Based on real people and the real event of the Forfarshire shipwreck in 1838, this book expertly weaves the story of Grace Darling, who aided with the rescue of the survivors of the shipwreck, with a tale set in 1938, following 19 year old Matilda who is shipped off to America to have her illegitimate baby out of sight of her parent’s society gossips.
Both parts of the story are beautifully written and wind around each other so well, with fact and fiction weaved effortlessly. I do love books with dual timelines, and this one was dealt with so well. I loved both parts of the story and enjoyed the way they complemented each other. It’s something that Hazel Gaynor does well – I have also read The Cottingley Secret which was similar, and if you enjoyed that, The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter will be your perfect next read.

THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER’S DAUGHTER by Hazel Gaynor is an absolutely stunning, sad, moving, heartwarming, and an excellent historical fiction novel. I enjoyed this book very much.

Lovely book, really enjoyed the two time lines which was done really well. I love biographical fiction so I enjoyed the Grace Darling story and it was enhanced by the later narrative in 1938.

This is a dual timeline story based on some real events and characters. It is fictional as the author created a life for the characters outside of what she was able to research. In 1838, a ship exploded just off Farne Islands and Grace and her father rowed out to the rocks to save the survivors. She became famous with songs, stories and plays being written about her. She also had a personal life in the story where she falls in love with a man that is already engaged and honorably stands aside so he can follow through with his commitment. The second storyline is set in 1938, with one of the characters based on an actual female lighthouse keeper in Rhode Island. Her young cousin is pregnant and unmarried, so her parents send her to the US to have the baby and give it up for adoption. Once there, events occur that make Mathilda change her mind.

I loved the strong women in this book. They were smart, independent women who were willing to do what they needed to for love and loyalty. This is a story of following your dreams, self-forgiveness, love and family. I enjoyed both settings and stories, but I did enjoy Grace's story more than Mathilda's. Hazel Gaynor's writing is beautiful. The descriptions of life in the lighthouse gave them a life of their own, almost like another character in the story. The islands, the isolation, the gifts from the sea, the storms all added to the atmosphere of the story. This was a wonderful story that I very much enjoyed and definitely recommend to those who enjoy historical fiction, especially where women are strong and accomplished.

The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter is an enchanting read. I've always been interested in the incredible story of Grace Darling, one of the most well-known Victorian heroines, whose life was fascinating enough even without her heroic rescue. Her story is told in parallel with that of Matilda a century later in the 1930s, who has been forced to travel from Ireland to America to avoid a scandal. She is drawn to the sea, to the lighthouse, and when she discovers a portrait, to Grace. Hazel Gaynor writes beautifully, lyrically and so elegantly. This is a deeply moving and memorable novel.

This book was everything I expected and much much more! Atmospheric , romantic and tragic and always with that thread of historical truth running through it like a seam of salt

I remember learning about Grace Darling many years ago when I was at primary school, and for some reason he image of her rowing across the wild sea in the moonlight has stayed with me. I loved Hazel Gaynor’s ‘The Cottingley Secret’, another novel that mixes fiction with reality, and this novel further establishes her as one of my favourite authors.
This is a really gorgeous book, beautifully and sensitively written. It tells the story of Grace, living with her close-knit family in the lighthouse on Longstone, who helps her father in a dramatic and dangerous rescue one night, which leads to an unwanted celebrity. We also follow the story of Matilda, alone and scared, sent by her family across the sea in shame, to live with an aunt she doesn’t know – a lighthouse keeper. The two women’s stories are threaded together, the narrative moving from 1838 to 1938 effortlessly, with compelling and honest characters and a poignant, arresting storyline.
One of my bugbears with women portrayed in historical fiction is that they often act outside of what wold have been allowed without repercussions. Often they are ‘feisty’. Grace and Matilda are definitely ‘strong’ women, but their lives are controlled and defined by convention – the author portrays them as finding ways to live within that and be true to themselves rather than allowing them unrealistic happy endings.
I loved the portrayal of Grace especially. There’s a real warmth and respect that comes across very clearly, without Grace being perfect. The ramifications of her bravery and celebrity are shown honestly, and shed a whole new light on her story.
A really lovely book and definitely recommended.

Interesting to learn about Grace Darling. This novel split across two.time periods was a powerful and emotional read

This book takes p,place between 1938 & 1838.

