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eurydycja's review against another edition
5.0
O ludzie. Ludzie wzdychający do morza, kochający jego surowość i tajemniczość - zakochacie się w tej książce, jak ja.
Napięcie nie opadające od początku do końca, zmienianie perspektyw, opisy w niebanalnych formach, wodzenie czytelnika za nos, balansowanie na granicy realności, i tego czy linia światów została przekroczona, czy to tylko umysł chorego człowieka... I te piękne cytaty, mnóstwo zużytych znaczników.
Cudowna książka, poczułam morską sól na policzku
Napięcie nie opadające od początku do końca, zmienianie perspektyw, opisy w niebanalnych formach, wodzenie czytelnika za nos, balansowanie na granicy realności, i tego czy linia światów została przekroczona, czy to tylko umysł chorego człowieka... I te piękne cytaty, mnóstwo zużytych znaczników.
Cudowna książka, poczułam morską sól na policzku
lenasabindawson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
the_sunken_library's review against another edition
4.0
This is really 4.5 stars for me.
Beautifully written, this haunting prose explores the mystery of three vanishing lighthouse keepers and those left behind.
Loved it - only left bothered by an unexplained and thoroughly suspicious briefcase!
Beautifully written, this haunting prose explores the mystery of three vanishing lighthouse keepers and those left behind.
Loved it - only left bothered by an unexplained and thoroughly suspicious briefcase!
professorchickpea's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
debmo79's review against another edition
3.0
If you are going to write a multi-POV story, then you need to work hard to distinguish between the different character voices. The author likes to use a lot of very beautiful and evocative imagery - which is wonderful, but it works better with some characters then others. Multiple times I found myself saying 'That character said/thought that? Really?' Every time it happened it pulled me out of the story, and led to me feeling strangely disconnected from the book, in the process. It's a shame, because the core concept was excellent - and Emma Stonex is clearly a talented writer.
josiemorrison's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
justinkhchen's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 stars
An unexpectedly chatty slow-burn, I went into The Lamplighters expecting a claustrophobic, moody story centering around isolation and dread, leading to the disappearance of 3 lighthouse keepers from their station. While the novel IS partially that, one can argue its main narrative intent lands solidly in the domestic thriller genre. Told through multiple perspectives (the 3 men and their wives) and in 2 timelines (pre-disppearance and 20 years later), the novel slowly unravels the tangled relationships between its 6 main characters.
The horror/supernatural element is definitely present and effective, however, it is used metaphorically to represent manifestation of a character's fraught psyche — readers expecting an actual haunted location with a deep lore will undoubtedly be let down by this execution. With the plot revolving heavily around the typical infidelity and familial drama, I can't deny feeling The Lamplighters greatly under-utilizes its unique setting, and not being provocative enough with its interpretation of the real life source material.
Despite The Lamplighters being not at all the ghostly tale I wanted, and remains slightly unsatisfactory even judging by what it ends up being (the final reveal lacks conviction), I was still hooked throughout, thanks to the strong character building, unique framework (the bookend is quite effective), and the excellently produced audiobook (The Lamplighters is very monologue driven and stream-of-consciousness heavy, which would've been quite dull have I read it physically — the narrators' performance definitely brought it to life). I can see some readers (those who enjoy domestic thrillers, but want a change of setting) will like this quite a bit!
An unexpectedly chatty slow-burn, I went into The Lamplighters expecting a claustrophobic, moody story centering around isolation and dread, leading to the disappearance of 3 lighthouse keepers from their station. While the novel IS partially that, one can argue its main narrative intent lands solidly in the domestic thriller genre. Told through multiple perspectives (the 3 men and their wives) and in 2 timelines (pre-disppearance and 20 years later), the novel slowly unravels the tangled relationships between its 6 main characters.
The horror/supernatural element is definitely present and effective, however, it is used metaphorically to represent manifestation of a character's fraught psyche — readers expecting an actual haunted location with a deep lore will undoubtedly be let down by this execution. With the plot revolving heavily around the typical infidelity and familial drama, I can't deny feeling The Lamplighters greatly under-utilizes its unique setting, and not being provocative enough with its interpretation of the real life source material.
Despite The Lamplighters being not at all the ghostly tale I wanted, and remains slightly unsatisfactory even judging by what it ends up being (the final reveal lacks conviction), I was still hooked throughout, thanks to the strong character building, unique framework (the bookend is quite effective), and the excellently produced audiobook (The Lamplighters is very monologue driven and stream-of-consciousness heavy, which would've been quite dull have I read it physically — the narrators' performance definitely brought it to life). I can see some readers (those who enjoy domestic thrillers, but want a change of setting) will like this quite a bit!
luckythirteenx's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
tesst's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25