It's been a while since I've had a cover-off. Experiencing one distraction after another can do that to a person, so when I came across the UK cover of a book I'd recently downloaded to my Kindle, I thought it was time to dust off this poor, neglected series and start it up again.
What book had I downloaded to my Kindle? Emma Stonex's The Lamplighters because of my weakness for lighthouses, the book's synopsis, and the price. Pardon the digression, but don't you just love when a $14.99 eBook you've been keeping your eye on has its price adjusted to $14.95-- like that four cents is going to make you buy the book? Yeah. Me, too. Needless to say, the sale price for this book involved a lot more than four cents!
It's New Year's Eve, 1972, when a boat pulls up to the Maiden Rock lighthouse with relief for the keepers. But no one greets them. When the entrance door, locked from the inside, is battered down, rescuers find an empty tower. A table is laid for a meal not eaten. The Principal Keeper's weather log describes a storm raging round the tower, but the skies have been clear all week. And the clocks have all stopped at 8:45.
Two decades later, the wives who were left behind are visited by a writer who is determined to find the truth about the men's disappearance. Moving between the women's stories and the men's last weeks together in the lighthouse, long-held secrets surface and truths twist into lies as we piece together what happened, why, and who to believe.
In her riveting and suspenseful novel, Emma Stonex writes a story of isolation and obsession, of reality and illusion, and of what it takes to keep the light burning when all else is swallowed by dark.
Sounds like the type of story that will make me jump if, while I'm reading it, Denis sneaks up behind me and startles me. Plus, there's the added bonus of the lighthouse being off the coast of Cornwall, England-- one of my favorite spots.
Okay now. Time to take a look at those covers!
To me, both covers are striking and give me the feeling that something is wrong. The abstract graphics and bright colors of the UK cover make me feel as though that lighthouse is in an alternate universe, and that if I go there, strange things are definitely going to happen. Yes indeed, the colors and the graphics used on the UK cover are eye-catching.
However...
(You knew that was coming, didn't you?)
It's the US cover that works for me. It's the US cover that, if I bought books because of their covers alone, would make me buy The Lamplighters. Why? Blue is my favorite color. I love lighthouses, and the one depicted on the US cover makes me feel as though I've climbed all those steps until I'm just below the lantern, and I'm looking out into the darkness and the weather, and I'm looking for... help.
The US cover of The Lamplighters has drawn me right into the story and I haven't even opened the book to read one single word. I have a feeling that that's what the marketing teams for publishing houses want: covers that draw readers right into their books without even opening them.
What's your opinion? Which cover do you prefer-- UK? US? Neither one? Too close to call? Inquiring minds would love to know!
You know, I'm drawn to the US cover, too, Cathy. I do love that shade of blue, and there's just something that gets my attention and keeps it - a depth of some sort.
ReplyDeleteI agree, but then... you knew that already. :-)
DeleteI like them both, but the US cover (at least without having read the book) seems more mysterious.
ReplyDeleteYes. The other one looks like my vision during a migraine.
DeleteI vote for the US cover because of the blue and also it's more atmospheric to me. The UK cover has too much red and, as you say, seems more like a sci-fi thing. The book sounds good!
ReplyDeleteIt certainly does, doesn't it?
DeleteU.S. cover, shows a mystery involving a lighthouse and brings a sense of menace. When you read it, I'll be glad to reas your review.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading as fast as I can! ;-)
DeleteCathy, you spoil your readers with so many tempting books with your posts and reviews.
DeleteNah. I tempt not spoil! ;-)
DeleteI immediately liked the US cover, but after looking a little closer I do like the UK cover too. But, the UK cover makes me think of cartoons and somehow doesn't fit with the description of the book. The US cover is beautiful and pleasant to look at, I want to know more about that place. I choose the US cover.
ReplyDeleteI'm really looking forward to reading this book!
DeleteAnother vote for the US cover - the other one is too garish, and gives me the vibe that it's so very hip that I might not enjoy it at all. I love the atmosphere created by the US cover.
ReplyDeleteI do, too. It speaks to me. The other one screams.
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