1838: Grace's father is a lighthouse keeper but Grace knows the job just as well as her father does. Sarah Dawson is just 22 years old,. She is sailing to Scotland with her two young children. She recently lost a a y, then her husband. As the ship gets near it's destination, a storm hits. The ship is destroyed and Sarah and her children end up in the sea. Grace and her father set out in a rowing boat, but by the time they got to Sarah, the children have died.

1938: Matilda Emmerson is leaving Ireland in disgrace. She is travelling with her companion to New York. She is pregnant and has to stay with Harriet, a reclusive lighthouse keeper until the baby is born. The child was to be put up for adoption. While at the lighthouse, Matilda sorts through an old chest. She learns all about Grace Darling and the connection between them.

This story is based on the story of Grace Darling, who was a heroine of her time. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are endearing. The story skips back and forth between the two timelines. They both tied together beautifully at the end. The story is well written and I was drawn in from the first few pages. A story of both joy and sorrow. I do recommend this book.

I would like to thank Netgalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and the author Hazel Gaynor for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

~ I was given a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review, I'm not associated with the author or publisher in any way and the views expressed are completely unbiased and entirely my own. ~

My rating: 3*

'The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter' by Hazel Gaynor is a well-written historical fiction told via dual timelines.
It was a fast, easy read since the interwoven tales of these womens lives were very compelling. While overall an enjoyable read, I've settled on a three star rating because for me this novel suffered regarding focus in terms of it's characters. As well as Grace and Matilda, who's timelines we follow, other characters from within each timeline are also given a POV which to me wasn't really necessary. They are essentially secondary characters and the result was that the story was spread a little thin at times and was therefore less impactful than it should have been given how solid the actual writing is and how interesting the lives of the characters are.

~ Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this title ~

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter by Hazel Gaynor was a historical novel based on the story of Grace Darling in 1838 and another young woman’s story of becoming a lighthouse keeper in 1938. Both women’s fictional stories were fascinating and encapsulated the times in which they lived vividly. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book which was fascinating and captured the lives of woman in those eras.

A brilliant book. Iam amazed how this author manages to bring the characters to life.
This is a powerful beautifully written novel full of emotion
I particularly enjoyed this book as it is based in the area where I grew up as a child

I really enjoyed this book. Part history and part romance. I knew of Grace Darling but not the 'hype' around her after her heroic deeds. It shows that the world of journalism has not really changed! The information about light houses has permeated too.

Being from the North East of England, Grace Darling is something of a local heroine, but although I remember hearing her story at school, I couldn’t really have told you very much about her. Hazel Gaynor is an author I’ve been interested in reading for a while and I already have one of her previous books, The Cottingley Secret, on the TBR, but when I saw that her latest book, The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter, was about Grace Darling I thought it might be a better one for me to start with.

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter is divided between two different time periods, but unlike most dual timeline novels where one storyline is set in the past and the other in the present, both periods in this book are historical. One thread begins in 1838 and introduces us to Grace, a young woman whose father runs the lighthouse on Longstone Island, one of the Farne Islands just off the coast of Northumberland. The family live with him at the lighthouse and although it’s an isolated, unconventional lifestyle, Grace loves it and can’t imagine living anywhere else. One night, she helps her father with a rescue when a paddle steamer, the Forfarshire, gets into trouble during a storm and is wrecked on the rocks. News of Grace’s bravery quickly reaches the public and suddenly she finds herself the centre of attention, but all she wants is to continue living a quiet, simple life in her beloved lighthouse…how will she cope with her unexpected fame?

The other storyline is set in America in 1938 and follows Matilda, a young Irish woman who has been sent away from home in disgrace after becoming pregnant. Matilda is staying with an older relative, Harriet, who happens to be a lighthouse keeper in Newport, Rhode Island. At first she finds Harriet unwelcoming and difficult to talk to, but as she gets to know her better she starts to understand what has made Harriet the person she is.

I was interested in both storylines, but although it was the promise of learning more about Grace Darling that drew me to this book, I think I preferred reading about Matilda. To be honest, I didn’t feel that there was much difference between the narrative voices of Grace and Matilda, especially considering that they were living in different centuries, but of the two I felt closer to Matilda and more emotionally invested in her story. I wanted to understand the nature of her relationship with Harriet and I enjoyed watching that aspect of the story unfold, as well as discovering the connections between Matilda and Grace. Grace’s chapters deal mostly with the events of the sea rescue and the unwanted, unlooked for fame she experiences in the aftermath, but the author also imagines a romance for her, which feels believable and is also quite moving and poignant.

