Middle Watch is a time when a man alone on a lighthouse in those wee small hours feels he's the only person in the world. A man awake and alone in the darkness of the night has time to think, and sometimes those thoughts turn towards revenge and hate. Bridie O'Neill was taken in as a baby by Dad Joe, whom she adores as if he were her real father. Unfortunately, Joe is away at sea most of the time and Bridie has grown up under the thumb of his mean-spirited wife, Millie, and her two bullying sons. The only joy in her life comes from the beautiful coastline near their home and Joe's occasional visits. When things come to a head between Bridie and Millie, Joe realises he needs to take Bridie - and himself - away from his poisonous wife. He starts a job as a lighthouse keeper at Longships Light. Bridie's life is transformed by this new life close to the wild Cornish seas. There she meets the dark, brooding Ryan, son of the Principal Keeper. The two young people fall deeply in love with one another. But Joe's family are not ready to let Bridie go. She is haunted by the idea that Millie will come after her, and Joe's older son Jim is starting to look at Bridie with a most unbrotherly interest. Wanting to escape the emotional turmoil and prove herself, Bridie sets out on her own to find work in London - but her actions set forth a chain of events that will end in tragedy on a lonely lighthouse amongst the crashing waves of the sea...
Middle Watch
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"Middle Watch" by Loretta Proctor is a beautifully written family saga with an evocative setting. For me, this novel was a very cosy read and if it hadn't been past midnight when I started reading, I wouldn't have been able to put it down. I really enjoyed reading the descriptive passages of the places where the heroine lived. The history of some glorious English lighthouses and their keepers is also expertly woven in. The heroine, the orphaned Bridie O'Neill is drawn to these beacons of light from her earliest years and it is she who will ultimately hook the reader.
The lovely, red-headed Bridie is raised by lighthouse keeper Joe Bosworth and for a time his brutal wife "Mean Millie." She fantasizes about her birth parents and eventually takes her father's name, but she doesn't find out too much about them. Her early childhood reminded me of Jane Eyre's when Jane was a resented and maltreated child who lived with her aunt.
An almost grown up Bridie loves the community of the light keepers and is quite happy keeping house for Dad Joe, but eventually she wants to find her true self, so she goes to London. In spite of her gentle and generous nature, she overcomes many obstacles in the big city, but there is one impediment she can't quite surmount: her handsome and sometimes too charming foster brother, Jim Bosworth. From the beginning, we see Jim through Bridie's eyes, so it's very difficult to decide if he is good or bad. Whatever, he certainly is obsessed with his "sister" and like a true Heathcliff character, he will do anything to get her.
After she returns home, Bridie is torn between this dark lover and her true love, another man she has also known from childhood. What she does about this adds much depth to an already complex character. The ending may come as a surprise to some, but it was the right ending for me. Read "Middle Watch"--you'll love it!
The lovely, red-headed Bridie is raised by lighthouse keeper Joe Bosworth and for a time his brutal wife "Mean Millie." She fantasizes about her birth parents and eventually takes her father's name, but she doesn't find out too much about them. Her early childhood reminded me of Jane Eyre's when Jane was a resented and maltreated child who lived with her aunt.
An almost grown up Bridie loves the community of the light keepers and is quite happy keeping house for Dad Joe, but eventually she wants to find her true self, so she goes to London. In spite of her gentle and generous nature, she overcomes many obstacles in the big city, but there is one impediment she can't quite surmount: her handsome and sometimes too charming foster brother, Jim Bosworth. From the beginning, we see Jim through Bridie's eyes, so it's very difficult to decide if he is good or bad. Whatever, he certainly is obsessed with his "sister" and like a true Heathcliff character, he will do anything to get her.
After she returns home, Bridie is torn between this dark lover and her true love, another man she has also known from childhood. What she does about this adds much depth to an already complex character. The ending may come as a surprise to some, but it was the right ending for me. Read "Middle Watch"--you'll love it!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Review of `MIDDLE WATCH'
BY Phyllis Burton
Loretta Proctor has created some truly memorable characters in her latest story `Middle Watch'.
The reader can really feel the frustration felt by the main character Bridie o'Neill over the way she is treated by Millie, the wife of her adored adopted father, Dad Joe. Dad Joe is often away at sea and Bridie is treated like a servant in her own home. Dad Joe loves Bridie, but his two sons , Andy and Jim bully her.
Dad Joe eventually realises what is going on and leaves his wife, Millie and takes Bridie with him. She loves the coastline of Cornwall and she spends magic moments looking out to sea. Dad Joe takes a job as a light-house keeper and Bridie gradually learns to enjoy life again. She meets and falls in love with Ryan and for a while life seems good.
Because her adopted mother Millie tried to run her life for her, Bridie resents Ryan's attempts to make demands on her, and is persuaded by her brother Jim, to live in London for a while. Jim, appears to have changed and she begins to feel quite fond of him.
