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    The Lightkeeper's Daughters: A Novel
    The Lightkeeper's Daughters: A Novel
    The Lightkeeper's Daughters: A Novel
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Lightkeeper's Daughters: A Novel

    Written by Jean E. Pendziwol

    Narrated by Dara Rosenberg, Dawn Harvey and Tom Parks

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    With the haunting atmosphere and emotional power of The Language of Flowers, Orphan Train, and The Light Between Oceans, critically acclaimed children’s author Jean E. Pendziwol’s adult debut is an affecting story of family, identity, and art that involves a decades-old mystery.

    Though her mind is still sharp, Elizabeth’s eyes have failed. No longer able to linger over her beloved books or gaze at the paintings that move her spirit, she fills the void with music and memories of her family, especially her beloved twin sister, Emily. When her late father’s journals are discovered after an accident, the past suddenly becomes all too present.

    With the help of Morgan, a delinquent teenager performing community service at her senior home, Elizabeth goes through the diaries, a journey through time that brings the two women closer together. Entry by entry, these unlikely friends are drawn deep into a world far removed from their own, to Porphyry Island on Lake Superior, where Elizabeth’s father manned the lighthouse and raised his young family seventy years before.

    As the words on these musty pages come alive, Elizabeth and Morgan begin to realize that their fates are connected to the isolated island in ways they never dreamed. While the discovery of Morgan’s connection sheds light onto her own family mysteries, the faded pages of the journals will shake the foundation of everything Elizabeth thinks she knows and bring the secrets of the past into the light.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJul 4, 2017
    ISBN9780062681607
    Author

    Jean E. Pendziwol

    JEAN E. PENDZIWOL’S highly acclaimed picture books include When I Listen to Silence, illustrated by Carmen Mok; I Found Hope in a Cherry Tree, illustrated by Nathalie Dion; Me and You and the Red Canoe, illustrated by Phil; and Once Upon a Northern Night, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault (finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award and the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award). She lives in Northwestern Ontario on the shores of Lake Superior.

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    Reviews for The Lightkeeper's Daughters

    4/5

    119 ratings14 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Elizabeth is old and frailwith declining eyesight and about to die. With the help of of Morgan a deliquent teenager performing community service at the home, Elizabeth delves into the diaries left to her by her father.
    • 4/5
      Morgan, a troubled teenager is sent to a retirement home to paint a fence that she graffitied on. Whilst there she befriends an elderly lady, Miss Livingstone. They form a friendship as Morgan reads to Miss Livingstone her father's journals.I quite enjoyed this family tale of a set of twins growing up in a Lighthouse with their family. The story goes back in time and the reader see the twins grow up and what happened to them.This book is was quite entertaining and for me I enjoy a family story, and of course there is a big secret that will get revealed The story was a light and easy read but when it came to the reveal I sort of guessed part of it but not all. This book was a pleasant read and I did enjoy it very much.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic historical fiction novel! I could not put this one down at all and was surprised with all of the twists to the story. Strongly recommending this book and author.
    • 5/5
      This book had everything that I (and my Followers) love – so much so that I’m going to sound very cliché: history, mystery, and atmosphere in spades.

      Elizabeth, a twin and one of the titular lightkeeper’s daughters, is now elderly and living in a nursing home. Her estranged brother’s boat has recently been found shipwrecked on a nearby shore. An old friend, who found Charles’s boat, arranges for Elizabeth to receive her father’s (the lightkeeper in question) personal journals that were found on the Wind Dancer. With me so far? As she is blind, Elizabeth talks Morgan, a teenage girl doing community service at the nursing home, into reading Elizabeth the diaries to her; she’s looking to unravel a mysterious secret buried deep within her family. Will Elizabeth find what she is looking for? And in what other surprising ways is Morgan herself linked to the goings-on?

