A Far-flung Life

The mesmeric new novel from the author of the award-winning global bestseller, THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS 
 
Western Australia, 1958. A truck rumbles along a lonely outback road. A moment’s inattention, and in a few muddled seconds the lives of the MacBride family are shattered. 
 
Instead of leaving them to heal, fate comes back for them in a twist of consequences that will cause one of them to lose their life, and another to sacrifice theirs for the sake of an innocent child. 
 
Set in the expanse of a vast and flat landscape, where the weather is a capricious god and a million-acre sheep station is barely a dot on the map, A Far-flung Life explores the hearts of a handful of isolated souls and the secrets they shield in order to survive. 
 
Capturing a family, a community, a generation, M L Stedman tells of the many ways humans can do each other wrong and how we move on when things can’t be put right. With shimmering prose and a delicious wit, the mysteries of being human are laid bare in this hopeful meditation on time and resilience and the lengths we go to to protect what we love. 
 
***** 
 
Praise for The Light Between Oceans: 
 
'An extraordinary book…Unforgettable' Guardian 
'A moving tale . . . prepare to weep' New York Times 
‘A moving tale. One of this year's must-reads’ Stylist Magazine

The mesmeric new novel from the author of the award-winning global bestseller, THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS 
 
Western Australia, 1958. A truck rumbles along a lonely outback road. A moment’s inattention, and in a few muddled seconds the lives of the MacBride family are shattered. 
 
Instead of leaving them to heal, fate comes back for them in a twist of consequences that will cause one of them to lose their life, and another to sacrifice theirs for the sake of an innocent child. 
 
Set in the expanse of a vast and flat landscape, where the weather is a capricious god and a million-acre sheep station is barely a dot on the map, A Far-flung Life explores the hearts of a handful of isolated souls and the secrets they shield in order to survive. 
 
Capturing a family, a community, a generation, M L Stedman tells of the many ways humans can do each other wrong and how we move on when things can’t be put right. With shimmering prose and a delicious wit, the mysteries of being human are laid bare in this hopeful meditation on time and resilience and the lengths we go to to protect what we love.

M L Stedman

A love story that is both persuasive and tender

An extraordinary book . . . Unforgettable

A description of the extraordinary, sustaining power of a marriage to bind two people together in love

It is not only the plot that it so compelling . . . What makes this wonderful novel stand out is the cast of emotionally fragile characters, all of whom inspire tremendous sympathy in the reader

Irresistible . . . seductive . . . a high concept plot that keeps you riveted from the first page

A spectacularly sure storyteller . . . Reading The Light Between Oceans is a total-immersion experience, extraordinarily moving.

Monica Ali, author of BRICK LANE and LOVE MARRIAGE

The Light Between Oceans unfurls in small acts, at first feeling slight to touch, then building in emotional substance. Into the spaces between words, Stedman breathes an anxiety and pulsating intensity that roils with the ocean and the lighthouse beacon

Book of the Week. Everyone is buzzing about The Light Between Oceans, the gripping debut from M L Stedman

The characters are beautifully drawn . . . A completely unique read. ****

A moving tale. One of this year's must-reads

Told with the authoritative simplicity of a fable . . . engrossing . . . immediate and familiar

Mesmerising . . . the sheer passion and poetry of Stedman's prose carries us on a wave of emotion and heartbreak

Pick of the month: The memorable and moving tale of one couple’s search for happiness

A haunting story peopled with characters you care about

Lyrical . . . Stedman’s debut signals a career certain to deliver future treasures

Delicate and imaginative . . . beautifully written . . . deserves every single bit of its success

Like a lighthouse, [The Light Between Oceans] shines a light in dark places, and its emotional resonance will stay with you for days

A thought-provoking debut novel . . . this beautifully delineated tale of love and loss, right and wrong, and what we will do for the happiness of those most dear to us, is moving without being maudlin

Discover the sweeping Sunday Times bestselling novel, now a major motion picture starring Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender, and Rachel Weisz. 
 
NEARLY FIVE MILLION COPIES SOLD 
'An extraordinary book…Unforgettable' Guardian 
'A moving tale . . . prepare to weep' New York Times 
'Irresistible . . . a high concept plot that keeps you riveted from the first page' Oprah Magazine 
____________________ 
After experiencing the horrors of The Western Front, Tom moves to Janus Island to work as a lighthouse keeper. He hopes that life on the remote island with his wife Izzy will bring him peace following the war. 
The two of them are happy together, although frustrations arise the longer they try for a child that never comes. 
But then, one day, a boat washes up on the shore of their little island. In it, lies a dead man - and a crying baby. 
 
Faced with an impossible decision, Tom and Izzy do what they think is right and follow their hearts. What happens next will break yours. 
____________________ 
 
Praise for The Light Between Oceans: 
'A love story that is both persuasive and tender' Sunday Times 
‘A moving tale. One of this year's must-reads’ Stylist Magazine 
‘Delicate and imaginative . . . beautifully written . . . deserves every single bit of its success.’ Scotsman 
 
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING: 
***** 'A beautiful, poignant story' 
***** 'By far, one of the best books I've ever read' 
***** 'A stunning and enjoyable read, one you won't forget'

M L Stedman

Praise for The Light Between Oceans

A love story that is both persuasive and tender

An extraordinary book . . . Unforgettable

A description of the extraordinary, sustaining power of a marriage to bind two people together in love

A love story that is both persuasive and tender

An extraordinary book . . . Unforgettable

A description of the extraordinary, sustaining power of a marriage to bind two people together in love

A love story that is both persuasive and tender

An extraordinary book . . . Unforgettable

A description of the extraordinary, sustaining power of a marriage to bind two people together in love

Books by M L Stedman

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