
The Lightkeepers
A Novel
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $17.16
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Xe Sands
-
By:
-
Abby Geni
About this listen
In The Lightkeepers, we follow Miranda, a nature photographer who travels to the Farallon Islands, an exotic and dangerous archipelago off the coast of California, for a one-year residency capturing the landscape. Her only companions are the scientists studying there, odd and quirky refugees from the mainland living in rustic conditions; they document the fish populations around the island, the bold trio of sharks called the Sisters that hunt the surrounding waters, and the overwhelming bird population that, at times, creates the need to wear hard hats as protection from their attacks.
Shortly after her arrival, Miranda is assaulted by one of the inhabitants of the islands. A few days later, her assailant is found dead, perhaps the result of an accident. As the novel unfolds, Miranda gives witness to the natural wonders of this special place as she grapples with what has happened to her and deepens her connection to (and her suspicions of) her companions, all while falling under the thrall of the legends of the place nicknamed "the Islands of the Dead". And when more violence occurs, each member of this strange community falls under suspicion.
The Lightkeepers upends the traditional structure of a mystery novel - an isolated environment, a limited group of characters who might not be trustworthy, a death that may or may not have been accidental, a balance of discovery and action - while also exploring wider themes of the natural world, the power of loss, and the nature of recovery. It is a luminous debut novel from a talented and provocative new writer.
©2016 Abby Geni (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Wildlands
- A Novel
- By: Abby Geni
- Narrated by: Carol Monda
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the three-year anniversary of the tornado that orphaned the McCloud children, a cosmetics factory outside of Mercy is bombed, and the lab animals trapped within are released. Tucker reappears, injured from the blast, and seeks the help of nine-year-old Cora. Caught up in the thrall of her charismatic brother, whom she has desperately missed, Cora agrees to accompany Tucker on a cross-country mission to make war on human civilization. Cora becomes her brother's unwitting accomplice, taking on a new identity while engaging in acts of escalating violence.
-
-
Narrator’s voice ruined this book
- By Lucie Amira on 10-31-19
By: Abby Geni
-
Deep River
- A Novel
- By: Karl Marlantes
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 25 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the early 1900s, as the oppression of Russia's imperial rule takes its toll on Finland, the three Koski siblings - Ilmari, Matti, and young Aino - are forced to flee to the United States. Not far from the majestic Columbia River, the siblings settle among other Finns in a logging community in southern Washington, where the first harvesting of the colossal forests begets rapid development, and radical labor movements begin to catch fire. The brothers face the excitement and danger of pioneering this frontier, while Aino devotes herself to organizing the industry's first unions.
-
-
An Epic
- By Brian Hays on 07-31-19
By: Karl Marlantes
-
The Marriage of Opposites
- By: Alice Hoffman
- Narrated by: Gloria Reuben, Tina Benko, Santino Fontana, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Growing up on idyllic St. Thomas in the early 1800s, Rachel dreams of life in faraway Paris. Rachel's mother, a pillar of their small refugee community of Jews who escaped the Inquisition, has never forgiven her daughter for being a difficult girl who refuses to live by the rules. Growing up, Rachel's salvation is their maid Adelle's belief in her strengths and her deep, lifelong friendship with Jestine, Adelle's daughter. But Rachel's life is not her own.
-
-
Intoxicating and Complex Journey
- By Mel on 09-02-15
By: Alice Hoffman
-
Invisible as Air
- A Novel
- By: Zoe Fishman
- Narrated by: Susan Bennett, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Maxwell Glick
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sylvie Snow knows the pressures of expectations: a woman is supposed to work hard, but never be tired; age gracefully, but always be beautiful; fix the family problems, but always be carefree. Sylvie does the grocery shopping, the laundry, the scheduling, the schlepping, and the PTA-ing, while planning her son’s Bar Mitzvah and cheerfully tending her husband, Paul, who’s been lying on the sofa with a broken ankle.
-
-
Excellent
- By Nancy on 11-25-19
By: Zoe Fishman
-
Glorious Boy
- A Novel
- By: Aimee Liu
- Narrated by: Cindy Kay
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in India's remote Andaman Islands before and during WWII, the story revolves around a mysteriously mute four-year-old who vanishes on the eve of Japanese Occupation. Little Ty's parents, Shep and Claire, will go to any lengths to rescue him, but neither is prepared for the brutal and soul-changing odyssey that awaits them.
