4 stars

In Lizzie Pook's evocative and highly researched debut novel, readers are thrown into the unforgiving Australian outback at the height of the pearl diving craze. It is partially a historical mystery, partially a tale of survival, and all together immensely enjoyable.

It is evident on every single page of this book how much care Pook put into crafting this story. The historical details are rich and the tapestry of the landscape is rendered beautifully. I devoured the first 50% of this book in a day and a half, eager to figure out the secrets hidden in the dark underground of Bannin Bay. I will say that the resolution of the mystery itself was a tad anti-climatic and the tonal shift into the survival story did throw me for a bit of a loop, but I still thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed this story and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter does a great job of weaving real history about the pearling industry on the Kimberley coast of Australia during the late nineteenth century into a fictional novel. Certainly the reader will get a feel for the dangers and the life of people who lived in a tropical environment with little luxury and the threat of danger everywhere. I struggled more with the fictional story at the heart of the book though. At it's purest level it's about Eliza's father, a master pearler, disappearing at sea, and Eliza determined to find out what happened to him. This requires making new alliances, seeking out her evasive brother (who discloses that he and his father disappeared on purpose because they were being blackmailed) and undertaking a dangerous trip out to sea as "The Wet" begins. Mixed in to her storyline are journal entries of her father and the hunt by the local law enforcement officer for a Aboriginal man that escapes being held in the death of Eliza's father. Three different things happening at two different time periods gets messy. On top of that is Eliza gradually recounting to Axel, one of her new friends, what led to her current family situation. All of this leads to it being more difficult to follow much beyond Eliza's father being missing. Then for me, anyways, the ending feels both incredibly tidy, unexpected (and not in a good plot twist way) and unsatisfying. Despite the book being shorter than a typical novel, it feels like Pook decided she'd hit her limit and came up with an ending that seems to wipe out the value of Eliza's adventure in the first place. Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter is great for the historical details you can learn about the time, place and trade, but less so for a storyline that feels cohesive and satisfying. A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Thank you to Simon & Schuster for an ARC of Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter, available everywhere on June 14th, 2022].

Western Australia, late 19th century. After an investment turns sour and all of their money is lost, Eliza and her family flee London for Bannin Bay at a new start at life. There, her father and brother become ingrained in the pearl diving industry where the potential for tremendous wealth (at the expense of the Aboriginal people) grows higher and higher every day. For a decade, Eliza lives a sheltered existence, unaware of the industry's dark belly. It's not until her father doesn't return home from a trip at sea that she realizes she might have never known Bannin Bay at all. Headstrong and willful, she knows it's up to her to find out the person behind her father's disappearance. The deeper she dives into the townsfolk -- pun intended -- the less likely she'll like what she finds.

Despite the two different timelines and the multiple points-of-view, it was easy to follow everything. It helped that the plot moved along at a brisk pace. There were some brief scenes that didn't add anything, especially since the events were brought up again in following chapters. The author did a very good job of setting the scene and building up the tension for the father's disappearance. I enjoyed the build-up to the reveal, though was left feeling unsatisfied by what felt like a happy ending to me.

What I also didn't love was the romance subplot, if you can call it that. It was evident that Eliza was not interested in pursuing a relationship and for one of the characters to proclaim a DECLARATION OF LOVE AND MARRIAGE, oh c'mon. There was nothing there. It was unnecessary.

It's evident how well-researched it was. I was glad that the author didn't sugarcoat or leave out how the Aboriginal people were mistreated and dehumanized during this period. Her author's note provided some additional context into the time and the basis for the characters as well. Some of the writing was heavy-handed, especially when it came to the metaphors, but there were a few beautiful descriptions that caught my attention.

A strong debut.

At one point a character in this book says of Bannin Bay, the central location for the book's story, "the devil has this dirt in his grip." That's a very apt description of this setting, which is pretty much its own character in the story.

That is both the book's strengths and its weakness, in my opinion.

Basically, if there was the opposite of a tourist promo for Australia, it would be this book, full of vivid descriptions of a setting in which nearly everything sounds vividly unpleasant at best, brutal at worst. On the plus side, this is the type of book in which you can really see, feel, and smell everything, from the numerous birds to the cockroaches.

Only the downside, I felt like all that description sometimes came at the expense of exploring the interiority of the characters in the book (particularly Axel, a man who functions more as a plot device than a fully realized person.) For me, I frequently felt like the narrative lens was pointing away from the things I wanted to see explored in the story, in favor of stuff that didn't add as much for me personally.

So, I guess ultimately this wasn't a match for me. But I did think Eliza was a cool character, the mystery being solved was intriguing, and the attention to historical detail outstanding. Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the setting and the premise of this book, but it wasn't one of my favorites. I felt that the characters were difficult to get attached to and therefore I had a hard time truly engaging in the story and knowing who to trust. So many characters were introduced that by the time the mystery was revealed I was disappointed it wasn't a more complex outcome and I thought there were some loose ends that didn't get tied up.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. When I saw this book was set in western Australia in the late 1800's and surrounding pearl diving I was intrigued by its originality. I am unfamiliar with what all this entails, so I was very interested in learning more.

