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Book Review: The Light Between Oceans

Title: The Light Between Oceans
Author: M. L. Stedman
Genre: Historical Fiction/Drama
Rating: ∞ out of 5 stars
Reviewer: Julia


Okay, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to give a book infinity out of 5, but I'm going to do it because this book was that good. I have never cried so much or intensely over a single book. (I cried throughout the book and in one consistent stream for the last 50 pages.) I am so in love with it that I have made a shrine of sorts (still looking for a better term for it) on top of my dresser dedicated to it. (Em even contributed to this shrine by making me a lovely drawing of the cover of the book!)

The Light Between Oceans is a wonderful story. Using third person point of view, author M. L. Stedman weaves together marvelous characters and beautiful descriptions to create a masterpiece of a novel. Perhaps it doesn't sound like this due to the summary of the book. Most places you might go to will describe the book as a story of a lighthouse keeper and his wife who, after failed attempts at giving birth to a child, find a baby wash up on the shore of the island, and that their decision to keep the baby will forever affect them. While this description is true, I do not believe that it shows the full value of the book.

This book is so much more than that. It is the story of tough decisions. It is the story of love. It is the story of human nature and life. It is filled to the brim with beauty and heartbreak that will make your eyes overflow with tears. There was something that clung on to my heart after I finished the book. What was it, exactly? I am not sure what it was, but I know that it was a sign that this book changed me.

The Light Between Oceans is impossibly beautiful. Almost too good for words to describe.

What's another great book that us at Reading is Inevitable enjoyed? Everything, Everything.
"Everything Everything. This amazing book's main character is Madeline, or Maddy, Whittier. She has a rare condition that keeps her inside all her life, because she will die if she comes in contact with the world. When a boy her age, Olly, moves in next door, her whole world changes for good. 
I really loved this book. It was my second favorite book for several months until recently (now it's my 3rd!). Even though this book only has a couple of characters, it makes them have so much depth that it completely makes up for it. The author really captures what I would think a girl stuck in her house her whole life would feel. This book has humor, sadness, and parts that will give you major anxiety..." Read more

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