A Northern Light. By Jennifer Donnelly

Title: A Northern Light.

Author: Jennifer Donnelly.

Publisher: Harcourt Paperbacks; Reprint edition.

Date: September 1, 2004

ISBN: 0152053107

Critical Analysis:

This story is about a girl named Mattie Gokey and her life on a farm in rural upstate New York during the early 1900s. Mattie is a very intelligent young girl who wants to go off to college to fulfill her dream of becoming a writer. Mattie is left with the tough decision of following her dream or staying to help her recently widowed father run the family farm and raise her siblings.

Donnelly wrote a compelling and moving story that will keep the reader engaged. The story is told through Mattie’s narration and all of the characters were well represented. There are many elements included in this story such as suspense, mystery, romance and woman’s rights that will keep the plot going. Beth Guldseth of Children’s Literature wrote, “There are many issues here--murder, mystery, romance, discrimination, rights of women, the value of the intellectual life--and the author handles them all deftly. She uses the murdered girl's real-life letters to good advantage to advance the story.” Donnelly did a good job of presenting accurate historical information during this time period and the combination of the story moving back and fourth between the family farm and the Glenmore hotel gave good balance of the story. Viki Arkoff of Midwest Book Review wrote, “‘A Northern Light’ is a riveting page-turner for historical fiction fans, mystery buffs and any young adult readers who appreciates a well-written tale” (Midwest Book Review, "Vicki's Bookshelf" column, August 2003).

Review Excerpts:

Gillian Engberg (Booklist, May 15, 2003 (Vol. 99, No. 18)):

"Donnelly's first YA novel begins with high drama drawn straight from history: Grace Brown's body is discovered, and her murder, which also inspired Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy, is the framework for this ambitious, beautifully written coming-of-age story set in upstate New York in 1906. Sixteen-year-old Mattie Gokey is a waitress at the Glenmore Hotel when Brown is murdered. As she learns Brown's story, her narrative shifts between the goings-on at the hotel and her previous year at home: her toil at the farm; her relationship with her harsh, remote father; her pain at being forbidden to accept a college scholarship. 'Plain and bookish,' Mattie is thrilled about, but wary of, a handsome neighbor's attentions, and she wonders if she must give up her dream of writing if she marries. In an intelligent, colloquial voice that speaks with a writer's love of language and an observant eye, Mattie details the physical particulars of people's lives as well as deeper issues of race, class, and gender as she strains against family and societal limitations. Donnelly adds a crowd of intriguing, well-drawn secondary characters whose stories help Mattie define her own desires and sense of self. Many teens will connect with Mattie's deep yearning for independence and for stories, like her own, that are frank, messy, complicated, and inspiring. Category: Books for Older Readers--Fiction. 2003, Harcourt, $17. Gr. 10-12. Starred Review" Retrieved from the Children's Literature Database (accessed on November 09, 2009).

Beth Guldseth (Children's Literature):

"A Northern Light is a rousing and original first novel set in Adirondacks lake country in 1906. The infamous Gillette murder case (subject of Dreiser's An American Tragedy and the film, A Place in the Sun) provides the historical background. Mattie Gokey longs to escape backbreaking farm work and accept a state scholarship to Barnard College in New York City, but her motherless siblings need her, her father thinks education is foolish, and a handsome and ambitious farm boy comes courting. There are many issues here--murder, mystery, romance, discrimination, rights of women, the value of the intellectual life--and the author handles them all deftly. She uses the murdered girl's real-life letters to good advantage to advance the story. Details of daily farm life are specific and unusual. Many characters contribute to the rich broth but are easy to keep separate; Mattie herself is most appealing. This is smooth yet unpretentious writing with moments of real beauty and filled with literary allusions. An exciting and satisfying book. 2003, Harcourt, $17.00. Ages 14 up." Retrieved from the Children's Literature Database (accessed on November 09, 2009).

Awards:
Charlotte Award, 2006.

Michael L Printz Award, 2004.

Jefferson Cup Award, 2004.

Conncetions:
You can access a good discussion guide from the Multnomah County Library by clicking on: http://www.multcolib.org/talk/guides-northern.html (accessed on November 09, 2009).

Other books that may be of interest:
Kinkade, Thomas. Amanda's Story: a Cape Light Novel. Harper Collins. 2004. ISBN:9780060543501

Tripp Valerie. Samantha Saves the Day: A Summer Story. Pleasant Comapny. 1988. ISBN: 9780937295922