The Keepers of the Lighthouse in Aussie Readers

Aug 04, 2022 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own-read, historical-fiction, arc, aussie-authors, net-galley, 3500-2022, read-on-kindle, 2022-release

It was 1882 and Leo Webster was the lighthouse keeper on the small island of Benevolence in Bass Strait, midway between Tasmania and the mainland. His daughter, Laura, was his assistant and had known nothing but lighthouse life since she was born in Scotland. They had left after Laura's mother had drowned trying to rescue people from a wreck. The violent storm which was currently hitting the island, had Leo and Laura watching the seas for any ships which might be too close to the rocks, and when ...more

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Aug 21, 2022 Helen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: review-copy-from-publisher

This is an awesome story with duel time lines set on an island, Benevolence in The Bass Strait, it follows the story of the lighthouse keepers back in 1882 and then in 2020 when a group of people arrive to do repairs for visitors to camp on the island but there is a link between the past and the present and danger and mystery in both times, this is a story that will keep you turning the pages.

In 1882 Leo Webster is the lighthouse keeper on this desolate Island in Bass Strait where the winds blow ...more

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Aug 08, 2022 Bree T rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, arc, australian, rural-lit, hist-contemp-blend

I love a dual timeline story and this delivered in every sense of the word. It鈥檚 mostly split into two, 1882 and 2020 with a few brief forays into about 2010 for clarification of a backstory.

In 1882, we have Laura, a woman in her mid 20s who lives with her father, her stepmother and baby brother on an island in-between Tasmania and mainland Australia. It鈥檚 her father鈥檚 job to man the lighthouse so that ships might navigate the dangerous waters of Bass Strait. Although the island is a creation of I love a dual timeline story and this delivered in every sense of the word. It鈥檚 mostly split into two, 1882 and 2020 with a few brief forays into about 2010 for clarification of a backstory.

In 1882, we have Laura, a woman in her mid 20s who lives with her father, her stepmother and baby brother on an island in-between Tasmania and mainland Australia. It鈥檚 her father鈥檚 job to man the lighthouse so that ships might navigate the dangerous waters of Bass Strait. Although the island is a creation of the author, it is loosely based on a real island. For Laura, the isolation doesn鈥檛 bother her. The only get supply drops every so often and she isn鈥檛 worried by the harsh conditions. She thrives on the lifestyle, helping her father in ways that aren鈥檛 common for ladies in this time, proving to be a hard worker and excellent swimmer. When a boat wrecks in the rocks just off the island in a terrible storm, Laura and her family do their best to rescue and help the survivors, unaware that they鈥檙e about to be thrown deep into a mystery.

In 2020, Nina is leading a team to fix up that same island, make it habitable and desirable for tourists again. She鈥檚 well aware that her boss is keeping an eye on her from afar and expects Nina to pull this off without a hitch, which could be an issue when she realises documentary maker Jude Rawlins, a former boyfriend that there is unfinished business with, has also wangled his way onto the island. But that鈥檚 not the biggest problem 鈥� when strange things start happening that reek of sabotage, there鈥檚 a possibility that someone else is on the island that shouldn鈥檛 be.

This was such an engrossing read from start to finish. I really enjoyed both timelines 鈥� in fact often so much I would not want to leave one when a chapter ended but then the second I started the other timeline again, I wouldn鈥檛 want to leave that to go back to the original one! Often in dual timeline books, I find myself preferring one over the other but in this case I was equally invested and really enjoyed sinking into both timelines. I have a bit of a romanticised ideal about what it must鈥檝e been like to live on a remote island, even though I do not at all think I could cope with the weather in Bass Strait! I think it would definitely take a very strong person (or family) to be able to deal with such a task especially as there are no days off in those times, the lighthouse had to be manned. Now everything is managed with technology and there鈥檚 little to no need for lighthouse keepers. Laura is strong and confident, not swayed by other people鈥檚 opinions of how she should behave (even when they鈥檙e well meaning, not necessarily mean) and she knows the sort of life that she wants.

In the present day, Nina is under a lot of stress, both with the arrival of Jude, someone that she has a very significant past with, and professionally as well. The two are also linked, because Jude being there could definitely affect her being able to do her job. The two of them were in love over a decade ago and I think when you tear a couple apart like that, the reader needs to really be able to believe that the reason was something that was that bad, that at the time, one of them couldn鈥檛 see a way out of it. And that really was successful here, as Nina鈥檚 story unfolds over the course of her chapters, it becomes so apparent why she is still suffering so much and how much it still impacts her day to day life. And in the case of Jude, he comes off a bit antagonistic at the beginning but you can see that he still, is hurting deeply after all this time and he just wants answers. Both of them are thrown together to puzzle out the fact that someone who shouldn鈥檛 be there seems to be on the island which brings up a lot of old hurts and issues but gives Nina the chance to be strong and finally confess her secret to Jude.

I found both of the mysteries intriguing and this was paced so well 鈥� definitely a real page turner!

***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review*** ...more

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Aug 02, 2022 Cathleen Ross rated it it was amazing

This is a beautiful story set on a remote island of Benevolence in the south of Australia in two time periods.

The story opens with a shipwreck and the hardy lighthouse keeper Leo, and his daughter Laura, rescue a mix of people but everyone is not as they seem.

In the second time period, the story opens with a team of people getting the island ready for tourists. Dobbie immediately catches the reader鈥檚 interest as the heroine, Nina, has to deal with seeing her old flame, someone she wants to nev ...more

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