this book transported me back in time. Eliza's the main character has nerve and determination which makes her the perfect protagonist. The atmospheric the story creates is beautiful and very poignant. Also a novel is full of danger and deception i loved every page.

A well researched book set in Western Australia in the imaginary township of Bannin Bay in the 1800's. The author manages to capture the scenery, the wildlife, the heat and the despair that are central to this pearling town, through her rich language and descriptive prose. Eliza arrived with her family from England some ten years earlier and her father is now the bay's most profitable pearler, however when he fails to return from a trip, Eliza is set of on a journey to discover his whereabouts. Using clues, such as those he used to leave her as a child and his diary, she faces the unhelpful and corrupt people of the town who mostly feel all is best left alone. Even her brother appears to have given up the search. Only Eliza is left believing her father could still be alive.
A fascinating and emotional story about a place and a time I knew nothing about. The book pulled me right in, and the mystery carried the story through to the end. I would be more than happy to read further novels from this author.
With thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for a chance to read an arc in return for an honest review.

My thanks to Lizzie Pook and Pan Macmillan for the ARC of MOONLIGHT AND THE PEARLER'S DAUGHTER.
This novel was incredibly atmospheric, and so well written one could feel the grime and conditions that Eliza lived in. 1886, The Brightwell family arrive in Bannin Bay, Australia from their home in England. Eliza is ten and she and the rest of her family of father, mother and brother have no idea what awaits them in this new land, which is corrupt and inhabited by the worst of people
Ten years hence Charles Brightwell is a successful pearler, but on a diving voyage goes missing from his ship. There are rumours that either their diver killed him and pushed him overboard or that her brother is somehow culpable. This story follows Eliza as she determinedly does everything she can to find her father whom she will not accept is gone. Recommended

Set towards the end of the 19th century on the coast of Western Australia this book features Eliza Brightwell. She arrives there with her family in 1886 when she is 10. Her father says he will make his fortune fishing for pearls and the shells. Ten years on their circumstances have changed quite a bit and her father does not return from a trip in his boat. It is suggested that he has been lost overboard. Eliza does not believe he has died despite the rumours and stories and sets out to find the truth. To call her headstrong and a little unconventional would be an understatement.

The book follows Eliza on her quest for her father and the truth. The era, the location and the culture would indicate that she should "behave" in a rather more seemly fashion than she does! She finds the police, already known as quite violent and racist, are disinterested. However the opinions of most other people are not something that is likely to sway Eliza so she follows any clues she can. These often take her into situations that no one of her gender or colour should be in.

The writing in this is very good and often darkly poetic. You can feel the heat and see the dirt. The sense of place was well worked as far as I am concerned. Colourful characters can be found here and even fairly minor ones have stayed with me. Without question Eliza is the lead and stand out character though. Over the course of the book I found myself increasingly engrossed in her character.

I guess I was a little way in to this before it really held me. In part that might well be because I read less historically based books these days and there is a real feel of and for history here. However once it did get to me it became quite hard to put down. By the latter stages I was fully engaged with the character of Eliza and loved her. The story here is definitely OK however I would suggest reading this to walk for a while with one of the better characters I've encountered in the past year or so. Eliza feels real. She is brave, scared, determined, unsure, warm, reserved etc. She made this a very satisfying read. An easy 4 star and probably nearer 4.5.

Eliza is an obstinately independent woman in a harsh world. Ten years ago her family emigrated to the west coast of Australia, an unforgiving dangerous place, where her father and brother make a living as pearlers, risking their lives at sea. So when her father doesn't return from a voyage it's easy to chalk it down to just another accident or another violent incident. But Eliza feels that there's more to his disappearence and despite disapproval, obstacles, lies and danger sets out to find out the truth.

This is a lushly written, unique book which brings its historical and geographical setting and the people who survived there vividly to life.

I tried twice to read this book through to the end but just couldn't manage it. It is chock full of descriptive writing which covers up any essential story, as well as skipping between a ten year gap in cases so it was hard to follow on the Kindle without skipping backwards and forwards. I understand this is the author's first book but filling up a book with adjectives ranging from describing a sunset for half a page to a walk down a lane for another half a page rather spoiled the story for me. Sorry to the author but not for me!

