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The Lightkeepers
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
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The Lightkeepers
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Summary
In The Lightkeepers, we follow Miranda, a nature photographer who travels to the Farallon Islands, an exotic and dangerous archipelago off the coast of California, for a one-year residency capturing the landscape. Her only companions are the scientists studying there, odd and quirky refugees from the mainland living in rustic conditions; they document the fish populations around the island, the bold trio of sharks called the Sisters that hunt the surrounding waters, and the overwhelming bird population that, at times, creates the need to wear hard hats as protection from their attacks.
Shortly after her arrival, Miranda is assaulted by one of the inhabitants of the islands. A few days later, her assailant is found dead, perhaps the result of an accident. As the novel unfolds, Miranda gives witness to the natural wonders of this special place as she grapples with what has happened to her and deepens her connection to (and her suspicions of) her companions, all while falling under the thrall of the legends of the place nicknamed "the Islands of the Dead". And when more violence occurs, each member of this strange community falls under suspicion.
The Lightkeepers upends the traditional structure of a mystery novel - an isolated environment, a limited group of characters who might not be trustworthy, a death that may or may not have been accidental, a balance of discovery and action - while also exploring wider themes of the natural world, the power of loss, and the nature of recovery. It is a luminous debut novel from a talented and provocative new writer.
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What listeners say about The Lightkeepers
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mrs AS Mallabar
- 18-05-23
Life on the edge and a few questionable decisions.
I really enjoy books narrated by Xe Sands, so I gave this one a listen and overall I was glad I did.
It’s a good story with an interesting theme. Set on a remote, windswept island off the coast of California, the story beautifully depicts the experiences of a small group of Biologists, living and working intimately amongst the nature of their wild surroundings.
The story is suspenseful, and maybe a little strange in parts. However, the author captures well both the experience of isolation and the ever-near awareness of the fragility of life in a place of such untamed beauty.
I didn’t like a certain decision made by the main character towards the end of the book, to lie about the truth of her unfolding situation. I can only assume the author has never experienced what the future fallout from such an ill-considered choice looks like!
Apart from that though, it was an intriguing and absorbing read.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 30-04-18
Narrator was bad, story was good.
Almost gave up on this book at the start because of the difficulty of hearing it. Xe’s style of reading meant that the ends of sentences tailed off & left me guessing what was being said. I read others criticisms on this before I started but the sample made me think it would be OK. It wasn’t. I really wanted to hear the story so I persevered & turned the volume up full blast which gave me a headache.
I love photography & wilderness so this was a perfect book for me. Abby creates an atmospheric world populated with interesting characters & a curious string of events. If this sounds interesting to you I’d advice buying the book!
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2 people found this helpful