From The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home
comes a historical novel inspired by true events, and the extraordinary
female lighthouse keepers of the past two hundred years.
"They call me a heroine, but I am not deserving of such accolades. I am
just an ordinary young woman who did her duty."
1838: Northumberland, England. Longstone Lighthouse on the Farne Islands
has been Grace Darling's home for all of her twenty-two years. When she
and her father rescue shipwreck survivors in a furious storm, Grace
becomes celebrated throughout England, the subject of poems, ballads,
and plays. But far more precious than her unsought fame is the
friendship that develops between Grace and a visiting artist. Just as
George Emmerson captures Grace with his brushes, she in turn captures
his heart.
1938: Newport, Rhode Island. Nineteen-years-old and pregnant, Matilda
Emmerson has been sent away from Ireland in disgrace. She is to stay
with Harriet, a reclusive relative and assistant lighthouse keeper,
until her baby is born. A discarded, half-finished portrait opens a
window into Matilda's family history. As a deadly hurricane approaches,
two women, living a century apart, will be linked forever by their
instinctive acts of courage and love.
