minnesota at the turn of the 20th century.
It is the story of the Gininwabiko Lighthouse, its keeper, and those who live around it. The lighthouse master is one Theodulf Sauer. He is the son and heir of a pillar of the Duluth community, a wealthy attorney and a self-made man. Though a professed Roman Catholic, Mr. Sauer Sr. is not a nice – or good – man.
Theodulf, his son, is socially awkward, a disappointment to his father. After embarrassing his father and being disbarred, Theodulf is sent to Paris to sow his wild oats and get himself straight. Unfortunately, far from straightening up, Theodulf finds himself in a relationship with another man!
Willa, is the much loved daughter of her meteorologist father and her drunkard mother who cuckolds her husband while belittling him. Willa has just returned from Radcliffe College upon receiving word that her father has ended his life. Her college is over and she and her mother are facing poverty.
Theodulf and Wiila enter into a marriage of expedience – he for his job prospects, she for financial security. As they start life together at the lighthouse, they always seem to be out of step and both unhappy, not knowing how to reach out to each other.
There are other characters here as well who exemplify both the good and bad in human beings. The weather – both the beautiful days and the horrendous storms – seems to reflect the multiple facets of the characters.
I would call this a character study – including the weather as a character. While not filled with plot twists, the book will leave you with much to ponder.
March 26, 2025
Peter Geye is the award-winning author of SAFE FROM THE SEA, THE LIGHTHOUSE ROAD, WINTERING, NORTHERNMOST, and THE SKI JUMPERS. His newest novel, A LESSER LIGHT, returns to an earlier time on the North Shore of Lake Superior and the establishment of a new lighthouse station.
It’s 1910 and Theodulf Sauer has just been appointed the master lighthouse keeper at a newly commissioned station on Lake Superior, after being disbarred and casting shame upon his family. He has finally redeemed himself with this position and with his proposal of marriage to Willa, a younger woman forced into an ill-suited marriage after her father’s death.
The two are opposites and neither pretends otherwise. Willa resents having to drop out of college at Radcliffe, where she studied astronomy, and Theodulf pines for a long-lost lover. Theodulf has no interest in Willa, other than as a cook and a maid. Willa has very little domestic interest or capability. When the other two lighthouse assistants arrive with their wives, their friendships and tutelage, save her. Across the cove, a fisherman, Mats, and his orphaned niece, Silje, befriend Willa as well, providing companionship and conversation into the vacuous expanse of her marriage and the inland sea.
Fans of Peter Geye will thrill to his return to the Northern Minnesota landscape, the dark and dangerous inland sea that sets the stage for this brooding tale of love gone awry.
It’s 1910 and Theodulf Sauer has just been appointed the master lighthouse keeper at a newly commissioned station on Lake Superior, after being disbarred and casting shame upon his family. He has finally redeemed himself with this position and with his proposal of marriage to Willa, a younger woman forced into an ill-suited marriage after her father’s death.
The two are opposites and neither pretends otherwise. Willa resents having to drop out of college at Radcliffe, where she studied astronomy, and Theodulf pines for a long-lost lover. Theodulf has no interest in Willa, other than as a cook and a maid. Willa has very little domestic interest or capability. When the other two lighthouse assistants arrive with their wives, their friendships and tutelage, save her. Across the cove, a fisherman, Mats, and his orphaned niece, Silje, befriend Willa as well, providing companionship and conversation into the vacuous expanse of her marriage and the inland sea.
Fans of Peter Geye will thrill to his return to the Northern Minnesota landscape, the dark and dangerous inland sea that sets the stage for this brooding tale of love gone awry.
April 12, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and University of Minnesota press for the ARC!
This is slightly rounded down as it just wasn't a 4-star read for me.
The prose is wonderful. Felt appropriate to the early 20th century, with no jarring anachronisms as far as I could tell. I felt like I was there, especially towards the end of the book when plot picked up somewhat.
