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b00kr3vi3ws's review against another edition
3.0
The Sunlit Night tells the story of two youngsters, Yasha and Frances, who come from different backgrounds and fate have their paths cross at Norway. Frances is there to intern with an artist after a recent break up with her family and also another break up within her family. Yasha on the other hand is there to fulfill his father’s last wishes. Both have certain baggage that they carry and when they meet, they feel a certain connection. As friendship blossoms, they find comfort in each other.
When we break down the characters of Yasha a Frances, it is easy to like them and empathize with them for the most part. They are both very different personalities that bring in a variety of flavors to the story. To read the story from their individual point of view made it interesting. However, even with their given background, I really cannot digest the way they sometimes think of their parents. I realize that not every relationship is perfect and neither of our protagonists had a set of ideal parents. The thoughts they entertained about their parents still felt unnatural and almost disgusting at times. As a result I could not really warm up to the characters completely. Except for that one particular factor, the book is mostly well written sprinkled with engaging dialogues and a dash of humor. She has also successfully described the two very different places (Norway & US) in details. Also, while I initially thought that this would be a love story, and to some extent it is, but it is so much more than that. It sends us a message about accepting reality, handling grief, rediscovering yourself and that one can find a kindred soul at the most unexpected turns.
Overall, this makes for an above average read that I did end up enjoying it.
When we break down the characters of Yasha a Frances, it is easy to like them and empathize with them for the most part. They are both very different personalities that bring in a variety of flavors to the story. To read the story from their individual point of view made it interesting. However, even with their given background, I really cannot digest the way they sometimes think of their parents. I realize that not every relationship is perfect and neither of our protagonists had a set of ideal parents. The thoughts they entertained about their parents still felt unnatural and almost disgusting at times. As a result I could not really warm up to the characters completely. Except for that one particular factor, the book is mostly well written sprinkled with engaging dialogues and a dash of humor. She has also successfully described the two very different places (Norway & US) in details. Also, while I initially thought that this would be a love story, and to some extent it is, but it is so much more than that. It sends us a message about accepting reality, handling grief, rediscovering yourself and that one can find a kindred soul at the most unexpected turns.
Overall, this makes for an above average read that I did end up enjoying it.
redgreenpan's review against another edition
3.0
Lyrical prose, but the plot was sub-par, and very predictable. There were moments it was ridiculously humorous; I enjoyed these little injections. They kept me from putting the book away. But sadly, they were sparse.
ellenr272's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
heres_the_thing's review against another edition
2.0
I really did enjoy the first three-quarters of Rebecca Dinerstein's first novel, but the lower rating reflects my own intense, personal dislike of romantic relationships forming between teenagers and twenty-somethings. It was not explicitly rendered, but it's hard to enjoy a novel when the denouement is accompanied by an internal monologue of "no no no no."
My own upset and internal screeching aside, "The Sunlit Night" is engaging and human and a little dreamy. I enjoyed the writing very much and I was curious about most of the characters, even if the novel has a certain surface quality to its interactions---it's understandable when the protagonists are both outsiders and are experiencing something of a language barrier, but I was disappointed that Dinerstein skimmed over Frances' apprenticeship and her own coming to terms with herself. I liked Frances; I was rooting for her. But she just seemed to stay lost.
It's not an unapproachably quirky read, but the plot kind of loses track of where it's at toward the end of the book--one of the narrators is remembering these events and dropping little omniscient details about the future, and it's a shame we don't get that part of the action.
