Having said that, I found the book a great read and, if a good number of other readers felt the same way, perhaps that is reason enough.īook alert: What an absolutely amazing read! “Books like lighthouses, illuminate the dark seas of life.” This novel starts with this quote and if you have ever wondered what life would be like on an isolated island where the weather is the main protagonist, well. I don't feel John Cook should feel guilty about the life he has lead, and I do wonder about the wisdom of sharing it with the world in such an honest, raw, open way. The accounts of fishermen shooting seals - dovetailing with the arrival of Greenpeace - also made for very interesting reading.Īt the end of the day, one can't help asking the question: Why was the book written? It reads as a public confessional, which makes me feel uncomfortable. it is great to now have a picture in my head of some of its islands - Tasman, Maatsuyker, and Bruny. The southern coastline of Tasmania has always been something of a blank to me. While I might question his emotional courage at times, I could never question his physical courage. No doubt his difficult childhood, which he talks about a little, though not extensively, is a contributing factor. He makes poor decisions, then tries to correct the situation with even poorer ones. John is a frustrating character in many ways. (What, for example, is a Stevenson screen?) I also felt the quality of the editing trailed off a little at the end, with some terms and events introduced with inadequate explanations. The book is co-written with Jon Bauer, and I found myself wondering how much was written by John, and how much by Jon. At 339 pages, it is quite long for a book of this type, and I felt it could have been edited down to a length closer to 250 pages. Did he keep a daily journal? It also must be said that the book does move very slowly at times, with a fair amount of repetition of similarly painful details. The level of detail is extraordinary, given that it relates to events that took place so long ago (1960s and 70s). Would John ever see his children again? Would his second marriage survive? Would he ever learn how his father died? What I was not expecting, though, was the troubled personal life of the protagonist, John Cook, that, if anything, overshadowed the lighthouses themselves. I also love accounts of wildlife - birds, seals, whales, etc. I love lighthouses, but rarely have an opportunity to read about Australian lighthouses, and if I do, it is generally a fairly dry account from the 19th century. I loved this book, but found it in equal parts both fascinating and painful. But for John, nothing was more heartbreaking than the introduction of electric lights, and the lighthouses that were left empty forever.Įvocatively told, The Last Lighthouse Keeper is a love story between a man and a dying way of life, as well as a celebration of wilderness and solitude. As one of Australia's longest-serving lighthouse keepers, John spent 26 years tending Tasmania's well-known kerosene 'lights' at Tasman Island, Maatsuyker Island and Bruny Island.įrom sleepless nights keeping the lights alive, battling the wind and sea as they ripped at gutters and flooded stores, raising a joey, tending sheep and keeping ducks and chickens, the life of a keeper was one of unexpected joy and heartbreak. In Tasmania, John Cook is known as 'The Keeper of the Flame'. People asked how we stood the isolation and boredom, but in some ways, it was more stimulating to have your senses turned up. I loved the life of the island, because I knew my body was more alive than it was on the mainland. Noble work that can ultimately redeem a lost soul. 'John Cook's ripping life story exposes Tasmania's old kero-fuelled lighthouses: relentless physically and emotionally demanding labour, done under the often cruel vagaries of nature. A story about madness and wilderness, shining a light onto the vicissitudes of love and nature. A beautiful memoir from John Cook, one of Tasmania's last kerosene lighthouse keepers.
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