      Told in dual timelines, of sorts, between the present-day interactions with Elizabeth and Morgan, and Morgan’s reading the decades old journals to Elizabeth, The Lightkeeper’s Daughters had me enraptured from start to finish. Highly recommended for lovers of historical fiction and book club readers. Add the book to your TBR list today and then drop me a Comment below to let me know what you thought of it!
    • 4/5
      Really enjoyed this read. Fast paced with a few good twists that I didn't expect. This is all about family and relationships and connections that are unexpected. It spans a full life and brings in other characters to tell a story that has been partially lost. It is told from two points of view and I believe the younger character Morgan's story could have been a little better developed (seemed a bit stereotypical and predictable). But other than that it was well written and engaging and a great read for a recent vacation I went on!
    • 4/5
      “I find sometimes it’s better not to know the end before the beginning”An historical fiction, inspired by some true events, exploring the life a lightkeeper and his family living in partial isolation on Lake Superior. After the discovery of the lightkeeper's journals, his daughter Elizabeth, now elderly, blind and living in a nursing home, enlists the help of Morgan, a troubled teenager, to recount the tales of her childhood, revealing an unexpected family secret. This was easy to read and perfectly slow-paced, whilst surprising engrossing. Although the plot was quite obvious from the start, there was an unexpected twist which I loved. The story was atmospheric, the characters well-constructed, with enough detail to keep me hooked. I particularly liked how Elizabeth spoke her mind in a brazen way that only the elderly can truly get away with. The author easily flowed between the past and the present, with vivid descriptions showing just how tough life could be when living in isolation in such a harsh environment. Yet the author also managed to make growing up on Lake Superior appear spellbindingly enchanted, even in the deadliest of winters. When reading historical fiction, I’m usually drawn more to one element than the other, but on this occasion, I equally enjoyed both storylines. Knowing that journals from a genuine lightkeeper were used as inspiration made this all the more special. I’m not sure if this has been made into a movie, if not it should be.
    • 4/5
      The Lightkeeper's Daughters is a stark story full of silences and turbulence, secrets and revelations, initiated through Elizabeth, an aged woman who is blind, and Morgan, the girl who serves community service for misdemeanors by being a companion to Elizabeth.Insert into this unlikely relationship the discovery of Elizabeth's father's journals, found aboard a shipwreck, and we're taken into the hardships of a family isolated as the lighthouse keepers on Prophyry Island.Pendziwol handles the two timelines extremely well, alternating between the exigencies of life in a lighthouse in the 1920s, and the present, building the mystery of Elizabeth's past along with the development of a meaningful relationship with her recalcitrant helper, who is nearer to her than either of them realize.The writing is vivid, deft, never precious, Pendziwol's understanding of the duplicity of Superior's northern shore intimate and credible. This is one of those rare books which brings together all the fine elements of writer's craft.
    • 4/5
      4.5 stars.

      Weaving back and forth in time, The Lightkeeper's Daughters by Jean E. Pendziwol is a poignant novel about an elderly woman's childhood on Porphyry Island and the troubled teen who helps her piece together long ago events from her past.

      After her beloved grandfather death, Morgan Fletcher becomes a ward of the state. After becoming involved with a bad crowd, she is caught spraying graffiti on the fence of an assisted living facility. Handed a community service sentence to clean up her handiwork, Morgan meets Elizabeth Livingstone, who lives in the facility. After living abroad for much of adult life, Elizabeth wanted to spend her remaining years close to Lake Superior and the island where she grew up. The recent discovery of the personal diaries her father kept while he was the lightkeeper on Porphyry Island leaves her hopeful she will finally find answers about her childhood. However, due to her failing eyesight, Elizabeth asks Morgan to read the entries to her. Will Elizabeth find the answers she is searching for? And by helping Elizabeth, will Morgan find a measure of happiness that has eluded her since her grandfather passed away?

      Life has not been easy for Morgan and past heartbreak has taught her not to become too attached to anyone.  She is currently on a somewhat self-destructive path after meeting Derrick, a young man who is only looking out for himself.  Morgan has a negative attitude when she begins her community service so she is surprised to find herself drawn to Elizabeth.  Intrigued by the unfolding drama as she reads the diary entries aloud, Morgan is quickly caught up the long ago events surrounding Elizabeth's life on Porphyry Island.

