A Northern Light

Reader reviewed by the book muncher

The year is 1906. Mattie Gokey is only sixteen years old. She is fascinated by books and words and desperately wants to go to college. She has the brains, but not the means. Her family has been struggling financially ever since the death of her mother. Mattie feels that shell be trapped in Eagle Bay until an interesting set of circumstances permits her to take a job at the Glenmore Hotel. With this opportunity, Mattie plans to save up as much money as she can so that she can make it to college.

But the death of a hotel guest, Grace Brown, leads Mattie to question everything in her life. Right before Graces death, Grace asked Mattie to burn a packet of her letters. Going against Graces wishes, Mattie reads the letters and learns the truth behind Graces death. Other events, such as a marriage proposal, discovering that her idolized teacher is not who she says she is, and new that a poor neighbors land is being auctioned, make Mattie reconsider her life choices.

A Northern Light was a simply amazing novel. it was so much more than I expected. It was a wonderful retelling of an actual historical occurrence, the murder of Grace Brown, and this made the story all the more interesting. I also enjoyed the incorporation of romance and Matties love of books. I see so much of myself in her because we are bother obsessed with books and want to go far in the world, and I think this made it easy for me to relate to her. There isnt much seen of the other characters because the novel is told from Matties perspective, but Matties interaction or descriptions of them made them realistic. I also liked how everything was tied up nicely at the end. What was a little confusing was how the story jumped around a bit. The story starts from after Graces death, then goes before the event, and jumps around again. This made the story a little confusing to read, but in a way, it helped me understand the story better.

I definitely recommend A Northern Light to all readers, especially fans of historical fiction. This amazing novel definitely makes me look forward to more exciting historical novels.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com/

Reader reviewed by Courtney

A murder mystery set in the early 1900's, a northern light really draws you in! I stayed up all night to finish this book.

Mattie is working at a hotel when a young girl,Grace, asks her to burn a stack of letters. the next day the young girl and her boyfriend go missing and it looks as if they drowned.Are the letters the key to unraveling this mystery?
It's definently worth the read!

Reader reviewed by Beth

This is the true story of a girl who lived at the time of one of the most brutal murders in history. She lives in a small town and is sent to work at a hotel in a neighboring city. There she works as a parlor maid and is suddenly thrown into the middle of a scandal. She works to solve the mystery of a girl's murder as well as work out her own blooming romance. Very well written, loved the fact that it was based on facts. I teach sixth grade and would not put this on my shelf due to a couple of scenes involving sexual content. More appropriate for a student in high school, but a great story.

Reader reviewed by Alexandra

Mattie Gokey has dreams bigger than her 1906, Big Moose Lake world. Desperate for money to help fund her dream, she takes a job at the Glenmore hotel. When Grace Brown, a guest at the hotel, first asks Mattie to burn a bundle of letters, it seems an innocuous request. But when Grace disappears and her body is discovered at the bottom of the lake, Mattie realizes that she must use the letters to find out what really happened to the young woman, while also finding out what she wants out of life. This book is a gripping story that entwines Mattie's dreams with those of Grace Brown. It is powerful and touching, and even if you aren't into historical fiction, you will empathize with Mattie.

Reader reviewed by artemis

This book started off slow, but picked up toward the middle. The endless descriptions of the people and the landscape really bored me. I haven't seen the Adirondacks, but I would love to one day. The author describes upstate New York as a boring and scary place--mainly because of a murder that occurred there in 1906. The true story behind this story is more interesting I'll admit. What really grabbed my attention was the French language and Mattie's father being French-Canadian. I speak some French myself and think that it's a wonderful language that is is both beautiful and fluid. But Mattie doesn't strike me as heroic, and her sisters were beyond annoying. She waits until the very end to leave, but she should have done so way before. There's some adult-like scenes in the book that aren't for kids and I find it hard to belive that Mattie would know a variety of college-level words when she's had no formal education. The book is pretty long. It's 400 pages. This isn't literature at its finest, but if you're looking to escape reality for a few hours, this will do it.

Reader reviewed by Lyssa

This book was ok. Historical Fiction..I belive that says it all. Set in 1906. So basically 100 years ago. If you're into that kinda thing, then it's an ok read. I had to read it for english. However, just a fair warning to readers, there is a slightly "mature" scene. Kinda surprising. But oh well.

Reader reviewed by Bookworm9

Sixteen year old Mattie Gokey is struggling with her new role as mother to her 3 younger sisters after her own mom dies. Mattie's emotionally distant father wants her to remain in this role indefinitely, and Mattie herself is torn between her desire to marry her handsome neighbor, who is suddenly interested in her, and her desire to leave her small hometown and persue her talent for writing by going to college. During the summer before she needs to make her choice, Mattie works at a hotel where she encounters another troubled young woman, whose chouces lead to tragic consequences and help Mattie to realize the importance of making up her own mind.

By turns humorous and heartbreaking, "A Northern Light" deals with issues of sexism, classism, racism, and the values of friendship, family, and promises, without ever losing sight of the people involved in the issues.