A sweeping, emotional tale of hope and perseverance, Swan Light weaves together the stories of two people separated by a century but connected by family, purpose, and one extraordinary lighthouse.
1913. Eighty-three-year-old Silvestre Swan has dedicated his life to the care of his Newfoundland lighthouse. His petition to relocate Swan Light from its precarious cliff’s edge is going unheard by town patriarch Cort Roland—that is, until a terrible storm brings an unlikely ally into Swan’s life. But is it too late for the stone lighthouse?
2014. Marine archaeologist Mari Adams’s attempts to fund her search for the notorious SS Californian are realized when she accepts a job to find the remains of Swan Light, rumored to have collapsed into the sea one hundred years ago. She teams up with salvager Julian Henry, and the pair unearth more than they bargained for in their search for the ruins. But when a group of treasure hunters threatens their mission, their hunt for the truth turns dangerous.
As past and present collide, the secrets hiding on the ocean floor begin to surface. Can Mari find the answers she is looking for—and at what price?
Genre: Historical
1913. Eighty-three-year-old Silvestre Swan has dedicated his life to the care of his Newfoundland lighthouse. His petition to relocate Swan Light from its precarious cliff’s edge is going unheard by town patriarch Cort Roland—that is, until a terrible storm brings an unlikely ally into Swan’s life. But is it too late for the stone lighthouse?
2014. Marine archaeologist Mari Adams’s attempts to fund her search for the notorious SS Californian are realized when she accepts a job to find the remains of Swan Light, rumored to have collapsed into the sea one hundred years ago. She teams up with salvager Julian Henry, and the pair unearth more than they bargained for in their search for the ruins. But when a group of treasure hunters threatens their mission, their hunt for the truth turns dangerous.
As past and present collide, the secrets hiding on the ocean floor begin to surface. Can Mari find the answers she is looking for—and at what price?
Genre: Historical
Praise for this book
"There is nothing not to love about Phoebe Rowe's debut novel. Flawlessly researched and wholly immersive, Swan Light is a story about the importance of honoring the past. Rowe writes beautifully and takes readers on a journey to places both old and new, reminding us that sometimes the things we're looking for are looking for us too." - Barbara Davis
"A wonderfully absorbing story that swept me away to Newfoundland and the mystery of a lost lighthouse and secrets hidden beneath the ocean. With a gentle narrative and rich atmosphere, Rowe creates subtle tension, keeping the reader guessing as the dual timelines and cast of characters tangle and entwine. Swan Light is an accomplished debut by a writer I look forward to reading much more from." - Hazel Gaynor
"Phoebe Rowe expertly interlaces the fascinating world of competitive shipwreck searching with a wonderful mystery about a vanished lighthouse. Two protagonists and two timelines can be tricky to pull off, but Rowe does so with aplomb in this excellent debut - I adored both the lighthouse keeper Silvestre Swan and the intrepid diver Mari Adams. I highly recommend this delightful novel." - Ann Napolitano
"Phoebe Rowe's descriptive writing in Swan Light transports readers to the harsh Newfoundland coast of the nineteenth century during the time when lighthouses rose from cliffs and harbors to both welcome and warn sailors. A story rooted in love and loss, the characters' lives are woven together like a fishnet, drawing to the surface secrets that were buried beneath the waves for generations. Swan Light drew me in from the first stone dropped into the sea by the young Silvestre Swan and carried me through Mari Adams's journey to unravel the mystery of the light and the people whose lives were intricately connected to its fate." - Jean E Pendziwol
"A wonderfully absorbing story that swept me away to Newfoundland and the mystery of a lost lighthouse and secrets hidden beneath the ocean. With a gentle narrative and rich atmosphere, Rowe creates subtle tension, keeping the reader guessing as the dual timelines and cast of characters tangle and entwine. Swan Light is an accomplished debut by a writer I look forward to reading much more from." - Hazel Gaynor
"Phoebe Rowe expertly interlaces the fascinating world of competitive shipwreck searching with a wonderful mystery about a vanished lighthouse. Two protagonists and two timelines can be tricky to pull off, but Rowe does so with aplomb in this excellent debut - I adored both the lighthouse keeper Silvestre Swan and the intrepid diver Mari Adams. I highly recommend this delightful novel." - Ann Napolitano
"Phoebe Rowe's descriptive writing in Swan Light transports readers to the harsh Newfoundland coast of the nineteenth century during the time when lighthouses rose from cliffs and harbors to both welcome and warn sailors. A story rooted in love and loss, the characters' lives are woven together like a fishnet, drawing to the surface secrets that were buried beneath the waves for generations. Swan Light drew me in from the first stone dropped into the sea by the young Silvestre Swan and carried me through Mari Adams's journey to unravel the mystery of the light and the people whose lives were intricately connected to its fate." - Jean E Pendziwol
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