The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter (Review)

What is "home" ? Is it a word confined to four walls or something far greater and of more importance than breath itself? Is home where your spirit, the essence of who you are, who you were, and who you will become, becomes the place that your destiny and calling radiate every fiber of your being? These are the thoughts that linger on my mind after finishing this book. Wait until you get to the epilogue! Oh my! The lyrical, breathtaking words that the author uses have etched themselves into my heart and mind. The breadth and depth of this story is exquisitely brought to life by author Hazel Gaynor. It is a story that will long remain in my heart. Performed on audio so beautifully by Imogen Church, I am left breathless with a wave of emotions from deep sadness to ones of hope and faith in the tenants of familial bonds, love, redemption, fortitude, bravery, friendship, and the true meaning of home. Imogen Church has a mesmerizing, lilting voice that captures the characters with such imagination and spellbinding story telling. Home for the two main characters, Grace Darling, from 1838, and Matilda Emmerson, from 1938, is the Lighthouse in which they live. It's their place of sanctuary, both physically and metaphorically and that sanctuary is extended to countless survivors of shipwrecks and other tragedies set forth by the powerful and mighty sea. The heroines in the book were inspired by true events and the extraordinary women who dedicated their lives to being Lighthouse Keepers. Their love for the sea is woven into the very fibers of who they are. The lighthouse is their home, but more importantly, their calling and purpose is to be the keepers of light and that is the fabric of their lives, knitting them together in a timeless circle of fierce bravery and dedication. This is definitely a five star triumph!