A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly: A Review

Overview:
   The year is 1906 and Mattie is just discovering that there is so much more to life than caring for her sisters and depressed father. She wants to write and go to college in New York. That's rare for a girl from the North Woods. When she takes up a job at the Glenmore, a hotel on Big Moose Lake, she finds that life is not like the pages in her books. Mattie finds herself in possession of a murdered girl's stash of letter that prove that baby-daddy is the killer. What will Mattie do with the letters and will she stay in her small hick town forever? Or will she board a train that takes her to New York and her future?

Review:
    I really enjoyed this book. Sure, it was slow moving, but it was a great look at Southern life. I found myself screaming at the book at how stupid Mattie could be. I mean, come on. Weaver is so much better than Royal. Weaver can actually read! I know, I get too invested in books. But, anyway...I liked the way Ms. Donnelly went back and forth from Mattie's time at the Glenmore and her time on her farm. It gave you a perspective of what was going on. It also tied everything together in the end when both evens sort of met in the middle. Also, most of the chapters started with a word from the dictionary. Mattie was obsessed with words and I learned new ones. My favorite was fractious-easily irritated. :) The only thing I didn't like was how the book ended. It left me with a lot more questions than answers. If that had been cleared up, I think I would have given the book a higher rating.

Overall rating out of 5: 4.4

Characters:
Mattie-unable to find her voice, a writer, has big dreams
Weaver-only African American in the school, gets accepted into Columbia University, as smart as Mattie
Beth-Mattie's younger sister
Lou-Mattie's younger sister, foul-mouthed
Ms. Wilcox-the school teacher with a secret
Pa-Mattie's father, ill-tempered, depressed after his wife's death
Royal Loomis- Mattie beau, only intent on farming

Memorable Quotes:

"In a pot, you jackass! In a pot! You can't heat cans; they explode! What kind of god-forsaken ass-backward caveman country do you come from?" p. 255