Swan Light

Silvestre Swan has been the lighthouse keeper since the day it was built by the town.  Mari Adams is a marine archaeologist known for investigating shipwrecks at the bottom of the ocean.  Evangeline Devon is on a mission to find out the history of her family, and the truth behind several tragedies that shaped it.  Evangeline’s mission will call Mari away from her shipwrecks into Silvestre’s world as they search for the long-destroyed Swan Light.

Phoebe Rowe’s debut novel Swan Light is a masterpiece of historical fiction, utilizing dual timelines, with a healthy dose of thrill.  The focus on the lighthouse is masterfully developed from the reason it was crafted, to its life with Silvestre at its helm, to its demise, and later to its rediscovery.  Rowe knits together the very separate and, at times, conflicting lives of these three main characters and shows how events from one time and from one part of the world affected so many other things.  It is a beautiful study in the “butterfly effect” of one tiny event changing so much in the world.

I give Swan Light 5 out of 5 stars.  This was actually my only 5 star read for the month of May.  Rowe brings her characters and the scenery to life through her writing – I felt like I could see and feel the foggy bay!  I appreciate the extensive research the author must have done to be able to develop the characters’ backstories and connect the events from different times and different places with such ease.  I also appreciate the melding of both the thriller elements of the modern-day pirates out for treasure with the historical fiction of Silvestre’s story.

This novel does contain recounting of shipwrecks, death, and loss that may be difficult for younger readers.  If you love lighthouses, WWII era fiction, and maritime history, you will love this book!  This would also make a great book club read given the dual timelines and intertwining storylines.

I chose Swan Light for the Booklist Queen Reading Challenge prompt “with dual timelines”.  This was an Amazon First Reads pick in April 2023 and is currently available free with Kindle Unlimited as of this writing.  I generally pick my First Reads book solely based on what seems to be the best fit for my reading preferences, but I knew this prompt was coming up twice in my challenges and chose Swan Light specifically to complete that prompt. (The second “dual timelines” prompt comes up this month as the Friends & Fiction Book Club June prompt).  I had no idea what to expect from this novel but was not disappointed!  I am excited to get started at the debut book of another great new author so that I can follow her career and enjoy her next book just as much!

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What I’m Reading

• Current print book: Big Fish, Daniel Wallace
• Current audio book: Valiant Ambition, Nathaniel Philbrick
• Book I’m most looking forward to: The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise, Colleen Oakley