-
-
Suffering
- By June D. on 02-22-24
By: Aimee Liu
-
The Cape Doctor
- By: E. J. Levy
- Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beginning in Cork, Ireland, the novel recounts Perry’s journey from daughter to son in order to enter medical school and provide for family, but Perry soon embraced the newfound freedom of living life as a man. From brilliant medical student in Edinburgh and London to eligible bachelor and quick-tempered physician in Cape Town, Dr. Perry thrived.
-
-
Absolutely adored this story - beautifully written
- By TJReads on 09-09-21
By: E. J. Levy
-
The Wildlands
- A Novel
- By: Abby Geni
- Narrated by: Carol Monda
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the three-year anniversary of the tornado that orphaned the McCloud children, a cosmetics factory outside of Mercy is bombed, and the lab animals trapped within are released. Tucker reappears, injured from the blast, and seeks the help of nine-year-old Cora. Caught up in the thrall of her charismatic brother, whom she has desperately missed, Cora agrees to accompany Tucker on a cross-country mission to make war on human civilization. Cora becomes her brother's unwitting accomplice, taking on a new identity while engaging in acts of escalating violence.
-
-
Narrator’s voice ruined this book
- By Lucie Amira on 10-31-19
By: Abby Geni
-
Deep River
- A Novel
- By: Karl Marlantes
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 25 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the early 1900s, as the oppression of Russia's imperial rule takes its toll on Finland, the three Koski siblings - Ilmari, Matti, and young Aino - are forced to flee to the United States. Not far from the majestic Columbia River, the siblings settle among other Finns in a logging community in southern Washington, where the first harvesting of the colossal forests begets rapid development, and radical labor movements begin to catch fire. The brothers face the excitement and danger of pioneering this frontier, while Aino devotes herself to organizing the industry's first unions.
-
-
An Epic
- By Brian Hays on 07-31-19
By: Karl Marlantes
-
The Marriage of Opposites
- By: Alice Hoffman
- Narrated by: Gloria Reuben, Tina Benko, Santino Fontana, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Growing up on idyllic St. Thomas in the early 1800s, Rachel dreams of life in faraway Paris. Rachel's mother, a pillar of their small refugee community of Jews who escaped the Inquisition, has never forgiven her daughter for being a difficult girl who refuses to live by the rules. Growing up, Rachel's salvation is their maid Adelle's belief in her strengths and her deep, lifelong friendship with Jestine, Adelle's daughter. But Rachel's life is not her own.
-
-
Intoxicating and Complex Journey
- By Mel on 09-02-15
By: Alice Hoffman
-
Invisible as Air
- A Novel
- By: Zoe Fishman
- Narrated by: Susan Bennett, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Maxwell Glick
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sylvie Snow knows the pressures of expectations: a woman is supposed to work hard, but never be tired; age gracefully, but always be beautiful; fix the family problems, but always be carefree. Sylvie does the grocery shopping, the laundry, the scheduling, the schlepping, and the PTA-ing, while planning her son’s Bar Mitzvah and cheerfully tending her husband, Paul, who’s been lying on the sofa with a broken ankle.
-
-
Excellent
- By Nancy on 11-25-19
By: Zoe Fishman
-
Glorious Boy
- A Novel
- By: Aimee Liu
- Narrated by: Cindy Kay
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in India's remote Andaman Islands before and during WWII, the story revolves around a mysteriously mute four-year-old who vanishes on the eve of Japanese Occupation. Little Ty's parents, Shep and Claire, will go to any lengths to rescue him, but neither is prepared for the brutal and soul-changing odyssey that awaits them.
-
-
Suffering
- By June D. on 02-22-24
By: Aimee Liu
-
The Cape Doctor
- By: E. J. Levy
- Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beginning in Cork, Ireland, the novel recounts Perry’s journey from daughter to son in order to enter medical school and provide for family, but Perry soon embraced the newfound freedom of living life as a man. From brilliant medical student in Edinburgh and London to eligible bachelor and quick-tempered physician in Cape Town, Dr. Perry thrived.
-
-
Absolutely adored this story - beautifully written
- By TJReads on 09-09-21
By: E. J. Levy
-
A Keeper
- A Novel
- By: Graham Norton
- Narrated by: Graham Norton
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Elizabeth Keane returns to Ireland after her mother’s death, she’s focused only on saying goodbye to that dark and dismal part of her life. Her childhood home is packed solid with useless junk, her mother’s presence already fading. But within this mess, she discovers a small stash of letters — and ultimately, the truth. Forty years earlier, a young woman stumbles from a remote stone house, the night quiet except for the constant wind that encircles her as she hurries deeper into the darkness away from the cliffs and the sea.
