From The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home comes a historical novel inspired by true events, and the extraordinary female lighthouse keepers of the past two hundred years.
“They call me a heroine, but I am not deserving of such accolades. I am just an ordinary young woman who did her duty.”
1838: Northumberland, England. Longstone Lighthouse on the Farne Islands has been Grace Darling’s home for all of her twenty-two years. When she and her father rescue shipwreck survivors in a furious storm, Grace becomes celebrated throughout England, the subject of poems, ballads, and plays. But far more precious than her unsought fame is the friendship that develops between Grace and a visiting artist. Just as George Emmerson captures Grace with his brushes, she in turn captures his heart.
1938: Newport, Rhode Island. Nineteen-years-old and pregnant, Matilda Emmerson has been sent away from Ireland in disgrace. She is to stay with Harriet, a reclusive relative and assistant lighthouse keeper, until her baby is born. A discarded, half-finished portrait opens a window into Matilda’s family history. As a deadly hurricane approaches, two women, living a century apart, will be linked forever by their instinctive acts of courage and love.
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“Gaynor uses rich language and metaphors to convey the inner lives of the women through their experiences suffused with tragedy. Readers seeking a deep examination of bravery in the face of grief and the strength of women in families will appreciate this title.”
— Library Journal
“A splendid read—The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter is not to be missed!”
— Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author“Lighthouse keeping, courage, and a complicated family history connect two women living a century apart.”
— Publishers Weekly“Hazel Gaynor’s skillful artistry as a storyteller glitters like the sun.”
— Susan Meissner, author of As Bright as HeavenHazel Gaynor is an award-winning author whose works have made the USA Today and Irish Times bestsellers list. Her novels have been shortlisted for the 2020 Irish Book Awards.
Imogen Church, an Earphones Award-winning narrator, trained as an actress at the Drama Centre London, under Christopher Fettes, Yat Malmgren, and Reuven Adiv. Since graduating, she has worked extensively in theater, film, commercials, and comedy sketch work, and she also works regularly as a voice artist. As a screenwriter, her first screenplay won the 2009 award for Best Feature Screenplay at the Reel Women Film Festival in Los Angeles.