There was some added interest for me in that I was familiar with so many of the places which form the setting for Grace’s story, including North Sunderland, Seahouses, Alnwick and Bamburgh. The Matilda sections are more fictional, but do also incorporate some real places and events such as the New England Hurricane of 1938. Although there were one or two small things that stopped me from enjoying this book as much as I would have liked to – particularly the use of present tense, which I almost always find annoying – overall I thought this was a good, interesting read. I’m looking forward to reading more by Hazel Gaynor, starting with The Cottingley Secret.

I really liked this novel it is a mixture of fact and fiction mostly set in Northumberland. It was lovely to be able to picture the places mentioned in the Grace Darling parts of the story.
It is a classic two time frame story set in 19th century Northumberland and 20th century America. It follows the life of Grace Darling after her famous sea rescue of survivors of the shipwreck of the ship the Forfarshire and the new life of pregnant Mathilda who is shipped off to America to have her baby so as not to bring shame on her family and the links down the ages of the two girls. Perfect for fans of Kirsty Ferry and Kathryn Hughes.

An absolutely beautiful book by Hazel Gaynor. I loved it from start to finish and read it one sitting! I loved how it was inspired by a real heroine. Looking forward to reading more from the author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC

I saw this book everywhere when it was first released. I saw rave reviews and my interest was piqued. I do read a lot of historical fiction and this one seemed like something I would enjoy.

The best part of the book, something I definitely need to mention up front is the writing. The author has the ability to weave words in such a way that the story seems very deep and colourful. The emotions are also very vivid. That said, I felt like there were too many narratives which had me torn with my loyalty. We have Grace and Sarah in the past: 1838 and we have Matilda and Harriet in the present. We also have George (Sarah's brother) with his own voice in the past timeline. All of these people are so well written, with their own grievances, joys, and sorrows that it became a little hard for me to decide on whom to shower my maximum attention on. 

In the current timeline of 1938 we have Matilda travelling to USA to have her baby in secret. She learns a lot through the entire journey, another thing she learns is that her assessment of people may not always be the right one. She is to live with a distant relative, Harriet. Harry is a lighthouse Keeper and this seems to be the common vein running through the entire book because the past storyline, in 1838 focuses on a real woman Light Keeper named Grace. Grace is torn between her love for her place with the lighthouse and the way futures are dictated by norms that have no place for her emotions. One courageous act turns her life upside down. There is a lot packed into the tale, multiple families, multiple losses and a lot of hopes. If the writing was not as good as it was I might not have enjoyed unpacking it all.

I would recommend this to readers of the historical fiction genre because we can glean a lot about the social behaviours of the time as well as how people led their daily lives.

Salty air, waves crashing against the rocks, the majestic light showing the way, who doesn't enjoy being by the sea?
This is a lovely story, written at a calm pace. Meet the women who have worked the lighthouse for decades.
Through gentle breezes and devastating storms we learn of their strength and courage as it's being tested by the elements. There is laughter and hurt, sea and shells and a surprise event that arrives in waves.
Even through some harsh tides, this is a feel good novel of friendship, care and compassion, set in a breathtaking environment. A wonderful read.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book!

It is a very well researched and elegantly written story inspired by true events. The characters are well drawn and the writing sublime.

This is the first book I have read by Hazel Gaynor but it definitely won't be the last.

I highly recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction.

In 1838 a dreadful storm occurs on the Northumberland coast. The paddle steamer Forfarshire fell victim to the storm and Grace Darling and her Lighthouse Keeper father battled the elements and rescued the survivors. Grace becomes celebrated throughout all of England and farther afield. Her bravery also brings her closer to George, whose sister is one of the survivor, an artist who captures both her character and her heart.In 1938 Matilda Emmerson is sent to America to stay with her relative, Lighthouse Keeper, Harriet Flaherty. Matilda discovers a portrait that links to her past and unearths secrets that have a profound effect on her future.I loved this book and couldn't put it down. I look forward to reading much more from Hazel Gaynor. I am, without question, a fan of her work.