A Northern Light

Written by Jennifer Donnelly

Narrated by Hope Davis

All of Mattie Lyon's hopes and dreams are riding on her summer job at the Glennmore Hotel. She'll make enough money to go to college in the fall. She'll prove to her father that she is responsible. She'll learn how to survive in the sophisticated world beyond her dad's brokeback farm. But all her plans fall to pieces when a young woman turns up drowned in the lake. Only Mattie knows that her death is a murder.

An astonishing and heartbreaking story set in 1906, this novel will take its place beside To Kill a Mockingbird, Little Women, and other classics that hark back to times of lost innocence.

A Northern Light is Jennifer Donnelly's first published young adult novel, and it marks the debut of a major new talent.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 25, 2003
• ISBN: 9780807208977

Jennifer Donnelly

Historical fiction author Jennifer Donnelly graduated cum laude with distinction in English Literature from the University of Rochester, New York. She is best known for her novels A NORTHERN LIGHT, THE TEA ROSE and THE WINTER ROSE, but has also written HUMBLE PIE, a picture book for children.Jennifer currently lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with her husband, daughter and one rescued greyhound.

Reviews for A Northern Light

[rickgeissal · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a terrific novels about family, ambition, dilemma and strength. The lead character is a young woman who is a writer. This is very well-done and well-written; reads beautifully.

[shannonrose4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

this is one of my favorite historical fiction novels for young adults.

New York state-1906, 16 year-old Mattie wants badly to attend college to become a writer. While working at the inn to earn money for college, a guest named Grace Brown asks her to burn a stack of secret letters. Shortly after the request, Grace's body is found in the nearby lake; might the letters hold the key to her murder?

[melrailey-412132 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sixteen year old Mattie Gokey dreams of moving to New York City, attending college and becoming a writer but she's trapped. Her mother died, her old brother ran away and Mattie is forced to help her father take care of the farm and raise her younger sisters. Yet she refuses to give up her dream. She takes a job working at a nearby resort to earn money to pay for travel expenses to New York City and along the way begins to give up on her dreams and settles on the idea of marriage and family. Then, a woman's body is pulled from the lake the resort and, through the dead woman's letters, Mattie realizes that she was murdered.

I LOVED this book. Jennifer Donnelly has a beautiful way with words and the story was very compelling. I loved Mattie and how she never really gave up on her dreams. Maybe it is my own dreams of someday writing that made me love Mattie so much. I also loved the way that Donnelly used words and their definitions to tell the story. That just played to the English major in me. It's a beautifully told story and Donnelly is a master of language.

[bdartnall_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Historical fiction loaded with a myriad of details in 1906 small town life in the North Woods near the Canadian border. Mattie Gokey (Anglicized from the French) longs to finish high school, go to college, and become a writer. She grieves for her mother, recently died from cancer, and tries to understand her distant, stern father who also grieves. He depends on Mattie to care for the household, help with the farm, and maintain order with her younger sisters; Mattie struggles to not resent her older brother who fought with dad & ran away. Her father cannot imagine Mattie leaving them. She is thrilled when Royal Loomis, handsome neighbor, begins to courts her, and wants her to marry him, and settle down to a farming life. As these conflicting obligations begin to build, Mattie goes to work at the Glenmore, one of the huge resort hotels on the lake, & becomes drawn into a terrible tragedy, the disappearance of one of the visitors and the discovery of his drowned young woman companion- a mystery that adds to to the suspense. Mattie does have good friends, including Weaver, an African American boy who is also determined to head to college & her beloved teacher, Miss Wilcox, who turns out to have a secret life of her own. Themes of serving family v.s. finding one's own path, feminism, racism, among others lifts this story beyond just a coming of age for a young woman.

[lilibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Mattie Gokey wants to be a writer. But she promised her dying mother that she would stay and take care of her younger sisters. When she takes a job at a local resort to earn some cash so her family can buy a new mule, she meets a young girl who entrusts her with a bundle of letters. Later that day, the girl is dead, drowned in an apparent boating accident. Based on a true story.

[jayne_charles_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is such an accomplished, uplifting piece of writing, despite the suffering it depicts, and the tragic event at its centre. Perhaps that's because of the voice of narrator Mattie, who comes across as intelligent, spirited and tenacious. Ostensibly it's the story of a drowning, based on real events, but the real tension in the plot was the question of whether Mattie would be able to pursue her dream of getting an education in spite of her difficult home circumstances. It's a story that draws in big themes such as racism and women's rights but never becomes preachy.

