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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
A melancholic Christmas novella with hints of The Little Match Girl. I truly enjoyed it, and found the translation very well done. Beautiful writing and atmospheric.
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wasn’t expecting the story to end the way it did when I picked this to read this December. Well written.
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
So sad but still sweet in its own way.
emotional
sad
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Mental illness
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This is a debut novel by a Norwegian author. The title and cover are misleading. This is not your feel good Christmas tale. Instead the story is almost a modern retelling of the classic fairy tale “The Little Match Girl”. The story is told from the viewpoint of 10-year old Ronja whose 16 year old sister, Melissa, and father make up a family group. Ronja’s father is an alcoholic with a problem keeping a job. The rent is long over due, there is very little food in the house and Christmas is looking grim. Her father gets a temporary job at a Christmas tree lot that he loses after a short time when he begins to drink again. Melissa decides that she will step in for him to get food, pay some crucial bills, and maybe some Christmas for her little sister. Ronja is left alone every day after school and in the evening. She convinces Melissa and the manager to allow her to work with greenery for wreaths, etc. When she is discovered, she is threatened with child services. The conclusion is indeterminate and leaves the reader to interpret the resolution.
Recommend to readers of contemporary Christmas Scandinavian literary, The Little Match Girl, Norwegian literature.