Minding the Light by Suzanne Woods Fisher

The Story: (from the publisher)
"How could I have expected so much? How could I have given her so little in return?"

Six long years ago, Captain Reynolds Macy sailed away from his bride, looking forward to the day when he would return to Nantucket Island with a ship's hold full of whale oil. But when that momentous day finally arrives, Ren soon discovers that everything has changed in his absence. Everything.

Unlike most islanders, bold and spirited Daphne Coffin doesn't defer to Ren as an authoritative whalemaster, but sees through his aloofness to the aching heart beneath. She encourages him to return to his Quaker roots and "mind the Light," finding solace in God and community. As Ren becomes the man she believes him to be--honorable, wise, faithful--she finds herself falling in love with him.

But how can she, when her heart is spoken for?

My Thoughts:
Minding the Light is the continuing story of the next generation of the Mary Coffin Starbuck family.  As with the first book, this story is set on the coastal village of Nantucket. Suzanne Woods Fisher brings to life the sea, shipboard adventure, and life on the Northeast coast. This story focuses a lot on the conflict that takes place between Daphne, her sister, an her brother-in-law. The bustling docks are certainly an apt setting for the drama, upheaval, and gritty pasts of the Coffins and Macys. I never really thought of Suzanne's books as intense family dramas, but this book certainly is that. Although, a bit too fast-paced for me, I liked the cohesion between the flashbacks in Mary's diary and Daphne's struggle with her newfound friend, Abraham. I just wish Daphne and Ren were given more page time together before the rather rapid conclusion.

~ My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars ~

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Happy Reading!