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The Lighthouse Keeper
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52 new or used available from CDN$ 0.01
Average customer review:
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Product Description
From the acclaimed author of The Last Valentine comes an unforgettable story about family, loss, and eternal love. Bestselling writer James Michael Pratt once again touches our emotions and our spirit as only a great writer can...
Ten-year-old Peter O'Banyon's life changes forever when his family dies in an accident. Orphaned, he goes to live with his garrulous Uncle Billie, the keeper of the Port Hope Island Lighthouse in Massachusetts. There, as the beacon leads sailors home, Peter learns an astonishing truth about Billie's past-- and the power of love. This message guides Peter's life, even when World War II's brutality rocks his faith, even when he returns to his young bride and an unimaginable tragedy. Now, in the final days of his own life, Peter needs to pass on the lighthouse keeper's secrets to his own daughter, but to do it may take nothing less than a miracle...
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #911098 in Books
- Published on: 2001-02-15
- Original language: English
- Binding: Mass Market Paperback
- 320 pages
Editorial Reviews
From Amazon.com
Off the coast of Massachusetts, a sturdy lighthouse and its inhabitants weather the storms of life. Over three generations, the O'Banyon clan finds solace in the firm walls of the Port Hope lighthouse, and learns to "keep a light on" for each other.
In the present day, daughter Kathleen O'Banyon returns to be with her aging father, Peter, in the now retired lighthouse. As Peter reminisces about the past and his childhood with Uncle Billie, we are drawn into a family saga full of tragedy and inspiration. Through two world wars, illness, and premature deaths, the O'Banyon family has learned to trust and love fearlessly. As the characters and the readers soon learn, to be a good lighthouse keeper you must take care of not only those you love, but the "light inside yer bosom," as well.
Not for the schmaltz-allergic crowd, this nostalgic feast of emotion and sincerity could warm up your heart on an arctic vacation. Like Nicholas Sparks, James Michael Pratt knows where the heartstrings are, and plays them with all the subtlety of Tchaikovsky. But go ahead--no one is watching. Pull up the covers and let the sappiness seduce you! --Nancy R.E. O'Brien
From Library Journal
This is a novel with a message, but, fortunately, it's not too heavy-handed until it comes to the credits, where it gets a bit sentimental. Otherwise, this is a good tale that draws the listener in, no matter how jaded or cynical. This is not about lighthouses at all but rather a three-generation saga about an Irish American family who find some meaning in being the keepers of Port Hope Lighthouse. Peter O'Banyon, racked with cancer, is telling his life story to his artist daughter as they visit the lighthouse for the last time. After losing his parents in a terrible car crash, Peter was raised by his Uncle Billie, who came to be keeper of the lighthouse after the death of his own wife and young son. Billie keeps a log and finds that keeping the light burning is really a metaphor for keeping hope alive. James Daniels does a good job of making each character come to life and providing just the right amount of drama. Don't listen to learn accurate information about lighthouses; this isn't history but rather a pleasant, uplifting experience. Recommended for all public libraries. Nancy Paul, Brandon P.L., WI
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From AudioFile
Love, faith, light and the sea, unchanging, everlasting, nourish the soul throughout generations. The O'Banyon family, first from Ireland and later Massachusetts, record its legacy of love in a worn light-keeper's log, begun when Billie O'Banyon becomes Port Hope's first lighthouse keeper after WWI. His story continues through the life of his nephew, Peter, and Peter's daughter, Kathleen. James Daniels gently tells of brilliant joy and blackest sorrow. While his Irish, New Jersey and other accents are competent enough, he thankfully refrains from overperformance. Delicate piano music underneath the text warns of an ending tape and enhances the experience of the story. The entire production is marked with an elegant simplicity that leaves the listener remembering the story and its lessons for a very long time. R.P.L. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