[rosa.mill · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mattie has big dreams. She wants to go to college and become a writer, but when her mother was dying she made a promise to stay and raise her sisters. Mattie lives a hard life as the daughter of a farmer, and her relationship with her father has become more and more strained. She takes a job at the Glenmore Hotel to help earn money, and a guest Grace Brown dies. Grace gave Mattie her letters to burn and now Mattie again finds herself caught between a promise and what she thinks she should do.

This novel was amazing. It was heartbreaking and moving and lovely. Mattie's voice is very true and I really felt tangles up in her emotions.

[cwbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

a young woman must decide whether to stay with her controlling father and siblings on the family farm or follow her dream to go to college- many obstacles in her path- she is a skilled writer and imagines the lives of others- great book for young women, to think about following your own heart and dreams as opposed to doing what others expect of you

[shouldireadit · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Set in the Adirondacks of 1906, readers are introduced to Mattie, her rough life as the oldest of 4 girls forced to care for her father, the farm, and her sisters when her mother dies of cancer as well as to her best friend Weaver, the only African American in their town. Weaver also hopes to go to college one day, as the two of them share a love for learning and a dream of making something of their lives. Despite both being accepted at N.Y. colleges, racism and small mindedness conspire to keep them from their dreams. When Grace, a young tourist girl, is murdered at the summer resort where they work, Mattie is determined to find a way out of their dead end lives for both herself and Weaver.

[summer_missfictional · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't know when the last time was that I've given a book the ultimate glory of being rated 5 stars, but A Northern Light really is fitting for this. Historical fiction has always been one of my favorite genres, but as of late, I haven't exactly been blown away by any of the previous books.

This book has stolen the title of being one of my favorite historical fiction books not only this year, but of my entire life. The main character is lovable, the mystery is gripping, and the writing superb. I'd recommend this novel to feminists and history lovers everywhere.

[amyj96 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Started off a little boring, but I ended up really hooked during the last two thirds. I wasn't too pleased with the very ending as it seemed to contradict the entire message of the story, but I'm probably in the minority.

[indygo88 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've read several of Jennifer Donnelly's other books & enjoyed them, and despite knowing this one had received high acclaim, for some reason this one just hadn't made it to the top of Mt. TBR. And now that it has, I almost feel disappointed. I can't put my finger on why. It's well-written, it showcases a strong female character (who loves books!), & it interweaves some historic fiction. Like the last novel of Donnelly's I read, Revolution, I liked it, but didn't love it, although for different reasons. I think ultimately this one just fell a little flat for me. I had such high hopes, and it was good, but....something was just missing. Perhaps more resolution at the end. I liked this one, but not sure it was my favorite of hers.

[worldincolour · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I just remembered having read this charming young adult novel quite a few years ago. My opinion on this book may, therefore, be of litte use, but the fact that I add this book after all means that it is a book that is somewhat worth remembering.

The main character is a smart girl named Mattie, who has a passion for the learning of new words. To achieve this, she opens the dictionary at a random page every day and picks a word, which she challenges herself to use over the course of the remains of the day. A nifty little idea that works well throughout the entire novel.

The specifics have fled from my mind like bunnies from a pitbull, but still. A charming novel of which I keep good memories.

[backus2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is founded around the murder of Grace Brown, a true story, and the mystery of her death, which is captured and seen through the eyes of the main character Mattie. She is a girl in the 1900’s who is expected to take care of her siblings and to marry and have a family of her own when her dreams and talents of reading and writing go much further than the norm. Anyone who wants more for themselves than what society has decided for them, can relate to this novel.

[chrisbookarama · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I would really give it 4 1/2 stars.

[akreese · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Mattie Gokey is one of the most engaging characters I have read about in fiction in a long time. She is intelligent and hardworking, yet conflicted about her goals in life. She wants an education, but isn't sure if it is worth the cost of leaving her home, her family and her boyfriend behind. At first glance that might not seem to be the most original of plots, but Mattie is an amazingly intense character who is living through a very hard time.

This story resonated with me because the decisions that Mattie has to make; dealing with loyalty, breaking promises, putting others first or doing what's best for her; these are issues that we all have to deal with at one time or another. Mattie struggles to find that balance between personal achievement and self-sacrifice. She has to determine what cost her personal achievements are worth, and whether it is okay to put her own goals ahead of the needs of others.

Mattie is very smart, extremely creative and has a love of learning (she learns a new word from the dictionary every day). She has a great skill for creative writing, and her teacher encourages her by exposing her to the works of other great writers and poets. It was hard at times, reading Mattie's story and knowing that if she stays on the farm or marries a local boy her creativity will be smothered by the tasks of daily life.