The book overall felt like a slice of life, but I'm not sure that was the intent. There were too many threads that were picked up and then abandoned. Some appear to have been intended as red herring, but others felt unnecessary. What was the point of Odd, fo example? Willa learns a lot from Ruth, apparently, but that's completely off page. The other wife is barely there, but surely she isn't in "real" life, as there are only four families there. They must interact every day, but we meet her once (twice?). She's so absent, I can't recall her name.
This is very much Theodulf's book. I don't know if he gets the most time on page technically, but he is the only one we get to fully understand by the end. He's not a nice person exactly, but he's consistent. Willa is a bit of a sketch, unfortunately.
I can't not mention the one episode that made me uncomfortable in an unintended way. I don't see the need for its inclusion and it feels off-putting coming from a male writer.
This is slightly rounded down as it just wasn't a 4-star read for me.
The prose is wonderful. Felt appropriate to the early 20th century, with no jarring anachronisms as far as I could tell. I felt like I was there, especially towards the end of the book when plot picked up somewhat.
The book overall felt like a slice of life, but I'm not sure that was the intent. There were too many threads that were picked up and then abandoned. Some appear to have been intended as red herring, but others felt unnecessary. What was the point of Odd, fo example? Willa learns a lot from Ruth, apparently, but that's completely off page. The other wife is barely there, but surely she isn't in "real" life, as there are only four families there. They must interact every day, but we meet her once (twice?). She's so absent, I can't recall her name.
This is very much Theodulf's book. I don't know if he gets the most time on page technically, but he is the only one we get to fully understand by the end. He's not a nice person exactly, but he's consistent. Willa is a bit of a sketch, unfortunately.
I can't not mention the one episode that made me uncomfortable in an unintended way. I don't see the need for its inclusion and it feels off-putting coming from a male writer.
May 30, 2025
It’s 1910, and Theodulf Sauer has finally achieved a position befitting his ego: master lighthouse keeper at a newly commissioned station towering above Lake Superior. When his new wife, Willa, arrives on the first spring ferry, it’s clear her life has taken the opposite turn: after being summoned home from college to Duluth when her father dies, she and her scheming mother find themselves destitute, and Willa is rushed into this ill-suited arranged marriage before she can comprehend her fate. Minnesota harsh conditions are brought to light throughout the book and can be challenging on their own. The story with just a few characters, mainly all strong and determined in different ways, the lighthouse a focus and character of its own and one man not knowing how to adapt or handle different circumstances are the focus of this story. The story is slow but that befits this story. Received a complimentary copy of A Lesser Light, by Peter Geye, from the University of Minnesota Press/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative.
April 17, 2025
1910 and Theodor has got a commission that he deems worthy of his status. He has also acquired a wife who is a total misfit for the isolated island, who is not fearful of him much to his dismay and one who has a mind of her own. A rough fisherman and his clairvoyant niece adds interest to Willa’s life with their interest and compassion, totally at variance with Theodor who having been brought up in a rigid, authoritarian household, does not know to act different.
The politics of an insular society - only a couple of families and the harsh, unrelenting weather makes for an environment stifling for Willa, but one with no escape.
The story with just a few characters, mainly all strong and determined in different ways, the lighthouse a focus and character of its own and one man not knowing how to adapt or handle different circumstances are the focus of this story. The story is slow but that befits this story.
The politics of an insular society - only a couple of families and the harsh, unrelenting weather makes for an environment stifling for Willa, but one with no escape.
The story with just a few characters, mainly all strong and determined in different ways, the lighthouse a focus and character of its own and one man not knowing how to adapt or handle different circumstances are the focus of this story. The story is slow but that befits this story.
December 11, 2025
On high level, I’d describe this book as sort of being a literary version of the 1993 film, The Piano (loosely), set on Minnesota’s North Shore.
