The Light Between Oceans By M.L. Stedman Receives National Blue Ribbon Honor From Book-of-the-Month Club®

NEW YORK, Aug. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --  Book-of-the-Month Club® (BOMC) is delighted to name The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman as its newest National Blue Ribbon honoree. Stedman, a first-time novelist, describes her book best when she says, "Picture a lighthouse at the edge of the earth.  Picture an island, inhabited by only a light keeper, Tom, and his wife, Isabel, at the mercy of distance, storms and fate.  When a boat washes up bearing a dead body and a crying baby, the couple is flung on a course that threatens all they hold dear.  This is the world of Janus Rock, the setting of The Light Between Oceans, and I'm hugely honored that the book has been chosen as a National Blue Ribbon selection."

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"Our readers are going to be touched by this emotional journey about the power of love and the sometimes devastating effect our choices have on others," said Sharon Fantera, Senior Vice President and Editorial Director.

"I knew after I turned the last page, we had to make this a National Blue Ribbon selection," said Jennifer Hufford, Editor-in-Chief of Doubleday Book Club®. "From the effervescent romance between Tom and Isabel to their profound love for the infant washed up on the shores of Janus Rock, M.L. Stedman's debut evokes a rare combination of emotion, impact, and timelessness. It absorbed me completely and made me cry shamelessly."

Our distinguished editorial panel agreed.

Deborah Sinclaire, Editor-in-Chief, BOMC states, "Rarely has a book moved me as much as this one. As a mother, I identified strongly with so many aspects of the story. This is an incredible debut, heart-wrenching with wonderful, likable characters."  

"The Light Between Oceans is a story of impossible choices, tremendous heartache, and the endurance of love through it all."— Christine Zika, Editor-in-Chief, The Literary Guild®  

PREVIOUS NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON SELECTIONS ARE:
The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Septys
Juliet by Anne Fortier
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
Highest Duty by Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger
Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows 

Founded in 1926 by Harry Scherman, Book-of-the-Month® Club is an iconic American brand, trusted and respected by book enthusiasts around the world.  Over the years, BOMC has helped launch the careers of such bestselling authors as Pearl S. Buck, Herman Wouk, George Orwell, David McCullough, Stephen King and Tom Clancy.  Book-of-the-Month® Club discovers the finest in literature, history, current affairs, health, and lifestyle for our members, chosen by club editors who unearth these gems from thousands of yearly submissions. Visit Book-of-the Month Club at www.bomcclub.com.  Book-of-the-Month is operated by Direct Brands' affiliate Bookspan. Direct Brands is also home to Doubleday Book Club®, The Literary Guild® and Columbia House®.

About The National Blue Ribbon Program: The distinguished editors who choose the National Blue Ribbon titles bring a combined 70 years of expertise in selecting books that entertain book-loving audiences.  They are: Sharon Fantera, SVP, Editorial Director, Direct Brands, Deborah Sinclaire, Editor-in-Chief, Book-of-the-Month Club®, Catherine Wallach, Editor, Book-of-the-Month Club®, Christine Zika, Editor-in-Chief, The Literary Guild® and Jennifer Hufford, Editor-in-Chief, Doubleday Book Club®.

About the book: In 1918, after serving in WWI, Tom Sherbourne welcomes his quiet job as lighthouse keeper on Australia's remote Janus Rock, as does his loving new wife. But three years later, a childless Isabel is bereft after suffering her third miscarriage. Tending the new grave, Isabel hears the cry of a baby; a boat has washed ashore with a dead man—and a living infant. Two years later, little Lucy has become the center of the Sherbournes' world. But their happiness turns when a trip to the mainland brings the discovery that she was not orphaned...and a desperate woman still seeks her vanished daughter. M.L. Stedman's extraordinary debut, The Light Between Oceans, is a riveting tale of good intentions and heartbreaking consequences.

About the author: M.L. Stedman was born and raised in Western Australia and now lives in London.  This is her first novel. 

SOURCE Book-of-the-Month(R) Club