I wanted to like this book, but it was missing that important element of making a good book great. The first half of the book was heavy on the descriptiveness of the location. I had no trouble imagining what western Australia looked like when this story took place. However, it overshadows the plot for me and I would have liked some of this detail poured into the characters. Eliza Blackwell would have been a phenomenal protagonist, but I didn't feel we got enough of her to grow attached. I feel we barely skimmed the surface of Axel, Min, and Knife, and I wish we had focused more on the characters versus the details of the land and their surroundings.

There was definitely moments where I was hooked into the story. The last 50% of the book was the best part for me saving this book from being a 2 star read. And I would have moments throughout the book where I would become very interested in how the story was playing out, but that would quickly fade away and I'd become bored again, with the overuse of metaphors and similes, making me have to slug through just to get to the end.

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

Highly recommend!! My first book to read by this author but definitely not my last!! Uniquely and beautifully written, this story and its characters stay with you long after you finish the book.

Eliza Brightwell is alone and fighting for her family in 1896 on the western coast of Australia. Her father and brother are pearlers in the harsh town of Bannin, and they're both gone. Eliza has to navigate cultural biases and environmental extremes to get to the bottom of it. Her own strengths can be her greatest weaknesses.

Author Lizzie Pook has debuted with a world that was before unknown to me. The attitudes and actions of the pearling industry during this time reminded me of the American Wild West. Anything goes for those in power, and many heads will turn to allow it. Mistreatment of native people and women, battling the elements, and the hope of great riches were exciting and interesting. Well done.

"Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter" is an atmospheric, feminist piece of historical fiction that takes readers on a journey through 19th century Western Australia. The story follows Eliza Brightwell, a bright and independent 2o-year-old woman, as she tries to find answers as to why her father, a pearler by trade, has failed to return home from sea.

Why is he missing? What could have happened? Could it be murder? Mutiny? Extortion? How far will she go to uncover the truth?

As Eliza pushes forward in her search, she'll find all sorts of dark secrets, prejudices, and corruption hidden in and around her home of Bannin Bay.

The book's biggest strength was its evocation of setting and time period, which highlighted the promise and perils of the pearling industry as well as the horrors of British colonial rule in Australia. It was easy to get swept up in the dusty red lands, the sweltering heat; to become entranced by a copse of mangrove trees. The author's descriptive prose oriented the story. Made it feel like I was right there, in the thick of it, hearing the loud, sharp squawk of a cockatoo or tasting the salty turquoise sting of the sea.

Eliza was a compelling enough character. I liked how she shirked societal conventions of the day, that she knew her own mind, that she was determined - almost beyond reason - to find her father, but I wish we had gotten more about her interior life. I wanted to know more about who she was, what she wanted from life. The kinds of things she liked or found interesting. There was some exploration of that, hinted at in journal entries or chronicled in her own observations, but mostly the story was focused on the mystery aspect with her father.

The romantic subplot was trifling too, I thought. Unnecessary. Could have been done away with altogether without souring or spoiling anything.

Despite a few minor qualms, I enjoyed reading this. Not only was it meticulously researched but it gave me insight on things, like pearling in Australia, that I had no concept of beforehand and that's always neat. I love any excuse to learn something new. So kudos!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the complimentary copy in exchange for my review.

Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter
by Lizzie Pook
Pub Date: June 14, 2022
Simon & Schuster
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. For readers of The Light Between Oceans and The Island of Sea Women, a feminist adventure story set against the backdrop of the dangerous pearl diving industry in 19th-century Western Australia, about a young English woman who sets off to uncover the truth about the disappearance of her eccentric father.
Lizzie Pook is an award-winning journalist and travel writer contributing to The Sunday Times, Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Condé Nast Traveller and more. Her assignments have taken her to some of the most remote parts of the planet, from the uninhabited east coast of Greenland in search of roaming polar bears, to the foothills of the Himalayas to track endangered snow leopards. She was inspired to write Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter, her debut novel, after spending time in north-western Australia researching the dangerous and fascinating pearl-diving industry.
She lives in London.
I found this book interesting as I adore historical fiction and books about places I have not been.
4 stars

Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter had the promise of an intriguing book about a very specific time and location in Australian history that is rarely seen by mainstream media. The author's use of imagery is really wonderful in the beginning and you can tell she is a very visual person who wants to paint a picture with her words. However, in my opinion, the excessive use of imagery and descriptive nuances in the text made this very hard to read and the focus on that and the lack of a clear resolution with many of the characters in the story left me feeling disappointed for what was obviously a very well researched and beloved subject. Lizzie Pook is a very talented writer, I just really didn't love her writing style.

"For readers of The Light Between Oceans and The Island of Sea Women, a feminist adventure story set against the backdrop of the dangerous pearl diving industry in 19th-century Western Australia, about a young English woman who sets off to uncover the truth about the disappearance of her eccentric father.

