Bookish Mewsings: The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Hazel Gaynor

They call it Heartbreak Pier, the place from where I will leave Ireland. ~ Opening of The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter

The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Hazel Gaynor

William Morrow, 2018

Fiction/Historical; 416 pgs

Source: NetGalley

“They call me a heroine, but I am not deserving of such accolades. I am just an ordinary young woman who did her duty.”

1838: Northumberland, England. Longstone Lighthouse on the Farne Islands has been Grace Darling’s home for all of her twenty-two years. When she and her father rescue shipwreck survivors in a furious storm, Grace becomes celebrated throughout England, the subject of poems, ballads, and plays. But far more precious than her unsought fame is the friendship that develops between Grace and a visiting artist. Just as George Emmerson captures Grace with his brushes, she in turn captures his heart.

1938: Newport, Rhode Island. Nineteen-years-old and pregnant, Matilda Emmerson has been sent away from Ireland in disgrace. She is to stay with Harriet, a reclusive relative and assistant lighthouse keeper, until her baby is born. A discarded, half-finished portrait opens a window into Matilda’s family history. As a deadly hurricane approaches, two women, living a century apart, will be linked forever by their instinctive acts of courage and love. [Goodreads Summary]

Hazel Gaynor's novels always seem to break my heart and also fill me with a sense of hope at the end. The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter was no different. I love Gaynor's writing, especially her ability to bring her characters and settings to life, right off the pages.

I have long had a fascination with lighthouses, and was eager to read Gaynor's historical fiction novel featuring women lighthouse keepers. The novel spans over two timelines, set a hundred years apart. The character of Grace Darling, the daughter of the keeper at the Longstone Lighthouse on the Farne Islands, is based on a real person, which makes this story all the more appealing. Her story begins in 1838. She gets great satisfaction in helping her father tend to the lighthouse and can hardly imagine doing anything else. Women are not allowed to be lighthouse keepers at that point in history, however, and she knows the job will pass to her brother eventually.  Grace has a way about her that drew me to her. She loves the island and the sea. She is just doing her duty when she sees the shipwreck and survivors in the distance. The sudden onslaught of attention is not at all what she wants. She never lets the attention go to her head, remaining humble and true to herself. She longs for the quieter days of the past. 

One hundred years later, 19-year-old Matilda travels to America, alone and afraid, and yet also glad to be out from under her mother's critical eye. She isn't sure what to expect when she meets Harriet, who cares for a lighthouse in Rhode Island. Matilda is young and a bit of a dreamer, as well as insightful. She has a natural curiosity, which plays nicely into the threading of the two different timelines together as Matilda looks through items she finds in an old trunk and discovers a letter hidden in a painting. I liked Harriet on the spot, including her unorthodox lifestyle given the time period.  It is obvious she needs Matilda in her life just as much as Matilda needs her. The two are both a bit lost and alone in the world.

The narrative also briefly follows Sarah Dawson, a woman rescued by Grace Darling, and whose devastating losses were utterly heart-wrenching. She had such strength to be able to pick up the pieces and carry on with her life. Then there is George Emmerson, Sarah's brother, whose story we get a glimpse of as well. He is such a sweet man, torn between obligation and his heart.

I could feel the sea breeze on my cheeks as I read The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter. I connected with the characters and felt their sorrows, regrets, and pain--and also their hope and determination. I was caught up in both threads of the novel, wanting to see how each of their stories would play out--not wanting them to end and yet needing to know. The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter is yet another reason Hazel Gaynor has earned the spot of being my favorite historical fiction author.

Have you read this one? If so, what did you think?
Do you share my interest in lighthouse settings?
Have you read anything by Hazel Gaynor before? 

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