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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
fast-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Noe av det nydeligste 🎄så mye varme for alle karakterene her 💖 unntatt Eriksen
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The story is well written and I plowed through it, but ended up a bit disappointed simply because I feel like the marketing for this title is misleading. I was looking for something else. This is centered around the Christmas holidays, but it is not a Christmas story.
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m pretty picky when it comes to Christmas books. Typically, I look for something that is a bit sad yet hopeful with some emotional depth. My favorites are A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. When I saw there was a new, Norwegian Christmas book about family, financial hardship, and addiction, I knew I had to pick it up. Brightly Shining follows Ronja, a 10 year-old girl from Oslo who lives with her sister Melissa and her alcoholic father. When her father loses his job at the Christmas tree stand, Melissa takes his place and Ronja follows her.
This was a very engrossing and beautifully written tale. Ingvlid Rishøi made me feel like I was transported to Oslo with her atmospheric writing and I quickly became attached to the characters. I’m not too familiar with Norway so I did find myself Googling a few things like borek and Lucia. The characters are where the book really shined. Ronja was a perfect depiction of a 10 year-old girl. She was curious, imaginative, impulsive, rambling, and perceptive. I loved the way her and Melissa relied on and supported each other in different ways. Sometimes it felt like they were parenting each other. Her grandparent-like dynamic with Aronsen was also very touching. Tonally this book is both humorous and heartbreaking with a sadness that looms over even the “happiest” moments. One moment in particular between Ronja and her dad really hit me hard. The final third of the book, however, takes a sharp turn into magical realism which was a bit jarring. This resulted in a somewhat dissatisfying, ambiguous ending that could be taken devastatingly or hopefully.
While beautifully written with great characters, the jarring shift and the ambiguous ending left me liking this book more than loving it. I would give this book a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.
This was a very engrossing and beautifully written tale. Ingvlid Rishøi made me feel like I was transported to Oslo with her atmospheric writing and I quickly became attached to the characters. I’m not too familiar with Norway so I did find myself Googling a few things like borek and Lucia. The characters are where the book really shined. Ronja was a perfect depiction of a 10 year-old girl. She was curious, imaginative, impulsive, rambling, and perceptive. I loved the way her and Melissa relied on and supported each other in different ways. Sometimes it felt like they were parenting each other. Her grandparent-like dynamic with Aronsen was also very touching. Tonally this book is both humorous and heartbreaking with a sadness that looms over even the “happiest” moments. One moment in particular between Ronja and her dad really hit me hard. The final third of the book, however, takes a sharp turn into magical realism which was a bit jarring. This resulted in a somewhat dissatisfying, ambiguous ending that could be taken devastatingly or hopefully.
While beautifully written with great characters, the jarring shift and the ambiguous ending left me liking this book more than loving it. I would give this book a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.