The Lighthouse

by Mary Schramski

I've never been close with my father...

Even though I'm his only child. We were both held together by my mother, the warm, dancing flame attracting the quiet moths. Dad was always on the other side of the sun; I could never reach him.

Now Mom's gone. It's Christmas. And my unapproachable father is chasing a wild, crazy, impossible dream. He's putting everything he has into restoring an old, abandoned lighthouse that Mom loved.

Yet, after a while, something about restoring the landmark started to make sense. Because in the glow of that beacon, a wife and mother was not gone, but instead was showing her two most treasured people the way toward peace.

Genres: Fiction

297 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

Reviews

[Patricia Gallant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know how this book came to be on my TBR shelf. I wanted a quick read and grabbed it. I didn't even realize it was a Harlequin, but then I see there is a new category called Harlequin Next - Every Life Has More Than One Chapter.

The Lighthouse is not a romance novel. It is a story about relationships. In this case the relationship between a daughter and father before and after the death of Christine's mother and Jake's wife. There is a real struggle to connect two people who never really had a relationship. At the same time they are struggling with their own grief and it is only after the death of their neighbour, the mother of Christine's best friend, do they realize the importance of family.

This book is an insightful read that would benefit everyone.

[Bev Walkling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about a man and his daughter who struggle to relate to each other but share in the loss of the woman they both loved. This is the story of a widower grieving and setting out to do what he can to fulfill the wish of his dead wife to rebuild a derelict lighthouse and get the light working. There's a deadline and it may be impossible to meet. This is a story about hope and commitment and choosing to work towards overcoming barriers and opening up as father and daughter and along the way meeting someone who will change both their lives.

[Pam A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heroine struggles with her estranged relationship with her father, which becomes more pronounced after her mother dies - whom they are both grieving. Little by little, with a little hekp from their friends, they patch it together.

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read other "Mary Schramski" novels and I felt she could have done a much better job writing this one. I gave it a lower rating because in comparison to her other work, this one lacked pizazz.

From back cover:

"I've never been close with my father...Even though I'm his only child. We were both held together by my mother, the warm, dancing flame attracting the quiet moths. Dad was always on the other side of the sun; I could never reach him.

Now Mom's gone. It's Christmas. And my unapproachable father is chasing a wild, crazy, impossible dream. He's putting everything he has into restoring an old, abandoned lighthouse that Mom loved.

Yet, after a while, something about restoring the landmark started to make sense. Because in the glow of that beacon, a wife and mother was not gone, but instead was showing her two most treasured people the way toward peace."

[Patricia Solla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a touching story of a young woman trying to get close to her father after the death of her mother. It's been a while but she goes home to celebrate Christmas with her father. Death affects us all differently and we all have different family dynamics so this is one author's development of what happens after a loved one dies.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes you think about life and what is important. Take each moment and savor it because things constantly change and we lose the people we love the most. Have a kleenex box handy.