A Northern Light

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 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.