This book takes the form of two parallel storylines, both told by Mattie in the first person. One storyline is written in the present tense as Mattie works at the Glenmore Hotel during the summer that Grace Brown drowns in the lake. (The tale of Grace Brown is based the true story of her death by drowning in a lake in the Adirondacks.)

The other storyline is written in past tense and starts near the end of the school year before Mattie's graduation examinations. In this section we discover that when Mattie's mom died she made Mattie promise to stay and take care of the family. Initially this doesn't seem to be a problem, but then Mattie finds out that she has an opportunity to study at Barnard. Not only does she not have the money to go, but she knows that she should stay to help her family and keep her promise to her mother. She has an idea though - if she can just talk her father into letting her work at the Glenmore Hotel then she can save enough money for school (and she'll worry about her promise later).

Now, I already knew from the other storyline that Mattie found a way to work at the Glenmore Hotel, so it just seemed like I was waiting for the two storylines to come together; to discover how Mattie ends up there. As the story went on though, I realized that Mattie's tale was not so clear-cut. Trials and troubles arise, not to mention the complications of a love interest, all of which put her dreams of higher learning in jeopardy.

It's hard for me to convey how much I liked this book. I've never even been to the Adirondacks, yet as I listened to this story I could relate so much to Mattie that it felt like I was reading about someone I knew. The setting was so real that I felt like I had been there.

This book should be a classic in young adult literature right alongside books like Anne of Green Gables and The Girl of the Limberlost. I mention these two books because Mattie reminded me so much of their main characters. Mattie has ingenuity and a strong spirit like Elnora in The Girl of the Limberlost, and the brains and creativity of Anne from the Green Gables series.

I would not recommend this book for young children though, because Mattie does live through some terrible and unpleasant situations. Some of the topics discussed include: death, sickness, racism, sex, illegitimate children, and a very entertaining scene where the girls at the Glenmore Hotel get revenge on a dirty old man.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to young adults and adults alike. I was sad to come to the end of the book, hoping to stretch out my time in Mattie's world as long as possible.

Although I own a copy of this book, this review refers to the audiobook version of A Northern Light which I checked out from the library. I thought that the narrator was a very good fit for this audiobook (though I did read elsewhere that at least one reviewer didn't like the voice of the narrator).

[saretta7l · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5/5

Due storie si dipanano nel romanzo: quella di Mattie, inventata, e quella di Grace Brown, tristemente reale.
Mattie, diventata dopo la morte della madre il sostegno del resto della famiglia, ha il sogno di andare all’università e lasciare una cittadina che non comprende lei e le sue aspirazioni.
Lavorando in uno degli hotel del luogo incontrerà Grace che le lascerà un plico di lettere da distruggere; leggendole, e ripensando al proprio passato recente, Mattie darà nuova voce alla storia di Grace e alla propria.
E’ un romanzo avvincente anche se alcuni (molti) elementi servono per sottolineare quanto poco invidiabile sarebbe la vita se Mattie restasse rinunciando all’università (l’immagine di Minnie con i gemelli, Royal che parla solo di granuturco etc…).
---
This novel speaks about two stories: the former, the fake one, about Mattie and the latter, tragically true, about Grace Brown.
Mattie, being the support of her family after her mother’s death, aims at the university, leaving behind a town that does not understand her and her wills.
Working in one of the hotel she will meet Grace who will leave are a pack of letters to destroy; reading them, and recalling her recent past, Mattie will give a new voice both to Grace story and her own.
It’s an engaging novel, however some (lots of) elements are only useful to underline how poor Mattie life should be if she gives up her studies (e.g. Minnie with the twins, Royal talking only about corn etc…).

[marlene9nl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am really pissed off at the moment.
I bought A Gathering Light and... A Northern Light thinking (of course) that it was a sequel)

Well thanks for wasting my money. Why change the title of a book for Europe and the US? Cause hoping for people like me that are stupid?

lol I wrote the above months ago but hey I was right so I am not going to delete it.

I finished this book last night June 2 and i was sad that it ended, I wanted to read more.
It took me a while to get into it but once I did I really enjoyed it. I wish The Northern Light was indeed a sequel. ;)

[kimjd_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A beautifully written story told through the eyes of Mattie, a 16 year old who is working at the Glenmore Hotel during the summer of 1906 when hotel guest Grace Brown's drowned body is found. Before her death, Grace had given Mattie a packet of letters and made her promise to burn them. Though Mattie's intentions are good, the opportunity does not present itself, and as she begins to read Grace's letters, it becomes more evident that what was initially thought to be an accidental drowning was in fact murder. The true events of the Brown murder are interwoven with Mattie's own story: expected to care for her younger sisters since their mother died, Mattie must put her own dreams of attending college on hold, even after she is awarded a full scholarship by Barnard College.