Pros: From a technical perspective, I thought this was well written. One of my personal pet peeves when it comes to historical fiction is how often I find the language and phrasing far too modern for the time period represented, but that wasn’t the case here. Also, while there are many unlikeable characters in the book, I loved the other lighthouse keepers’ wives.
Cons: At a little over 500 pages, this felt unnecessarily long for the story that ended up being told. There were parts in the middle where the story meandered, if not aimlessly wandered, in ways that didn’t contribute much to the overall plot. The last handful or so of chapters were much more direct and to the point, and I think the book would’ve benefited if more of it had been written that way. I also didn’t love the scene where the teenage female supporting character gets aroused from watching her uncle have sex. It felt very man-writes-woman and an unnecessary inclusion that really didn’t add anything to the story.
Overall, I didn’t hate this, but I didn’t love it either. It just felt like this could’ve used a better editor and more editing.
Pros: From a technical perspective, I thought this was well written. One of my personal pet peeves when it comes to historical fiction is how often I find the language and phrasing far too modern for the time period represented, but that wasn’t the case here. Also, while there are many unlikeable characters in the book, I loved the other lighthouse keepers’ wives.
Cons: At a little over 500 pages, this felt unnecessarily long for the story that ended up being told. There were parts in the middle where the story meandered, if not aimlessly wandered, in ways that didn’t contribute much to the overall plot. The last handful or so of chapters were much more direct and to the point, and I think the book would’ve benefited if more of it had been written that way. I also didn’t love the scene where the teenage female supporting character gets aroused from watching her uncle have sex. It felt very man-writes-woman and an unnecessary inclusion that really didn’t add anything to the story.
Overall, I didn’t hate this, but I didn’t love it either. It just felt like this could’ve used a better editor and more editing.
April 17, 2025
A Lesser Light is a beautifully written tale of very strong but sad people that end up together almost by fate and their relationships are also shadowed by superstition and ignorance in relation to the Halley Comet. Theodulf resorts to a life full of rules and an strict adherence to the Catholicism to mask his sexuality and marries Willa to fulfill his father's wishes and to avoid more scandals. Willa marries so her mother can continue to live a life of luxury after her father commited suicide and left them penniless, and she's relieved that her marriage will be a farce. Mats assumes the upbringing of his niece (who forsees the future) and wants to make a life with Willa who is married to Theodulf. Is there any possibility of a better life to any of them or even of a happy ending?
I thank Mr. Geye, his publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.
I thank Mr. Geye, his publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.
August 10, 2025
Another awesome Peter Geye novel that builds further the intergenerational world of the Lake Superior shore he has created. You might call this "Route 61 Previsited": there isn't yet a road northeast of Duluth in this novel, set in the first decade of the twentieth century. Travel between Duluth and the emerging towns and lonely outposts, such as the lighthouse station at the center of this story, is achieved by boats, small and large, when the lake allows it.
I've called Geye's work — along with Leif Enger's and J. Ryan Stradal's — "midwestern pastoral," which these guys might reasonably object to by saying the novels aren't exactly pastoral. There's conflict, strife, and hardship, after all, caused by both nature and humans. But what makes it so life-affirming, if I may use a treacly cliché, is the decency of the still imperfect primary characters.
I've called Geye's work — along with Leif Enger's and J. Ryan Stradal's — "midwestern pastoral," which these guys might reasonably object to by saying the novels aren't exactly pastoral. There's conflict, strife, and hardship, after all, caused by both nature and humans. But what makes it so life-affirming, if I may use a treacly cliché, is the decency of the still imperfect primary characters.
September 1, 2025
Geye creates a shred of loving light emitting beneath a Lake Superior lighthouse where a young Willa is married to an unloving and tormented keeper, a marriage for the convenience of the lighthouse keeper's career. While Geye's character development remains incredibly strong, for all are froth with a sense of loneliness and regrets, that he crafts this story around Willa and an unexpected longing and love with an immigrant fisherman. Once again Geye brings to life that incredible lake and the nature of its power. You never get too distant from its waters, and it is s much a character as is Willa, Theodulf, Mats and the others. I found this a compelling read, and not once in any of his novels has Peter Geye let this reader down.
