Review: The Lightkeeper's Wife by Sarah Anne Johnson

Title: The Lightkeeper's Wife
Author: Sarah Anne Johnson
Format: ARC
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Publish Date: September 9, 2014
Source: I received a copy from the publisher; however, this did not affect my review.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "Alone on the tip of the cape, Hannah Snow is on the verge of her most heroic rescue yet.

On 19th century Cape Cod, Hannah Snow shouldn't even be in the water. Her husband, John, would be furious-it's his job to tend to Dangerfield Light. It's certainly not women's work, and his quick trips out of town don't give her permission to rush toward the tattered ships. But she does, and though she can't save everyone, William "Billy" Pike, is someone she can. He's recuperating in her care when John's horse is found abandoned. Hannah invites Billy to stay as a hired hand-but soon discovers that he is not at all whom she thought he was. When everything holding her together falls apart, can Hannah learn how to save herself?"

My Two Cents:

In "The Lightkeeper's Wife," Hannah has only been married to John for a couple years. Their marriage is fairly comfortable but Hannah finds herself wanting to be able to do more to help run the lighthouse where they live. However, it is the 19th century and during that time, that is really a man's job so her husband is not happy to have her help at all, which means that it is very boring for Hannah. One night, Hannah helps rescue a man who is very lost himself and her life will never be the same after that. Her husband abandons her and she is left with Billy, the man she saves.

 This is a very quiet book that looks out one woman's resilience in the face of adversity. Hannah is left alone to fend for herself and as we see in the book, she tries to do a good job and in some ways succeeds and in some ways does not succeed. I really found her character to be interesting because she is so brave and unafraid no matter what happens to her on the small island.

This book is so much more then its synopsis; it's not only the story of a marriage, but it is the story of a woman having to deal with dangerous elements with nature and man created. I like how the other was able to create a sense of drama surrounding the people who visit the island. I really thought that was done well. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.