Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and @BookClubFavorites & Simon & Schuster #partner, for the advanced copy of Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster / Simon & Schuster ALC
Published: June 14, 2022
Summary:
For readers of The Light Between Oceans and The Island of Sea Women, a feminist adventure story set against the backdrop of the dangerous pearl diving industry in 19th-century Western Australia, about a young English woman who sets off to uncover the truth about the disappearance of her eccentric father.
Western Australia, 1886. After months at sea, a slow boat makes its passage from London to the shores of Bannin Bay. From the deck, young Eliza Brightwell and her family eye their strange, new home. Here is an unforgiving land where fortune sits patiently at the bottom of the ocean, waiting to be claimed by those brave enough to venture into its depths. An ocean where pearl shells bloom to the size of soup plates, where men are coaxed into unthinkable places and unspeakable acts by the promise of unimaginable riches.
Ten years later, the pearl-diving boat captained by Eliza’s eccentric father returns after months at sea—without Eliza’s father on it. Whispers from townsfolk point to mutiny or murder. Headstrong Eliza knows it’s up to her to discover who, or what, is really responsible.
As she searches for the truth, Eliza discovers that beneath the glamorous veneer of the pearling industry, lies a dark underbelly of sweltering, stinking decay. The sun-scorched streets of Bannin Bay, a place she once thought she knew so well, are teeming with corruption, prejudice, and blackmail. Just how far is Eliza willing to push herself in order to solve the mystery of her missing father? And what family secrets will come to haunt her along the way?
A transporting feminist adventure story based on Lizzie Pook’s deep research into the pearling industry and the era of British colonial rule in Australia, Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter is ultimately about the lengths one woman will travel to save her family.
My thoughts:
I seem to have something for historical fiction set in Australia lately and when you add in diving, I’m hooked. Not that I dive, but my husband does and I just find it so intriguing. And when I saw this book was being comped to The Island of Sea Women, which is one of my favorite books, I just knew I had to read this one…and I really liked it!
This is such an atmospheric read and I felt like I was transported right alongside Eliza as she is determined to get to the bottom of what happened to her father. While the story is centered around that mystery, it is really Eliza’s journey that makes the story. She is such a dynamic character and I loved how headstrong and determined she was. She was not afraid to stand up for herself and I loved how she bucked the social mores of her time.
I loved all the details given about the pearling industry. That, along with bringing to light the horrific treatment of the aboriginals really makes this book shine. I didn’t know that aboriginals were forced to become divers…again, not having read that many books set in Australia, this was quite eye-opening. There is quite a large cast of secondary characters who were equally compelling and complex that added to the overall intrigue, and even flavor, of the story.
This story is a mix of historical fiction, family drama and had some detective elements woven in as well as some adventurous elements, too. I think it will appeal to a wide audience, particularly those who enjoy historical fiction but are looking for something other than a war book. This is definitely that.
Audio thoughts:
This is narrated by Anna Skellern and I found it to be quite an immersive listen. Anna is a new-to-me narrator and I just loved the way she brought this story to life. Her pacing and intonation were spot on and she gave all the characters their own unique voices and personalities.
