The Lighthouse

Critics

• The pleasure of guessing wrong

  The closed-circle Agatha Christieian detective story has rather fallen out of fashion in favour of the ‘crime novel’, the essential difference being that while every detective story is a crime novel the reverse is not necessarily the case. As the doy ... (read full critics)

  spectator published on Fri, 17 Sep 2010

• The Best Reviews: P. D. James, The Lighthouse

  "Entertaining Dalgliesh police procedural" The other affluent residents on Combe Island off the Cornish coast are outraged by the behavior and disregard of their feelings and property by renowned novelist Nathan Oliver. The staff detests him even mor ... (read full critics)

  thebestreviews published on Thu, 16 Sep 2010

6 Reviews

• 1 person find this helpful

  

  There are several amazing things in P. D. James's books:

  i) People - even police officers - don't swear. When in trouble, they make tea. "Hey, there's a dead man over there! / Oh dear, I'm shocked... let's have tea, shall we?"
  ii) Building architecture and room furniture are always described to a ... (continue)

  There are several amazing things in P. D. James's books:

  i) People - even police officers - don't swear. When in trouble, they make tea. "Hey, there's a dead man over there! / Oh dear, I'm shocked... let's have tea, shall we?"
  ii) Building architecture and room furniture are always described to a boring level of detail. Moreover, there's always a fireplace with people sitting on high-backed chairs before/beside the fire. Can you imagine something more uncomfy? Before a fire, I'd rather sprawl on a sofa.
  iii) Apart from a more or less casual partner, all people seem to live in isolation (hey! is there something like a close friend out there?). Even colleagues do not know anything about each other.
  iv) In "The Lighthouse", toward the end, there's a bit of action, but P. D. James makes it unlikely.

  Is this helpful?

  Massimo Ortolano said on Jun 30, 2010 | Add your feedback

• 

  A small island in front of the Cornish coast, a murder, a lighthouse. Nice plot, well written. Nothing extraordinary, just what you would expect from a classic thriller.

  Is this helpful?

  mathias said on Nov 20, 2011 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

• Between Victorian and Windsor chairs

  The book is ok...it catches your attention at the beginning but i must say the ending is a little bit "fantastic" suddenly they know who the killer is after questioning many suspects who wait them sut in their windsor and victorian chairs next to their chimney.

  Is this helpful?

  Lebasi Rotenqui said on Oct 8, 2011 | Add your feedback

• 

  When I finished the book, I didn't want to begin another book for a while because I didn't want to break the spell the book had me under. The entire book just made me feel comfortable, cozy . . . I can't quite find the word I want, but I liked the feeling. P.D. James creates a world of her own, and ... (continue)

  When I finished the book, I didn't want to begin another book for a while because I didn't want to break the spell the book had me under. The entire book just made me feel comfortable, cozy . . . I can't quite find the word I want, but I liked the feeling. P.D. James creates a world of her own, and whatever it is that she does, I really like it. Murder mystery rises to a whole new level in her books.

  Is this helpful?

  Missmath144 said on Aug 13, 2011 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

• 

  P.D.James at her best

  Is this helpful?

  Dustin57 said on Sep 20, 2009 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

• 

  intriguing and warm. beautifully written. It has to be one of my fav PDJames books

  The beautifully flowing language with honest observation and insights reminds me why I love her writings so much. I remember being repeatedly enchanted by her sharp yet warm-hearted remarks when I was reading The Mur ... (continue)

  intriguing and warm. beautifully written. It has to be one of my fav PDJames books

  The beautifully flowing language with honest observation and insights reminds me why I love her writings so much. I remember being repeatedly enchanted by her sharp yet warm-hearted remarks when I was reading The Murder Room. However, Death in the Holy Order failed to impress me; it seemed to have lost its magic. (It’s still a good read. Don’t get me wrong.) This time, The Lighthouse never ceased to amaze me from the beginning to the very end. James’ gentle voice leads us to the mind of the characters, including AD and his team. Her precise analysis of her characters’ states of mind and motives, for me, is the most enjoyable part of the book. She also squeezed in one of Auden’s line “Those to whom evil is done / Do evil in return.”

  I highly recommend this one. (but to get the most of it, it’s advised to read at least Death in Holy Orders and The Murder Room first.)

  Is this helpful?

  Ashley H. said on Jul 24, 2009 | Add your feedback

Book Details

• Rating:
  (32)
  • 5 stars
  • 4 stars
  • 3 stars
  • 2 stars
  • 1 star
• English Books
• Paperback 480 Pages
• ISBN-10: 0141025107
• ISBN-13: 9780141025100
• Publisher: faber and faber
• Pub date: Jan 01, 2006
• Dimensions: 1161 mm x 710 mm x 194 mm Just how big is that?
• Also available as: Mass Market Paperback, Hardcover, Audio CD, Audio Cassette and Others
• In other languages: other languages Livres Français, Deutsche Bücher, Libros en Español, Libri Italiani, Ελληνικά βιβλία

Improve data of this book

Prices Change currency & sellers

ISBN	Edition	List	Sale	Seller
9780141025100	Paperback	$11.25	--	The Book Depository
Other editions →