The Light between Oceans by M.L. Stedman is an incredibly moving novel. This heartfelt story is about the fragility of being human, about forgiveness, love and loss and a heartbreaking exploration of right and wrong.
The story touched me emotionally. It made me smile, it made me cry, and it made me sad. At times the characters, Isabel in particular, made me even angry but there always was understanding and sympathy that pulled me back. I was feeling so very deeply sympathetic to all the characters wishing them the best but knowing that it was not possible. The setting in the aftermath of the Great War gave the novel extra power – the power of community where people had come together, “suffered losses together, rejected outsiders together”.
There are moments in the novel that make the reader question their own moral principles and feel inner battles as Tom and Isabel. And there are no easy answers. I think that the ending was not perfect, but it was right.
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
“In Morton’s suspenseful novel, teenage Laurel Nicholson witnesses a terrible crime—and spends the next 50 years of her life keeping the secret and wondering why it happened in the first place”.
“This stunning debut novel brings to life World War II-era and modern-day Greece—and tells the story of a vibrant family and the tragic secret kept hidden for generations”.
“Spanning from the 1930’s to the present day, from the Wharton Park estate in England to Thailand, this sweeping novel tells the tale of a concert pianist and the aristocratic Crawford family, whose shocking secrets are revealed, leading to devastating consequences”.
“From the bestselling author of Sarah’s Key comes an absorbing novel about one woman’s resistance during a time that shook Paris to its very core—and the secret she has kept buried deep in her heart for thirty years”.
“A captivating, atmospheric return to historical fiction that is every bit as convincing and engrossing as Martin’s landmark Mary Reilly”.