In the end, I think Dinerstein conveyed both Frances and Yasha's mutual sense of isolation, but didn't deliver on the characters developing any self-sufficent comfort. (Though that may be a lot to ask of any 17 or 21-year-old. I'm not sure.)
patrickhackett's review against another edition
2.0
I felt this book had great potential, but in the end it didn't really do anything for me. The prose was beautiful but the characters were underdeveloped and the action was sparse. Wouldn't recommend.
tylepard's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. Two storylines that end up intersecting -- each with a compelling main character, surrounded by interesting scenery and other wacky characters. Also really made me want to go to northern Norway. A fun book that I read in one day.
mermaidkatie's review against another edition
2.0
Meh, character driven, and not very well. I quit, and don't plan to pick it back up.
claire__fm's review against another edition
1.0
Scattered, underdeveloped and random. Possible that I'm giving it one star instead of two because the star-studded blurbs were so bizarrely effusive.
meeranair_54's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you Bloomsbury India for sending me a copy of this book for review.
Frances and Yasha’s paths cross at the top of the world. One of them has come to Norway to get away from family troubles by immersing herself in the Yellow Room art project. The other is here on a family mission, one that pains and disturbs him a great deal. While Frances must deal with her family splitting apart due to various reasons, Yasha has to put up with his mother’s sudden appearance with her boyfriend in tow. Finding comfort in a stranger’s embrace, the two forge a relationship that help them cope with their respective worries. The Sunlit Night is a realistic fiction about finding light even in the darkest of times from unexpected sources.
I had earlier picked up this book but couldn’t get past the first few pages because it is a bit slow in the beginning. But the synopsis is so heartrending that I had to give it another try. This book is extraordinary in its simplicity. I felt that there is no looming sense of a structured plot or characters brought to life. What I really liked about the book is the very normal and endearing way the lives of two people have been followed. You sort of forget that they are fictional characters and begin to believe in their story. The book alternates between Yasha and Frances’ perspectives. The author’s writing style is different and lovely. Not too long sentences and fantastic descriptions. The references towards the midnight sun are so mesmerizing even though you can only picture it through Frances’ eyes. I felt that it depicted their polarized states. Frances and Yasha, who lived in US, have come so far for different purposes to a common end – peace. I didn’t quite understand Nils character and Frances’ connection with him. He was her mentor but his behavior was a bit odd and the way his story ends puzzled me as it felt incomplete. The abrupt shift (uncaring to persistently pursuing) in Yasha’s feelings towards Frances also seemed rushed. Nevertheless they made sense together. Its a cute story with a different air compared to the usual contemporary book. You should give it a go..
Frances and Yasha’s paths cross at the top of the world. One of them has come to Norway to get away from family troubles by immersing herself in the Yellow Room art project. The other is here on a family mission, one that pains and disturbs him a great deal. While Frances must deal with her family splitting apart due to various reasons, Yasha has to put up with his mother’s sudden appearance with her boyfriend in tow. Finding comfort in a stranger’s embrace, the two forge a relationship that help them cope with their respective worries. The Sunlit Night is a realistic fiction about finding light even in the darkest of times from unexpected sources.
I had earlier picked up this book but couldn’t get past the first few pages because it is a bit slow in the beginning. But the synopsis is so heartrending that I had to give it another try. This book is extraordinary in its simplicity. I felt that there is no looming sense of a structured plot or characters brought to life. What I really liked about the book is the very normal and endearing way the lives of two people have been followed. You sort of forget that they are fictional characters and begin to believe in their story. The book alternates between Yasha and Frances’ perspectives. The author’s writing style is different and lovely. Not too long sentences and fantastic descriptions. The references towards the midnight sun are so mesmerizing even though you can only picture it through Frances’ eyes. I felt that it depicted their polarized states. Frances and Yasha, who lived in US, have come so far for different purposes to a common end – peace. I didn’t quite understand Nils character and Frances’ connection with him. He was her mentor but his behavior was a bit odd and the way his story ends puzzled me as it felt incomplete. The abrupt shift (uncaring to persistently pursuing) in Yasha’s feelings towards Frances also seemed rushed. Nevertheless they made sense together. Its a cute story with a different air compared to the usual contemporary book. You should give it a go..
melanie_reads's review against another edition
2.0
Seemed to be built more around caricatures not characters.