Lighthouse, The (SALT MODERN FICTION)

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This is the first Michael O'Brien novel I've read/listened to (narrated on Audible by Kevin O'Brien [no relation to the author], who did an excellent job). It comes across as a simple story of a quiet, unassuming lighthouse keeper stationed on the eastern shore of Nova Scotia. The keeper, Ethan McQuarry, enjoys the solitude and responsibilities, and has respect and admiration for the power of the ocean and its denizens. Through various visitations and interactions, he learns to trust other people, and is marveled at some of these secondary characters' motivations and acts of unwarranted kindness. Most of the characters in the novel come face to face with the realization that time is transient, although they all handle that knowledge differently. Mrs. Ramsay attempts to make the most of her time on earth by finding beauty in life's little moments. She feels a pull to other people and experiences life the deepest when she is connecting emotionally. The transient Nature of life makes her wish to connect with others as deeply as possible. On the other hand, her husband becomes paranoid about his demise. He distances himself from his family and friends because he fears that one day he will not be remembered by anyone one day. While Mrs. Ramsay stakes her claim on life in the emotional realm, Mr. Ramsay turns towards the intellectual and vows to establish a new school of philosophy. They are both dealing with the fact that life is short, but she lets the knowledge bring her closer to people while he uses it to distance himself. Ryan is not only trying to save the family farm, which has been in the family for generations, but is also trying to save his father from dying of cancer. Amy, who is visiting for the weekend, is trying to overcome the grief of having just lost her mother. They accidentally meet, in a most unusual manner. I did enjoy this book because I like the characters in the story. I thought that the story was interesting and that the history in the book was believable. I found the history about World War II interesting and it encouraged me to try to find out more.

Mrs. Ramsay throws a dinner party and does her best to make the evening go smoothly. As a devoted housewife, Mrs. Ramsay delights in her parties and dotes on her guests, especially the men, whom she sees as burdened by life's worries.

During the course of the afternoon, Paul proposes to Minta, Lily begins her painting, Mrs. Ramsay soothes the resentful James, and Mr. Ramsay frets over his shortcomings as a philosopher, periodically turning to Mrs. Ramsay for comfort. That evening, the Ramsays host a seemingly ill-fated dinner party. Paul and Minta are late returning from their walk on the beach with two of the Ramsays’ children. Lily bristles at outspoken comments made by Charles Tansley, who suggests that women can neither paint nor write. Mr. Ramsay reacts rudely when Augustus Carmichael, a poet, asks for a second plate of soup. As the night draws on, however, these missteps right themselves, and the guests come together to make a memorable evening. Art also serves as a unifying force in the novel. Lily hopes to weave together various artistic elements, people, and ideas into one unified product through her artwork. She struggles with Mrs. Ramsay's portrait so much because she can't distinguish her idea of Mrs. Ramsay from the "true" Mrs. Ramsay. When Lily realizes that reality is subjective and all of the different identities of Mrs. Ramsay are valid and unify into the complex person that she knew, Lily is finally able to bring her portrait to life. Art is about unifying various ideas into one single, permanent product. To the Lighthouse Feminist Criticism Pentru el ca poet, frumusetea naturii si a chipurilor omenesti nu fusese niciodata suficienta. Intotdeauna avusese nevoie de atelierul mizerabil de zdrente si oase al inimii, ca si Yeats." The town is alive with curiosity, bringing everyone out to see it. Amy meets Ryan, a local owner of a horse farm, and an immediate connection forms.

The Lamplighters was possibly inspired by the mystery of Flannan Isles Lighthouse, when three lighthouse keepers vanished from their station. This particular novel is set in Cornwall in 1972 when three keepers vanish from a remote lighthouse. What happened to them? The Light Between Oceans by M L Stedman

To sum up, The Lighthouse had a promising start only to end up flat towards the end. Also, I felt the lighthouse wasn’t used to its full potential. It was more of a convenient prop when it could have been a lot, lot more.