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a_lovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
It took me a while to get into it, but once I did I found it very charming. It's a lovely read.
coachadnyc's review against another edition
1.0
I got about halfway through The Sunlit Night and just couldn't go on. It started out pretty good as I was engaged by the stories of Frances and Yasha. However, by the time their eventually meeting happened, I was both bored to tears and incredibly annoyed. Yasha's mother ruined the book for me. She was such an annoyingly narcissistic character with absolutely no redeeming qualities who I wish would have fallen into a fjord and died. I get that stories have antagonists, but she just drove me nuts with what a self-absorbed, spineless, clueless person she was. I couldn't deal, it ruined the book, so I abandoned ship.
lesliehirgelt's review against another edition
5.0
This was a really beautifully written piece of realistic fiction. I loved how the author didn't shy away from all of the human emotions -- joy, apathy, anger, sadness, grief, dreaminess, maturity, immaturity. She also didn't shy away from the reality of relationships: how they're formed so spontaneously, how they disintegrate, how challenging family relationships are. And that opening line! That was a surprise, haha. I also really enjoyed the incorporation of Norse mythology, since much of the story took place in Norway. I don't know that much about Norse mythology except what I've learned from the Thor movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, lol -- but it was fun for me to read about it and to know what it was referencing. I'm looking forward to the film adaptation coming out this year. I believe Jenny Slate is playing Frances, the main character (or one of them -- Yasha is the other, but I'm not sure who's playing him, as none of the actors seem young enough???), and I think she'll do an amazing job.
thereadingwells's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This is a slow, quirky, eccentric read set between Brooklyn and Norway. I picked this book up randomly because of the cover art at my local library, so I went in with zero expectations. The characters are all a bit strange, but mostly loveable and real in a way that I find refreshing. Despite the plot feeling a bit scant at times, I really enjoyed Rebecca Dinerstein's ability to write with lyrical prose and set an atmosphere (specifically a beautiful Norse atmosphere). Would I read it again or buy it? No. But I'm glad that I read it.
A note: do not bother with the movie, it's too boring to finish, and quite poorly cast.
A note: do not bother with the movie, it's too boring to finish, and quite poorly cast.
halleyc's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
johannalm's review against another edition
5.0
The Sunlit Night, Rebecca Dinerstein
A different kind of falling in love story, exquisitely written and deeply tender and touching.
Two young people meet at the top of the world while visiting an archipelago of islands in northern Norway above the Arctic circle.
Frances is in Norway to work at an artists colony after graduating college and being dumped by her boyfriend. Yasha, who just finished high school, is there to fulfill his father's last wish by burying him at the top of the world. Both are lost and lonely yet discover an immediate connection to each other that cannot be ignored.
Yasha is a Russian immigrant to the US who was raised in Brooklyn by his bread baking dad, and the sudden loss of this man has broken his heart. In a scene that demonstrates his devastation Yasha climbs on top of his father's coffin and just lies there. The act is so devastatingly beautiful to read because it is so indicative of the shock that comes with the sudden death of a beloved father and the deep sadness and denial of that loss. The book is full of tender moments like this.
Francis is from Manhattan and her close nit family is falling apart. The description of how her family of four fit into their tiny apartment like mice is again so wonderfully descriptive and memorable. Dinerstein's power lies in her ability to marshal spare language with insight and unusual vision.
Her writing at times was so breathtaking I was compelled to reread passages in amazement and gratitude. Sally Wofford-Girand
A different kind of falling in love story, exquisitely written and deeply tender and touching.
Two young people meet at the top of the world while visiting an archipelago of islands in northern Norway above the Arctic circle.
Frances is in Norway to work at an artists colony after graduating college and being dumped by her boyfriend. Yasha, who just finished high school, is there to fulfill his father's last wish by burying him at the top of the world. Both are lost and lonely yet discover an immediate connection to each other that cannot be ignored.
Yasha is a Russian immigrant to the US who was raised in Brooklyn by his bread baking dad, and the sudden loss of this man has broken his heart. In a scene that demonstrates his devastation Yasha climbs on top of his father's coffin and just lies there. The act is so devastatingly beautiful to read because it is so indicative of the shock that comes with the sudden death of a beloved father and the deep sadness and denial of that loss. The book is full of tender moments like this.
Francis is from Manhattan and her close nit family is falling apart. The description of how her family of four fit into their tiny apartment like mice is again so wonderfully descriptive and memorable. Dinerstein's power lies in her ability to marshal spare language with insight and unusual vision.
Her writing at times was so breathtaking I was compelled to reread passages in amazement and gratitude. Sally Wofford-Girand
cfrisch's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful writing. Not much for a plot, but I didn't care. Lovely and interesting character. I was left wanting more.
danielperez's review against another edition
5.0
I am reminded of the cold love and odd comfort of the North one can only experience by living the changing of the seasons in Scandinavia with Dinerstein's debut novel. It's difficult to understand and even more difficult to explain, so I am glad she did such a great job of bringing that feeling to the page.
The tone and feeling of the book is reminiscent of the pure pleasantness of an Anne Tyler novel.
This is a great book of love, loss and adventure, and I can't wait to see what comes next from the Brooklyn native.
abookishtype's review against another edition
3.0
The first thing I do when I start writing a book review is to categorize the book I’ve just read into one more more genres, to help future readers browse this site and more easily find the kind of books they want to read. The only category I had for Rebecca Dinerstein’s The Sunlit Night was literary fiction, because there’s no sub-genre for “finding oneself.” Literary fiction comes the closest to accurately representing what this book is. The Sunlit Night is a melancholy book, revolving around two young protagonists whose worlds have just fallen apart. Frances has just graduated from art school and learned that her parents are divorcing. Yasha has just lost his father and is struggling to find a path through life that hasn’t been drawn out by his parents...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
marisabarrera_01's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75