The Lightkeeper’s Daughters by Jean E Pendziwol will be featured on the Radio 2 Book Club on Monday 17 July.
We have an exclusive extract available for you to read.
The Lightkeeper’s Daughters
Elizabeth’s eyes have failed. She can no longer read the books she loves or see the paintings that move her spirit, but her mind remains sharp and music fills the vacancy left by her blindness.
When her father’s journals are discovered on a shipwrecked boat, she enlists the help of a troubled teenager, Morgan, to read them aloud and help her unlock the mystery at the centre of her life. As a young girl, growing up in a lighthouse on Porphyry Island, Lake Superior, she discovered a hidden grave by the edge of the lake that has caused her to question her own life, and that of her enigmatic twin sister, ever since.
But for Elizabeth, the faded pages of her father’s journals reveal more secrets than she anticipates.
Selection panel review
The book was selected with the help of a panel of library staff from across the UK.
The panel loved The Lightkeeper’s Daughters – here are some of their comments:
“I really enjoyed the book. I found it gripping and interesting from the very beginning and was engrossed with the characters’ stories straight away. I enjoyed the way it was written from two different perspectives.”
“This was a lovely book, with engaging characters to whom you grew attached to throughout the narrative. The history around the lighthouse was really interesting too.”
About the author
Jean E Pendziwol is an award-winning Canadian author of books for children. Once Upon a Northern Light was shortlisted for a Governor General’s Award and the 2014 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Awards Book of the Year. The Lightkeeper’s Daughters is her debut novel for adults. She lives in northern Ontario in the shadow of the Nor’Wester Mountains near Lake Superior.
A word from Jean
“What a thrill it was to learn that The Lightkeeper’s Daughters was chosen for the Radio 2 Book Club! I’m excited that readers will be sharing the lives of Elizabeth, Emily and Morgan, and hope that the novel transports them to the cold, temperamental and stunningly beautiful landscape of Lake Superior and Canada. In the story, Elizabeth knows all too well the value of books, finding in them an escape from the isolation of her island home and companionship in the characters that live on the pages. And when she, a blind elderly woman living out her last days in a senior’s home, reaches out to Morgan, an angry, confused and lonely teen searching for her place in the world, they find connection through words written by another – through the journal of Elizabeth’s father, the lightkeeper. What a gift reading is – giving us the opportunity to both connect and escape. Thank you so much to The Reading Agency and Radio 2 for including The Lightkeeper’s Daughters as a Book Club selection!”
Get involved
Tune in to Simon Mayo’s Drivetime show on Monday 17 July to hear a live interview with Jean.
Have you read The Lightkeeper’s Daughters? You can share your thoughts with us on Twitter, or follow Jean.
You can also see what other readers thought or add the book to your group’s reading list.
Want to find out more? Take a look at the Radio 2 Book Club Twitter feed or find out more on the Radio 2 Book Club website.
