Light [Paperback]

The setting for this novel is the lighthouse on Ellan Bride, a small island off the Isle of Man in 1831. Two sisters-in-law (Diya and Lucy Geddes) and their three children (Breesha, Billy and Mally) have been maintaining the light house for years since the death of the lighthouse keeper, Diya's husband Jim. Their way of life, and their livelihood, is threatened because of a plan to modernise the lights.

Archibald Buchanan, soon to join the `Beagle' expedition under Captain Robert Fitzroy, and Ben Groat visit Ellan Bride to survey the island on behalf of Robert Stevenson. While the action within the novel takes place over a few short days, it is set within a much broader timeframe.

This is a very rich novel, set in a wonderful setting. It weaves fact and fiction so seamlessly that the reader may well wonder where one begins and the other ends. But the story itself does not simply rely on the history for its appeal. These are fully realised characters, living their own lives.

I picked up this novel for two reasons. I like reading about lighthouses, and I'm especially interested in the contribution of Robert Stevenson to lighthouse building. I also enjoyed the one other novel I've read by Ms Elphinstone, and this novel has me wanting to read the rest.

Highly recommended.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

The author explores personal and societal foibles while spinning a complex and fascinating web around a seemingly simple, almost miniature plot: due to politics, an isolated, defenseless family group must leave the small island lighthouse carefully maintained by three generations. The book is absolutely beautifully written, from the descriptions of the childhood of one protagonist in colonial India to the class differences of the Isle of Man to the origins of the Scottish surveyors whose assignment to the tiny fictional Manx island sets off the main events. You'll love and hate the characters - one of the children possesses some real viciousness which then turns her mother into a nasty animal ... some well-portrayed reality - and will likely be disappointed with the non-romantic finish. But you'll love every minute of the skillful denouement and descriptions of the land and sea and plant and animal life.

The drama unfolds on a small island, Ellan Bride, off the Isle of Man. The main characters are two sisters-in-law and their three children. Their lonely but routine existence is threatened by the Northern Lights institution under the leadership of Robert Stevenson launching an upgrade programme that includes the replacement of the lighthouse on the small island. Lucy inherited the light keeper's job from her family and is now entrenched in that way of living. Diya, Lucy's deceased brother's wife, shares her existence on the island.

The story starts with the unwelcome arrival of the planning team for the upgrade of the lighthouse and tells about the impact of the visit on all the characters. As a result, some of the history of the island ladies' life also surfaces, developing the characters in a quite realistic way, albeit a rather strange life.

The author captures the existence of light keepers on lonely islands very well. As a lighthouse fanatic, this reviewer has read enough about life on islands to be able to understand such an existence and found the descriptions very much believable and realistic. The book does not contain much technical descriptions of light house operations, but the little that is there is accurate.

This reviewer enjoyed the characters in the book. They are diverse enough to be interesting, but never exceptionally weird. One can recognise most of the traits and characteristics in your own circle of friends and family and if not, it is easy to understand the personality types, given the characters' jobs and background. The author managed to create the perfect characters for the story she wanted to tell.

The story develops relatively slowly but is never boring. It suits the island milieu very well. The events on the island are interspersed with relevant reflections from the characters history that support the unfolding of the story and the development of the characters very well. The reader eventually knows just enough about the characters to understand them in the context of the novel. This reviewer enjoyed this book much more than a crime novel by a well-known crime writer; read a few months ago, that played out at a lighthouse on an island. Perhaps it is because the reviewer is also laid back (!) but this type of story is much more suited to a light house milieu than a crime story. There is enough drama to keep the story interesting, without blood and guts being spilled in each chapter. There is even a cute intimate (sex) scene...!

The author uses some phonetic writing when capturing the conversations of the characters, e.g. "We'd a local man to pilot us - a stranger couldna get through that place..." (p.215) and "D'you think it'll be fair the morn?" (p.282) and "'Och, s'truth!' cried Archie. `Can we no leave this until the morn?'" (p.295). She also uses a sprinkling of old-type English words, typical of the era (early 1800s). This is a brilliant technique and any one who has ever heard the Scottish accent can immediately picture the character! The author never over-uses it and it reads easy and flows naturally into the story line. This reviewer found that it greatly enhances the story. The references to famous voyage of the HMS Beagle are also a wonderful touch.

This reviewer thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommends it to any one interested in lighthouses, Scotland or family dramas. It tells of a bygone era and about vulnerable women but with strong character. It tells of science and its impact on humanity. It shows how people are forced to confront their challenges and overcome them, sometimes with scars, but mostly as a more mature person. The paperback version to which this review refers is well bound with a lovely cover image of a lighthouse painting by Francis Danby.

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