The Lighthouse Keeper by Alan K. Baker

[gilda_elise]

Comments

[dancingpony]

😕 I really hate getting to the end of a book and having a major plot element left unexplained or unresolved.

[gilda_elise]

Yeah, I do, too. It can really spoil what, up to that point, is a fairly good book.

[lee_the_t]

It sounds interesting, but could you honestly say you recommend it?

[gilda_elise]

That's a hard one, because it does have a lot going for it. If someone didn't feel bogged down at the beginning (and that can be totally a person's point of view,) and wasn't one who insisted on an ending that ties up all the plot points, than, yeah, I could see some people really liking the book. And going by Goodreads, there are. But those were two sticking points for me.

[lee_the_t]

Thanks! I'll think about it - I will often surrender if a book is too slow at the beginning unless it's also REALLY well written - it was that alone which got me through Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, which was worth the effort (and it was an effort) - but it sounds like it might be worth it.

[gilda_elise]

If you can get through the beginning, I think you'll enjoy the book. Even the ending is a matter of taste.

[nakeisha]

Oddly enough, I'm not at all surprised it was the lighthouse keepers of the past who managed the situation better than the researchers of the present. I personally would have been surprised, had it been the other way around.

It's a shame it began so slowly and ended in an unresolved way, as it sounds like a very interesting book. One I probably would have tried. I like that kind of mystery.

[gilda_elise]

The lighthouse keepers, especially the oldest one, was more familiar with the strange things that can happen at sea (though nothing this strange!) And coming from a time that still took a lot on faith, it did make more sense for them to be able to handle the situation better.

I do, too. And you may find that those two points might not be such a problem for you. You may not think the beginning too slow, and be satisfied with the ending. Quite a few people on Goodreads felt that way.

[nakeisha]

Exactly my feelings re: the Lighthouse keepers.

I have now d/l'd a sample; so I'll find out if the beginning it too slow or not. If it isn't and I enjoy it then I'll get the book. As you say we all differ in what makes a book work for us - and I've found that I can be satisfied and unsatisfied with in effect the same thing in different books.

[gilda_elise]

Yeah, there's that, too. What really puts you off with one book, you find perfectly fine in another. So maybe you'll end up enjoying the book.

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[honor_reid]

That does sound good. I love isolated mystery/horror books. With these type of "unsolved" horror books I think it's how the author ends the book that really make or break if it works or not.

[gilda_elise]

I think so, too. I was all in until the ending. And, as I've said, that can be a matter of taste. Certainly many people of Goodreads liked it.