What I’m Reading: The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter

I just finished up listening to The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter by Hazel Gaynor.  I found this one on Hoopla and will admit that I got this one because of it’s cover (It looked historical) and that I had seen it everywhere…the shelves at Wal-mart and Target both had it.

So what did I think of it?

The book was okay.  As I was writing this review I figured out that the same author who wrote this also wrote The Girl Who Came Home.  I reviewed that here.  Both books had the same premise.  The book is told by two characters, one in present day and one in past.  Typically I like that style.

Here’s what Amazon had to say:
“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.”

Amazon readers gave the book 4.2 stars.  I think I’d have to give it 4 stars.  At first I really liked the book, then about 3/4 of the way through I lost my zeal for it.  The story rapidly picked up speed.  Years flew by in a few sentences….There was no “tie it up and make it a happy ending”.  I know all books don’t need a happy ending but they do need to feel “tied up”.  If you’re looking for a feel good story, this one isn’t it.  I liked the previous book that I read by her much better.