[akmargie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think I'm pretty easy on books, I default to 4 stars. I reason I didn't go all the way to 5 with this one is that its a girl book. And not to be confused with girly, just has a female audience, clearly. A solid read about growing up and making hard decisions. Donnelly creates a great setting and an engaging story, especially for historical fiction which I'm not the biggest fan of.

[leftik_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was not what I was expecting. It's poignant and the writing is interesting and unique. My one issue was the fact there was a whole lot going on in those few months. Other than that, I loved it.

[dauntless_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was my first Jennifer Donnelly book - I will definitely read others. I enjoyed the combination of historical fiction and mystery aimed at young adults.  

[jaguar897 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely adored this book! It’s the story of Mattie Gokey, a 16 year old girl living in the Adirondack Mountains. After her mother’s death Mattie is expected to be the women of the house and help raise her younger siblings. However, Mattie is a very intelligent young woman with too many dreams to let go.

There were many surprises with this book. For one there is the story within the story. Through Mattie’s eyes we experience the tragic account of Grace Brown’s murder. Grace’s letters were incorporated into the story weaving a true tale of her demise. I found that refreshing because I learned something new and I liked the mix of fiction and true life. The second surprise was the poignant moments that had me near tears. I didn’t expect this book to be so deep, but these characters were able to jump off the page and grab my heartstrings. There were some really beautiful moments, as well as some ugly ones. Themes of racism, feminism, marital infidelity and parental expectations are just some of the topics that Donnelly writes about. But it’s done in such a way that it never feels too heavy. Mattie’s story is about perseverance, passion and enlightenment.

This is my first Donnelly book, but I can’t wait to read more of her. :-)

[periwinklejane_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I didn't realize this book was YA at first, but sometimes I think they just define the category by who the main character is.

[thebignerd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book wasn't exactly as I was expecting it to be. Despite this, it was a fantastic read. It was capturing, suspenseful, and a bit heart warming at parts. A wonderful story and a wonderful book.

[jenners26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A beautifully written YA book that deals tangentially with the murder that was the subject of Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy, A Northern Light is a wonderful example of what a YA novel can and should be. Not only is it wonderful introduction to historical fiction, but it also offers a smart heroine who transcends the cookie-cutter heroines of so many YA books. Get this in the hands of your young adult and elevate their reading.

[whisper1_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Using Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy as a springboard, Jennifer Donnelly weaves a rich tapestry of history, romance, poverty, the desire to succeed, the love of books, and a turn of the century murder.

When young Mattie Gokey's mother dies, she is overburdened by the needs of her father and siblings. Longing to escape poverty and the back woods of upstate New York, Mattie's love of books propels her forward to a dream of education and fulfillment of her dream.

Highly recommended.

[joermailloux · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While I really did enjoy this book, I don't feel it can really be dubbed a mystery novel. I am drawn to novels that are set in local areas, and the fact that the story takes place in the Adirondacks, more specifically Lake Placid, intrigued me. I found the main character, Mattie Gokey,  wonderful. She faced woman's conflict of being drawn between work, family, and dreams, and I could really relate to it. Using the murder as a catalyst for Mattie's ultimate decision to leave and follow her dream to become a writer was clever. Enjoyable, disturbing at times, but completely believable for the time period.

[peptastic · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There was a lot to like about this book. The setting was clearly well researched and the characters very realistic. The protagonist Maddie works at a nearby hotel as a maid during the tourist season. A guest gives her a stack of letters to destroy but before she gets the chance to the girl is discovered dead. I'm too old for the intended audience for the book I'm afraid. I also grew up in a more cynical time. I had a hard time believing an avid reader such as Maddie didn't realise a few things about her crush or the neighbours problems.I won't fault the author for using these reveals since they are done to death for a reason.

[silva_44 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I really wanted to like this book, and I did enjoy certain aspects, but for the most part I feel that it's nothing more than a diatribe against being a wife and mother. Once again, as in so many coming-of-age novels featuring a female protagonist, the author seems to overtly convey the message that a girl is nothing if she is not educated, and is not primarily concerned with her own fulfillment. The only redeeming portion of the book was the Grace Brown storyline; I wish that the author would have explored her story further.