Skip to main content

The Lamplighters - Emma Stonex

​

Started: Sunday 26th June 2022

Finished: Wednesday 29th June 2022

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"It takes a certain sort to withstand being locked up. Loneliness. Isolation. Monotony. Nothing for miles except sea and sea and sea. No friends. No women. Just the other two, day in, day out, unable to get away from them, it could drive you stark mad."

I picked up The Lamplighters on a whim when I visited Waterstones at the weekend. The premise of the book is one I'm familiar with:

In 1900, three lighthouse keepers disappeared from a Lighthouse off the coast of Scotland. The story has been adapted into a film with Gerrard Butler called The Vanishing. 

In this adaptation, three Lighthouse keepers disappear in 1972, leaving behind their three wives and plenty of speculation as to why and how these three vanished without a trace. 

Through flashbacks and articles, we understand not only the mindset of the six main characters that this story circles, but also their secrets, their stories and the lives of those that were left behind. 

As someone who has always lived by the sea, but never fortunate to live near a Lighthouse, I join the ranks of those who romanticise the idea and Stonex does a fantastic job of painting the picture of just how unromantic it is. 

Each of the characters are built well, and I was completely suckered in. The twists, turns and revelations are subtle and without flaw. 



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Christmas At The Island Hotel - Jenny Colgan

  If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times - for me, snuggling down with a Jenny Colgan book is like a hug from an old friend. And Christmas At The Island Hotel is no exception. Now, this is part of a series in the way that it follows a family of characters for their fourth installment, however as always, this works perfectly as a standalone book. Fintan, grieving the loss of his partner, has been left to open The Rock - the hotel on the island of Mure. Suddenly, this born and bred farmer needs to source a kitchen team to maintain the legacy of his late partner. And now he has a French chef that no one else wants, working in his kitchen. Konstantin, Norwegian party boy and all round spoilt brat, has been cast out by his Dad and has to learn how to be self sufficient. He finds himself on the remote island of Mure, halfway between Scotland and Norway, with no money, no friends and no idea how to chop an onion,  As always, Jenny expertly weaves the lives of the characte...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Merry Little Meet Cute - Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

What a bloody lovely Christmas beaut this was! If you're venturing into spicy romance books and have been on Instagram or TikTok recently, it's likely that you would have seen this little gem doing the rounds.  Bee is a content creator for ClosedDoor (think.. OnlyFans) and Nolan is an ex-boyband bad boy that are both cast in a Hope Channel (think... Hallmark) Christmas movie, Duke The Halls. Nolan is reinventing his career and trying to rid himself of the bad boy image whereas Bee is brought in last minute because the Lead Actress has been taken ill.  The best part? Bee was a massive fan of Nolan in her teenage years and Nolan has been following Bee on social media for a while. And they're getting paid to get to know each other.  I adored this book. It was everything I wanted it to be and is perfect for those of us who love a Hallmark Christmas movie but wished there was a bit heat in the romances. the positive message around Bee's work is brilliantly handled, not to me...
Post a Comment
Read more

Orphans of The Storm - Celia Imrie

  Started: Thursday 7th July 2022 Finished: Saturday 9th July 2022 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Given my obsession with the story of the Titanic in my younger years, this is the first book I've ever read which is based around the tragic disaster.  I bought Orphans of the Storm on a whim on one of my Waterstone's sprees - and I vowed to make it my next read. What I didn't realise is that it is based on the true story of the last surviving passenger from the disaster. And it was incredible.  So incredible that the minute I got home, I gave it to my mum to read and I've just bought a copy for one of my ex-colleagues because the history was common ground for us.  I didn't know what to expect - I knew it would pull at the heart strings but I didn't appreciate quite how much.  The way it's written, Imrie really allows the suspense and bewilderment to build. Of course, it's no spoiler to say - The Ship Sinks At The End - but the way it is written from two separate perspe...
Post a Comment
Read more