8.4 /10 1 Votes8.4
4.3/5 Barnes & Noble Pages 345 Originally published 20 March 2012 Genre War story Publisher Random House | 4/5 Goodreads Language English ISBN 9781742755717 Page count 345 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Awards Goodreads Choice Awards Best Historical Fiction Similar All the Light We Cannot S, Orphan Train, The Nightingale, A Man Called Ove, Me Before You | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Light Between Oceans is a 2012 Australian war fiction by M. L. Stedman, her debut novel, published by Random House Australia on 20 March 2012. A film adaptation of the same name starring Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender was released on 2 September 2016.
Contents
Book review the light between oceans by m l stedman
Summary
Australian Tom Sherbourne returns home after fighting in the western trenches of World War I in Europe. He and his wife, Isabel, move to an isolated lighthouse, where they remain for several years. While there they informally adopt a baby girl who washes up in a lifeboat. When the child is two years old, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland on leave. There they discover that "there are other people in the world", and keeping the child "has devastated one of them."
Reception
The novel received positive reviews upon publication. Sue Arnold writing for The Guardian called it "an extraordinary book" comparing the plot to Thomas Hardy's works. The Denver Post criticized the book as "somewhat predictable" but was positive on the work overall.
Film adaptation
The novel was developed into a feature film by DreamWorks, with David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford producing. Derek Cianfrance is directing, with Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Rachel Weisz starring. The film was released by Touchstone Pictures on 2 September 2016.