Western Australia, 1886. After months at sea, a slow boat makes its passage from London to the shores of Bannin Bay. From the deck, young Eliza Brightwell and her family eye their strange, new home. Here is an unforgiving land where fortune sits patiently at the bottom of the ocean, waiting to be claimed by those brave enough to venture into its depths. An ocean where pearl shells bloom to the size of soup plates, where men are coaxed into unthinkable places and unspeakable acts by the promise of unimaginable riches.

Ten years later, the pearl-diving boat captained by Eliza’s eccentric father returns after months at sea - without Eliza’s father on it. Whispers from townsfolk point to mutiny or murder. Headstrong Eliza knows it’s up to her to discover who, or what, is really responsible.

As she searches for the truth, Eliza discovers that beneath the glamorous veneer of the pearling industry, lies a dark underbelly of sweltering, stinking decay. The sun-scorched streets of Bannin Bay, a place she once thought she knew so well, are teeming with corruption, prejudice, and blackmail. Just how far is Eliza willing to push herself in order to solve the mystery of her missing father? And what family secrets will come to haunt her along the way?


A transporting feminist adventure story based on Lizzie Pook’s deep research into the pearling industry and the era of British colonial rule in Australia, Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter is ultimately about the lengths one woman will travel to save her family."

And since I'm already in New Zealand, how about I stop off in Australia too?

When I read the premise of this book, I was immediately hooked. I love the idea of a feminist, historical adventure, and I don't know much (if anything) of Australia's history, so I was excited to learn more; the setting was so unique and the first of its kind I've read about! I really liked getting to know more about Australia and this time period, not to mention Eliza's character. She was fierce, stubborn, and unstoppable, and loved her people so bravely.

The writing was beautiful and really brought you into the world; however, I think it was too descriptive for me. It was hard to remain engaged with the heavy-handed, descriptive language, but this is definitely a reflection of my personal tastes. The writing was well done. I think that people who enjoyed the style of Where the Crawdads Sing would really love this!

Lizzie Pook's Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter, set in 1886 on the West Coast of Australia, is well-researched historical fiction.

Eliza's family emigrated from England after losing most of their funds, and start working in the lucrative pearl diving industry. The mysterious disappearance of Eliza's father sets her off on a determined hunt to find him.

The book opens with a land acknowledgement and does not shy away from the genocide and exploitation of the indigenous people. Nor does it shy away from police brutality, sexual attacks on women, or sex work as a means of survival.

It's not a pretty book, filled with trauma and tragedy, but the writing is gorgeous and engaging.

If you loved the Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, you'll also love this.

4.2/5 stars

It’s the late 1800s and Eliza waits for her father and brother to return from pearling in Western Australia. The ship returns, her brother returns…but where is her father?

This story was equal parts gritty and lyrical and had a fantastic female protagonist. I learned a lot of history and had fun doing it. I loved this book.

Set in Western Australia in the late 1800's we watch the Brightwell family alight to a brand new adventure. Coming from London, the humid, primitive landscape is a big change. The big business here is the dangerous diving for pearls. When her father goes missing after one outing, she is determined to get to the bottom of what happened to him, as well as do all it takes to find him.

The author did a great job of making this new home sound awful! I kept imagining living there with the bugs, creatures, humidity, and superstitions and it was not a pleasant thought for me! I definitely felt that I was in that small home with Eliza at times. But the story felt long to me. I finished the book, but wasn't very invested in the characters or the story line. Love the idea of the book, I just couldn't connect as I had hoped.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Schuster for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is about the pearling rush in the late 1800s, with English people moving to the northwest coast of Australia in search of riches. Eliza's family has moved to Bannin Bay to build and employ a fleet of pearling luggers. I enjoyed the story and the descriptions of this time in history that I was not familiar with. It was well researched and rich with details.
I feel like the author was trying a little too hard, though. So many metaphors and similes to wade through. Good word-building, though some of them felt pretentious. I would like to have had more of the history with Eliza and Parker and Balarri. I'm not entirely sure why their story was included in the book, as it took up a fair amount of space but there was a disconnect.
I did enjoy reading this one and I'd recommend it. I like the title and how it showed itself within the pages.
I was given a copy of this very creative story for my honest review, which I've provided.

The subject matter is unique. The location is enticing ,i.e. 19th century Australia. The characters are appropriately seedy and evil. however, for the first time in a very long time I have found a book I couldn't finish. Perhaps it's the pacing. Perhaps it's the e-format. Something slowed me down to a stop. With apologies to the publishers and the author, this may be an intriguing book, it just wasn't my book.

The lush descriptions of Australian flora, fauna and climate in the late 1800s set the stage for a family drama. I felt the oppressive heat, swatted at insects and was in awe of mangrove trees. As Eliza, in stubborn determination, fights her own demons and the dangers of the pearl diving industry the story's intensity builds. It is told in various voices - her own, her father's diary - and moves between past and present, The vocabulary of the time, the dangerous life in colonial Western Australia as well as masterful visualizations, set this debut novel apart..

I love finding a historical fiction novel set somewhere other than Europe during WW2. Lizzie Pool’s first novel traces the life of Eliza Brightwell, a woman far ahead of her time in the outback of Australia. Pearling, women’s rights, aboriginal enslavement are all explored in this quick, well-written adventure.