There is absolutely nothing about this book that I should like; it's set in the middle of nowhere, it has very detailed descriptions of the working of a lighthouse, nothing happens for ages, it's set on an island/rock in the middle of the sea with only a very few characters alone for most of the book, it centres around the need to have a baby, it's got a romance as one of the central themes. It is like the anti-Sarah novel and yet I liked it. Any author who can make me continue reading a book this boring is a genius.

I kind of understood the big moral dilemma because the wife has had not just miscarriages but still births, and not only that but she's isolated on a rock with no medical help and she's losing her mind. So when the baby turns up (not a spoiler as I think it's on the blurb on the back of the book) I can understand why she would want to keep that baby and as her husband loves her why he would let her. Then it all goes to hell in a hand basket and there are absolutely no winners.

I thought the writing was beautiful and all the wildlife and fauna were so alien to me, never having been to Australia I found it really interesting. I would very carefully recommend this book because it isn''t for everyone and I'm half convinced it was a total fluke that I liked it. Also I haven't come across so many books set between the wars so that also intrigued me. Take from this rambling what you will.