THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER'S
DAUGHTER is a dual storyline book about two women living 100
years separate. In 1838 Northumberland, England, Grace Darling lives
on the Farne Island where her father is the lighthouse keeper. Grace
and her father save some shipwreck survivors during a terrible storm
and that makes her celebrated all through England. In 1938, young
Matilda Emmerson is sent away to Newport, Rhode Island from Ireland
after becoming pregnant. She's staying with her relative, Harriet, an
assistant lighthouse keeper, until the baby is born. Finding a half-
finished portrait will lead Matilda to find out more about her family's
history.
This is the third book I've read by Hazel Gaynor. Both THE COTTINGLEY SECRET and THE GIRL FROM SAVOY were
excellent historical fiction novels, and I've been looking forward to
reading this book. I also happen to love stories with lighthouses in them
and that made me even more eager to read this book. Story-wise, I
have to admit that I felt more interest in reading about Matilda than
Grace. It could be that I was so curious to learn more about Matilda
family's past and her future which made reading about Grace not as
riveting. Grace is such a proper young woman, and while she is very
heroic, she spends a lot of time pining after a man she can't have, and
that didn't work well for me. Meanwhile, Matilda had to face the fact
that she has to give up the baby she's carrying, and does she really
want to do that? Not to mention Harriet, who also has an interesting
and sad past...
THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER'S
DAUGHTER is a book about women, motherhood, losing people
you love, and dreaming of a brighter future. I found the book to have
some really poignant moments, but I also felt that the story didn't
always speak to me. However, I do think for the right reader will this
book be a fabulous reading experience.
From The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came
Home comes a historical novel inspired by true events, and the
extraordinary female lighthouse keepers of the past two hundred years.
“They call me a heroine, but I am not deserving of such accolades. I am
just an ordinary young woman who did her duty.”
1838: Northumberland, England. Longstone Lighthouse on the Farne
Islands has been Grace Darling’s home for all of her twenty-two years.
When she and her father rescue shipwreck survivors in a furious storm,
Grace becomes celebrated throughout England, the subject of poems,
ballads, and plays. But far more precious than her unsought fame is the
friendship that develops between Grace and a visiting artist. Just as
George Emmerson captures Grace with his brushes, she in turn
captures his heart.
1938: Newport, Rhode Island. Nineteen-years-old and pregnant,
Matilda Emmerson has been sent away from Ireland in disgrace. She is
to stay with Harriet, a reclusive relative and assistant lighthouse
keeper, until her baby is born. A discarded, half-finished portrait opens
a window into Matilda’s family history. As a deadly hurricane
approaches, two women, living a century apart, will be linked forever by
their instinctive acts of courage and love.
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