-
-
Satisfying twists & compelling cadence
- By Sarah.Quinn on 08-19-19
By: Graham Norton
-
Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection
- By: Arthur Conan Doyle, Stephen Fry - introductions
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 71 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since he made his first appearance in A Study In Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes has enthralled and delighted millions of fans throughout the world. Now Audible is proud to present Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, read by Stephen Fry. A lifelong fan of Doyle's detective fiction, Fry has narrated the definitive collection of Sherlock Holmes - four novels and four collections of short stories. And, exclusively for Audible, Stephen has written and narrated eight insightful introductions, one for each title.
-
-
Chapter Guide!
- By Katya Rice on 05-25-18
By: Arthur Conan Doyle, and others
-
Lullaby Road
- By: James Anderson
- Narrated by: Graham Winton
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ben Jones, protagonist of the glowingly reviewed Never-Open Desert Diner, returns in a devastatingly powerful literary crime novel about parenthood, loss, and the desert in winter. Winter has come to Highway 117, a remote road through the Utah desert trafficked only by oddballs, fugitives, and those looking to escape the world.
-
-
It grew on me
- By Shirley Y. Thomas on 09-21-21
By: James Anderson
-
After Her
- By: Joyce Maynard
- Narrated by: Joyce Maynard
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Summer, 1979: A dry, hot Northern California school vacation stretches before Rachel and her younger sister, Patty - the daughters of a larger-than-life, irresistibly handsome (and chronically unfaithful) detective father and the mother whose heart he broke. When we first meet her, Patty is 11 - a gangly kid who loves basketball and dogs and would do anything for her older sister, Rachel.
-
-
Endearing and Heartbreaking Sister Bond
- By tooonce72 on 09-21-13
By: Joyce Maynard
-
Lincoln in the Bardo
- A Novel
- By: George Saunders
- Narrated by: Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, George Saunders, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
February 1862. The Civil War is less than one year old. The fighting has begun in earnest, and the nation has begun to realize it is in for a long, bloody struggle. Meanwhile, President Lincoln’s beloved eleven-year-old son, Willie, lies upstairs in the White House, gravely ill. In a matter of days, despite predictions of a recovery, Willie dies and is laid to rest in a Georgetown cemetery. “My poor boy, he was too good for this earth,” the president says at the time. “God has called him home.”
-
-
"Where might God stand?"
- By Mel on 02-17-17
By: George Saunders
-
The Gunners
- By: Rebecca Kauffman
- Narrated by: Michael David Axtell
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mikey Callahan, a 30-year-old who is suffering from the clouded vision of macular degeneration, is reconnecting with "The Gunners", his group of childhood friends, after one of their members has committed suicide. Sally had distanced herself from all of them before ending her life, and she died harboring secrets about the group and its individuals. Mikey especially needs to confront dark secrets about his own past and his father. How much of this darkness accounts for the emotional stupor Mikey is suffering from as he reaches his maturity?
-
-
Keeps You Listening
- By Kathleen on 04-04-18
By: Rebecca Kauffman
-
Leaving Time
- A Novel
- By: Jodi Picoult
- Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman, Abigail Revasch, Kathe Mazur, and others
- Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Refusing to believe that she would be abandoned as a young child, Jenna searches for her mother regularly online and pores over the pages of Alice's old journals. A scientist who studied grief among elephants, Alice wrote mostly of her research among the animals she loved, yet Jenna hopes the entries will provide a clue to her mother’s whereabouts. Desperate to find the truth, Jenna enlists two unlikely allies in her quest.
-
-
Pickiest Reader Would Be Willing to Give 6 Stars
- By Jan on 10-18-14
By: Jodi Picoult
-
This Must Be the Place
- By: Maggie O'Farrell
- Narrated by: Graham Rowat, Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meet Daniel Sullivan, a man with a complicated life. A New Yorker living in the wilds of Ireland, he has children he never sees in California; a father he loathes in Brooklyn; and a wife, Claudette, who is a reclusive ex-film star given to shooting at anyone who ventures up their driveway. He is also about to find out something about a woman he lost touch with 20 years ago, and this discovery will send him off course, far away from wife and home. Will his love for Claudette be enough to bring him back?
