This is a story set in Belowla in 1918 where Adelaide Roberts wants to live a life of promise, hope and purpose. She doesn't want to be married off like the other women of her time but this looks like the path that she must follow. This is her story and what a tumultuous story it is.

She finds love but then must relinquish it to marry a man of means who her father has made a deal with. But things are not as they seem and there is so much struggle, heart-break and grief within these pages. It is a book that brings to life the struggles of the returned soldiers, families and how women where treated. It is to some point a dark story but throughout you find glimmers of hope which are then snuffed out.

This is a fantastic read with numerous stories of people such as Adelaide, her father, Emmett and Donal. There is hardship, courage, romance, drama and so much more in the pages of this book. It is well researched and the Australian landscape is described perfectly. It is a book I very much enjoyed and kept me reading from start to finish. 4 1/2 stars for this one.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Adelaide Roberts lives in Belowla, a small town on the South Coast of New South Wales and every family has lost someone in The Great War, or they have been injured, those who return home have issues fitting back into everyday life and Adelaide works as a nurse at the Coast Hospital in Little Bay. Her brother Joseph was encouraged by their parents to sign up, do the right thing and so he wouldn't be given a white feather. The war has had not only crippled young men in the district who went off to fight, it’s caused financial problems for dairy and sheep farmers, and Ada's father has this issue.

Ada accompanies her father Ned to Meroogan Island, he still owns one of his boats, to deliver supplies to the men operating the lighthouse, and it’s in a desolate and rocky place. Here she meets returned soldier Emmett Huxley, he’s still haunted by what happened to him in France and island provides the solitude and peace he needs. Adelaide and Emmett are attracted to each other, she discovers her father has made plans for her to marry Donal Blaxland, a local landowner with a large tobacco plantation and he will help her father with his financial woes.

When one of the men working at the lighthouse is found washed up on Mile Beach, the police take Emmett and Niall McTavish in for questioning and Adelaide is forced to make a difficult choice about her future. Donal’s behaviour is odd and erratic, he disappears for days, comes home and gets drunk, and yells at Adelaide and his housekeeper Irma. Adelaide uncovers why Donal is so unstable, to be safe she must leave him, and that’s easier said than done and she knows Donal will come after her.

I received a digital copy of All the Golden Light by Siobhan O’Brien from HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The narrative is set in 1918, as we know The Great War is drawing to a close, it gives the reader an idea of what it was like for returned soldiers, their families and the communities they lived in. There’s no glory in war, only suffering, pain and endless darkness.

A powerful and thought provoking debut novel by Ms. O'Brien and a great start to her career as an author, it's obvious Adelaide and Emmett should be together from their first meeting, a story full of yearning and longing and five stars from me.

All The Golden Light by Siobhan O’Brien is set in 1918 on the South Coast of New South Wales. Through the main characters of Adelaide and her father Ned and returned soldiers Emmett and Donal the story emerges of the struggle of the war at home where everyone is affected in one way or another and returned soldiers are both physically and mentally affected by the war and some cope better than others. Woman are also struggling with a culture where they don’t have the independence they deserve and seeking a purpose in life.

The publisher’s blurb is an excellent introduction:

“1918, Belowla. As the Great War grinds to an end, Adelaide Roberts accompanies her father to a rugged island off the south coast of New South Wales. While loss and deprivation have decimated the country, Ada dreams of a life filled with purpose and hope.
On the windswept rocky outcrop she meets lighthouse keeper Emmett Huxley, a dark-eyed outsider haunted by his service in France. Adelaide and Emmett are inexorably drawn together, but Adelaide discovers plans have been made for her with decorated returned soldier Donal Blaxland, a local landowner.
Soon Adelaide is forced to make a choice about her future, and discovers that Donal harbours terrible secrets of his own. As she begins to understand the depths of Donal's desperation, Adelaide knows she must leave - and between the treacherous waters of the coast and the rugged ranges of an ancient land, she fights for her survival, determined to live and love on her own terms.”

A well researched historical fiction with drama and romance, that brought to life the World War One period in Australia. Well written and the characters are very real and believable. While the story started slowly as the characters become familiar to the reader the pace picked up, as did the excitement and intensity. The build up to the end was incredible as it was very dramatic and intense!

Recommended read.


This review is based on a complimentary copy from HarperCollins Publishers Australia via
NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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