Hannah: The Lighthouse Girl of Newfoundland

by Don Ladolcetta

Nine-year-old Hannah doesn't know what to expect when her family moves from the town they've always lived in to an isolated lighthouse on the rugged Newfoundland coast. What she discovers is a life filled with adventure, wonder-and danger. As Hannah grows into a young lady, she's determined to create the best life possible, despite ever-present adversity. Facing everything from the fury of Mother Nature to illness, the Great Depression, and World War II, Hannah must find the strength to follow her dreams. When a stunning loss upends her world, Hannah decides to take a bold step along a new path. But at what cost? In the tradition of Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables, this novel of a spirited girl growing into a strong woman is based on a true story.

340 pages, Hardcover

Published April 19, 2021

About the author

I was raised on Long Island ( I call it LeaveItToBeaverville), and grew up in a middle class Irish and Italian family. I went to Catholic School my whole life. I attended Barry College
(an all girl school- That's a whole funny story) in Miami (the year it turned CoEd) and met my bride there.

Then I started to raise a family. 2 Boys.

I spent 16 years in banking and eventually started my own business as a CPA. Then after 22 years in business, I sold the practice to retire and we followed our kids and Grandkids to Austin Texas (Great place to live).

Covid came and rather than stop living, I wrote my first book called Hannah: The Lighthouse Girl of Newfoundland . In providing book presentations, I was motivated to author my second Novel -A Brooklyn Tale

Reviews

[Gary Ladolcetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read about life growing up in prewar Newfoundland at a lighthouse homestead. The narrative is heartwarming and funny and it captures Newfoundland traditions and family life.

[Loren Greene]

As a relative, I'll hold back from leaving a star rating, but I will say I enjoyed reading this based-on-a-true-story history of the Greene family of lighthouse keepers, told from the point of view of young Hannah Greene as she grows up. The author's love for Newfoundland shines through on every page, and it's an excellent mix of historical fiction and truth, enough to keep the reader engaged through a story that follows a decade or so of Hannah's exciting life and her dreams of seeing and doing more. On a personal level, it was a delight to hear the tales of the lighthouse and the town I loved so much as a child told from the perspective of another, who grew up decades before I was ever born.

While I never had the opportunity to know Hannah, I felt as if I connected with her through this book.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: Hannah is the story of my grandmother, and I love and miss her dearly. From a very biased perspective, this book was a fantastic reminder of her and the stories she used to tell us as kids, and I obviously loved it. The author (fine, he's my dad) did a great job of capturing these stories along with the tone, and voice and personality of my grandma.

From a less-biased perspective, I also thought the book was great. Historical fiction is not typically my preferred genre, but this book was a fun, easy-to-read collection of light-hearted anecdotes which was a nice change of pace from the typical sprawling Fantasy epics I normally read. There wasn't really a single narrative throughout the book other than this young woman growing up and experiencing life in a different era, but that made it easy to pick up and consume the book in bite-sized chunks. The personal stories were cleverly intertwined with the general history of this culture and part of the world, giving an insight not only to the Greene family, but also all Newfoundlanders during this timeline. This is a great read for anyone interested in Newfoundland life, or just enjoy embellished anecdotes of a family evolving over the life of a young girl.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book. Don and his wife are acquaintances of ours and when I found out he had written a historical fiction book I was excited to read it. Historical fiction is the genre I read the most. For a first book this was very well written, it was coherent and followed a logical progression of small snippets of Hannas early life up until her marriage. This was an easy and enjoyable read.

[Loretta Hartley Bangs]

I loved it. My father grew up in Dunville during that time period and it reminded me of so many customs that he and my mother (Fox Harbor) brought to NY where they raised us. It so captured the spirit of Newfoundlanders. Don, I spent many a day at the sore thumb onnLI.

[Allena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my 11-year-old and we both really enjoyed reading about Hannah’s life at a lighthouse on Newfoundland. The writing was good and kept both of us engaged and interested!

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am incredibly proud of my father for writing this book. The story was funny, engaging, and enlightening. I loved the addition of the family stories and memories as well as the “Fact or Fiction” section and the history of Newfoundland at the end.

Awesome, quick read.

[Don Ladolcetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother grew up in the early 20th century at an isolated lighthouse in rural Newfoundland. She told me many stories of her life there which I retold in the book, taking a little artistic license to make it more fun to read. Newfoundland is a beautiful island with a unique culture of music, language, food, traditions, humor which I incorporated into the book. It’s G-rated book about family, a fast read and if you liked Little House on the Prairie, you will likely enjoy this book. It’s a period piece taking you from the 1920s through the end of World War II.

Publishers Weekly reviewed the book and said..."Ladolcetta offers a convincing view of a resilient family. This historical drama is worth a look"

Kirkus Reviews says... "Get The Book" and "…sometimes-amusing, sometimes-frightening…tender and historically engaging tribute to a family and 20th century Newfoundland. –Kirkus Reviews

[John S · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully written piece of Hannah’s adventures through life

This work, by Don Ladolcetta, will see you in smiles, tears and amazement. The life and times of Hannah Greene are inspiring as well as a fascinating. I enjoyed every page and do hope Don will add a book about the next generation.

[I dream of the ocean · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book. I love reading about life in Newfound pre confederation.

[SusanwithaGoodBook · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a man’s story of his grandmother’s life growing up in a lighthouse in Newfoundland, so I thought it would be fun. Sadly, the writing is very wooden and mostly lifeless. There were a few incidents that were good, but overall, it was lacking something to lift it up and give it better flow and purpose. It felt cobbled together, and that’s exactly what it was. I can’t really recommend it as a good story, but it’s interesting if you want to know more about life in Newfoundland in the last century.

[Sherryl Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very well written, but I enjoyed reading of the traditions of Newfoundland people.

[Gail E · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought the for my mom who is a Greene from Pointe Verde near Placentia. She hasn’t read a book in years and has read this book in 2 days.

[Donald Ladolcetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote the book. Now available on Amazon. I was social distancing with COVID when I decided if ever I was going to be an author, this was the time. I took the oral stories passed down to me from my mother, who grew up at the lighthouse, and turned the stories into a fiction based on a true story. I immersed the unique culture of Newfoundland into the book. It’s a place with its own music, art, literature, history, food, and people making it a very interesting place to visit (which I have done many times). It’s a g rated book, a fast read and if you liked Little House on the Prairie, you will,enjoy this book. It’s a period piece taking you from the 1920s through the end of World War II