Books by M.L. Stedman
M.L. Stedman is an Australian author, best known for writing the literary fiction and historical novel, The Light Between Oceans (2012).
Set in post-World War I Australia, the book follows a lighthouse keeper and his wife who make a life-changing decision after a boat washes up on their remote island.
The novel, which became a critically acclaimed bestseller, was adapted into a 2016 film directed by Derek Cianfrance, starring Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, and Rachel Weisz.
Born and raised in Western Australia, Stedman worked as a lawyer before turning to fiction writing.
The recipient of several awards and fellowships for her work, her writing has been published in various journals and anthologies.
Stedman currently lives in London.
Genres: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Australia
Non Series
After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.
Tom, who keeps meticulous records and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel insists the baby is a “gift from God,” and against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz, Florence Clery, Jack Thompson, Thomas Unger, Jane Menelaus, Garry McDonald, Anthony Hayes, Benedict Hardie
First Release: 2012
ISBN: 978-1451681758
Publisher: Scribner