Thus begins a time when Bridie is torn between the rugged, brooding Ryan and her more sophisticated adopted brother, Jim. Her emotions first lean one way and then the other. In the end, she returns to Ryan. They marry and everything seems wonderful, but little did she know that the Jim she thought she knew, would follow her and complicate her life amongst the rocks and waves of the sea.
This beautifully described and evocative story not only lets the reader eavesdrop on the lonely life of a light-house keeper, but follows the loves and lives of three young people as their destiny awaits them on a remote and rocky shore.
I have given this story five stars and in my opinion they are thoroughly deserved.
BY Phyllis Burton
Loretta Proctor has created some truly memorable characters in her latest story `Middle Watch'.
The reader can really feel the frustration felt by the main character Bridie o'Neill over the way she is treated by Millie, the wife of her adored adopted father, Dad Joe. Dad Joe is often away at sea and Bridie is treated like a servant in her own home. Dad Joe loves Bridie, but his two sons , Andy and Jim bully her.
Dad Joe eventually realises what is going on and leaves his wife, Millie and takes Bridie with him. She loves the coastline of Cornwall and she spends magic moments looking out to sea. Dad Joe takes a job as a light-house keeper and Bridie gradually learns to enjoy life again. She meets and falls in love with Ryan and for a while life seems good.
Because her adopted mother Millie tried to run her life for her, Bridie resents Ryan's attempts to make demands on her, and is persuaded by her brother Jim, to live in London for a while. Jim, appears to have changed and she begins to feel quite fond of him.
Thus begins a time when Bridie is torn between the rugged, brooding Ryan and her more sophisticated adopted brother, Jim. Her emotions first lean one way and then the other. In the end, she returns to Ryan. They marry and everything seems wonderful, but little did she know that the Jim she thought she knew, would follow her and complicate her life amongst the rocks and waves of the sea.
This beautifully described and evocative story not only lets the reader eavesdrop on the lonely life of a light-house keeper, but follows the loves and lives of three young people as their destiny awaits them on a remote and rocky shore.
I have given this story five stars and in my opinion they are thoroughly deserved.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Jean Pike
Format:Paperback
I have been a long time fan of Loretta Proctor's books for many reasons. I love her beautifully crafted prose and the realism of the characters she creates. I love the complex story lines. Just when I think she has written her very best work, she surprises me and comes out with something even better! Her latest book, Middle Watch, is a great story for so many reasons. The story tracks the life of Bridie O'Neall, a woman who is as stormy and tumultuous as the sea she loves. It is, on one level, the story of a woman finding her place in this world. A story of enduring love between a man and a woman. On another level, it is a story of humankind in all its complexity and weakness and strength, and how this humanity fits together with nature.
Like the author, I have had a lifelong fascination with lighthouses. That Middle Watch so accurately and vividly portrays the life of a lighthouse keeper is an added bonus. I picked up the story purely to be entertained and I was educated in the deal!
Loretta Proctor's writing is at times flowing and poetic. At times it is raw and emotional. But it is always genuine and satisfying. I highly recommend this book to any lover of light houses, the sea, and romantic fiction.
Like the author, I have had a lifelong fascination with lighthouses. That Middle Watch so accurately and vividly portrays the life of a lighthouse keeper is an added bonus. I picked up the story purely to be entertained and I was educated in the deal!
Loretta Proctor's writing is at times flowing and poetic. At times it is raw and emotional. But it is always genuine and satisfying. I highly recommend this book to any lover of light houses, the sea, and romantic fiction.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very candid and yet perceptive characterisation
Bridget's description of her father here is so typical of the detailed and subtle observation which Loretta Proctor always seems to make of her characters, not least in Middle... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Night-scented stock
5.0 out of 5 stars
Middle Watch by Loretta Proctor
I have just finished reading Middle Watch. I am going to miss Bridie and Ryan so much. I was hooked from the first page, a really good story with twists and turns that had me... Read more
Published 8 months ago by jen60
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful read
I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful story that Loretta Proctor has penned. She has the skill of a highly accomplished author in creating characters that the reader can identify... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Gordon Thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unforgettable
"Wind and waves and the cruel sea. Some days the waves come crashing almost over the top of the light. Read more
Published 11 months ago by RAL in the West
5.0 out of 5 stars
Something different - truly original!
Love in this book is like a beam from a lighthouse shining through the darkness surrounding young Bridie, a sign of hope to a child suffering from the cruelty of Mean Millie. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mary Josefina Cade
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enticing read
I am always drawn to Loretta Proctor's books by the strength of her characters and the emotions they provoke. Their presence lingers, long after the final page has been devoured. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Peter McGarry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant Read
This is a story that will tug at your heartstrings without a doubt. Once started, I just couldn't put this book down. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Louisa Middleton-Blake
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