-
-
A good story spoiled
- By White rose on 03-24-17
By: Maggie O'Farrell
-
Wildlife
- By: Richard Ford
- Narrated by: Noah Michael Levine
- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Joe Brinson was 16, his father moved the family to Great Falls, Montana, the setting for this harrowing, transfixing novel by the acclaimed author of Rock Springs. Filled with an abiding sense of love and family, and of the forces that test them to the breaking point, Wildlife is a book whose spare poetry and expansive vision established it as an American classic.
-
-
Beautiful Wildlife
- By Stefahn on 01-02-19
By: Richard Ford
-
Sphere
- By: Michael Crichton
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 13 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A classic thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Crichton, Sphere is a bravura demonstration of what he does better than anyone: riveting storytelling that combines frighteningly plausible, cutting-edge science and technology with pulse-pounding action and serious chills.
-
-
Sphere
- By BookReader on 06-01-16
By: Michael Crichton
-
Moby-Dick
- By: Herman Melville
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 21 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Labeled variously a realistic story of whaling, a romance of unusual adventure and eccentric characters, a symbolic allegory, and a drama of heroic conflict, Moby Dick is first and foremost a great story. It has both the humor and poignancy of a simple sea ballad, as well as the depth and universality of a grand odyssey.
-
-
I Had No Idea Melville Was So Funny
- By Dave on 05-09-12
By: Herman Melville
-
Little Women
- By: Louisa May Alcott
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Klett, Arielle Lipshaw, Amy Gramour, and others
- Length: 17 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this dramatic reading of Little Women, we follow the lives of four sisters–Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March–as they embark on the journey from childhood to womanhood. The sisters live with their mother while their father fights in the American Civil War. The family, headed by their beloved mother Marmee, must struggle to make ends meet, with the help of their kind and wealthy neighbor, Mr. Laurence, and his high-spirited grandson Laurie.
-
-
Finally Listened To A Classic!! 😍
- By Sonia on 02-17-25
What listeners say about The Lightkeepers
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- JACK
- 11-29-16
A little sleeper of a mystery
I chose it because I had read previous non-fiction on the Farallon Islands. Its a blend of both and at times I forgot I was reading a novel and not listening to someone's real life diary. Its a interesting mystery too that you will think about after you finish. You may even "rewind" and listen to the end again just to be sure. A definite recommend in every way.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J. Dahlen
- 09-11-16
Great book
Where does The Lightkeepers rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This one is my favorite so far!
What about Xe Sands’s performance did you like?
Her cadence was spectacular, raw, and full of inflection. I could listen to overbook by her!
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
No, it didn't make me laugh or cry but there were many gold nuggets of information uncovered with each turn of the page.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Christina
- 09-09-16
Perfect narrator for the story.
A different story. Intriguing, with a soothing narrator. I appreciate all the research that must have gone into this story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MED
- 01-08-18
Unexpected and fascinating
Fascinating characterizations, and a unique exploration of photography and science as modes of observation in the face of trauma. The reader does a wonderful job with a complex main character.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Butmom
- 10-09-17
Tedious and time consuming.
It’s tedious. I guessed the ending in an effort to have the plot make sense.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 04-19-21
Interesting
Pleasantly surprised. Characters were original and interesting. Xe Sands is always excellent. I look forward to seeing more from this author.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Emmie
- 03-14-22
Not what I expected but in a good way
I selected this book because it sounded fairly interesting and I love the narrator- it was actually a great book and I really enjoyed both the story as well as the narration. All in all a great book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- B. Cartwright
- 10-19-23
Drew me in
It was a little slow at first, but I stuck with it because I love the narrator so much. I was soon glad I did, because it got very intriguing. I’m a little iffy on how it all wrapped up, but overall a great book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Eric
- 04-04-16
I was fascinated every single minute
What made the experience of listening to The Lightkeepers the most enjoyable?
Abby Geni and Xe Sands are a perfect match. Beautifully written, beautifully read. I learned a great deal, too. I hope Geni has a long and happy career and I intend to see what else Sands has narrated.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
14 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Gallagher
- 02-07-16
I was truly shocked with how good this book was!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I already have.
Any additional comments?
This book is beautifully and elegantly written. Abby Geni does an incredible job describing the emotions and feelings of the characters in this book, Not to mention the her description of the Farallon island and it's captivating wildlife.
The LightKeepers is going on my favorites list next to, Little Women, Women In White, Sherlock Holmes, and The Awakening.
The one thing I didn't like at all was the description that was given by Audible's, by telling about the attack it gives away too much, and hurts the storyline.
I can't wait for her next book!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
10 people found this helpful