The Light Between Oceans: 3 Stars

The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman

Tom and Isabel live a quiet, isolated life on an island in a lighthouse. While they are typically very happy, Isabel has been unable to carry a child to full term, losing three babies during pregnancy. Two weeks after her third miscarriage, a miracle happens. A boat washes ashore with a dead man and a crying infant. Isabel is convinced that this is God giving her a child. Tom isn't so sure, but can't bear to watch his wife lose another child. But the "miracle" isn't all Isabel thought it would be.

Heading to shore two years later, Tom hears of a woman who's husband and child disappeared two years earlier. Still heartbroken, the woman is constantly looking for her missing daughter. Tom knows that his daughter is really her daughter, but what can he do?  To confess the truth would be to lose his own daughter and break his wife's heart.

From the start, you knew there was no way this was going to end happily for anyone involved. It was a tragic story and you knew it was going to end in a heap of heartache and tears. The author did a great job of showing the pain that each character was feeling from Tom's guilt, Isabel's longing, and the birth mother's heartache.

While I thought the story was well told and ended the only way it could have, I felt the author was often long-winded and gave far more details than were necessary. We learn so much about things that just don't relate to the story or add to it. There were more than a few parts that I felt could have been left out or reduced in text. They were just boring and delayed the story, which took away from the emotional journey.

Rating: PG

Recommended for those who enjoy: family drama, moral dilemmas, thought-provoking books.

The Walk: 4 Stars

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans

Alan Christoffersen is living the life in Seattle. He's happily married to the woman of his dreams, he just bought a beautiful home, and he runs a business with his best friend. But when his wife falls ill, Alan heads down a path in which he loses it all.

Widowed, jobless, and homeless, Alan decides to head off on a walk: a walk across the country.

This was an amazing story of a man in mourning who decided that he was ready for something new. Not sure of where to go or what to do, Alan decides to make a journey to find himself. Along the way, he sees a world he's seemed to have missed before. He meets people and enjoys the journey for the most part.  He runs into several obstacles along the way, each teaching him something new.

The Walk ends in Spokane, where I live, so that is kind of fun. But that's not were Alan's journey ends. The series of books takes him across the rest of the country.

I enjoyed this book because it was one man who faced the worst possible situation in his life and decided to do something rather than shut down. It wasn't necessarily just picking back up and starting over, but his was his way of coping and hoping to find peace somewhere along the way. Will he find what's he searches for?  I guess I need to read the rest of the series!

Rating: PG

Recommended for those who enjoy: coping, journeys, and thought-provoking books.

Lord of the Flies: 4 Stars

 

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Lord of the Flies is one of those books that I always meant to read, but since it wasn't required in high school, I hadn't. But I added the book to my Classics List so I would finally read it.

I didn't know what to expect from the book, but when I picked it up from the library, two of my sisters saw it and both asked why I was torturing myself with this terrible book. I thought maybe I made a big mistake and that maybe I should skip it. But I read it anyway and was very glad I did. 

The book takes place during a war. After an attack on the city, an evacuation takes place and all the boys from the local schools are put on a plane.  But when the plane crashes on a deserted island, the boys soon realize they are without adult supervision or immediate rescue. It's up to them to save themselves.

Ralph is the first boy to step up and take charge with a young chubby kid they call Piggy by his side. Ralph's first priority is to get a fire going on the top of a hill so they have a constant smoke signal going so all passing ships can see it. Then he works on shelters and food. It doesn't take long before the boys are getting hungry and realize that hunting is more difficult than they expected. Also, several of the young boys claim that they have witnessed a giant beast in the forest and are scared. 

A young boy named Jack decides he will make a better leader.  He convinces the boys to abandon the fire and smoke signal and all together they go hunting to catch a boar. Once they have eaten, he gains confidence in his leading abilities, and when Ralph fights back, Jack leads against Ralph, promising safety from the beast.  And this is when all hell breaks loose. 

Golding does a phenomenal job of describing young boys without any direction and the desire to have power. You have Ralph who understands that food, shelter and safety are important, but since being rescued is the end goal, puts a smoke signal as the number one priority.  Then you have Jack, who abandons all other endeavors to tackle whatever task the majority grumbles about most. Without rules, there is no one to keep them in line, or prevent them from taking things too far. 

The imagery of Ralph on the beach on the beginning of the book and again at the end of the book shows the end of innocence. The dramatic change you see in Ralph is amazing and thought provoking. It made me think a lot about my own life. Do I side with the person that has my best interest at heart or the person who has my interest for that moment? Do I prioritize my life based on what others view as important or based on what I really want in the long run?

This is a book I can see myself reading again because it was so thought-provoking.

Rating: PG

Recommended for those who enjoy: dystopian, action, adventure, and thought-provoking books.