Written by Jennifer Donnelly, Reviewed by Erica
Selected as the book for the 2006 Tale for Three Counties reading program, A Northern Light tells the story of Mattie Gokey, a young woman who lives on a farm in the Adirondacks. Set in 1906 against the dramatic historical murder case of Grace Brown, the book outlines Mattie’s struggle to follow her dreams and become the woman she wants to be in the face of overwhelming odds. Accepted to Barnard College on a writing scholarship, she must not only find the means to get herself to New York, but also be determined enough to know her own will. Donnelly’s strong characters drive the story, and though the book starkly portrays the realities and hardships these people face, it never slips into the melodramatic. Mattie’s zest for words and her daily scouring of the dictionary is a creative approach and threads directly into the story. In the end, the book not only is truthful and sympathetic to the memory of Grace Brown, but it also teaches a lesson that is important for women of all ages.