      Despite some very harsh living conditions, Elizabeth's childhood on Porphyry Island  was somewhat idyllic. She and her twin sister Emily were inseparable and  Elizabeth knew from a young age she needed to watch out for her artistically gifted but ever silent sibling.  During her childhood, an overheard conversation between her parents and her inexplicable discovery on a neighboring island raise several questions that Elizabeth never receives answers for.  Will Elizabeth find the truth about her past in her father's journals?

      The Lightkeeper's Daughters is an incredibly atmospheric story that is quite captivating. Morgan is initially quite prickly with a bad attitude but spending time with Elizabeth helps smooth over her rough edges. Elizabeth is incredibly patient with her new companion and her wry observations and keen insights are instrumental in Morgan's transformation.  Jean E. Pendziwol brings the past vibrantly to life through the journal entries and these glimpses into lightkeeping duties on an isolated island are quite fascinating and educational.  With surprising twists and turns, the novel comes to a heartwarming conclusion that will delight readers.
    • 5/5
      I loved how this story came together; how it was woven through time and generations. Women, past and present, who were brought together by chance yet were tied to each other in a bond stronger than blood.

      Highly recommend this book!

      Update: I originally gave this novel a 4 star review, which, for me, is an excellent review. I reserve 5 stars for books that are unforgettable, life-changing, or create moments in time, mind, or heart that the reader will forever be left with the impact of the words on the page. That’s a big challenge for an author. To achieve this using 26 letters strung together intricately in such a way to convey the emotions needed to reach the standards I require.

      The reason I changed this book to a 5 star? It just would not leave my mind. I wanted to open the pages and continue on with the story. I know how the book ended but it seems like there is so much I yearn to know about the characters, all of them. It’s not because the author did not develop them properly, but because she DID! You become invested in them and what to know more.

      Again, this book is a wonderful yet heartbreaking read. Please don’t let it pass you by.
    • 5/5
      The story is told by two narrators. First, we have the perspective of Morgan, a teenage girl, being raised in foster homes after the death of her grandfather. When she tags a fence at a senior residence, she is given community service at the home. Reluctantly she begins to scrape and repaint the fence. While completing her job, she meets a blind, resident named Elizabeth. While talking to her, she finds out she used to live on Porphyry Island with her parents, brothers and twin sister Emily. Her father was the lighthouse keeper and his journals have just been delivered to Elizabeth, having been found in the beached boat belonging to her brother Charlie. Elizabeth is the second narrator of this story. It is told in two timelines, the past being read from the journals and being told from Elizabeth's memories, and then there is the growing relationship in the present between Morgan and Elizabeth.

      This is a beautifully written story. The setting is amazing, who wouldn't want to live in a lighthouse on an island in one of the largest lakes in North America, Lake Superior. The idea of the secrets that are written in the journals from the past, coming to light in this shared manner is intriguing. I loved how they were revealed, bit by bit, page by page. It wasn't until about halfway through the story that I began to suspect a few things, and a mystery began to reveal itself. I don't want to share anymore about this story, because I do not want to ruin this book for anyone. At first I found Morgan hard to take. She was crude, short tempered, and a bit nasty. Elizabeth was soft spoken, very sharp and could be a bit flippant when she wanted to be. Eventually, they became friends and learned to read each other very well. As they shared the history of Elizabeth, her family and Porphyry Island, they blended well, like they had known each other all their lives. Elizabeth's story is well written, and it was actually based on journals found in the lighthouse, although the real family was much larger. As the story went on, I developed a real empathy for both Morgan and Elizabeth. Their lives were irreparably changed by situations beyond their control, the love they had for family members and their will to survive and take care of things. It was easy to admire and respect both these women.