Australia 1886 and 1896, where Eliza spends the second 10 years, she was born in England and then her family immigrated to a new life. However as you probably know by now from the description of this great Novel her Dad Charles Brightwell ship comes home without him on a day in 1896.

So the story line sees Eliza setting out to find out what happened to her Dad whilst her Brother goes off to deal with business that's what he saying anyhow. The strong willed highly motivated Eliza is not going to sit back and let things unwind as expected which I for one am very happy about as this would be a very boring read. However it's a great read and a Eliza bucks expectation and forges ahead we met some great characters some wonderful some stupid and some vile. The copper is interesting but I love the way his final acts play out in this novel.

The Story is beautifully written gripping and definitely worth getting, I'm so glad I have read it, I did get a few copy for an honest review and I'd honestly can say it's one that's week worth paying for. Every page offers something and the experience of this novel is truly wonderful.

I received this from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This is a well researched novel full of details about Australia's pearling industry - something that I knew absolutely nothing about. Lizzie Pook 's debut novel informs us of the way that the pearl-divers faced danger every time they set foot into the ocean, often for men who treated them with little respect. Against this backdrop, we meet the Brightwell family - Eliza, Thomas and their father, Charles, an amateur naturalist who has his own fleet and is one of the better master pearlers.

When Charles goes missing at sea, Eliza is desperate to find answers, to find him. Her brother is no help as he quickly disappears to another town and therefore Eliza is left to search alone. The author presents us with young woman who is strong and determined, a young woman who is not held back by her gender. We follow her as she searches for her father, assisted by a young adventurer, Alex, and here the author leads us through the landscape of Western Australia and shows us in vivid detail the creatures and the fauna that reside there.

Historical fiction is not a genre that I generally pick up, but I thoroughly enjoyed accompanying Eliza in her search. A super debut.

Thank you Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me the chance to read this.

A beautifully written and atmospheric story set in late nineteenth century Western Australia. The harsh realities of life amongst the pearlers is vividly brought to life. Eliza Brightwell finds herself alone when her father disappears from his boat and her brother flees the town. It is presumed her father is dead but Eliza stubbornly believes him to be alive and she sets out to find him and bring him home. Flying in the face of convention, she shows strength of character and determination in never giving up.
The story was slow to get going but picked up towards the end. The characters were rather flat and so I never really built up a bond with any of them. Overall it was a reasonably enjoyable read but didn't have the extra something to make it into a great read.

For a debut this is well written, original material. Pearling is not something that I or probably most people know much about so is a welcome change from the churn of mindless new fiction. I enjoyed the attention paid to the plight of original peoples as well. For me the characters were a little one note being either good or bad with not much in between. I did like the small interludes by way of the journal entries though with information about wildlife.

I was given an ARC of Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter in exchange for an honest review. Inspired by the historic pearling industry in 19th century Australia, the novel highlights the brutality and corruption in the enforced enslavement of both indentured workers and the indigenous peoples within the industry. The powerful descriptions of marine life are both exquisite and awesome illustrations of the vulnerability of the otherness of foreigners. My only criticism would be that the characters were a little too wooden to inspire an opinion as to empathy or dislike.

An adventure story packed full of family loyalty, feuds and pearls...

Eliza has been in Australia since her childhood, and her father has set up a successful business as one of Bannin Bay's pearlers, collecting precious oyster shells for trade. When he goes missing, Eliza takes on the investigation.

Set in the late 19th century, this story is jam packed with excitement and adventure. Eliza is a brave and independent, fiery young woman who won't settle for the typical woman's role in society. I loved this - couldn't put it down as kept needing to know what was going to happen next.

Stunningly poetic in its narrative, the author draws the reader into the hot, searing hardship of the pearlers' lives in western Australia. In a small town where the law is led by corrupt men and gossip is rife, Eliza Brightwell learns that people prefer to close an eye than try to discover the truth when her father goes missing.

The haunting descriptions of the dust and heat, the perils of diving for pearls, and the daily struggle just to survive add a gritty, tense atmosphere to this beautifully written story. Highly recommend.

