One of the best moral dilemma stories I have read. Yes it is a historical novel about post World War I Australia, and touches on the tragedies of families and individuals after a war, but the main story is about Tom and Isabel Sherbourne, who find a few month old baby washed ashore in a boat along with a dead man. Isabel has just had a stilbirth after two miscarriages on the lighthouse island of Janus Rock. She convinces Tom that it would be best for the baby if they just kept it and raised it as their own. Tom wants to report the incident immediately, but the hope in his wife's eyes keeps him from doing this, and they both fall in love with little Lucy. Well, it turns out Lucy's mother is still alive, and totally devastated at the loss of her husband and child.
I am so glad I have been able to experience the birth of a child. I would not have understood this book or much of what makes the world go around, if I had not had a child myself. The bond is intense. The dilemma in this book is intense.
My other main observation was on the life of a lighthouse keeper. I just can't imagine living isolated for three months at a time, even if you do have a responsible job that requires your attention every day. Or to be the wife that has to live with you in this isolation. I used to admire hermits and thought I could be one, but I am much too social to be a hermit. On the other hand, I do not think I could stand to see one person day in and day out.
My last comment is on the audio recording. I had a hard time understanding the reader, especially in the beginning. Maybe it was partially the Aussie accent, but it seemed like he swallowed endings and whole words, important words, so that I was trying to grasp where they really were and what was going on. Even in the end I found myself turning up the volume to not lose some important conversation.
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