      This book was a family drama, historical fiction, and a mystery all woven together by a wonderful author that created a book that needs to be read slowly, digested and thought about. I read this book over several days, and am sad that it is now ended. This is the first book I read by Jean E. Pendziwol and this one was recommended to me by The Traveling Sisters. I am so glad I picked this one up.
    • 5/5
      This beautifully written novel by Ms. Jean Pendziwol was a revelation to me. It amazed me with it's beautifully written language, and the heartrending story of two twin sisters Emily and Elizabeth who grew up on the shores of Lake Superior. The descriptions of the Lake and the island where the lighthouse was located are so very beautifully written. It was indeed a magical place for two little girls to grow up. DaughterThe timeline begins in the early 20th century, and the story continues to the present day. They were born to the lightkeeper of Porphyry Island and his part Ojibwa wife. The book's narrative goes back and forth between two narrators (Elizabeth and Morgan), and between two time frames - 1930 and the present day. The novel flows easily between the narrators and timeframes, and weaves a magic spell as beautifully written fiction does. I was entranced and spellbound throughout and had to make sure I had tissues handy at the end. At first the almost blind elderly Elizabeth and the young 17 year old Morgan appear an unlikely pair, but they both sense a connection between them, and as the story progresses, the friendship and love grows between them. I cannot recommend this wonderful novel enough. It is so beautifully written and so believable. I was surprised to find out that this is Ms. Pendziwol's first adult work of fiction. She is noted as a children's author. "The wind was light but strong enough to fill our sail and send a trail of ripples out from the stern. The sea rolled, large, lumpy waves that heaved across the still surface and tumbled little "Sweet Pea" about like a cork." The Lightkeeper's Daughter - Jean E. PendziwolIt felt like I was in that little boat with Emily, Elizabeth and their brother Charlie. This is a truly wonderful novel with a beautiful story. I hope you will take the time to read it and be mesmerized like I was.
    • 5/5
      This was a great book and the audiobook was very well done. It was recommended by an online friend who also listens to audiobooks and she certainly didn't steer me wrong.In the early part of the twentieth century safe navigation of the Great Lakes depended on lighthouse signals. The lighthouse keeper on Porphyry Island near to Thunder Bay raised a family of four there and kept the lighthouse beacon and foghorn working. Two of the children were twin girls, Elizabeth and Emily. Elizabeth returned to Thunder Bay in her 80s and lives in a senior's residence. Morgan is a young orphan girl who has been found guilty of tagging the residence's fence. Her punishment is to strip the fence and repaint it and during her work on the fence she meets Elizabeth. As a result of a marine accident the private journals that Elizabeth's father kept have come into her hands but she can't read them. So she asks Morgan to read them to her hoping to learn something more about her family because there is a big secret having to do with her and her twin's birth. There is also something of a mystery about Morgan because she was raised by her grandfather and never really knew her parents. All she has is a violin and some lovely drawings; and now drawings by the same hand are displayed in Elizabeth's room. As Morgan reads to Elizabeth they start to draw close and they get some answers to their own questions.This book kept me guessing almost up to the last minute. Well done.
    • 5/5
      I loved this story about twins, Emily and Elizabeth, whose father is a lighthouse keeper on an island in Lake Superior. The twins are very close, exceptionally so given the remoteness of their home, and the fact that Emily doesn't speak. As the book opens, Elizabeth is an elderly woman losing her eyesight and living in a seniors' care home. Her father's journals have been discovered in a shipwrecked boat, and with the help of a delinquent teen (Morgan) who is doing community service at the home, Elizabeth learns about many secrets from her family's past. I don't want to say much about these to avoid giving any spoilers.I don't want to risk giving spoilers because the author has done an amazing job of weaving an intricate plot, dropping just enough clues to keep the reader wanting to know more. The setting itself (the island) really adds to the story by isolating the characters, making their secrets easier to keep and their ties to each other stronger. There are a few weak points in the book -- the motivations of Elizabeth's brother Charlie are never clear, and brother Peter is barely present in the story at all. But these are, in my view, minor concerns. An excellent read.
    • 5/5
      I came across this book while looking for something else and decided to give it a try. What a great book. About two sisters growing up during WWII on the Great Lakes. Told in past and present tense with the help of a in trouble teen that is tied in to the story. A great family story. The author did an excellent job keeping me interested throughout the book. This is the authors first book besides writing young kids books and she did an excellent job. I hope there are more to come.