3.5 stars

Unmarried and pregnant, Matilda is 19-years old in 1938 when she is sent across the ocean to live with a distant relative in Rhode Island, Harriet, who watches the lighthouse there.

One hundred years earlier, in England, a storm washed up survivors of a shipwreck, including Sarah. Sarah’s two young children died in the wreck. Grace Darling is the lighthouse keeper’s daughter who saw the survivors still in the water, so she and her dad went to help them. Grace become a local hero after this. (And apparently, Grace Darling was a real person.)

Matilda has a book on keeping lighthouses that she brings with her. The inscription includes one from Grace to Sarah and Sarah to (a different) Matilda.

I listened to the audio and it was good. I did lose focus at times, but I think I caught the main happenings in the book. Harriet also kept secrets and it took time for her to open up to Matilda. I liked her, though she did seem “gruff” at times. I liked all the characters, really. The women were pretty tough and self-sufficient – or certainly tried/wanted to be as much as they could in their time periods. There were a lot of characters, though, and there were times that it took me a bit to figure out which time frame and character’s POV I was listening to. It did say when the POV changed, but since I know my mind wandered some plus putting away the audio and picking it up later sometimes made it a bit tricky. ( )

"Like the storms and the seasons, nothing stays the same forever."

1938. Newport, Rhode Island. Matilda Sarah Emmerson, 19, travels from Cobh, Ireland, to New York with a chaperone, a disgrace to her family, especially to her father, who has political aspirations. From New York, Matilda will travel to Newport, Rhode Island, to spend the remainder of her confinement with Harriet Flaherty, a relative responsible for the Rose Island Lighthouse.

1838. Farne Islands, off the coast of Northumberland, England. William Darling is Longstone Lighthouse’s lighthouse keeper, but it is his daughter Grace Horsley Darling who alerted her father that she saw a shipwreck and survivors in a storm still raging. Grace never wavered from the insistence that the individuals must be rescued.

After reading "A Memory of Violets," I knew I wanted to read not only more of the author's writing, but I look forward to reading every novel she writes, past and future. The books are beautifully written, not omitting heart-wrenching events or emotions but thoughtful, respectful, and inspirational.

The weave of dual timelines with multiple POVs is skillfully accomplished to render meaningful and seamless storytelling. The author's storytelling opens doors to the past and nurtures the reader to imagine what it was like to live and work with that period's societal and cultural restrictions. The quality of storytelling also opens windows for appreciation of the accomplishments of the women who came before us, casting aside the shadows that have kept their achievements and successes hidden.

I encourage all readers to read the Author's Note and Creation of a Heroine, sharing a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the author's idea to write about Grace Darling, blending creativity and historical research, becoming a fascinating historical glimpse of this inspirational young woman. At that point, I needed to return to reread the Epigraph page with quotes from Louisa May Alcott and Edith Wharton and turned back again to the Dedication, “For courageous women everywhere. You know who you are.”

Reading Group Discussion Questions are available at the end of the novel.

Reviewer’s Note: Longstone Lighthouse remains in use and is now monitored remotely from the Trinity House Centre at Harwich, Essex, England. ( )

Hazel Gaynor has become a go to author for me. Her books never disappoint. I really enjoyed this dual storyline featuring Grace Darling ( )

THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER'S DAUGHTER is a dual storyline book about two women living 100 years separate. In 1838 Northumberland, England, Grace Darling lives on the Farne Island where her father is the lighthouse keeper. Grace and her father save some shipwreck survivors during a terrible storm and that makes her celebrated all through England. In 1938, young Matilda Emmerson is sent away to Newport, Rhode Island from Ireland after becoming pregnant. She's staying with her relative, Harriet, an assistant lighthouse keeper, until the baby is born. Finding a half- finished portrait will lead Matilda to find out more about her family's history.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION! ( )

This book has dual stories one hundred years apart.
1838 Grace Darling helps her father at the lighthouse. A terrible storm comes and a ships sinks. Grace spies survivors from the lighthouse. Despite the rough seas Grace and her father row to rescue those who made to the rocks. One of the survivors is Sarah Dawson, who lost her children in the ocean. As Sarah recovers at the lighthouse, Grace and Sarah from a bond that later continues through correspondence. Grace becomes famous for helping her father with the rescued ship passengers. People can't believe a woman helped to save these people.

1938 Matilda who is pregnant and unmarried, who has never felt she fit into her family or her mother's idea of what a daughter should be, is sent from Ireland to America. She is sent to a distant relative to await the birth of her child. As the stories converge Matilda finds out who she really is. She gradually forms a relationship with Harriet, the lighthouse keeper in Rhode Island. ( )