September 9, 2025
This very detailed historical fiction novel is set at the Giniwabiko lighthouse on the shore of Lake Superior.
I was intrigued about a story of a lighthouse and watchers during the early 20th century. The novel is very long - over 500 pages. There is outstanding vocabulary so keep a dictionary handy.
Willa is a highly educated woman who is facing financial troubles upon her father's tragic death. Theodulf is a disbarred lawyer who escapes scandal and becomes a lighthouse keeper. The couple is forced into a marriage of convenience. They are poorly matched and miserable. As the backstories are peeled back, the characters are complex and there are dark undertones.
I missed the Author's Notes - because I love to read about how the novel was inspired and developed.
I was intrigued about a story of a lighthouse and watchers during the early 20th century. The novel is very long - over 500 pages. There is outstanding vocabulary so keep a dictionary handy.
Willa is a highly educated woman who is facing financial troubles upon her father's tragic death. Theodulf is a disbarred lawyer who escapes scandal and becomes a lighthouse keeper. The couple is forced into a marriage of convenience. They are poorly matched and miserable. As the backstories are peeled back, the characters are complex and there are dark undertones.
I missed the Author's Notes - because I love to read about how the novel was inspired and developed.
September 19, 2025
I discovered Geye a few months ago and have devoured each of his books. This latest book shares many of the elements of his earlier books: descriptive and sensitive writing, a love of the land and lake where the stories take place, a slow and absorbing pace, and fully created characters. The problem with this book, in my humble opinion, is that the characters in this book are simply not likable. Each has reasons for being difficult, abrasive or unhappy but who wants to be with them? In Geye’s earlier books, the reader feels a desire to be part of the community he has created. Not so much this one. Even so, the book is worth reading and, at least, ends in a hopeful way. One character stands out as being likable: Mads. Willa, on the other hand, oh boy!
December 1, 2025
I had a hard time connecting with Lesser Light. The premise seemed interesting enough, and I genuinely cared for Willa and Silje, who were both spirited and engaging. I also enjoyed the conversation between the other wives—they were the most engaging parts of the story—but much of the rest felt scattered.
The pacing was slow, with a lot of talk and not much happening.
I especially struggled with Theodulf’s chapters. Since he’s such a major focus, it made the book harder for me to stay invested. I didn’t like him in the least, and therefore cared little about his internal dialogue. There were moments of strong atmosphere and nice writing, but overall the story felt disjointed and didn’t come together in a satisfying way for me.
The pacing was slow, with a lot of talk and not much happening.
I especially struggled with Theodulf’s chapters. Since he’s such a major focus, it made the book harder for me to stay invested. I didn’t like him in the least, and therefore cared little about his internal dialogue. There were moments of strong atmosphere and nice writing, but overall the story felt disjointed and didn’t come together in a satisfying way for me.
April 19, 2025
I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions are my own.
3/5 stars
I was drawn to this book because of the nature of the subject - I am from the Lake Superior shoreline and love reading historical fiction about Lake Superior. This particular book is about a lighthouse keeper and his wife near Duluth in the early 1900s.
I have to say, my feelings about this book are complicated. I don’t want to give spoilers as this won’t be a long review but I feel that both Theodulf and Willa drew tough straws. However, I’m guessing much of this had to do with the timeframe the book was set.
The writing was beautiful.
3/5 stars
I was drawn to this book because of the nature of the subject - I am from the Lake Superior shoreline and love reading historical fiction about Lake Superior. This particular book is about a lighthouse keeper and his wife near Duluth in the early 1900s.
I have to say, my feelings about this book are complicated. I don’t want to give spoilers as this won’t be a long review but I feel that both Theodulf and Willa drew tough straws. However, I’m guessing much of this had to do with the timeframe the book was set.
The writing was beautiful.
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