I am a huge lover of historical fiction and knowing nothing about the pearling trade I was excited to read this novel.
For me the start was very slow and felt a bit disjointed. With hindsight it doesn’t seem that way but I was clearly struggling to understand how the characters, place, ethnicity and jobs all fitted together. Although her mother and brother helped show some background to Eliza’s personality and motivations I would rather they had either been omitted, revealed in one consecutive sitting or had been massively elaborated on and fully fleshed out.
Pook is clearly an accomplished creator of character and I loved the interactions between Eliza and both the majors like Axel and the minors like Parker. All of these felt authentic and showed how fully three dimensional Eliza was as a protagonist.
I agree with another reviewer who said some parts really stretched the bounds of credulity including Eliza’s swum rescue of Axel in the storm. Other parts I was perfectly happy to suspend disbelief in as the story picked up speed and I was carried along.
The ending was far too rushed for me, the time spent at the beginning of the book should have been gifted to the end. The unveiling of the letter writer was a brilliant surprise though!

Gracing this novel with a poetic and thought-provoking style, Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter started out really strong for me with me.
“Inside, the shop is filled with gloom and the suspended breath of things once lived.”

Eliza, our heroine, is trying to uncover why her father did not return from his pearling expedition. Her journey is not without challenges, but she finds support from Min (her friend), Axel (someone she just happens to meet), and clues left from her father. Along the way she faces her own demons about forgiveness.

I liked how this novel showcased the atrocities and danger faced by so many in the pearling world. I also appreciated that Eliza was incredibly strong in mind - not giving up until she found her father, whom she had a beautiful relationship with. And a story about betrayal also unfolded into one about loyalty and family.

The whole Axel thing let me down though.
“‘I am not beautiful.’ She says it as if he has accused her of theft. But she knows she is not beautiful. Therefore, his words must be empty.” I would agree if he was able to profess his love and easily swap her for Min!

Not sure this story needed Axel or the rushed weird ending. Anticlimactic. 3.5 rounded up.

Many thanks to #NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my views.

I was delighted to be accepted to read Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter. I was intrigued with the description and have not read anything based on this lifestyle before. Lizzie Pook successfully weaved the descriptions of the location and the characters all the way through. The environment and the life were clearly very hard and the grittiness and hardships faced even by the wealthy were evident. Our protagonist Eliza has a very deep love of family as well as strength of character I can only imagine was relatively unusual at the time but also within the location. Lots of twists and turns, some heart moving and stopping moments and most importantly a whole heap of love.

I adored this book it was so well written with a delightfully interesting storyline, well developed and relatable characters and a good setting that was described vividly and richly. A really enjoyable read,

What a delightful book. I was totally captured by this story. It conjured up a feeling of real tenderness and love that Eliza felt for her family and her friends. She comes across as such a strong willed character and dedicated to living the life she chose with those around her.
There are some beautifully written, almost poetic lines in places, which conjured up beautiful images. I totally believed in the story told in this book and would heartily recommend it as a great read.

Lizzie Pook through Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter gives a wonderful insight to the very tough life of those who go to sea to find pearls and the mother of pearl back in Australia's past. The novel comes alive by her rich descriptions of life in Bannin Bay which resembles any frontier town where riches can be found. Whilst the effusive descriptions work most of the time there is the odd occasion when I had cause to raise the odd eyebrow. The rescue by Eliza of Axel after he was washed overboard in a storm stretches credulity too far, so indeed does the release of her father from the top of a mangrove tree whilst 'salties' swim in salivating circles. Despite that, it was a well researched book and it presented the life of a pearler back in 1886 in glorious technicolour. It had intrigue, pace and mystery and was never dull. I was equally educated and entertained through reading it.

A beautifully descriptive story, meticulously researched. If it were not for the exceptional writing I would have given up on this book after the first few chapters as I found it very slow, and didn’t care for any of the characters. I will confess to speed reading through much of the narrative as the storyline left me cold. Finally, around three quarters of the way in the story started to pick up and became more interesting. The ending, when it came was swift and conclusive, though not without its strangeness; Axel and Min together only a few weeks after declaring his love for Eliza? Some catch he would be!

Sadly this is a book with impressive and beautiful style, but little substance.
2.5* rounded up to 3*
Thank you NetGalley.